The Importance of Physical Space in Supportive Learning Environments: (No. 92 New Directions for Teaching & Learning S.)

Faculty and students alike have become so accustomed to meeting in spaces that are sterile in appearance, unable to accommodate different instructional approaches, and uncomfortable in supporting adult bodies that most have taken these conditions as a fact of college life. The lack of extensive dialogue on the importance of learning spaces in higher education environments prompted the essays in this volume. The chapter authors look at the topic of learning spaces from a variety of perspectives, elaborating on the relationship between physical space and learning, arguing for an expanded notion of the concept of learning spaces and furnishings, talking about the context within which decision making for learning spaces takes place, and discussing promising approaches to the renovation of old learning spaces and the construction of new ones. This volume is also augmented with a Web site that contains diagrams, virtual tours, additional documents pertaining to learning space design, and links to other relevant sites. This is the 92nd issue of the quarterly Jossey-Bass publication "New Directions for Teaching and Learning".

Table of Contents:
EDITORS' NOTES (Nancy Van Note Chism, Deborah J. Bickford). 1. A Tale of Two Classrooms (Nancy Van Note Chism): This chapter offers a rationale for increasing attention to learning space design, providing an overview of relevant literature and highlighting implications for learning spaces suggested by modern learning theory. 2. Designing Collaborative Learning Places: Psychological Foundations and New Frontiers (Ken A. Graetz, Michael J. Goliber): Considering the modern context of collaborative learning and information technology, the authors detail implications for space design, primarily from the field of environmental psychology, the study of the relationship between people and their physical environment. 3. Embracing the Hybrid Model: Working at the Intersections of Virtual and Physical Learning Spaces (Thomas D. Skill, Brian A. Young): This chapter discusses the seven popular Wingspread Principles in terms of their implications for learning spaces, both physical and virtual. 4. The Impact of Changes in Teaching and Learning on Furniture and the Learning Environment (Paul Cornell): The focus of this chapter is on ways in which furniture is at the heart of the flexibility needed to use new approaches to teaching and learning and provide for the comfort of learners of different ages and different physical needs. 5. Navigating the White Waters of Collaborative Work in Shaping Learning Environments (Deborah J. Bickford): This chapter focuses on the present learning space planning process at most campuses and proposes a new vision for how planning can work more effectively and collaboratively. 6. Educator and Architect Partnerships for Success (James Butz): An architect and educational facilities consultant talks about the roles of architect and user in a building process, suggesting how educators can make best use of partnerships with architects. 7. Developing a Classroom Vision and Implementation Plan (Julia Christensen Hughes): This case study of a model planning process used at the University of Guelph shows how engagement of users and sound principles can lead to effective action. 8. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: A Case Study (Joan DeGuire North): Simple strategies employed by the campus in this case study illustrate how limited budgets need not prevent renovation of learning environments. 9. Innovative Models of Learning Environments (William Dittoe): This chapter details characteristics of good learning spaces and provides an overview of innovative models from campuses around the country. 10. Improving the Environment for Learning: An Expanded Agenda (Nancy Van Note Chism, Deborah J. Bickford): Major ideas and implications discussed in the volume are used to pose a series of critical considerations regarding learning environment construction in the future. Index.