Dec 6, 2018

Designing Pedagogy for Innovative Learning Environments



Credit: DLR Group, Missouri Innovation Center, Michael Robinson photography

By Marilyn Denison, K-12 Education Planner at DLR Group

Equipping learners with the skills and capacities for a successful future – including self-directed learning, global awareness, collaboration, and creativity – is no small matter. Many educational leaders are finding that traditional forms of education are not keeping students engaged; assisting students in taking responsibility for their own learning, or providing opportunities for students to work together. Pedagogies must evolve and respond to the changing world in order to remain relevant to the next generation of learners. Many schools are working on transforming their spaces, but often focus on influencing only one aspect of education – either academic standards, instructional practices, or the physical environment, but seldom all three. This can prohibit reform efforts, and produce less than desirable results.

Research has been a staple of my career to illuminate the needs of students and how environments affect learning, and I shared this position Dr. Diana Saylak, a former coworker and educator at Coppell Independent School District. We both value direct feedback, so she connected me to a central Texas student and a teacher, also known as a facilitator, who shared with me on the condition of anonymity how today’s spaces can create lifelong learners and prepare students for the future. Their stories demonstrate successful transformation of changing behaviors in a new space – what happens when pedagogy meets an innovative learning environment.

Teacher and Student to Facilitator and Learner

“When my students saw a news clipping about the state of water across the world, they really were concerned. So, I gave them an opportunity to decide how they wanted to make a difference. They determined it was important to make people aware of the issues with water conservation. Some chose to develop a website, some chose to design brochures and pamphlets, while others chose to create a digital multi-touch book. They also chose their own groups for this challenge based on common passions. I reviewed regular updates throughout the project, and the experience also included a presentation of their finished projects to me and their peers.”

The facilitator also shared that this innovative approach to teaching and learning is much more impactful than lecturing in a traditional educational setting. In previous years, she followed the same lessons year after year, lecturing to students and assigning homework every night. She felt the older, traditional approach made it difficult to build relationships with learners because of the constant pressure to get through the curriculum and prepare students for the state test, and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be an educator in a new, modern learning environment.

“At the new school, we follow the challenge-based learning model to deliver instruction. Students collaborate with each other throughout the day and are much more involved in their work as they develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. I can guide my students in a way that personalizes learning based on their passions, interests, strengths, and needs. And when they feel like they need more support, I am there to work with them. They can even use our class Google doc to request a workshop, or a small group lesson, on a topic that will fulfill a need and help them move forward, such as quadratic functions or finding expert leaders in a specific field. This way of teaching allows me to understand the curriculum better, and allows me to use my creativity to ensure my students gain the necessary skills and knowledge they need to be successful in life. It is an exciting way to facilitate learning, and I will never go back to traditional teaching!” 

And her student shared the same sentiment.

During the 2017-2018 school year, this student attended a traditional high school. Her eight classes per day were held in classrooms where the desks were arranged in rows and her teachers lectured day after day. She told me that she rarely talked to other students outside of lunch, and therefore did not make many new friends during the school year. This learner also said by the time she returned home each day, she struggled to remember the goal of her homework lessons. Later that year, however, she began attending a new school – one that supports modern pedagogies and is designed to be flexible, with furniture that can be easily moved to accommodate varying teaching styles, and spaces that can accommodate changing technologies. She said her experience in this innovative learning environment is vastly different than the one she recounted from her the traditional school.

“I love my new school! Here, the content in our classes is integrated and we learn in more of an open environment with additional small and medium spaces, so we can choose where we want to research, practice skills, and create projects. We have comfortable furniture that we move to where we want to sit, or move to work in groups or by ourselves. Our teacher is called a facilitator and she sets up challenges where we have choice in how to research and find solutions. I also get to work with students in other grade levels.”

As she described one of her favorite learning experiences with me, her enthusiasm was palpable. “Today was another amazing day as I shared with the class the digital multi-touch book that I created with two other students for our water conservation challenge project. The three weeks of research and preparation really paid off. When I got to class, I chose a spot next to my friends in my project group. Of course, one of my friends wanted to sit in that big, blue bean bag chair, but I got my favorite spot on the pillow chair behind him. The three of us worked so hard on this project, we even chose to work outside of the school day because we enjoyed doing the project. Our facilitator gave us feedback along the way, so I knew we were going to be successful.” I could sense the knowledge and confidence she gleaned from this collaborative, hands-on experience.

These two stories reinforce my belief that instruction and physical design share equal sides of the educational coin – they work with one other to support educational success. In order to best prepare students for their futures, school districts should approach change from a holistic perspective, simultaneously focusing on the architectural design components of the facility as well as the pedagogy that will be shared in that space. In doing so, these districts can create meaningful change for the learners of today, and flexible solutions for the learners of tomorrow.

Interview With John Dale, EDmarket Architect Member



EDMARKET MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Name: John R. Dale

Firm: Harley Ellis Deveraux (now known as HED)

Title: Principal, National Pre-K12 Studio Leader

Years in the education business: 22 years in school design, 36 years in the architectural profession.

Brief history of your firm:  Our company was founded 110 years ago in Detroit as an architecture and engineering firm. The work in the early years ranged from breweries and industrial complexes for the auto industry to large private residences.

What was your first job? My first job was doing residential work for a local general contractor one summer in London, Ontario when I was in high school. My first job working as an architect was for a big firm in Toronto – Niesch Owen Roland and Roy Architects (NORR), an offshoot of one of Canada’s first modernists, John C. Parkin Architects.

