This Home Base area provides a learning space and seating for a medium sized group of 9-10 students with moderate intellectual disability plus teachers and support staff.  Consideration has been given to the learning, social and mobility needs of students with moderate intellectual disability. The design of the main learning area provides an adaptable and relatively agile learning environment that supports a full range of teaching strategies from direct explicit instruction to facilitation of inquiry and authentic project and problem based learning.  It is configured to support a variety of seating plans from individual to a medium sized group. The space is suitable for small to whole class activities that include discussion, reading and storytelling, explicit teaching and demonstrations.  Students can work in small groups on research and reflective activities with support. This Home Base area provides a learning space in which student work can be displayed and where students can rehearse and perform in small groups.  The Practical Activities Area with sink and bench space provides for individual and small group activities that encourage students to explore, investigate, create, fabricate and construct.

FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES

There is potential for an indicative operable wall to an adjacent Home Base.  Retraction of this operable wall would enable a collaborative learning and teaching model for two teachers and their classes.  Connecting Home Base areas and/or access to an outside learning area would enable greater diversity of learning settings for small assemblies, performances, investigative and fabrication activities, and structured play and tabloid learning activities thus reducing the need for constant reconfiguration of furniture.  This space lends itself to other school and community uses subject to access to other necessary services and facilities.

LEARNING IMPLICATIONS

Depending on the students’ learning, social and health requirements and the potential need for specialist equipment, consideration will need to be given to acoustic and spatial implications depending on the number and size of groups, the support needed and the types of learning activities planned.  In particular consideration will need to be given to the types of performance activities e.g. singing, poetry, drama and the number of groups included in the learning space, and the size and types of resources used in explore, investigate, create, fabricate and construct activities for a large group. Consideration should also be given to student mobility access from these learning spaces to accessible toilets.