This week's assignment was to read up on Experience Design and use a program called SketchUp Make to redesign, or hack, a learning space so that it fits 21st Century Learning. So what is Experience Design?
According to Wikipedia, "Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions. An emerging discipline, experience design draws from many other disciplines including cognitive psychology and perceptual psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, architecture and environmental design, haptics, hazard analysis, product design, theatre, information design, information architecture, ethnography, brand strategy, interaction design, service design, storytelling, heuristics, technical communication, and design thinking."
Last summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to change my classroom after completing my first year teaching fourth grade. Cooperative learning and responsive classroom were (and still are) two very important elements I used when teaching. My students and I spend an average of 5.5 hours every weekday in the classroom, so it needs to be a learning space that is 1) inviting, 2) flows, and 3) fits learner needs. Not to mention, it also had to house 28 bodies...and it was a smallish classroom! Looking forward to next year, there are some more tweaks in that will be coming, so this assignment has gotten me plotting a little earlier than last year. I want to make the most of the time with my students...and our learning environment
Current classroom set up:
Trapezoid tables grouped in two so four learners could work in heterogeneous groups. They are labeled by table numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). Smart board is front and center of the west wall; two smaller whiteboards flank it. My computer cart is up toward the front of the classroom, primarily because it is tethered to the Smart Board. I decided to forgo my desk...not once did I use it the prior year...and space is a premium in the classroom. The classroom library/meeting area are in a corner at the front of the room where there is a 5x8ft area rug, some milk crate benches, and floor pillow. There are also two extra free-standing bookshelves to handle the ever-expanding classroom library, reader's notebooks, and the math RTI stations. This corner is where a bulk of my ELA whole-group instruction takes place (my building has completely adopted the workshop model for reading and writing). We also do our math calendar work here when we need to make observations or have a discussion. At the back of the room, student mailboxes occupy one counter top. The back wall is lined with one large whiteboard that is flanked by two bulletin boards on either side. There is also a large table with four chairs for the listening center/RTI small group table, two student desks and two more small tables for multi-use purposes. These tables are flex-spaces...the learning that goes on in these places varies throughout the day and year. I may have a science demonstration set up for small groups to complete. It could be a strategy group station during our literacy block. Sometimes students sit back in these areas when they feel they need a less distracting location.
What currently works:
I like how the classroom space is already set up for cooperative learning. When I arrange the seating chart, I keep tables mixed up with student ability levels. This makes small group work easy to transition to during math, social studies, and science. Having student tables grouped like this also allows for prearranged work spaces for our literacy block/station rotation. Our meeting area is large enough for everyone without allowing for huge spaces between partners or groups. The built-in bookshelves help create a visible area for our classroom library.
Currently, my biggest complaint about my classroom (other than size) is the lack of in-room technology for my students' use. I had one student computer the previous year, but that was taken away and never replaced. This was and continues to be a huge disappointment for me. Technology is vital in any 21st Century classroom and I am not able to incorporate this component into the classroom for my students. Sure, my building has two computer labs that will fit my entire class...but I also have to schedule time and fight for that time with 17 other classrooms.
Ideal Classroom in an Ideal World:
If I had the funding available, the biggest change I would make to my classroom would be to have four computers for student use at the back of my classroom. Students would use this area for research, blogging, math/reading practice and remediation, keyboarding, etc. I plan on using a virtual classroom next year for students to make reading responses and book recommendations through discussion posts. This would also be a platform for math tutorials and the extension of many problem-based learning projects. These computers would also enable students who do not have access to the internet or similar technology at home the opportunity to use it on a daily basis...not just weekly. I have dreams of 'flipping' social studies and science units next year, that student access to technology at home is a huge concern. Exercise ball chairs at the computer station allow for the 'wiggles' common for my grade level and promote the development of strong core muscles. Eventually I would love to have these exercise ball chairs for all my students. The cost of four computers, the licensing, networking, tech-support, etc would be at least a few thousand dollars. Four exercise ball chairs would be an additional couple of hundred dollars.
Here are a few examples of what my classroom would look like if I could get my hands on these 'ideal' materials! These were created using SketchUp:
Resources:
Experience Design. (n.d.) In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Experience_design
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