Design Criteria for Learning Settings

Educational environments are designed to facilitate a variety of learning activities.  Rooms and spaces can be arranged and activated in a number of ways to create learning settings that support these learning activities. 
  • Dialogue/discuss/read or tell stories - Explore ideas, share and develop opinions, debate and decide.
  • Display/share/exchange - Display, exchange and encounter learning artefacts.
  • Explicitly teach/demonstrate/present - Teachers and/or students demonstrate, communicate ideas and/or teach explicitly.
  • Explore/investigate/create - Hands on interaction, experimentation and evaluation with materials to discover and design.
  • Fabricate/construct - Implement, build or assemble systems and media. 
  • Reflect/research/enquire/consolidate - Use written, graphical and digital resources to personally reflect, consolidate and/or enquire.
  • Rehearse/Perform - Practise, refine and execute performance based activity.
 
The Design Intent section for each Learning Space rates these environments according to their suitability for specific learning activities with different group sizes when the room or space is used at capacity.
Group sizes include:
  • Individual/Pair
  • Small group 3 - 5
  • Medium group 6 - 12
  • Large group 13 - 30
  • Very large group > 30
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Dialogue/discuss/read or tell stories

Explore ideas, share and develop opinions, debate and decide.

This learning process is effective with small to large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • participants seated to support effective communication

Fit out

  • comfortable setting
  • an inviting aesthetic quality which is not intrusive or distracting
  • surfaces that support short-term display

Visibility

  • controllable lighting desirable

Acoustics

  • effective suppression of sound between groups
  • effective control of noise intrusion to and from adjoining areas
Display/share/exchange

Display, exchange and encounter learning artefacts.

This learning process is effective with small to very large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • ready physical and visual access by the targeted audience
  • clear patterns of flow and access to artefacts within the space
  • safe access to introduce objects of varying size

Fit out

  • support for alternative settings
  • an inviting aesthetic quality
  • alternative configuration of surfaces , including movable vertical and horizontal surfaces
  • durable and neutral finishes
  • require access to utilities and services, including ICT at points of display.

Visibility

  • controllable general and selective lighting

Acoustics

  • effective suppression of sound that could distract from focus on the display/exchange
Explicitly teach/demonstrate/present

Teachers and/or students demonstrate, communicate ideas and/or teach explicitly. 

This learning process is effective with small to very large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • can be configured in a range of layouts
  • sufficient separation between groups to avoid acoustic interference when several groups are involved simultaneously 

Fit out

  • surfaces or fittings that support static and active display
  • media presentation facilities accessible to the point of presentation
  • ready access to required resources including ICT throughout

Visibility

  • controllable lighting
  • clear line of sight to the point of presentation with no visual intrusion

Acoustics

  • effective suppression of sound between groups
  • effective sound propagation to and from the point of presentation
  • effective control of noise intrusion to and from adjoining areas.
Explore/investigate/create

Hands on interaction, experimentation and evaluation with materials to discover, design and test.

This learning process is effective with small to very large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • can be  configured in a range of layouts
  • sufficient separation between groups for effective acoustic separation
  • sufficient separation between groups for ease and safety of movement and for manipulaiton of materials and equipment

Fit out

  • can require special purpose settings and specialised resources and equipment.
  • direct access to wet areas
  • durable surfaces and surfaces that support short term display
  • storage for materials, equipment and work in progress.
  • seamless and safe access to resources, services and ICT throughout. 

Visibility

  • passive supervision possible

Acoustics

  • effective suppression of sound between groups 
  • effective control of noise intrusion to and from adjoining areas
Fabricate/construct

Implement, build or assemble systems and media.

This learning process is effective with small to very large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • can be  configured in a range of layouts to suit the group size and nature of the activity
  • sufficient separation between groups for effective acoustic separation
  • sufficient separation between groups for ease and safety of movement and for manipulaiton of materials and equipment

Fit out

  • can require special purpose settings and specialised resources and equipment
  • work spaces/benches appropriate for group size and materials
  • highly durable surfaces and surfaces that support short-term display
  • storage for materials, equipment and work in progress
  • seamless and safe access to required resources, services and ICT for all participants

Visibility

  • passive supervision possible

Acoustics

  • effective suppression of sound between groups 
  • effective suppression of impact noise
  • control of noise intrusion to and from adjoining areas
Reflect/research/enquire/consolidate

Use written, graphical and digital resources to personally reflect, consolidate and/or enquire. 

This learning process is for individual or small groups and is effective provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • configured to provide a focussed, contained area for one or two individuals or small groups
  • out of major traffic ways

Fit out

  • inviting and comfortable
  • sufficient space and surfaces to work effectively with resources
  • ready ccess to required  resources and ICT

Visibility

  • passive supervision possible

Acoustics

  • a quiet space
Rehearse/perform

Practise, refine and execute performance based activity.

This learning process is effective with small to very large groups provided the following criteria can be met:

Spatial layout

  • presentation/performance space appropriate for size of perfoming group and the nature of the performance
  • space and fit out for audience 

Fit out

  • can require special purpose fit-out, specialised resources/equipment
  • adequate storage for equipment
  • neutral and durable finishes
  • surfaces that support display
  • ready access to resources and ICT

Visibility

  • controllable general and selective lighting
  • clear line of sight to the performance area with no visual intrusion

Acoustics

  • effective sound propagation from the point of performance
  • effective suppression of audience noise
  • effective control of noise intrusion to and from adjoining areas
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