GRADUATE RESEARCH & WRITING THEORY

FREE & FULL OF ORDERMONTESSORI LEARNING METHODS APPLIED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Alex Jeffrey SiekierskiGraduate Research + Writing (AS 7229)Michael Davis & Joshua WhiteBoston Architectural College

Spring/Summer 2011

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2 COURSEWORK | Graduate Reasearch & Writing Concept |

THE PROBLEM

So many adults today do not understand what their true capabilities are and nor do they

understand their true talents . High school gears its students for college, which is then supposed to prepare the student for their professional career. Sir Ken Robinson (figure 1), one of the most influential leaders in the current educational crisis, is an author, speaker and international advisor on education. He has claimed that the current educational systems have failed at assisting every individual in finding their true capabilities, by not allowing for the individual’s creative spirit to develop and flourish.

It is not the curriculum which will allow this spirit to develop but the vehicle in which the student is taking that should promote an environment which assists and facilities in the development of the individuals creative spirit. Due to the

college graduate inflation, Sir Ken Robinson theorizes that a “college degree is no longer a passport to a job; at best it’s a visa.” Due to this crisis of a de-valued education, Architecture should be serving as a means for adding value back into the educational institutions.

Robinson identifies the belief that the downfall in creativity and innovation, to have begun just after industrialism. Coincidentally during the same time Maria Montessori (who I will speak upon later) began implementing her new teaching methods. This was when education began its own assembly line process of teaching that could accommodate the massive increase in attending students. The curriculum at this time only focused on subjects that were most relevant to working life : Math, Language and Science. It was the beginning of prioritizing subject matter and as a result the creative arts such as painting, theatre, music, and performance art all fell to the wayside.

It has been Sir Robinson’s assertion that education is currently on a “fast food” model ; meaning that education currently guarantees a level of poor quality, 100% of the time and is aimed at delivering this guarantee for rapid production. Due to this model, Sir Robinson states that, “a time of revolution is when things are happening that upset all the things we take for granted.” Resulting in the idea that education needs a revolution rather than mere reform.

As education itself developed standards, so did the spaces in which they lectured in. Desks all facing the front of the room where everyone was instructed to only listen to the teacher. As the population of students increased this “formal” classroom setting had to grow much larger at the university level. By doing so it mearly maintained its original standard and simply extrapolated on it. In higher education, this could be applied in a similar way that office workstations are currently arranged in an open environment but are enclosed enough to protect from noise and visual disturbances. Another excellent example of a well done academic space is the “Plug & Show Computer Presentation Seminar Rooms” (figure 6) which are an adaptable space driven by technology for a medium sized lecture.

KEN ROBINSON Educational system started during industrial-

ism- (focus on math, english and sciences) Human Ecology- Unknown future to prepare for- Fast Food model- Revolution not reform- Life is not linear but organic- 3yr old does not = 1/2 of a 6yr old- tradition = conformity-

CREATIVITY

INNOVATION

Figure 1: Portrait of Sir Ken Robinson(Google image results)

Figure 3: Typical Classroom in the 1950’s(http://www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/ClassicStock/ppages/ppage25.html)

400 Person Lecture Hall 1996(Academic Design : sharing lessons learned by William Ammentorp)

The built environment can be a primary contributor to the educational institutions around the world, by allowing its students to explore learning in a multitude of ways suited to the individual’s needs. This cannot occur merely at the elementary levels but throughout the entire educational journey, no matter what age. Architects can add value to education through their buildings which can assist in facilitating and influencing change and personal growth for the creative spirit to develop.

Over the last 50 years education has tried to adapt itself to accommodate and prepare its students for the changes in various professions. Robinson suggests that the small educational shifts in curriculum are not adequate in creating a better learning process for students to grow. It is the delivery and receptiveness of the material that education provides, that is critical for the student to flourish.

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MARIAMONTESSORI

MARIA MONTESSORI- Exercise, nature experiences, cleanliness, fresh air, nutritious food- Focus on children between 3-6 years of age- Free and Full of Order = prepared environment

CREATIVITY

COLLABORATION

HYBRID OF TEACHING

promote freedom, order, beauty

and atmosphere, didatic materials,

community life, and reality and

nature. These concepts determined

as the criteria of the Montessori

approach are critical in allowing the

creative mind to flourish.

