REFLECTIONS.
Reflecting on a learning space I have identified an educational setting that does not demonstrate a quality space for learning. The learning space will be identified by the term 'swamp' throughout my reflections.
Refection on a site I have visited, evaluating who and what is valued at this site.
Refection on a site I have visited, evaluating who and what is valued at this site.
Republic An Assemblies, (n.d.). Blooming Swamp [Image], Retrieved Janurary 26, 2015, from http://bit.ly/1FwPao3
REFLECTION 1:First thoughts about my swamp
My
‘swamp’ is situated in a public primary school library with an enrolment of
approximately 500 students in Brisbane West, Queensland. The ‘swamp’, bubbling
with misuse, is the digital media room. This library is like an onion, it has a
few layers that are unattractive and misshaped but when they are peeled off the
heart of the onion is desirable and a quality product that is used in almost
every facet of the school. Just like an onion the heart of the library is
extraordinary, it just needs a few layers peeled off to access the beauty
within.
Looking at the top layer of this library, the ‘swamp’ layer, it is immediately noticeable this digital media room needs to be peeled back. The room is bland and unappealing. It is a large rectangular room with no colour, grey tables, grey computers and no material other than the computers, tables, chairs and docking stations. This ‘swamp’ does not meet the needs of the school or the learners within the school.
Inside the digital media room the desktop computers are placed around the walls of the whole room with a large empty space down the centre. The students when accessing the space are placed at a computer workstation to work. They are unable to work collaboratively and are trapped in a dull and uninspired room. Because this space is so desolate the students become unproductive and the space is vacant for the majority of the term due to teachers finding the space hard to manage.
Peeling away this ‘swamp’ layer from my onion, the digital media room, I believe will reveal a layer that meets the needs of the school and its students. I value collaborative learning and believe redesigning this space to meet the needs of 21st century learners will result in a more conducive space for learning allowing students to work collaboratively and capacity build.
I have limited experience in design but I endeavour to embrace the knowledge of others (scholars, teachers, students) and dive into the project of creating a learning space that encourages the best from its inhabitants.
Looking at the top layer of this library, the ‘swamp’ layer, it is immediately noticeable this digital media room needs to be peeled back. The room is bland and unappealing. It is a large rectangular room with no colour, grey tables, grey computers and no material other than the computers, tables, chairs and docking stations. This ‘swamp’ does not meet the needs of the school or the learners within the school.
Inside the digital media room the desktop computers are placed around the walls of the whole room with a large empty space down the centre. The students when accessing the space are placed at a computer workstation to work. They are unable to work collaboratively and are trapped in a dull and uninspired room. Because this space is so desolate the students become unproductive and the space is vacant for the majority of the term due to teachers finding the space hard to manage.
Peeling away this ‘swamp’ layer from my onion, the digital media room, I believe will reveal a layer that meets the needs of the school and its students. I value collaborative learning and believe redesigning this space to meet the needs of 21st century learners will result in a more conducive space for learning allowing students to work collaboratively and capacity build.
I have limited experience in design but I endeavour to embrace the knowledge of others (scholars, teachers, students) and dive into the project of creating a learning space that encourages the best from its inhabitants.
REFLECTION 2: Who and what is valued at my learning space?
The site is a public library newly refurbished last year. Walking towards the building you immediately feel relaxed and at ease with the space. There are bright green tables with chairs around the side of the building facing a sea of trees. Upon closer inspection each table has a power outlet on the wall behind it and the tables are filled with people working on their laptops. Entering the building I find a quite not silent space. There is noise here, kids laughing, keyboard strokes, people talking about books to read. I feel welcomed immediately as the bright oranges, pinks and yellows draw me into the building further and on my right I see different types of orange, green and pink lounges with people sitting reading and working. Next is a bank of desktop computers filled with people working at them. Books are to my left and behind the computers. The heart of the space is where the librarian is standing behind her desk and meeting her eyes I am greeted with a bright comforting smile. I relax further and then I spy a long table with power outlets and lamps on top with pink computer chairs (weaved back). Sitting down in the chair I look out the window to the green garden and I know that this is my spot. Here is where I want to sit and work. The chair is extremely comfortable and putting my feet forward I can feel a ledge that my feet can rest on (perfect). I can hear children laughing and turning to my left I see an opening in the wall where I notice two booths are. Walking towards it the noise of children increase and passing through the entry to this section I encounter an upside down world. The walls of the room are brightly painted in a garden theme, everything is upside down. Picnic basket, rug, plates, cups are all stuck to the ceiling while the ground is the sky. A large upside down tree fills the far corner of the room and children run through the large tunnel the leaves of the tree make. A garden shed is against the other wall and tools are stuck to the wall all upside down. A large rectangular table runs down the centre of the room and has pencils, paper and left over art supplies from an activity scattered across it. Books line the walls however the configuration of these is hard to track as they have to fit around the shed, tree and booth. A large square of white carpet draws my focus and as I approach it I notice a projector above casting pictures onto the white space. Flowers are floating on it and as a child runs across the white carpet I see the image change to fit the steps of the child. This interactive carpet square draws my focus for some time as I have fun changing the picture with my movements. Exiting the children's area I find a conference room next to it and then the non fiction collection before seeing the doors again. Toilets are located in this back corner and also a water cooler for patrons of the library. It is evident in the design of this space that it is meeting the needs of the people in the area it is located. The place is filled with people using the space, either for study or here for leisure. The library has numerous spaces within it to meet a variety of needs.
