Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and School Design · Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and...
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Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and School Design Valerie Bragg – Director, Head of Education at Faber Maunsell AECOM 09 February 2009
Transcript of Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and School Design · Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and...
Novel Learning and Teaching Methods and School
Design
Valerie Bragg – Director, Head of Education at Faber Maunsell AECOM09 February 2009
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Director, Head of Education at Faber Maunsell
Chair of the Schools Forum of the Royal Institute of British Architects(RIBA)
Adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office on School Regeneration
Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee onEducation and Skills
Fellow Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Previous roles
Chief Executive of 3es (Acquired by Faber Maunsell in 2006)2001 – 2006
Principal of The City Technology College, Kingshurst1987 – 2001
Valerie Bragg - DirectorHow I became involved in education
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A Teacher
A Classroom with desksand chairs in rows
Access to Information
Discipline
And that was it…
Teaching and Learning
What used to be required?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
What are the Drivers for Change?
Why do we teach in boxes with inadequate corridors?
Why do we move our learners every hour?
Why do we have to teach the same way we weretaught?
And Also
Modern technology including wireless IT andhandheld devices
A shortage of outstanding teachers
An improved understanding of learning
But mainly
Today’s Student
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Today’s Student…
has grown up in a digital age.
learns completely differently to youor I.
can access information on anysubject in an instant.
will have many careers during theirlifetime.
will constantly need to learn newskills
will find that knowing how to learn ismore important than what theylearn.
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Teaching and Learning Methods
Personalised Learning, teaching and support that is geared to thestudents’ ability at the particular skill being studied
Master Classes, large groups with a top quality teacher that splitout into discussion groups
Triarchic Instruction, focuses on children's creative and practicalstrengths, rather than their academic skills
Thematic learning, students take on a theme each term that thevarious curriculum subjects then feed into. Also known as Inter-disciplinary enquiry
Special Needs Education, one to one attention, specialist facilitiesand a safe and comforting environment.
Some of the latest thinking
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Teaching and Learning Methods
Tutoring
Peer Support also know as Collaborative Learning
Assessment on-line
Learning through Enquiry, a problem is posed that requires thestudent to undertake research and discussion to answer (also knownas Classrooms as a research environment)
Network enquiry
Buddy System
Paired Reading
Shift from Education to Life Long Learning
Some of the latest thinking
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Teaching and Learning
A Teacher
A Learning Space
Light & Air
Space
Flexibility
An Individual Approach
Specialist Facilities (up to andincluding professional standard)
The ability to tailor the access toinformation appropriately
IT
And More!
What is required now?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A Typical “New” Lesson
Get organised
Hold a discussion on the lesson topic
Log on to computers
Research, including music and voice
Huddle
Perhaps go to the Information Centrefor more research
Create a presentation
Hold the main event
Research based learning
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Another “New” Lesson
Introductory lecture in a large space using all the latesttechnology.
Break out into smaller groups for discussion.
Come back together to feedback or work together to form aresponse.
A Masterclass
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A recent survey by the British Council for School Environments
-A third of teachers said that theirschool's design prevents themfrom teaching effectively
-Nearly nine out of 10 teacherssaid classroom lay-out was themost important aspect of schooldesign.
-Just 12% said they consideredthe design of their schoolbuildings to be effective.
"If the impression given tostudents is that this room doesn'tmatter then the impression is thatit doesn't matter what they do inthis room."
Teachers’ opinions on their school environment
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
- 87% said school environments influencedpupils' behaviour.
Narrow corridors contributed to"aggressive behaviour and argumentsamong students".
Others said the lack of a "proper desk andchair" inhibited a teacher's ability to dotheir job.
An inability to control temperature inclassrooms and its impact
"My classroom is either too hot or too cold.The windows are too high and I have toclimb on cupboards to open them. Thechildren get tired in the heat."
59% said they were not able to adjust theirphysical environment to accommodate thedifferent ways they taught classes.
A recent survey by the British Council for School Environments
More from the teachers
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
So how to address these issues?
The Teaching Environment
Teaching the Teacher
The Importance of Consultation
The School in Operation
Keep It Simple!
And accommodate new teaching and learning methods at thesame time
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Ideal Teaching Environments
Indoors or outdoors.