Figure 2: Portrait of Maria Montessori

The layout of activity spaces should be based on the modified open plan facility, where the children can observe what is going on from any part of the school in other words the “modified open space” is a space which allows the best of both open and close philosophies, with a mixture of open areas with smaller enclosed spaces . Additionally this space is open enough to see all activities but enclosed enough to pro-tect from noise and visual distractions.

In the early 1950’s Maria Montessori had tried to answer the educational crisis at the primary level

while similarly, today Robinson argues that “to meet the challenges ahead, we must redesign schools to nurture the creative capacity in all of us.” This was one of Montessori’s goals as she began to implement her teaching methods in the late 1950’s. In order to create an environ-ment which can nurture the learner, Montessori believed that the curriculum and the spaces they are taught in, must allow for teachings in the areas of exercise, nature experiences, cleanli-ness, fresh air, and nutritious food. This set of criteria Montessori developed has been histori-cally proven to be a critical part in allowing the creative mind to flourish.

“Emphasis must be placed on visibility between activity areas in order to permit observation by the teacher, and activity areas in order to permit observation by the teacher and between the children.”

For Montessori, visibility promoted freedom and the inclination that if the boundaries of a space can be visually minimized and the use can be adaptable, then architecture can begin to facilitate collaboration within a larger mass of people.

In the late 1950’s, Maria Montessori (figure 2), began exploring her unique teaching approach, beginning in Italy. It was a revolutionary method at the time which focused on having a teacher directed approach and a child directed approach. Montessori’s educational process primarily focused on the development of children from the ages of three to six years. She felt this was the most influential time of a child’s life where they were most receptive and creative. Just because history has shown her methods to be effective in an environment with children, does not mean they will not be-able to help in a similar way with adults.

One large disconnect that Robinson emphasizes, is that somewhere is the educational journey children are creative and believe they are creative, while the majority of adults do not believe they are creative and have no idea of their true potentials. Somewhere during

the transition from childhood to adulthood; the creative spirit becomes diluted within the educational system.

While learning about the Montessori’s principles and theory it may actually be easier to incorpo-rate some of her concepts into higher educa-tional practices. The role of higher education must be to create an educational experience which will allow the individual to continu-ally develop into adulthood at his or her own pace. Montessori believed that architecture at the academic installation must “promote freedom, order, beauty and atmosphere, didactic materials, community life, and reality and nature .” These were the overall concepts of her curricu-lum that still remain in practice today. Montes-sori felt in order to promote openness in the “prepared environment.”

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THE SOLUTIONThe primary connection between Montessori and Robinson is that 60 years ago a large number of students began attending primary schools as a result of World War II and Industrialism. This was the first generation of family members who attended a “new” formal style of education (figure 3). Montessori took into consideration the problem occurring with such a high volume of students globally and created a solution for teaching geared toward the learners needs. Similarly, two academic generations later we find a parallel problem

where masses of people from all ages are going to higher education. Just as Montessori set the foundation for rebirth in an educational crisis 60 years ago, Robinson is trying to create a new solution for the crisis during the technological era. He claims that the pedagogy needs to adapt with the curriculum, not just to allow for the curriculum to change and be given through the same methods, which were the primary problems during Montessori’s era.

Similar to Robinson’s current take on education, Montessori determined that schooling needed a revolution; which occured toward the end of her career, in the early 1950’s. She concluded that it must include “recognition of the goals, directions, and powers or characteristics pertinent to each” student because we all have different capacities and feel them in different ways. The education revolution needed to be built upon the basic responses of human beings, which can be made possible, by their complete development and adaptation to their environment.

One of the most recent educational design

feature which can stimulate all minds a like is the use of technology into the spaces as mentioned in the plug and play rooms. It is best to use technology that can enhance the experiental qualities of the learning environment. The better technology can assist in creating real world situations, the increased chance that students will attain the knowledge of solving these almost authentic cituations.

