Steve Collis, the teacher who inspired this whole renovation, published a blog about my project. It has taken me a while to blog about it (since it happened around September of last year). However I figured since we are reaching the end of the project, that I should properly acknowledge and thank Steve for all his support in this project. For someone who gave me the idea in the first place, there should be a little less praising going on in this post. Thank you for your kind words and support, Steve! Click here to check it out.
About Steve:
Steve Collis is the director of Innovation at Sydney Centre for Innovation of Learning. He works with schools to find and implement a vision for post-industrial-model schooling.
On our staff development earlier this year in 2013, Steve visited our school and offered advice about how to change the way we think about the classroom. His presentation really touched many of us and inspired me to get up and make a difference.
After that day I emailed Steve for support and strategies on how to begin the project. Here are a few of his suggestions:
- consider the power of iterative thinking, where rather than "one big plan" you try lots and lots of little things, and constantly hang on to the stuff that seems to work really well and chuck out the things that
don't... just keep renewing over months and years...
- look for insights about what everything looks like from a learner's perspective. You can ask them questions, get them to sketch their dream learning space, include them in the brainstorming, designing etc...
- you could work on a timeline with themes... e.g. one theme each term, or each year... it's human nature to keep creating and recreating, and as soon as something feels stale, chuck it out.
- don't be scared of empty space... it's very powerful, and it's nice to have a blank slate area that can be reconfigured or populated
- I like the way you're thinking in terms of the functions of the space...you can keep playing with that, e.g. a cave space, a campfire space, a collaborative space, an art space, an iPod space... whatever matches the
ever shifting learner needs/desires
- if the space can engage the learners in a really deep way then everything else will become much easier. When we ask our students what they like they just say "we like that it's comfy" and for them that's as deep as it goes, but it makes all the difference!!
Steve's advice gave me everything I needed to begin and I owe the success of the project to him. I am still working on my classroom when I can because to me, the learners are constantly evolving and their needs are important. I love empty space. I am still trying to find ways to move things around so that I have more of it. I am even considering throwing out the "teacher's desk" and instead have a smaller desk or no desk at all. With the new lectern being made by my friend Dave, there will still be a place to put my materials anyway.
Steve has been incredibly helpful through the entire process. Thank you for everything, Steve!
About Steve:
Steve Collis is the director of Innovation at Sydney Centre for Innovation of Learning. He works with schools to find and implement a vision for post-industrial-model schooling.
On our staff development earlier this year in 2013, Steve visited our school and offered advice about how to change the way we think about the classroom. His presentation really touched many of us and inspired me to get up and make a difference.
After that day I emailed Steve for support and strategies on how to begin the project. Here are a few of his suggestions:
- consider the power of iterative thinking, where rather than "one big plan" you try lots and lots of little things, and constantly hang on to the stuff that seems to work really well and chuck out the things that
don't... just keep renewing over months and years...
- look for insights about what everything looks like from a learner's perspective. You can ask them questions, get them to sketch their dream learning space, include them in the brainstorming, designing etc...
- you could work on a timeline with themes... e.g. one theme each term, or each year... it's human nature to keep creating and recreating, and as soon as something feels stale, chuck it out.
- don't be scared of empty space... it's very powerful, and it's nice to have a blank slate area that can be reconfigured or populated
- I like the way you're thinking in terms of the functions of the space...you can keep playing with that, e.g. a cave space, a campfire space, a collaborative space, an art space, an iPod space... whatever matches the
ever shifting learner needs/desires
- if the space can engage the learners in a really deep way then everything else will become much easier. When we ask our students what they like they just say "we like that it's comfy" and for them that's as deep as it goes, but it makes all the difference!!
Steve's advice gave me everything I needed to begin and I owe the success of the project to him. I am still working on my classroom when I can because to me, the learners are constantly evolving and their needs are important. I love empty space. I am still trying to find ways to move things around so that I have more of it. I am even considering throwing out the "teacher's desk" and instead have a smaller desk or no desk at all. With the new lectern being made by my friend Dave, there will still be a place to put my materials anyway.
Steve has been incredibly helpful through the entire process. Thank you for everything, Steve!