How did you get interested in school design? In 1996, having spent many formative years working on a wide variety institutional and educational work with Barton Myers Associates in Toronto and Los Angeles, I was encouraged to apply for the position of Design Team Leader at the newly opened Pasadena office of Perkins + Will. The Principal in Charge of the new office, Gaylaird Christopher, was a passionate and dedicated school architect. I was quickly caught up in the energy and excitement of working on innovative school designs for an enlightened School Superintendent, Sherry Eagle, in West Aurora, just outside of Chicago. I got hooked and have been focused on school design, almost exclusively, ever since.

What makes your firm unique? Our combined expertise in architecture and engineering includes building science. This has put us in an excellent position to do innovative sustainable design in many sectors within our design portfolio.  As a highly collaborative culture, we have a strong reputation as team players. We work collaboratively with a wide variety of other design firms, sometimes as executive architects but increasingly, as design collaborators. Our portfolio is therefore innovative, diverse and tremendously varied in scale and character.

What do you like best about designing school projects? I am constantly inspired by educators and students who are dedicated, energetic and open to new ideas. The most moving moments in my career have been at the completion of a project when students have approached me and expressed their appreciation of the results.

What is your typical day like? Insane. There is always more to do than the hours available. My time is split between the design and coordination of active projects, client outreach, proposals for new work, conferences, workshops and presentations. I am Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Council on Open Building, a North American network of professionals that advocates for buildings designed for resilience and change.

What do you like to do in your spare time? What is ‘spare time’?  My ancestors where architectural engravers and when I have time, I search the internet for their books and illustrations. When there is more time, I travel with my family – to the East Coast or Europe or to a lake north of Toronto, Canada, where we share a summer cottage.

What has been your involvement with the AIA-CAE? I have been a member of the CAE and attending conferences sponsored by the group for over a decade. About 8 years ago, I was invited to chair a subcommittee on Alternate Learning Environments and was then selected to part of the Leadership Group. I served four years in the LG, culminating in a year as Chair in 2016. I was an ex-officio member of the LG the following year and served on the Board of the CAE Foundation. I continue to be active with subcommittee work and participation in conferences.

How do you think the partnership between EDmarket and AIA-CAE has helped companies like yours? The partnership has created stronger ties between the education furniture industry and our studio leaders, helped keep us current and given us the opportunity to share our ideas about the education environment to a broader audience.

What advice would you give other architects thinking about joining EDmarket? Get involved. Offer to do a presentation; volunteer to design a classroom of the future; connect to your colleagues in the industry; see great educational environments by your colleagues in person.

Diving into the Future of Educational Facilities: EDspaces 2018






A virtual who's who of key decision makers at schools, colleges, and universities involved in the design, build, management or renovation of an educational facility converged at EDspaces 2018, November 7-9 in Tampa, FL. Nearly 2,300 education leaders (architects, distributors, Pre K-12, colleges, universities, independent manufacturer representatives, exhibitors, and corporations) gathered to explore challenges, strengthen skills, and build networks. 


Two pre-conference events, the Learning Lab, Safety & Security and Educational Distribution Symposium on Tuesday kicked off the event, while visionary keynoters inspired the audience each full conference day. Wednesday Plenary session was delivered by Michael Horn, author of Amazon bestseller, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, and Thursday featured a joint presentation by Chris Lehmann, Science Leadership Academy CEO, and Diana Laufenberg, Executive Director of Inquiry Schools, who shared their message on Creating the Schools We Need.

EDspaces is the only event featuring six innovative classroom designs, inspiring attendees and exemplifying the future of educational facilities. Each is developed to accommodate a wide variety of presentations, demonstrating learning areas for students of various ages, as well as a comfortable space for adult learners. 

Attendees explored the intersection of free play and enhanced learning at the PLAYces Specialty Area sponsored by EDmarket Knowledge Partner, KaBOOM!, built onsite in the exhibit hall. Creative principles of STEAM and the application of child-directed, unstructured play through hands-on, inquiry-based learning will be featured. The Specialty Area illustrates how play positively impacts innovation, collaboration, and critical thinking, creating opportunities for enhanced learning.

Expeditionary learning occurred on two distinct tours, one focused on the school environment and one showcasing higher education spaces, with educationally-rich site visits featuring sustainability, creative design, and innovative interiors. Additional evening tours were offered at nearby USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) and the University of Tampa’s Plant Hall & Henry B. Plant Museum, with its famous onion domes. Every tour included an educational component in a variety of learning environments, and each qualified for AIA LU/HSW credit.

It was a good week for Hillsborough County public schools that not only approved a 10-year sales surtax that will pump $131 million annually into much-needed upgrades at hundreds of aging campuses across the county on election day during EDspaces, but also was the recipient of  truckloads of furniture donated by EDspaces exhibitors. Vendors donated their EDspaces display furniture to 9 different Hillsborough County Achievement Schools. Donations ranged from desks to shelves, chairs, rugs, cabinets, and more. In total, the donations of classroom furniture and equipment were donated over the weekend to local schools at the conclusion of EDspaces, valued at more than $215,000.

Each year, EDspaces evolves progressively to encourage networking and give participants an opportunity to forge lifelong professional connections throughout the education sector and experience product innovations in educational facilities. Next year's event will take place October 23-25 in Milwaukee, WI. For more information, visit www.ed-spaces.com