Outcome & ambition

Learning Objectives

1. Make and deliver a presentation to evaluate the success of the industry set project brief.
2. Communicate an evaluation of the industry set project outcome and reflect on the project evolution, strategy, innovation, user testing, positioning, final delivery and success at reaching the target audience.
3. Design and refine your final project outcome.

Evaluation

The creative conscience brief focused on mental health, from this I thought about in mental health within schools. Initially, students and their needs were the main are of attention, this was after noticing an increase of issues arising with learners expressing their distress, anxiety or even self-harm.

I worked with the schools safeguarding lead who talked me through the strategies that are in place to best support these vulnerable students. We spoke about the school’s actions and commitment to offering support and guidance outside of the usual routes of counselling. The school offer opportunities to talk to teachers regarding concerns or problems that may arise. An initiative called I wish my teacher knew opens confidential discussions on paper. The schools peer mentoring scheme pairs sixth form students with the lower school to offer a non-judgemental open discussion and support. More formal support such as the councillor and group sessions aim to provide intervention before crisis point.

This initial research made me then think about the wealth of support that is available to students at Bodmin College. I then started to think about staff well being and the issues of workload and expectations. The pressure from parents, governors, senior managers, OFSTED and personal ambitions. The teaching profession can be a toxic environment for stress and self-doubt. There are support mechanisms in place but this is not as much as what is available to students.
Thinking about a typical day in school, three 100 min lessons, a tutor group, break and lunchtime duties. It can be difficult to eat on some days for being so busy. The 100 min lesson was developed for several reasons, this offered learners more time within subjects to fully engage and explore a subject in more detail.

It also restricted the movements of people between lessons and thus the hope that there would be less time for misbehaviour or vandalism. The other side of this is that staff are then required to plan extensive lessons that engage learners, some who may struggle to sit and focus on one task for this period. Considering these transitional spaces and how the daily routine within a school works, I began to explore this idea as a solution to the question: How can I use design to develop a strategy and approach to creating better learning environments that support both staff and student?

Looking for inspiration for this project, I had been inspired by Maggie’s architectural design ideas that aim to support patients with Alzheimer’s or cancer. These spaces were specifically built with the needs of the user in mind. Schools are often old buildings that are cold, outdated and in need of repair. A large proportion of schools budgets in these cases go towards contractors and maintenance rather than the essential support and equipment needed for teachers and students.

I had also been inspired by the latest series of Abstract, where the idea of colour and public spaces had been explored. One example showed all colour being removed from the Tate Gallery in London by using a bright yellow glow. This colour changed peoples mood, behaviours and the ideas behind this vary from person to person. I had initially thought about using colour to change the mood and behaviour within a space such as corridors or classrooms. Creating a calming space using music or colour.

My ideas started to develop as I began sketching out and designing spaces, I questioned why I was focusing on one space but why not consider the whole school. I had acknowledged the outdated spaces and issues that this would present, why not create a platform for learning that considers all abilities, needs and curriculum. I started to design a plan for schools based on gentle shapes, outdoor spaces and glass walls. I wanted to connect an outside space to the inside and create a transformable space where teachers could feel empowered to change their environment based on learner needs and subject content.

Designing a whole school may have been a little more than I could chew at this stage, even after spending hours rendering 3D models of building and green spaces. I soon settled on the idea of creating a strategy, a set of rules or guides to restrict my exploration off ideas a focus my attention back into the classroom. I had identified that each classroom could be broken down into a series of simple platforms based on their subject content. Each classroom should also have an element of transformability or be adjustable to the 100 min lesson. Breaking down the lesson into smaller segments and building a more meaningful learning environment that embedded a series of basic skills. Basic skills on a computer and reading can be often forgotten in an age of iPods and snap chat.

Creating space within each classroom for a reading area or mini library that would be subject-specific could encourage teachers to more proactive with embedding this essential skill into their lessons. Using a mixture of written exercises and computer-based learning also promotes a diverse skill set that is more in line with the needs of the current employment economy. As Teachers we need to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to take on the world and the workplace, it is argued and has been for generations that schools fail to prepare learners for the real world. Changing out learning environments to be more adaptive and empowering teachers to be responsive not reactive to change could help promote better learner engagement and wellbeing. If teachers then feel empowered and supported in their workspace I believe that this can then have another positive impact on staff wellbeing.

This project has enabled me to work differently, it has enabled me to think about design as a tool and a strategy rather than a specific outcome. I have, through this project developed a concept that answered the question: How can I use design to develop a strategy and approach to creating better learning environments that support both staff and student? I am presenting a pitch for further development and collaboration. Working with architects and spacial designers this project would encompass the principles set out in the proposal: A teachers guide to designing better spaces.