Montessori has been known for promoting some of the best creative learning environments simply by implementating and maintaing her academic design guidelines. Even though these guidelines were developed to serve a space for children. Some of the examples listed indicate that they can be applied for adults, focusing on higher education. The components of her educational guideline, become the summation of elements (openness, visibility, nature, and atmosphere) which create Montessori’s comprehensive environment, that promotes learning and creativity (figure 16).

DOLECE + NORRIS- Information age- Learner driven- Increase number of older students = change- Industrial age (focus on output not outcome)- Change does not = transformation- Learning has to occur @ time, place & pace of the indi-vidual learner driven self pace personal best simulation create barrier-free, pepetual learning open access network of experts traditional + hydrib disciplines just in time learning perpetual learning automated learning system

ANNE MEEKArchitecture can facilitate culture -

Stimulating & varied physical environments are best- (Taylot & Vlasto’s 1983)

Architecture at the academic installation must promote freedom, order, beauty and atmosphere, didatic materials, community life, and reality & nature. These concepts determined as the criteria of the Montessori teaching approach are critical in allowing the creative mind to flourish. Architecture in some manner or another must allow for this criteria to be explored at its maximum potential, not just at the elementary level but through higher education and professionally..

The inclination is that if the separation of spaces can be minimized, resulting in an increase of freedom within the space. Then Architecture will allow for the masses to collaborate and learn at a higher degree. This exploration might also begin with removal of fixed seating and barriers within a space.

THEORY

PROPOSED IDEA

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QUALITY 1opennessFigure 7: The Plug & Show Seminar Room

Figure 8: The ROC Aventus building in Apeldoorn – work areas

Figure 9: 1960’s New Open Classroom Environment

The ROC Aventus building in Apeldoorn, (figure 8) where the open work areas for the students is divided by partial height walls help stop noise

and visual distractions while allowing for wall space to be used collaboratively. Montessori also felt that freedom by flexibility should also include, visual flexibility and awareness.

Collaboration and its results for creative learning along with adaptable spaces which became known as “open classrooms” (figure 9) in the 1960’s, freed the teacher from traditional methods allowing for more attention to be placed on the individual learner. This process created a more conducive, caring, relaxing and joyful educational environment. This approach was an early effort to balance freedom with responsibility, in education.

In order for the Architecture to facilitate some of these ideologies it is critical that it allow for a “barrier free, perpetual learning environment which can give access to a network of experts, in a naturally self-paced, open access model.” Rather than an outward focused lecture space the role should be inverted to support inward collaboration. Groupings of 20 person sections can take place within an overall large lecture space suited for 300 persons with whiteboards facing the instructor for their view rather than the other way around.

A poor example which comes to mind is a typical large scale 300 person lecture hall (figure 4) (4,200 SF, 65FT x 65FT, 14SF per person), with 20 foot high ceilings in the front angled to a 10 foot ceiling in the back, became the best means for housing students in a classroom environment during the 1950’s when population growth was high. Even though this type of space meets some of Montessori’s requirements, it does not allow for openness as a means of a flexible space.

Yes these types of spaces have been designed to achieve a high degree of visibility and acoustical soundness (figure 6), but this simply has grown into a traditional theatre where students watch education in a 21 inch wide seat with a fold down table, rather than experience education. Montessori would not agree with the arrangement of furnishings being fixed because they eliminate the flexibility needed for a “learner driven” environment.

A more adequate space being utilitized in higher education is the, “Plug & Show Computer Presentation Seminar Rooms” (figure 7) (500 SF, 18FT x 27FT, 25SF per person), which is an adaptable space that is driven by technology. These spaces can also serve as a working area for collaboration or a medium sized lecture environment. The flexibilty of furniture and arrangement of technology allows for the space to become a hybrid and support more than one type of use.

These examples of medium sized types of academic spaces are driven toward adaptable use by allowing furniture, technology, lighting

levels (dimmable, zones) and acoustical qualities of the space (partial height walls) to all be adapted to the users immediate needs. It is questionable that the 20 person seminar room has undergone many changes to meet the present needs of technology, but it seems that at a larger scale these efforts of adaptability and individuality fall to the wayside in the large scale lecture rooms intended to service groups of 300+ persons.

