This week, I’m excited to report to you from New London, CT. It’s a beautiful seaside town with a lot of history in its six square miles. I’m here working with a PYP school to restructure their library according to the six transdisciplinary themes, as well as generifying their novels, creating a lower primary section, and a place for the learner profile and key concepts to come to life. This has been such a fun project, because I’m creating a space where learners will become readers. Isn’t this the best part of teaching? This process has sparked an internal debate that led to a singular question. When thinking about learning space design, do we consider other spaces besides the homeroom class? I would venture to say, most of us don’t, which is something I want to examine in this podcast episode. Instead of examining each of the main learning spaces, let’s examine the considerations for each space through the various learners. Think of these considerations when designing:
Other spaces to consider that students engage with on a regular basis
As I consider all of these spaces around the school, I have examined the needs of the different types of learners with exceptional learning needs. Although the ideas were inspired by them, I think all the learning space designs can be used with all learners. Learners that Engage in Multiple LanguagesWhen I was thinking of the language learner and learning space design, some ideas that came to mind were picture/word labels and primary language representation. This can benefit all learners, but they in particular help language learners to navigate throughout the day with visual cues.
Learners that Thrive with Learning DisabilitiesWhen thinking of learners with physical, emotional, and/or mental disabilities, I naturally thought of access to resources and places to decompress. All learners benefit from this, but how can we incorporate them into a wider variety of spaces?
Learners that Excel in Certain AreasWhen thinking of gifted/talented learners, I was inspired by a bookstore layout to a space. The gifted learner likes the space to be purposeful and orderly, so they can manipulate materials to create. All learners benefit from this type of learning design.
I know this episode has been all over the place, but learning space design influences how a child learners. If we only consider it for the homeroom classroom, then we set an unsaid rule that the specialist and supporting classes are “different” and we don't have to act the same way. Think about it.
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