Redesigning classrooms for the future

REDESIGNING CLASSROOMS FOR THE FUTURE:

GATHERING INPUTS FROM STUDENTS, TEACHERS

AND DESIGNERS

Valencia, 6 March 2017

Neuza Pedro, Patrícia Baeta, Alexandra Paio, Ana Pedro, João Filipe MatosInstitute of Education- University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL)

INTRODUCTION

There has been an increasing pressure for the development of more updated teaching and learning

practices in all school levels. Yet some relevant aspects of the learning process has been underestimated.

Recent studies have focused on how learning spaces can promote innovation.

A study, developed in the UK primary schools, involving 153 classrooms and 3766 pupils, proved that design

parameters can explain 16% of the variation in pupils' academic progress (Barrett et al., 2015)

This study focused on the analysis of the sensorial impact of environmental factors of classrooms’ space and

schools building on students’ performance. The authors listed 10 parameters related to classrooms design that

were organized around three principles:

Naturalness (proximity with the outside, light, temperature, sound and air quality);

Individualization (flexibility, sense of ownership and connection);

Stimulation (complexity and colour)

CONTEXT: PROJECT TEL@FTELab

The Project TEL@FTELab - Technology Enhanced Learning @ Future Teacher Education Lab

is a 3-year research project coordinated by the Institute of Education of University of Lisbon

Main goal:

Rethinking initial teacher education for the way future schools and classrooms could look like and therefore

aiming to constitute a specially designed learning space for promoting the skills that teachers need to have

to proficiently act as professionals in these future environments

1st phase of the project: Design and setup of the Future Teacher Education Lab

a reconfigurable space organized in different zones where new learning scenarios enriched with digital

technologies are experimented in teachers’ initial and continuous training.

“WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?”

METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

A qualitative research study was conducted by using a Participatory Design Methodology. This approach involves

the “users” on the process of designing spaces and buildings.

Subgroups Nº of participants at phase 2

1. In-service teachers group 7

2. Preservice teachers group 7

3. Undergraduate students group 4

4. Architects and interior designers group 3

Total 21

“WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?”

METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

• The data collection process was constituted by 4 phases:

Phase 1: Sensitizing phase (where participants were asked to fill up a postcard with their individual

vision of a future classroom environment)

Phase 2: Exploration of a collective vision of the past, present and future classroom of all the

participants

Phase 3: Collective development of a 3D Model of the future classroom through the construction

of mock-ups

Phase 4: Development of a Virtual Reality 3D scenarios of the future classroom based of the

inputs of previous stages and evaluation of these scenarios by the participants.

METHODOLOGY: Data Collection procedures

• Data collection took place between March and May 2016 in 4 different occasions (one session for each

subgroup)

• The sessions were run at a conference room, taking 60-90 minutes each. A projective technique, involving

the recall of past memories, the vision of present moment and ideal future was used.

The main aim of these sessions was to:

i. Encourage participants to reflect on the main differences between past and present learning

environments, on a comparative perspective

ii. Collect participants vision and ideas regarding what makes a future classroom successful

iii. Understand what characteristics were seen as relevant in the design of a future classroom and how

these differ in level of importance

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 toolkit

Task 1 and 2

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 outline

Task 1

Task 2

Participantes were asked to draw three concentric

circles and hierarchically display their ideas about

the future classroom in it.

In the most inner circle, they should place words,

icons and images representing what they saw as

the most relevant concepts for the design of a

‘future classrooms’ and in the outer circle they

should place important ideas, even though they

were seen as less relevant.


Task 1 and 2

Participants were given 20

minutes to complete the activities

and 5 minutes to present the

outcome to the all group.


DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS

• In order to analyse the cardboards created in task 1 and 2, the

research team looked at three main sources:

1) The groups’ oral presentations, video recorded

2) The images, icons and words chosen as key concepts

3) The displayed level of importance of those components in the

inner circle, middle circle and outer circle of task 2

RESULTS: Task 1 (Past and Present classroom)

It was possible to notice that most participants represented these two realities by focusing on a traditional way of

teaching: Students being represented in individual seats facing the front of the room where the teacher and the

chalk board are positioned.

On the past classrooms:

Participants referred to frequent requests for silence, lack of interactivity and the

rigidity of the environment.

On todays’ classrooms:

Participants referred that teacher still take the central role in the classroom, not only

in managing the space but also on setting up the pace for the learning process.

RESULTS: Task 2 (Future Classroom): Image selection

• The images selected by participants show not only technology

assisted learning environments, but also active students

working in collaboration in a variety of spatial layout

arrangements

“We claim for classrooms with high interactivity and flexibility,

allowing for students to engage in different activities which

can be carried out in the same room”

• The informality of some of the spaces presented on the

images also stood out.

• An open space classroom environment was also emphasised.

RESULTS: Task 2 Icon selection

• Icons were the least selected items to be placed on the white cardboard. In the 9 groups’ cardboards only 6

icons were used

• The most selected icon was the Wi-Fi connectivity symbol. It highlights the importance participants gave to the

internet access in a future classroom environment

• The other selected icons were chosen only once.

The most selected icon (placed 3 times on the white cardboards)

Three icons selected only by one group of participants

RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection

• At the total 64 words were displayed

in the cardboards

• Strong emphasis on collaboration

and participation

• The words ‘creation’, ‘flexibility’ and

‘technology’ was also frequently

referred

Word (original language Translation Number of times word was selected

colaboração colaboration 6

alunos participativosparticipative students 5

criar create 4flexibilidade flexibility 4tecnologia technology 4

comunicação communication 3criatividade creativity 3espaço space 3feedback feedback 3imaginar imagine 3inovação inovation 3interação interaction 3aprender learn 2autonomia autonomy 2construir construct 2dinâmico dinamic 2experiência experience 2falar talk 2inclusão inclusion 2

rede wireless internet wireless 2respeito respect 2social social 2Total 64

mi

RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection level of relevancy

Focusing only in task 2 cardboards, it was

possible to see that:

• inner circle = ‘collaboration’ and

‘creation’• middle circle = ‘participative students’

and ‘technology’

• outer circle = ‘space’

inner

middle

outer

In order to visually combine the most

selected images, icons and words used by

participants, a three concentric circles

were designed, putting in the inner area

and in larger size the most selected

items

RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection

CONCLUSIONS

It was possible to see that:

• collaborative work is seen has being the core of the future classroom

environments

• Students should have a more active role in their own learning

experiences and the classroom layout need to successfully

accommodate this• The classroom space, along with other elements such as furniture and

technologies, should promote more student-to-student interactions

FINAL REMARKS

Guidelines for the design of future classroomsi. All the architectural characteristics of the classroom must enable students’ collaboration

and active learning, it should energise students, encourage them to move, think, act and

communicate;

ii. Furniture must be movable, multifunctional and reconfigurable in order for adjust to

students and teacher’ needs;

iii. Internet access and interactive technologies should be embedded in the classroom and

used for educational purposes;

iv. Classrooms as any human living space must be seen as a dynamic environment, an

evolving habitat that adapts to its users and not something that has remained static for

centuries.

“Imagine a classroom space that fits

the learning, instead of learning that

fits the space!” (Basye et al., 2015, p.50)

Thank you!Neuza Pedro, Patrícia Baeta, Alexandra Paio, Ana Pedro, João Filipe Matos

Institute of Education- University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL)

More information at http://ftelab.ie.ulisboa.pt/