In higher education, this could be applied in a similar way that office workstations are currently arranged in an open environment but are enclosed enough to protect from noise and visual disturbances. Another excellent example of a well done academic space is the “Plug & Show Computer Presentation Seminar Rooms” (figure 6) which are an adaptable space driven by technology for a medium sized lecture.

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QUALITY 2visibility

Figure 10: Corlaer College 2, in Nijkerk

Figure 11: Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam

Figure 12: Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam - “canteen“

ROTTERDAM SHIPPING & TRANSPORTATION COLLEGE

Indeed, the large scale lecture hall has been designed to achieve a high degree of visibility and acoustical soundness, but this simply has grown into a traditional theatre where students watch education in a 21 inch wide seat with a fold down surface, rather than experience education. This is a primary example of a failed space in the eyes of Montessori principals. Montessori would not agree with the arrangement of furnishings being fixed because they eliminate the flexibility needed for a “learner driven” environment.

Visibility in the lecture hall has been used inadequately according to Montessori’s standards. This element of visibility that she emphasized can be applied to higher education by opening boundaries beyond the immediate space where learning is held. This can be done both horizontally and vertically by the use of partial height walls, glass fronts, and terracing/bi-leveling of the adjacent program.

An example of this is done in a unique application at Corlaer College 2, in Nijkerk (figure 10) where bi leveling is the primary means of visual connection throughout the overlapping of spaces and there uses. The space takes advantage of the skylight atrium by having glass fronts on the classrooms allowing the light to enter and for visual openness to occur. Even the circulation space can be used as a classroom setting and created additional microscopic areas for social interactions.

Similar to auditorium spaces which have specific uses for performances and keynote speakers, the focus is on higher educational lecture spaces, which immediately eliminates the collaborative process. One example of a large scale space which promotes collaboration through visually connecting spaces occurs at the Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam (figure 11).

Designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects in 2000,

is the only education and training institute catering to the entire transport sector and for the port-related oil and chemical industry. It is the global leader in the area of education for operational and management positions in the transport chains. The Shipping and Transport College also provides training to all professions in the world of shipping, ports, port related industry, intermodal and multimodal transport and logistics.

About 3,500 full-time students attend daytime classes; in addition, hundreds of professionals from the business world participate in short- or long-term refresher courses each year.

The schools teaching approach indicates it‘s receptiveness to the changes in the transportation industry and as a result is reflected into a very dynamic looking building, where the architecture speaks the language of transportation. The main eating and gathering area in this building labelled the “canteen“ (figure 12) displays great potential for collaboration. The space is closely connected to nature by directing its audiance toward the waterfront and arranging its furnishings by terracing them down toward the glass facade. Interviews show that the students prefer working together in the canteen“ over the library because of the stunning views, close proximity to food and beverage and the flexible arrangement of dining hall furniture.

If the higher educational system cannot begin to quickly change and adapt its process toward the type of learning necessary for the future then why not allow the architecture to take the lead in, influencing and facilitating the growth of the creative spirit through academic change.

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visibility

QUALITY 3nature

Figure 11: Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam

Figure 13: The Islandwood School

ALCHEMIST AT MIT

Alchemist was installed on the grassy lawn area in front of the Stratton Student Center facing Massachusetts Avenue.

Constructed by Spanish contemporary artist Jaume Plensa and commissioned specifically for the sesquicentennial celebration by an anonymous donor, the sculpture consists of mathematical symbols in the shape of a human form.

Plensa’s number-inspired work for MIT is an obvious homage to all of the researchers and scientists spawned from the Institute who continue to contribute to the international scientific and mathematical community.

The sculpture is lit up at night and visitors are allowed to walk inside of the piece to get a different perspective of the MIT campus from the inside out.

It’s called “Alchemist” by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and it was placed there in celebration of the university’s 150th birthday.

Didactic materials are something Montessori uses as a physical learning tool. These materials have a special function in her education as they are the props in which the student learns. These props all have a place with in the environment and so does all the belongings of the individual students. Similarly, Montessori also used nature as one of the biggest learning tools by connecting it to the environment and sometimes making it the environment.

