A new colleague and leader said to me "So you have an interest in Modern Learning Environments." "Yeeeeeeah............ yip...........yip," I nodded and the conversation continued forming many question marks on my own philosophy. As I reflect on that now, I realise that my interest is not necessarily just on MLE but more about Flexible Learning Space.
I should note, that I tend to have the impression that the current view of a MLE to be an Open Learning Space. Whereas, a FLS is more about using or adapting a space you have to suit different situations.
Chris Bradbeer: Learning spaces from EDtalks on Vimeo.
I currently work in an 'old fashioned' single cell classroom with poor ventilation, poor acoustics and it's not all that attractive. I'm not complaining - it's workable, and we can't all have bright, shiny and new. I have some experience working in very collaborative and a not-so-collaborative school environment, and at my first school we used to do a class interchange for maths.
Within my single cell classroom, I use some Modern Learning strategies. E.g. Must-dos, Can-dos; no named desks; a variety of work surfaces such as standing desks, collaborative tables, cushions, partitioned areas etc.; opt-in workshops and many others. Some have worked better than others depending on the students in the class.
I actually really like working in my own class. I like that I know all my children personally and academically in all areas. I like that my timetable can be flexible enough to take advantage of teachable moments, without having to worry about any other teachers timetable. I like that the design accommodates a smaller number of people so it feels homely and the children have some ownership. I like that I know all of my students can achieve using the strategies WE (it's not all about me!) have put into place.
Aside from thinking noise and distraction would become a big factor not only for me personally, but also for the students, what would concern me in a shared teaching space is that when one teacher is ready to move from reading to writing, then that is when a lesson has to stop. It would concern me that although a student may be in my 'home-group' I may only see them during writing on a particular day. It would concern me that a student may get lost in a space and not feel that they have any one place that they feel truly comfortable in. It would concern me that some students would not handle the transitions and the lack of structure and possibly accountability.
I say that because of a student I know who demonstrates strong traits of autism. They came to my single-cell classroom (where at the beginning of the year, I was running a more rigid structure and slowly broke it down) from a MLE. This student was expected to cause some disruption within the classroom, which they did for a little while. With some support, high expectation and encouragement this student soon settled and I believe it largely had something to do with a tighter community-feel within the smaller space. In this case, ML Strategies within a single-cell classroom was the best learning experience for this student.
In a large, shared MLE I can see huge learning and development potential for myself, as all teachers that you work with have strengths and strategies. But, on the other hand, if you didn't share a philosophy it's going to make things difficult. It would work in the favour of the children, because as long as the school was big enough, and the children continued to move through, then they would have more exposure to a wider range of skills and strengths. There are also say 2-3 teachers who are putting their heads together for planning, delivery and assessment (In particular OTJs) of curriculum.
As happy as I am in my current classroom, I would like my students to have more opportunity to engage in more interactive learning activities with others. I would like our single-cell classrooms to have a joined breakout space/s and bi-fold doors so that the two classrooms can come together as one.
Anne Kenneally: Creating learning spaces from EDtalks on Vimeo.
A successful classroom is one where ALL students are engaged and ALL students are learning.
What experience do you have? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I have experimented with more “ideal learning spaces” over the last year. For me it looked like wide open spaces, fewer desks, and children choosing to work sprawled on the floor, on bean bags, in the library corner or next to the toy box. The Year 1 /2 children helped establish rules to assist the management of the spaces and understood that they could choose where to work. However ultimately if they weren’t completing their work, then I would choose a workspace for them.
ReplyDeleteThe change from the traditional “named” desks in the classroom to the more ideal open learning space was generally well received by the parents. I was careful to make preparations for the children to store their pencils and books which traditionally were stored in their desks. One parent did think though that her child was more disorganised with her belongings because she did not have her own desk.
I am in the process of moving to work in a collaborative learning situation in a different school– two teachers and 53 children. Our working spaces are separated by a windowed wall and a door. The building was originally the school library and computer lab. My space is the old computer lab. Some of the benches remain around the outside to allow standing space for children to work or they can sit here on taller stools. I have removed some desks and have cushions for the children to work on. I would like to get bean bags in the near future. I like the sense of space created by removing the desks.
The entry into the building is a wide area with doors opening onto decks. This gives small breakout areas for teachers and students. Stairs then lead up to to the two rooms. The class is organised so that each teacher in this learning space has a home group who they will begin the day with. Then the children move between the two rooms for Literacy Learning and Numeracy to better meet the needs of the children. Having met and planned already with the other teacher concerned, I’m sure we have the necessary rapport to make collaborative and/or complimentary teaching work. I understand fully how disasterous this could be if you and the other teacher had very different learning expectations. It does take compromise though with a capital "C". I will update you next week on how the first week has gone:)
Regards Mary