Effective Learning Environments

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Effective Learning Environments

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Call for Case Studies

Transforming pedagogy and space together

Education is undergoing a transformation spurred by several major drivers: the need to
develop in young adults the skills and ways of thinking, living together and working to
thrive in the 21st century society; developments in our understanding about learning and
how people learn; and, the ubiquity of technology in society, in the workplace and in
education.
The OECD Effective Learning Environments is inviting the submission of case studies that
explore how schools all around the world are transforming and aligning their pedagogical
approaches and physical learning environments. The intention is to provide ideas and
inspiration for school leaders, teachers and policy makers based on concrete practice.

Analytical framework
The OECD Effective Learning Environments project has developed an analytical
framework for the collection and curation of a set of case studies. To do this it proposes
a simple model that situates schools using two broad parameters characterising: a) the
pedagogical environment and b) the spatial environment. This will allow case studies to
be “mapped” along a spectrum: from a teacher-centric to a learner-centric pedagogical
approach; and, from a responsive to a non-responsive spatial environment.

Responsive environment

B D
Teacher centred in a Learner centred in a
responsive building responsive building
Teacher centred

Learner centred

A C
Teacher centred in an Learner centred in an
unresponsive building unresponsive building

Unresponsive environment

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Case study template

The case study would seek to describe:

 Type and size of school; location.

A. Context
 Project information.
B. Pedagogy and space before transformation  The pedagogical approach before transformation.
 The physical learning environment before transformation.
C. Transforming learning – the educational  The vision and educational brief for the new or renewed learning
brief environment.
 The process of developing the educational brief and how it was led and
by who (school/client).
 How the users (teachers, students, other staff, community) were
engaged in the process.
 The strategies adopted to manage pedagogical change.
D. Creating the space – the design brief  The building design process and how the school user was engaged in
the building design process.
 The spatial design of the new or renovated spaces and how it meets the
pedagogical needs.
E. Transition to the transformed learning  How the transition to the new environment was or is being managed.
environment  Whether there was training for teachers in how to use the new spaces
and whether this training continues during occupancy of the building.
F. Evaluation  Whether the space and teaching is regularly evaluated
 What changes are prompted and how are they carried out
G. Additional comments

Template for Case Studies

General Instructions
Please use the following template to describe the learning environment of the school.
Please address all of the questions and where they do not appear to be relevant to your
context please put “not applicable” (N/A). There is no word limit for the text. The final
section asks for supporting material such as photographs, diagrams, floor plans,
evaluation reports etc. Please attach/enclose electronic versions of the information with
the template.
Please return the completed template to Ria Sandilands in the OECD Secretariat
([email protected]) by 31 March 2019. You may be contacted by the OECD
Consultants Alastair Blyth ([email protected]) and Julie Velissaratou
([email protected]) for further information and any clarifications needed. The
OECD may edit the case study prior to publication online.

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A. Context

1 General Information

a) Name of the school

b) Country
c) Which of the following best describes the community in which the
facility is located? Please pick only one from:
 village, hamlet or rural area (>3 000 people)
 small town (3 000-15 000 people)
 town (15 000-100 000 people)
 city (100 000-1 000 000 people)
 large city (>1 000 000 people)
d) Which level(s) of education does the facility serve? Please use at least
one from:
 Pre-primary (please specify day care centre, kindergarten, other)
 Primary
 Lower secondary
 Higher secondary
e) Please provide the numbers of:
i) full-time (FT) students currently in the school:
ii) part-time (PT) students currently in the school:
iii) full-time (FT) teachers currently in the school:
iv) part-time (PT) teachers currently in the school:
f) What is the total capacity of the facility (i.e. the number of full-time
students that the institution is able to enrol to receive educational
instruction within the building)?

2 Project Information

a) What is the type of project? Please pick only one from:

 New building
 Extension (the expansion of existing buildings)
 Renovation
 Part extension and renovation
b) In what year was the project (construction, extension or
renovation) completed?
c) Approximately what is the gross surface area* of the
construction, extension or renovation, in m2?
d) Approximately what is the gross surface area* of the whole
school, in m2?
e) Please provide the name of the architectural firm (if relevant):
f) Please provide the name of the client (was the school the client
or the education authority?):

*The gross surface area is the total area in square metres (m2) of all educational buildings designated for
teaching, recreation, technology, storage, and any other purpose. It is usually measured around the exterior
walls of buildings. It excludes grounds and covered walkways linking buildings, roof overhangs, eaves or
porches.

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B. Pedagogy and Space Before Transformation

1. Please describe the pedagogical approach before transformation

For example, how was teaching and learning organised in the school. How were the
students grouped (e.g. by age? ability? specialism of the teachers?); what size were the
groups (e.g. class sizes); approaches to teaching adopted widely or rarely; timetabling
(e.g. set periods of time for classes); autonomy of the school and its teachers in deciding
the pedagogical approach to use.

2. On a scale from 1 to 5, would you describe the original pedagogical approach as teacher
centred or learner centred?
1 2 3 4 5

Very teacher Very learner

centred centred

3. Please provide examples of the layout of the physical learning environment before
transformation
For example, the organisation of the spaces (e.g. classes entered through a corridor; multi-
spaces arranged around assembly areas).

