Architecture and Education Part 2

In part 1 I described an ideal situation where the physical space of a building can encourage learning.  Now I turn to a pragmatic issue -- how to make your classroom physically and mentally a good learning space. Small groups are useful in a wide variety of situations.  Although some IBL instructors forbid collaboration of the group work kind, many instructors use group work highly successfully.  Both style have merit, and what I highlight here are ways to setup a classroom, should you choose to use group work (which I recommend as a good way to get started using IBL methods).

Physically most of our college classrooms are setup with the factory model.  Students are sitting in rows.

In a room like this, the desks can be moved.  In this case you can easily ask students to move their desks into small groups of size two to four.  One suggestion, if possible, is to arrange it so that it is easy for you to walk through the classroom. Creating a boulevard in the middle allows you to walk down the boulevard and get to all the groups (e.g. ask the first two rows, and last two rows to move together) . 

If your room has fixed desks, all is not lost.  You have to ask students to work with neighboring students and get them to turn their bodies at face on another.  It's not ideal, but it works.

Don't be shy about moving people. This is part of IBL instruction -- move students to where they will be successful!  It is better to be mildly intrusive than to allow other factors to inhibit learning.  

Non-physical caveat:  The buildings, setting up groups, desks, these are all physical and can assist with developing a healthy, productive learning environment.  By themselves they are not sufficient of course.  Instructor skill, leadership, facilitation, and coaching are major drivers and can overcome almost any physical boundaries.

Ideally we would have small tables in one part of the room for small group work, and chairs in another part of the room for whole-group discussions and presentations.  I hope that future buildings are designed for class discussions, collaboration in small groups, as well as some private space for those times when students need to think by themselves.  This is doable and low cost.

Architecture and Education Part 1

Last week I was in Boston, MA for the Joint Mathematics Meetings.  I have never been to Boston before, and I was excited about the trip.  After a long travel day and a couple of days of meetings, I needed to get outside, feel the sun, breath fresh air.  I needed to see a bit of Boston before getting back on a plane headed to the west coast.

Before I left for Boston, my wife told me to go and visit the Boston Public Library.  She said it's a special place.  This then leads to the point of this post -- the influence of architecture on education.  I'll do this through photos and captioning.  Part 1 is about a big idea.  Part 2 will be about our little 'ol classrooms and how they can be set up in simple ways to encourage students to interact.

Outside on the steps

A statue gazing at a sphere deep in thought

Inscriptions of the names of the giants, upon whose shoulders we stand 

Entering the building reveals old-world architectural themes.  The patterns above you as you walk in lead your eyes up.

Then as you walk past the entrance, stairs lead you slowly up to a new chamber with art up high, lions honoring the fallen, and arches that again lead the eye upwards.

The stairs for you to walk slowly, and make several 90 degree turns.  These 90 degree turns force you physically to change directions as well as encourage you to prepare the mind for what is to come.

When you reach the top of the stairs, you arrive at a hallway.  The black iron doors on the right side are the entrance to the great hall.  Two more 90 degree turns to go.

Finally one arrives in the great hall.  Arriving in this special place is truly inspiring.  You are encouraged to learn in  a space like this.  Great minds have studied here in the past, are studying here now, and will study here in the future.

Some takeaways (at least for me).  Environment matters.  Indeed, if architecture and decorations didn't matter, we would all live and work in boxes with no paint, no art, no human influence.  But that's not the case.  Building designs affect how we interact with people and how we go about our work.  Living and working in well-designed spaces matters.

See you next time!