This inspiration by nature can be tied into the role of “community” in higher education, by engaging the natural environment into the academic buildings as much as possible. This opens itself for a large scale social interaction and a great example of this is in Washington State, at the Islandwood School (figure 13) which has created an institute for helping children and adults develop a community where all its members incorporate a lifelong commitment to learning. The school creates this atmosphere by engaging the different age groups in something they find similarly attractive, such as the natural environment and sustainable influences. In a similar way, Montessori insisted on bringing nature closer to the learner and the learner closer to nature. One of her last elements relates to the atmosphere of her “prepared” environment, which can be conceived as the balanced combination of openness, visibility, natural connection and atmosphere.

Just as nature was a large influence in Montessori’s educational process, she focused on the use of Didactic materials, which were used, in the design of a space as the central component for hands on experiential learning. The use and location of these didactic materials were heavily incorporated into the architecture where each had a particular function. This all relates to the atmosphere of her learning spaces which pay attention to all levels of detail. Montessori:

Provides areas in where the child can retire to and observe which activity they would want to participate in. These spaces must be cozy and semi-private, allowing two or so children to observe their surroundings.

In the example of the large lecture hall and the plug in play room, areas within these spaces

currently do not exist for students to retire to and use independently and as a result, there is no intermediate spaces for individuals and/or small groups to interact. Due to the one dimensional qualities of the large lecture hall; it serves as a poor solution for promoting a collaborative environment. The non-flexible nature of the large lecture hall and the lack of individual amenities the plug in play room all serve as bad examples of spaces for separating individual and group learning needs.

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CONCLUSION

Figure 16: Typical Montessori School Plan

QUALITY 4 atmosphere

Presently some excellent spaces in higher education that are suitable places of engagement are cafeterias, intermediate spaces, collaborative areas, huddle rooms, media rooms & studio spaces. Professionally, collaborative spaces are utilized in an open environment suitable for semi-private interaction. A great example is at a biotechnical company in the town of Weston, MA. Where open workstations might allow for some audial discomfort therefore small partitioned areas (figure 14) were created near the circulation paths around the open areas for individual to collaborate while not disturbing others. This is a space not used as a conference room nor an office, or even a huddle room, but an informal small space to serve as an intermediate space for people to interact. Most importantly these spaces were set up to have a comfortable and casual atmosphere, very much like a home (figure 15).

A similar installation is used in, the Robert Jungk secondary school in Berlin, Germany where every piece of furniture has a compartment for personal belongings. This design feature takes full consideration of its users needs and incoporates them into the space adding to the overall quality of the space.

All of Montessori’s goals expressed by the type of educational atmosphere all of her schools provided each student. In higher education some of the spaces begin to touch on a similar type of atmosphere Montessori perused, but they do not create a whole, rather bits and pieces. Just because the plug in play room has an open arrangement because of its flexibility in furniture, does not mean it properly allows for the necessary visual connections necessary in the space. Even the most technological lecture hall, still may not promote the ideal learning environment if it does not allow for openness, visibility, nature, and atmosphere, to work together equally. The ultimate goal is to create a suitable learning environment which promotes comfort for all of its users. The openness and flexibility of the space needs to work with the visual openness of that space with its surroundings.

Let’s revisit the 300 person lecture hall, which has not been exemplified as an excellent example of an atmosphere conducive to collaboration and creative learning. If we begin to image this space as an atmosphere designed with Montessori’s four elements as a guideline; it can begin to add value to the future of educational institutions. Because this has become the primary example of a failed space in our educational system, architecture can begin to re-evaluate the intentions of this particular space and how it can be adapted to an organic educational process, while keeping in mind the needs of the individual user.

In higher education, the various numbers in specified academic areas of studies and career opportunities, clearly become evidence that the curriculums in education have been doing a reasonable job keeping current with the continual changes in the world. It is not the curriculum that is failing at the college level but possibly the delivery of the information and dialogue between the information and the learners. As a result, if the Architecture does not continue to develop, such as the types of education has begun to, than the spaces in which learning occurs will not adequately support and allow for users to develop and flourish. If the education curricula and the Architecture can develop and evolve together, then there is opportunity for learners to engage with the Architecture, enabling a higher level of learning which has not been fully implemented yet.

Figure 14: Biogen Collaborative Open Area

Figure 15: Divided open area for social interaction