REFLECTION 3: Charrette process: benefits and disadvantages?
The participation in my first mini online charrette was both
informative and confidence building. Working in an online environment by myself
I was nervous about my knowledge on the subject and how I could help another with their own space.
Would my ideas and thoughts be substantial? This question plagued my thoughts along with the doubt of my ideas being acceptable by someone else.
However once the charrette started I immediately felt at ease with the process. I engaged with my partner well and I was able to ascertain that I do have quality ideas and knowledge about the learning spaces discussed. We had similar spaces being redesigned and discussing changes was beneficial for both of us. We concluded our charrette with a list of ideas to go away with and think about for our proposals.
This experience was a worthy exercise however I felt like we had similar ideas and I would have liked to have another person in my group to bring in different ideas. Also I felt like the users of the space were being left out of the decision making processes and as they are the ones that the space needs to work for I knew I needed to conduct a mini charrette with them.
After conducting this mini charrette during a lunch time at the school I feel I am better equipped with the knowledge I need to now develop a space that meets their needs. I discovered ideas I hadn't thought of as well as ideas I had thought were needed but the users thought didn't matter.
The whole process of conducting these charrettes has been extremely beneficial for my learning. I now have a focus for my design solutions, using my knowledge gained through the literature and the needs of the users I feel like I can move forward and create a design solution that meets the needs of the users in this context.
Would my ideas and thoughts be substantial? This question plagued my thoughts along with the doubt of my ideas being acceptable by someone else.
However once the charrette started I immediately felt at ease with the process. I engaged with my partner well and I was able to ascertain that I do have quality ideas and knowledge about the learning spaces discussed. We had similar spaces being redesigned and discussing changes was beneficial for both of us. We concluded our charrette with a list of ideas to go away with and think about for our proposals.
This experience was a worthy exercise however I felt like we had similar ideas and I would have liked to have another person in my group to bring in different ideas. Also I felt like the users of the space were being left out of the decision making processes and as they are the ones that the space needs to work for I knew I needed to conduct a mini charrette with them.
After conducting this mini charrette during a lunch time at the school I feel I am better equipped with the knowledge I need to now develop a space that meets their needs. I discovered ideas I hadn't thought of as well as ideas I had thought were needed but the users thought didn't matter.
The whole process of conducting these charrettes has been extremely beneficial for my learning. I now have a focus for my design solutions, using my knowledge gained through the literature and the needs of the users I feel like I can move forward and create a design solution that meets the needs of the users in this context.
REFLECTION 4: Where to from here for me as learning space designer? My key learnings from this unit.
Completing this unit I am now overtly aware of spaces and
the impact design can have on student learning. I find myself now evaluating
spaces when I encounter them, asking myself the question “Who is valued in this
space?” and then either appreciating good design elements or imagining how the
site could be improved with design elements I have learned in the course of
this unit. I began this unit unaware of the specific and significant impact
design has on learning outcomes. I now realise that slight changes can have a
large impact on the effectiveness of the space. When considering my design I
have become more observant of universal design principals and how spaces meet
the requirements for all students, something I had never considered before.
From here I plan to use the knowledge I have gained in this unit to enact change at my school, implementing design solutions to the areas of the school that need improvement. Using my understanding of the theory supporting design, I hope to convince the school administration and staff as well as the school community the importance of investing funds to improve the learning spaces within the school to ones that support quality learning experiences.
From here I plan to use the knowledge I have gained in this unit to enact change at my school, implementing design solutions to the areas of the school that need improvement. Using my understanding of the theory supporting design, I hope to convince the school administration and staff as well as the school community the importance of investing funds to improve the learning spaces within the school to ones that support quality learning experiences.