Use of Furniture

-Cameron Howes

Principles for designing effective learning spaces

• Peer collaboration and feedback are pedagogical strategies with the greatest impact on improving learner outcomes (Hattie 2009). Flexible table groupings lead to more discussion, active student learning and frequent informal teacher help, with students in these environments outperforming those who were taught the same course in a traditional classroom (Whiteside, Brooks and Walker 2010).

• Learning is enhanced in stimulating spaces. Visual and kinesthetic experiences motivate and engage students and teachers, aiding memory as "humans associate what they learn with where they learned it" (Gee 2006). Engagement is a mixture of deep understanding, active participation, and feeling valued (Munns and Woodward 2006).

• Stimulating learning spaces can be designed to provide for active group learning, as well as teacher directed, individual learning, allowing responsive flexibility to suit daily learning needs. According to Gee (2006) learning spaces need to:– Be welcoming and Familiar– Be flexible– Allow adequate space for movement– Allow user ownership that enables people to change them easily– Enable changeable focus points– Have mobile displays that support collaboration and teaching with digital media– Anticipate future needs

The Schools Featured

• Stanthorpe SS

• Kelvin Grove SS

• Pine Rivers SHS

• Nambour SHS

Buzz Studio

Cool Zone

Launch Pad

Think Tank