Learning+Spaces

[|DesignShare]
 * [|Creating a 2020 Vision for School Design] by Karl Fisch
 * [|Most Popular Publications] Topics addressed include flexible learning spaces, collaborative, and project-based learning.

[|Learning Spaces at MIT] "Active learning methods place unique demands on the physical space in which education occurs. MIT has recognized this—and taken steps to reconfigure our learning environments. We have gutted and rebuilt the Aeronautics and Astronautics building to reflect a core educational model, redesigned and enhanced individual classrooms, and carefully overseen the makeup of facilities at our partner institutions half a world away. Bill Mitchell, former Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning and current head of the MIT Media Labs, pinpointed five guiding principles for the construction and renovation of educational spaces:


 * **Community:** Creative interaction supported by technological resources and physical layouts
 * **Intensity:** Local and remote interface, through both synchronous and asynchronous communication, that fortifies the learning experience
 * **Variety:** Seamless integration of technology to encourage a multitude of tasks
 * **Flexibility:** The ability to change with the needs of the community
 * **Ubiquity:** A campus where teaching and learning happen everywhere.

The practical application of these principles dictates multi-media environments, with network and wireless connectivity, videoconferencing equipment, and opportunities for hands-on experimentation. More importantly, it requires collaborative settings, where students cluster together to learn not only by doing, but by doing together."

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities [|Educational Trends Shaping School Planning and Design: 2007]

[|SCALE-UP at North Carolina State] "Educational research indicates that students should collaborate on interesting tasks and be deeply involved with the material they are studying. We promote active learning in a redesigned classroom of 100 students or more. (Of course, smaller classes can also benefit.) We believe the SCALE-UP Project has the potential to radically change the way large classes are taught at colleges and universities. The social interactions between students and with their teachers appears to be the "active ingredient" that make the approach work. As more and more instruction is handled virtually via technology, the relationship-building capability of brick and mortar institutions becomes even more important. The pedagogical methods and classroom management techniques we design and disseminate are general enough to be used in a wide variety of classes at many different types of colleges."

[|Wallenberg Hall at Stanford University]. Check out what this university is doing in nurturing student-centered learning, including rearranging learning spaces.