Well, if you think from the Vigotskian situative perspective, space has everything to do with learning. Space is one of the tools that we interact with in any learning situation and what it makes a significant impact on what and how we learn. Simply the colors of a wall have been proven to have an impact on people's moods which in turn can directly impact how well one can learn. Design of space has a huge impact on what and how you look at things and therefore how you absorb any information or knowledge that is present. Space can promote or demote collaboration, inspire or uninspire creativity.
Matt- Vic, I think you are looking at this from the same angle that I am. Space is a great facilitator and even seemingly minor changes, i.e. color, can have a large effect on the learning taking place within that space. I wonder when the education community will come to see space as something to be taken as seriously as the people who work in them.....perhaps a little dramatic.
Well, I actually have never spent any time in Meyer library, so I decided to check it out. What really struck me was how it seemed like 95% of the usage of the space was for study space. Tables, chairs, computer tables, comfy chairs, bean bags, all across the first 2 floors and set up for people to study. This is very different than the more traditional Cubberly library or other libraries that have stacks and stacks of books you can wander through. As for Meyer, I think there is tons of individual study space, but there is a huge missed opportunity around group study/interactive learning space. A nice attempt at this is the B-School library which has many group focused spaces throughout the stacks and solo study stations that really give the patrons more flexibility depending on what kind of learning they need to do.
Another amazing thing is that nobody went up to the librarian desk while I was here. People are almost exclusively working on laptops or at computer stations. I can't remember the last time I went to a library and took a book out myself, I mostly use them as study spaces and to get materials on reserve from my professors. It brings in the question whether libraries should take on more of a study/work area than they currently do. This might include building in more group work facilities as well as innovation/brainstorm rooms (i.e. 4th flr Wallenburg back room).
Dan GilbertThanks Vic, actually there is only one small collection of books in Meyer up on the fourth floor in the East Asian room, ChristyJohnson went there for her trip, perhaps you could compare notes. Since there aren't books on those floors, but lots of people and computers, what could we name this space? 'meyer work space'? 'meyer collaboratory'? etc.? ideas?
When I think of my favorite museum experiences, there are 2 that jump into my mind: Musee D'Orsay and the Musee Picasso in Paris. Although I haven't been to either museum in over 7 years, they both made big impressions on me in terms of their architecture. The Musee D'Orsay is actually in the old train station in Paris, so it is a huge building with a massive open area in the middle, and then exhibits up and down the sides of the building in smaller rooms. It just always amazed me how they were able to transform such a massive functionally designed structure into one of the finest art museums in the world. The Musee Picasso is actually almost exactly the opposite. It is tucked away in a neighborhood and was laid out as narrow corridors that you would almost climb through on different levels. The works of art were in small rooms throughout, but I actually found the layout of the museum almost more interesting than the art itself. After going to the Cantor museum today and really thinking about these experiences, it makes really question why the designs and layouts are this way? What level of decisions are made for aesthetic vs functional vs experiential reasons?
Deb Kim Thanks Vic. I liked your description of the phsyical structure/architecture of the spaces that shaped your experience of the art in what we call "museum." These are great questions to think about in how we want to shape people's engagement in the space, interaction with others (Packard & Ballantyne) and cultures (Rogoff). The spaces culturally defined. Do, we have museums like the Musee Pcasso here in the states, just tucked away in neighborhoods? How will the notion of museum change over time?
Rolf Steier Very cool. I've wondered before what it would be like if a museum had the layout of an IKEA - where you would have to walk past every piece of art or exhibit. I think the space does so much more than set the mood - but motivate certain behaviors. I would guess that the smaller rooms of the Musee Picasso would feel more private. Just as the Packer and Ballantyne article discussed visitors with different goals, maybe that space supports a more solitary experience. Or maybe the openness of the Musee D'Orsay supports independent thinking better, and the Musee Picasso invites shared experiences in small groups. I think I'd like to visit both museums.
Jason Weeby You bring up a great point Vic - the old question of form v. function. While I'm a firm believer that form and function are not mutually exclusive and that a definition of good design is reconciling the two, museums are a bit tricky. Can a museum be a work of art in itself? Do the designers/architects have the liberty to sacrifice some usability because the place is pretty? If so, is there a danger that the space may upstage the art it exhibits? On the flip side, would a purely functional space belong be snazzy enough to display art?
What is Learning? Learning is that process that one goes through in the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills of any domain, subject matter or activity. Some of the primary areas that influence ones learning are past experiences, cognitive skills, current environment and ones interaction with it. What is interesting to me is the differences between learning processes depending on age...having parents that are professors and in their 70s I can really see how they learning processes are changing compared to my nieces that are between 3-6 years old. As my parents try to learn Spanish they admit struggling much more than they would have if they were 16 years old again.
Deb Kim "Vic some nice observations of learning in action. This layering of past experiences, cognitive skills, and interactions with one's current environment does play a significan role in how one approaches new learning experiences. This is and will continue to be a challenge in the design of all sorts of learning environments. And depending on the nature of the task, the different factors you mentioned will have different amounts of weight in that learning process."
As I read these articles, it seemed almost like a nice tour through many of the classes I have taken this year at the Ed school. Some of the themes that hit home were:
3. Early Foundation: In Economics of Education (Carnoy) we read studies that showed that Socio Economic Status was perhaps the biggest indicator of school performance and that kids showed very significant difference in ability even before entering Pre-School. Having a family environment that encouraged intellectual curiousity showed to have a large effect on school performance for young children.
5. Cultural experience and community participation: This echoed lessons learned in Curriculum Construction (Pope) around Dewie's principles of the curriculum and school reflecting principles of the local community, and the teachers focusing on the experiences that the students bring into the classroom as a basis to engage in relevant learning.
Then diving into the Expert vs. Novice debate took me back to Professor Schwartz's Transfer class. We discussed exactly the difference between a highly skilled artisan or practitioner, and a truely innovative expert. It seemed that experts were essentially highly skilled practitioners who had the ability to make jumps and innovate to new areas based on stronger conceptual frameworks and metcognitive ability.
So how does this all tie into Designing Learning Spaces? Well, I think that these themes and topics really show how complex designing learning spaces really is. To consider all of the factors mentioned in the papers in trying to create a physical space that can support or scaffold certain types of learning requires knowledge of many of these concepts along with a rather creative or artistic touch. I hope to go through this class and learn how to manifest many of the learning concepts I've studied into a physical educational experience.