Redesigning Learning Spaces for Creativity and Innovation
Today I attended a one day workshop hosted by Innovative Educator Consulting on how to redesign learning spaces in schools. The purpose of this type of work is to give students more opportunities to be creative and take their personal ideas from start to finish. We are developing a makerspace in our school, so I was looking for ideas to share with our staff.
We started off the day by responding to four different questions related to spaces for learning, displayed on poster board. The participants added their thinking to the board via Post-it notes. This was followed up with brief introductions and a learning walk with other educators. Many images of different modern learning spaces were displayed on poster board. Our task was to have a conversation about what we liked and didn't like for our learning spaces in our different schools. If we reached consensus on a certain idea, we placed a smiley or frowny face on the image.
A variety of content was also shared with participants to explore. One of my favorite resources was the 7 Learning Zones "that every classroom must have" from Edutopia. Students, teachers and school leaders can design these zones as they create their makerspaces. The consultants suggested using small standing frames from Ikea to label each zone for learners.
After lunch, we engaged in another discussion protocol. Called hexagonical thinking, participants used the principles of design thinking to respond to the question, "What one idea or concept best describes the goal you have for redesigning learning spaces?" As a group of educators, we wrote our ideas and explanations on a blank paper hexagon. Then we put our ideas together one at a time, physically connecting similar ideas and explained why (my offering was "personalized" - far right).
We wrapped up our day by exploring the different online resources available for educators. This activity was called "Rotation Stations of Discovery" and were categorized around different tenets of redesigned learning spaces:
Virtual Learning Spaces
Color Theory
Research on Best Practices of Learning Spaces
Data Collection
Video Tour Playlist
Classroom Furniture
I thought this video overview from Australia, using concepts from the resource The Third Teacher, was helpful.
My overall experience was positive. I discovered some valuable ideas about redesigning learning spaces and creating the conditions for students to be innovators. Below are my visual notes from the day.
