Navigating the Hub: Making Space For Learning

What do you notice in the G4 Learning Space?

As educators, we often focus on curriculum, pedagogy, and student outcomes. However, the physical space where learning occurs significantly impacts the effectiveness of our teaching. In our hub learning and teaching journey, we’ve come to appreciate the importance of designing a learning environment that supports collaboration, engagement, and personalized learning.

Recently, the amazing Duane Smith shared the article Making the Space for Learning in our weekly ‘Research Moment’. In this article, Gonzalez, Noh, and Wilson (2023) highlight the often-overlooked connection between physical spaces and thinking. While the act of thinking may be somewhat-invisible, Duane helped us to recognise how much the design of our hub influences student engagement and cognitive processes. By creating a space that fosters interaction, discussion, and exploration, we can support students in becoming active learners.

Key takeaways from the article that resonate with our hub teaching:

• Flexibility is Key: Our hub’s flexible furniture arrangements and open layout facilitate collaborative work and group discussions. We purposefully don’t have a lot of “rules” about furniture use.
• Collaboration is Core: The design encourages interaction and communication, which are essential for building a strong learning community.
• Personalized Learning: The variety of spaces within our hub allows students to choose environments that best suit their individual learning styles.
• Warmth and Safety: All learning space need to be designed and maintained according to the basic conditions for physical and psychological safety.
• Optimal Stimulation: Spaces must support positive learning outcomes are designed for optimal stimulation — NB I like to think of the stimulation in learning spaces as a ‘Goldilocks’ zone; not too much and not too little.
• Spark: There’s some wonderful value in learning spaces that are designed to ‘spark’ thinking. Art exhibits spark opportunities for a surprises and creative interpretation. We can design ‘neighbourhoods’ or villages (as per the LearnLife model) that foster novel community
  interactions. Environments with contrasting elements can encourage behaviours and relationships that facilitate so many learning practices.

As we continue to refine our hub teaching practices, we’re paying close attention to how the physical space can enhance our efforts. We’re experimenting with different seating arrangements, lighting, and what to display in order to create an environment that supports both independent and collaborative learning.

By making intentional choices about our learning space, we’re creating a powerful tool for fostering engagement, collaboration, and personalized learning.

What are your thoughts on the connection between physical space and learning? Share your experiences in the comments below!

BTW Our previous post, Beyond the Basics: Mastering Flexible Grouping in the Hub, received a huge response. If you missed it, check it out!