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4. Before the transformation, approximately* what proportion of the space in the school was
made up of space types (see diagrams a) to f) below):
a. Classrooms along corridors: ________%
b. Classrooms with a breakout space: ________%
c. Classrooms with flexible walls: _______%
d. Classrooms with flexible walls and breakout space: _________%
e. Open plan with possibility of creating classrooms: _________%
f. Open plan: _________%
Note: These figures are only meant to be approximate and give an indication of how
extensive the different space types might be.

The following diagrams describe different combinations of spatial configurations from Closed
Classrooms along corridors (a) to Open (f).

a) Classrooms along corridors b) Classrooms with a breakout space

c) Classrooms with flexible walls d) Classrooms with flexible walls and

breakout space

e) Open plan with possibility of creating f) Open plan

classrooms

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5. On a scale from 1 to 5, how responsive to teaching needs would you describe the building?
1 2 3 4 5

Very Very responsive

unresponsive

In the 2X2 matrix, where does the school stand before the transformation? Move the red
dot below to position the school accordingly.
Responsive environment

B D
Teacher centred in a Learner centred in a
responsive building responsive building
Teacher centred

Learner centred

A C
Teacher centred in Learner centred in
an unresponsive an unresponsive
building building

Unresponsive environment

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C. Transforming Learning – The Educational Brief

Please describe the:

1. Vision for the new or renewed learning environment

For example, what is the approach to pedagogy in the school?

2. Would you describe the new pedagogical approach as teacher centred or learner centred?
1 2 3 4 5

Very teacher Moderately Neutral Moderately Very learner

centred teacher centred learner centred centred

3. Process of developing the educational brief

For example, who was managing/leading the process (school/client)? Who was involved
in the development of the educational brief (teachers, students, other staff, community)?
How were the users engaged in the process and what was their input? What strategies
were used to manage the pedagogical change? What resources were devoted to
accompanying this transformation (e.g. time, funds, professional development for
teachers etc)?

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D. Creating the Space – The Design Brief

Please describe the:

1. Development of the design brief

Briefly describe the building design process and the process of developing the design brief.
Who was managing/leading the process (school/client)? Who was involved in the
development of the design brief (teachers, students, other staff, community)? How were
the users engaged in the process and what was their input?

2. The spatial design of the physical learning environment

How does the spatial design correspond to the pedagogical needs outlined in the
educational brief? Give details about the organisation of the spaces (e.g. classes entered
through a corridor; multi-spaces arranged around assembly areas). Does the school have
autonomy in deciding how to best use the space?

3. On a scale from 1 to 5, how responsive to teaching needs would you describe the new
building?
1 2 3 4 5

Very Moderately Neutral Moderately Very responsive

unresponsive unresponsive responsive

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4. After the transformation, approximately* what proportion of the space in the school was
made up of space types (see diagrams a) to f) below):
a. Classrooms along corridors: ________%
b. Classrooms with a breakout space: ________%
c. Classrooms with flexible walls: _______%
d. Classrooms with flexible walls and breakout space: _________%
e. Open plan with possibility of creating classrooms: _________%
f. Open plan: _________%
Note: These figures are only meant to be approximate and give an indication of how
extensive the different space types might be.

The following diagrams describe different combinations of spatial configurations from closed
classrooms along corridors (a) to Open (f).

a) Classrooms along corridors b) Classrooms with a breakout space

c) Classrooms with flexible walls d) Classrooms with flexible walls and

breakout space

e) Open plan with possibility of creating f) Open plan

classrooms

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E. Transition to the Transformed Environment

Please describe the:

1. Management of the transition to the new spaces

Briefly describe the process of the transition to the new environment. For example, who is
managing/leading the process? What is expected by the school users? Were all elements
of the educational and the design brief implemented? Did teachers receive a briefing or
training in how to use the new spaces? Does the training continue during occupancy of
the building?

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F. Evaluation

Please describe the:

1. Evaluation of the new learning environment

Has the transformation process including the spaces themselves already been evaluated?
If not, is it planned for the future? What is the format of the evaluation (e.g. parents’
satisfaction review; users’ perspectives; students’ performance; independent audit) and
who is leading the process? What were the key insights from the evaluation? What kind
of changes may be initiated after the evaluation?

2. Continuous evaluation of the learning environment

Is there a plan to periodically re-evaluate the learning environment? If so, at what time
intervals?

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In the 2X2 matrix, where does the school stand after the transformation? Move the green
dot below to position the school accordingly.

Responsive environment

B D
Teacher centred in a Learner centred in a
responsive building responsive building
Teacher centred

Learner centred
A C
Teacher centred in Learner centred in
an unresponsive an unresponsive
building building

Unresponsive environment

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G. Additional Comments

1. Any additional comments

Please use this space to share any insights or advice you would want to share with other
schools who are embarking upon their own transformation of pedagogy and space, based
on your own experience

Supporting material

Please supply illustrative material to support the case study (for example, photographs,
drawings – such as floor plans, 3D drawings, sketches, organisational charts, evaluation
reports), and any other information that would illustrate the transformational journey of
the school. It would be helpful if you could provide a short caption with each image and
diagram.
Also, please include a link to the school’s website, as well as any other links you think are
relevant to the case study.

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