Our assignment this week was to evaluate learning spaces for their effectiveness in educating students in a way that aligns with the ideas of 21st-century learning, and then design one of our own.
Classroom design has not fundamentally changed since the 18th century. During the Industrial Revolution, society needed people trained with the knowledge necessary to perform similar tasks. Teaching students to be creative thinkers and innovators was not the priority, conformity and uniformity were the goals both socially and in the workplace. (The Third Teacher, p.56) Learning materials were also expensive and scarce, restricting the ability for students to acquire knowledge anywhere but from the teacher. All eyes focused front, ready to receive information, dictated classroom design in our public schools. The two pictures above were taken nearly 150 years apart.
Modern educational theories reflect the idea that not everyone learns the same way, and the best way for a student to learn may change from subject to subject. As a modern educator we evaluate our learning objectives and approach lesson designs in a way that attempts to reach all our students and their particular learning styles. The next step in advancing our ability to educate effectively is to evaluate the environment we teach in.
As an EMS educator, I have specific required outcomes for my students in regards to practical skills and application of specific knowledge. Our existing classroom has a “teaching wall”, tables that can move easily, and lots of storage for equipment…pretty nice. Even with it’s flexibility, it is ninety percent traditional classroom. Rather than restrict myself with a simple retrofit, I started from scratch and thought big. While my design could easily run in the six figures dollar wise, there are many elements that could be implemented slowly through donation or salvaging from other sources into an existing space. I used SketchUp to create a 3D model of my ideal space.
The ideas of experiential and constructivist learning theories work very well in an EMS classroom. Creating an environment that simulates what students will see in the field, allowing them to experiment and play, allows them to take an active role in learning the content and gain confidence in their abilities. Isolating these environments into separate rooms tends to bring anxiety and obstruct the natural flow of learning. My design brings many environments together seamlessly, allowing students to learn, experiment, and relax, anywhere in the room they feel comfortable with no restrictions or limitations of use. Activities will spill into all areas so that subconsciously boundaries will cease to exist, creating flow in the space.
- The Teaching Wall – for those times you need it.
- Patient Residence – used for simulation, practicing skills, or a place to relax and listen to a lecture or work on a project.
- The Lab – an open space with equipment stored in a way that is very visible and accessible for quick access during any activity. A place to practice skills, demonstrate equipment, or roll over table and chairs to study or work on projects.
- The Hospital/ED Room – patient simulation, skills practice, equipment demonstration, etc.
- The Kitchen – fix a snack, clean equipment, dissection of biological samples, relax, simulation, etc.
- The Ambulance – patients moved from one environment to the next. Brings realism to scenarios and allows practice of the critical skills of patient handling and time management.
There are also a few elements important to the overall learning experience that I could not represent in my model:
- Lighting – specific requirements for types of light (fluorescent vs. incandescent) and the ability to isolate and create mood in the environments for different activities.
- Sound – focused areas for isolation and projection to enhance the experience in the overall room or it’s separate areas.
- Visual – televisions throughout the room can project instructional video and materials as well as scene info, bystanders that interact, snow storm through a window, or images of a rioting crowd for immersive experiences.
This space was created keeping the student experience the priority. I focused on an environment to help them master the learning objectives, not what would simply make content easy to teach. I believe I created a place that both students and instructors would enjoy coming together to learn. Through this design process, I also identified several things I can change within my existing space that will improve my students classroom experience immediately, with no major expense or construction needed.
References:
OWP/P Architects (2010). The Third Teacher. Harry N. Abrams.
Unknown. (n.d.). Dull Classroom. [image online] Available at: http://mulloverthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Dull-Classroom.jpg [Accessed: 24 Nov 2013].
Unknown. (n.d.). Early Classroom. [image online] Available at: http://cafe.themarker.com/media/t/296/743/0/file_0.jpg [Accessed: 24 Nov 2013].
Brian M. Claesson-Patten 
