how does design affect learning?
Italian educator Loris Malaguzzi called environment the “third teacher.” How does the design of a school have the potential to impact teaching and learning? Here you will find some individuals and schools that have thought about this question.
DEFINE
​What does the ideal learning space look like? Think about great design features in schools and buildings you've seen and imagine how they might be incorporated into your ideal school.
After observing some schools that have thought about how learning is affected by environment, design your own school.
COLLECT INFO
The Third Teacher+
Historic School Furniture, The School Museum
Mahlum Architects
USC Science of Classroom Design
The Third Teacher (book)
Project H Design
Studio H​​
Head of the Class: Architecture and Learning
Emily Pilloton, TED Talks
Gloria Marshall Elementary, Spring, Texas
Ann Cooper: What's Wrong with School Lunches, TED Talks
BRAINSTORM IDEAS
What will classroom/learning spaces look like in your school?
How might you incorporate some of the following: flexible furniture, production studios, outdoor classrooms, multipurpose rooms, natural lighting, collaboration areas, skylights, greenhouses, bright colors, indoor play structures, learning centers, composting?
DEVELOP SOLUTIONS
Your design is the physical structure of your school, illustrating exactly what your school will look like. Think about your design as the third teacher. What role will the physical space play in educating the students who attend?
FINAL DESIGN
Create your final design in SketchUp and display it on your school's website.
“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to lecture of instruct them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”
-Buckminster Fuller