"Creating positive classroom learning spaces"

I think you can find more ideas or just re-read the tips we have learnt at this course if you read carefully this article:

https://elearningindustry.com/creating-positive-classroom-learning-spaces-7-tips

I'm really convinced about it: it is very important to foster learning that the environment be positive...the "well-being" as a concept we have seen at this course.

 I hope you like it.

Miriam Escalante

My "classroom" is a squash and a squeeze

 My dear colleagues. 

I have been reading your wonderful works and I see that some of you have brought up the amount of difficulties that you have to improve your spaces. I guess that, by watching the projects in this unit 4 some of you may think "yeah, right, with those spaces/opportunities/architects"...it is easy....

Not that you are not right, but as a reflection, I would like to share with you a wonderful children's book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.. It has a great lesson inside that I use very often. 

To be honest, I guess COVID has taught us a huge lesson and we will feel it after we overcome it. 

This is the story:

You can choose the "musical version" as well (Julia Donaldson also sings):

Watch the video if you will, and please, comment if that brings a reflection or not. 

If this course is helping you in thinking differently about your school/classroom, I would apprecitate it if you share a comment with us. 

Gema López

12 Ways to upgrade your classroom design

 This unit intends to inspire and see some good examples of spaces transformation. Some have spent a huge budget, others are more modest, each situation is different, but as you can see, most of them are part of a whole school project.

When you have a clear objective in terms of improving spaces, you need to have all the support of the school staff and even search for other instutions or companies help. Even though, all ideas and changes that we deal with in the course are a good starting point for you to reflect in your own teaching and to take into account how important are learning spaces and a good environment at school.

In the following article you can see some simple ideas in classroom design that doesn't involve any further expenses.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/upgrade-classroom-design/

Hope you like it.

Laura Riesco

Integrating technology

 One of the biggest challenges in our schools is how to integrate technology in our lessons, specially since Covid pandemic situation.

The use of digital resources, online lessons and attention to technological needs of our students, make us to rethink the use of spaces and the role of different learning contexts that our students have to face.

Nowadays we are already familiar with Teams and all Microsoft tools that we have available to use in our classes, but how all these changes affect to school organisation, classroom management and grouping?

Is there any change in spaces that makes easier the integration of technology in the classroom?

Here I share a very interesting article on this topic, food for thought.

https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation

Hope you like it.

Laura Riesco

The importance of Flexible Learning Spaces in pandemic times

 Hello,

I'd like to share with you a very interesting article on how we can adapt flexible learning spaces to pandemic times.

Click on the picture to follow the link

I hope you like it.

Laura Riesco

New inspirational proposal

 Good morning

It's been quite many days already since I last shared with you some ideas or resources for "Learning Spaces". Please, allow me to share this great Youtube and Instagram page which was brought to me by my dearest friend and colleague, Marta. 

The name of the lady is Patricia García. She brings up to life the best ideas for any type of classroom. 

I really hope that she becomes an inspiration for you to take out your own creativity and put it in action in your own space and following your own style.

Thanks

Gema López

Inspiring examples

 For some years now and within the Ka1 and Ka2 fantastic european projects in my school, I have had the opportunity to visit quite many schools and get inspired by the way they use the space for the benefit of learning. 

I share with you some pics from a school in the north of Belgium. It is a huge concrete building, grey and ugly from the outside and wonderfully warm and learning focused on the inside. I got many ideas from this school, some already implemented in mine..

Please COMMENT. Do you think those ideas could be implemented in your school/high school, etc? Why or why not? If not,, would this inspire you to do something different? Let's use our imagination and share with each other. THANKS

PICS:

1º.- The relaxing igloo. It is a brick-made intimate space placed in the middle of the huge hall, mainly thought for the children with autistic disorder (but useful for all). If the child needs some time of quietness, he/she shows "the card" to the teacher and can go to the igloo to be on his/her own, protected. Inside the igloo there are cushions and there is also a light to show to the others outside that the igloo is occupied. 

2º.- The idea of using the common spaces as learning spaces. The halls in this school are also classrooms.

3º.- The idea of making material to share. In the pic, there are boxes with activities prepared by the parents. You have inside the sheet with the instruction and the materials to do it. We have used it to organize quick experiments, but it could also be arts and crafts, manipulative Maths....This way, if a teacher needs activities to do work in groups, everything is already organized....

Gema López

More ideas

 Hello,

Here I share a video with different ideas to decorate and organise spaces in the classroom.

Hope you like it.

I'm sure you know many other videos or inspiring ideas about learning spaces, let's share them through this forum thread and get inspired each other.

Laura Riesco

An ideal situation

 I share with you a very interesting TED talk from a very interesting danish architect who works designing schools.

To open up the discussion, I would like you to watch the talk and tell me how you think we could -with our limitations- approach to this ideal. What do you think the problem could be and how do you think we can find a solution (in general, not in COVID times).

Gema López