Observational studies summary
The lesson observations took place in a varied age range of classroom environments and the research instrument used provided a detailed and descriptive analysis about the structure of lessons and …
Key research findings
Whilst investigating aspects of the learning environment, we found relationships between behaviour and human experience on the one hand and the design of the physical setting on the other.38 It …
A survey of classrooms in use
In his study entitled Inside the Primary Classroom, which was published in 1999, Galton found that the majority of classroom spaces in use were simple enclosed rectangular rooms which were …
The UK National Curriculum
The 1988 Education Reform Act heralded the introduction of the National Curriculum for all children of compulsory school age.24 The National Curriculum sets out learning objectives and attempts to provide …
Child-centred learning — developments over the past 30 years
In mainland Europe forms of classroom organization vary, although over the past 30 years there has been a gradual move away from the organization of pupils in formal rows focusing …
The use of the classroom environment
Bennett and Kell’s 1989 study described poor classroom organization and its effects, which showed in a lack of pupil involvement in the lessons (with some pupils wandering about inanely), interruptions …
The classroom is a microcosm of the world
John Edwards Editor’s introduction everything we make must be a catalyst to stimulate the individual to play the roles through which his identity will be enriched... form makes itself, and …
Messages of a good society
In his book, The School and Society, John Dewey, one of the key educational pioneers of education during the twentieth century, states: What the best and wisest parent wants for …
The school building as third teacher
Eleanor Nicholson Editor’s introduction ‘Wouldn’t it give us pleasure to see a string of meaningful details in a children’s world? Things that admittedly serve trivial purposes, that stand for themselves …
Design concept
The design concept is a synthesis of the Design Down parameters, the site, the landscape and the historic precedents. Three ‘use variations’ are embraced by the design concept in order …
Learning process
The learning process consists of the design for curriculum, instruction and assessment. As learning is viewed as a continuous process, learning inside the school and in the community are valued …
Signature
Early in the design process the learning signature is developed. The learning signature focuses on what is special and unique; it becomes the identity of the school. While most school-planning …
. Evolution of a design for change: a case study
Ingunnarskoli in Reykjavik is a new school design model for Iceland. This learning environment design integrates educational planning, programming and design during the decision making. The school is a new …
The example
The thrust of school design in the recent decades has been the maximization of the archaic educational philosophy of ‘Sage on the Stage’ and the exclusive use of the architectural …
The concepts
Like the twentieth century, the twenty-first century school building design is also driven by two primary philosophies of education and architecture. However, these philosophies have changed from those of the …
The purpose
There are limited resources in society, so the objective of an efficient education (a quantity measure) is certainly valid. But that by itself falls short of the goal of a …
The challenge
To do this we must abandon practically everything we know about today’s school facilities. Twentieth - century school building design has been driven by two primary philosophies. First, the corebuilding …
Introduction
Imagine expanding the possibilities for learning. Having more places where learners are engaged, enthusiastic, and motivated. These characteristics are often found in kindergarten, yet they disappear in the later grades. …
Place making and change in learning environments
Bruce A Jilk Editor’s introduction Mass education originally mirrored society’s view that its main role was to control and discipline children in order to create pliant citizens who would fit …
Product two — a short story
Having described the principles of agility, flexibility, and proprioception, and explained the importance of multi-functional activities, colour variation, and moving parts, I finally wish to illustrate one of the best …
The application of transformation
Three principles that were significant during the design of the Minkar were agility, flexibility and proprioception. These three are built into Minkar and take discreet effect, stimulating and supporting the …
Spaces and qualities ofinspiration
With the key factors of safety, engineering, production, and accessibility in place, the emphasis for the development of Minkar could again be placed on design and play value and in …
The ‘Accessible’ significance of galaxy
As the design development process continued, the Meteor Shower was linked to other newly designed activities forming the Minkar Constellation. The concept of linking one ground level accessible play to …
Product one — the long story
The two products that I will discuss here, the Minkar and the Supernova, were developed as part of a product series called Galaxy and, in my opinion, each product holds …
A multitude of factors
An initial idea, whether it comes from a breakthrough, by mistake, or by following a specified design development method, is just the beginning of the design development process. In the …
Design origins
The previous example expressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue between the users and the designer and though I stated earlier that it is the children who are the inventors …
Inventors vs translators
The photos in Figure 2.2 and Plate 2 were taken in Barcelona at Guell Park, an important historical piece of landscape architecture designed by the great master Antonio Gaudi. It …
Castle or ship?
Most adults, I imagine, recognize the form in Plate 1 and interpret it as a children’s castle. We assume it is a castle because of the turrets and battlements, the …
Designing for play
Michael Laris Editor’s introduction As I write, another child has been murdered on a London street. He was robbed for his mobile phone then stabbed by a gang of older …
Discussion
The Mosaic approach offers a framework for listening to young children, which reflects the complexities of their everyday lives. This complexity does not fit well with easily measured targets and …
Individual landmarks
In addition to the shared spaces which held meaning for children in the group, this study also revealed a complex web of individual traces or landmarks.17 These landmarks ranged from …
Constructing meanings: place feelings and values
Hart describes children’s experience of place feelings and values in terms of preferences and fears. I will use these categories to examine children’s feelings about places in the nursery. The …
Activities
There were specific spaces in the nursery in which children used the activities experienced there to describe them. One important space was the music room. This was a multi-purpose space, …
Stages in the Mosaic approach
The first stage is where children and adults gather the documentation; the second stage is piecing together information for dialogue, reflection and interpretation. The focus in stage one is gathering …
The Study
The study took place between January 1999 and June 2000 at an early childhood institution, which was part of a multi-agency childcare network or community campus.6 This exploratory study on …
