Reconceptualizing School Design: Learning Environments for Children and Youth

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments 22(1), 2012 Reconceptualizing School Design: Learning Environments for Children and Youth Laura Healey Malinin University of Colorado, Denver Rosie Parnell University of Sheffield, UK Citation: Malinin, Laura Healey and Rosie Parnell (2012). “Reconceptualizing School Design: Learning Environments for Children and Youth.” Children, Youth and Environments 22(1): 11-22. Keywords: school design, learning environments, learning and development, environmental sustainability, green schools, biophilic design, pedagogy, participatory design and planning, student voice Introduction This special edition of Children, Youth and Environments examines school environments in the context of changing educational goals, pedagogical practices, and design processes. The selected manuscripts and field reports represent multidisciplinary perspectives on school design. At the center of this special issue is the aim to develop understanding of the relationship between a school’s physical environment, the processes undertaken to create that environment, and students’ learning and self-development. The papers are based on real-world research in schools or school design settings; they share a focus on participant experience and voice and draw on ideas from theory, research, policy and practice. The call for abstracts produced a large response from authors of diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds. This more than likely reflects both the significance of this topic and the growing field of research in evidence-based approaches to school design. In making the selections for publication, we sought to reflect the variety of topics relevant to the field of research today. We also considered that many children now begin attending school before the age of compulsory attendance, and have included papers that address design from preschool/ nursery schools through secondary/ high schools.© 2012 Children, Youth and Environments Reconceptualizing School Design: Learning Environments for Children and Youth 12 The papers herein focus on five themes: 1) the role of the school environment in students’ social and emotional development; 2) the relationship between policy, design processes and educational practice; 3) how schools may mediate children’s relationship with the natural world; 4) designing for children and youth with special needs; and 5) methods of gaining teacher and student input on school design. Rationale Nations around the world are re-examining the idea of school as both a physical place and as a set of practices related to learning and development. As “school” broadens its scope in response to pedagogical developments and is reconstructed in the face of climate change, resource scarcity, and global economies, the field of school design is challenged to respond with appropriate processes, spaces and places. Yet even as school buildings and grounds are reconceptualized, they also reflect the cultural history, patterns of use, and deep-rooted values of the society particular to their location. Schools convey to students, teachers and the greater community a “hidden curriculum” about how learning is regarded, the place of education, and the role of children and youth in that society. As they change through construction and renovation across time and space, school buildings and grounds reflect particular shifts in these ideologies. It has been nearly two decades since the last special issue of Children, Youth and Environments focused on school design. Titled simply School Design, Volume 10 Issue 2 presented papers from a variety of design professionals, researchers, and educational administrators. A key theme in that 1993 publication was the link between pedagogy, the school’s physical environment, and student learning. Many papers in that issue responded to the “educational crisis” purported in the United States due to high dropout rates, uneven college and career readiness among high school graduates, and crumbling infrastructures of aging school buildings. Moore and Lackney examined the relationship between learning outcomes and design patterns found in school facilities. Their literature review and research suggested that school size and classroom size directly affect student academic performance and that school location and presence of secluded study areas affect indirect measures of performance, such as stress, attention, and behavior. Gibberd and Kenny explored changes in vocational education pedagogy and settings for 16-19 year olds in response to UK policy changes, and advocated for school environments that mimic real-world work settings. Richard Chase proposed the use of social learning networks, providing links between individuals, schools, museums, parks and technological environments that...