Large or small depending on theneed.
Relaxed or formal.
Location and format
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Ideal Teaching Environments
Light and Air
Space
Flexibility
Availability of IT
Acoustics thatsupport groupdiscussions
Able to useevery resourceavailable
What they need
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Ideal Teaching EnvironmentWhat could they look like?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A Cafe?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A Social Space?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Outside?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
What is MY Ideal Teaching Environment?
Adaptability (flexibility)
Technology
Informality
Intimacy
Openness (transparency)
Movement
Flow
The right acoustics
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching Environment
The Good…
Personalised Learning Environments
On-line curriculum
Teacher tablets, the textbook of the future
Visualisers and Interactive Whiteboards
Teacher, student and parent access toschool information and their work, 24 hoursa day.
And the Bad…
Floorboxes
Power points
Lack of understanding - FEAR
How IT can help (and hinder)
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching Environment
Many teachers have a traditional approach to teaching, basedon “that’s how it’s always been done”.
Having strong IT skills is not a pre-requisite to be ateacher!
Teachers are not trained Facilities Managers.
Teachers want to teach, not spend time managing a space.
You may think your systems are fantastic but will a teacherwho has to use them every day agree?
As designers you can help to develop and re-form teachers’expectations, by showing them what is possible
Teaching the Teacher
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Importance of Consultation
A School is not just a building, it’s not an office andit’s not a factory.
The best Schools have a tangible sharedownership. This comes from the staff and studentsworking together for a common goal.
Unless the entire school staff and the students areinvolved in the development of the building, theywill feel divorced from it.
A school that is imposed on its staff and studentswill never be owned.
As designers, you are used to consultation. Yourconsultees are not but you can show them theway.
The Concept of Ownership
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching Environment
Langley Academy - Teaching sustainability using thebuilding
Water usage
Energy monitoring
The school as part of the curriculum
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching EnvironmentThe school as part of the curriculum - Langley Academy, Slough
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching Environment
Public art project involved students in the development of artworks for the frontand inside the building
Two prominent artists were commissioned
Students asked for the “Wow” factor
Students were also supported to make a photographic record of their old schooland to produce images for display inside the new building.
The school as part of the curriculum – Merchants’ Academy, Bristol
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
A beautiful building that no one can find their way around.
Materials chosen for their attractiveness rather than suitability.(Flooring that can be scuffed, playground covering with sharpcorners)
Furniture that is robust but too heavy to move easily.
Floor-boxes and static tables due to IT constraints.
Staff areas, corridors and offices as after-thoughts.
Overcomplicated environmental systems that teachers can’t adjusteasily.
Changes during construction due to time and / or cost having adetrimental effect.
A building that has been designed for adults not children
All of this has a detrimental effect on teaching and learning
The Teaching EnvironmentProblems that can arise even with new designs
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The Teaching Environment
Using the right colours
Teenagers view primary colours as immature.
Subtle colours work well, light sage greens andrefreshing blues, with brighter, trendy and moresaturated hues used as accent colours.
The use of school colours also works to promoteschool spirit.
It costs no more to paint a wall a colour than white
Even small changes can help teaching and learning
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
The School in Operation
Have you fully trained school staff in the operation of schoolsystems? Have you explained how the floors are cleaned andthe lights work?
Don’t expect a caretaker to be qualified to operate a biomassboiler.
People will leave lights on.
People will not switch electrical items off.
A school has a small operational budget – the new buildingswill not increase this by much.
School staff are only human, if it is difficult or expensivethey won’t do it
What happens after you leave?
Novel Teaching and Learning Methods and SchoolDesign. Valerie Bragg-Director. 09 February 2009
Keep It Simple!
Make the school easy to navigate
Make the environment adjustable
Make the learning environment flexible
Don’t introduce a sophisticated systemthat the teachers will end up not using.
Help the school staff to truly own thebuilding they’re in.
Remember the day-to-day operation ofschool you’re designing.
AND
You’ll be helping schools create novelteaching and learning for tomorrow.
Making life easier for the school and itsteachers
Thank You
Valerie Bragg – Director, Head of Education at Faber Maunsell AECOM09 February 2009
