Design Matters: The Importance of Space

Doorley & Witthoft (2012 p.30) impress upon us that space is something that can create an impact on the way we learn, work and play immediately. With so many schools making the move toward contemporising learning spaces, questions arise about the considerations that have been given toward these changes. There are great risks, but also potentially great gains when it comes to changing learning spaces.

When you research modern, contemporary or flexible learning spaces, you are bombarded with images of brightly coloured, oddly shaped furniture. While it looks visually appealing, does it meet the pedagogical needs of the space? Furniture can support new approaches to teaching and learning, but it shouldn’t dictate it. Just as all desks facing the front of a classroom promote a certain pedagogy, so too do modern furniture arrangements. When working through a design process, you always start with the needs or goal of the solution. In this case it shouldn’t be to look more modern or trendy.

When spaces are redesigned with the needs of teaching and learning in mind, different pedagogical approaches can be explored. The addition of technological tools may allow teachers to step away from direct teaching models and explore opportunities for collaboration, conferencing and self-paced learning. When the approaches and therefore needs of a classroom change, the way spaces are designed can then respond to accommodate this.