Note to the Reader: this post presents basic strategies for designing home learning environments. As such, the strategies should be applied to the context of what a home experience means for you. There is not an attempt within the post to define what home means. The strategies presented represent what the author has learned about learning space design over the past eight years and what is within the range of his skills and experience. This post makes no assumptions about other environments beyond the range of that experience. The author encourages the reader to evaluate the strategies found here, apply what works in the context of their own student or students environment, wherever and whatever that experience beyond school may be. Thank you.
I was recently asked by a friend through Facebook to contribute my thoughts about designing a home learning space for students that would appropriately serve virtual learning. In this follow-up post, I’d like to deepen my initial thoughts on what I think constitutes an effective design. Please note that I have done my best to provide simple and affordable solutions that can be used by families to help their kids learn. Others have also provided information, such as this terrific piece from the architectural firm of Perkins and Will.
Here are my top strategies:
Talk with your kids. Conduct a mini-design charette with your kids. Get some sharpies and post-it notes and ask them what they like about their school environments and what they don’t. Ask them how spaces help them learn. Begin in the same way any designer would - by finding out what matters to the client. You’ll be amazed at how much they know about the relationship between space and their learning. Start there.
Provide access to daylight if you can. This is extremely important and there is a wide body of information and research (read more here 1, 2) that supports the positive relationship between daylight and student performance. If you have ever taught or tried to learn in a windowless room, you’ll have appreciation for the importance of windows and daylight. I have found through my design work that daylighting is perhaps one of the most valuable classroom resources. Take advantage the windows of your home to find a space with daylight. Also, if you are comfortable with it, get some markers that are glass-friendly that your student can use to create artwork on the glass to make the space more personal.
Include living things. Include living things such as plants and perhaps even an aquarium. You can extend this idea by including representations of living things through photographs, pictures and other design elements that support a biophilic design approach.
Image courtesy of Edgar Castrejon via Unsplash
To give you some background, biophilic design focuses on connecting the natural world to the design of space and includes both direct and indirect opportunities to do so. This includes being able to interact directly with water, light, sounds, plants and animals as well as indirect experiences that focus on using natural materials and colors, patterns and other representations of nature and simulations of the components of nature in the design of space.
As you might expect, designing spaces in this way has tangible benefits. These include “reducing stress, enhancing creativity and clarity of thought, improving well-being, and expediting healing.”
Consider adding natural things to your space design. It doesn’t have to be sophisticated, but having living things, and representations of them creates an invitation into learning that can make a big difference for kids.
Comfortable and adaptable seating: in my design work, it’s no longer a surprise to me to hear students talk about their number one priority in a classroom: comfort. Students always indicate that if they are comfortable, they’re much more ready to learn. That’s a big deal. To get started with this, find a comfortable chair that provides proper posture. If you can afford it, a Flavors Chair from Smith System fits the bill ($72.95 US). This chair will allow students to sit in multiple ways and provide a rocking movement that is important for kids to manage their energy.
To learn more about the importance of seating and movement, be sure to check out VS Furniture’s Bodies in Motion, Brains in Motion.
Also consider a standing height desk that enable students to stand and work. While these can be costly, check out a DIY standing-height desk that can be built from common materials obtained from your favorite hardware store.
Identify multiple locations for learning that provide a diversity of experience. Is there a space outside they can use? Is their a location that provides them with a respite from virtual learning and enables them to recharge? Using different locations to meet a variety of learning needs will help to place them in the most successful space for the moment.
Image courtesy of David Pisnoy via Unsplash
Use color strategically: It’s time to do some painting! And whatever you do, please don’t use the traditional school beige (#beyondbeige). That’s the last thing they need. Color can be introduced through wall color, through furniture, through simple things like storage items, trash cans, artwork and carpeting. You should know that different colors mean different things to different cultures, and different colors work for different ages so you must be strategic. Also, if a student spends a lot of time in a single space, avoid patterns on the walls, which can be distracting over time and contribute to cognitive overload. Most importantly, different colors can influence different emotions as well as how productive students are. Learn more about color and it’s influence on learning and performance here and here.
Sound: Home learning spaces should provide appropriate acoustics. Consider background noises that may help students focus. MyNoise offers a range of customizable background sounds from a Cafe Restaurant to the Irish Coast that can support different acoustical signatures for a learning space.
Writable surface: Perhaps the most frequent comment I get from teachers and students about new classroom spaces is the value of whiteboard surface. Being able to write, sketch, and problem-solve on any combination of desks and tables, walls, and individual personal whiteboards contributes a great deal to the classroom experience and it can as well at home. Use whiteboard/blackboard surfaces to enable and promote moments of curiosity, ideation, and whimsy.
Unfortunately, really good whiteboard surfaces are expensive. However, it is easy to convert your existing surfaces with readily available paint that converts any surface into a writable one. It has been my experience that Sherwin Williams Sketch Pad is an affordable, easy to use, and an effective product for creating writable surfaces. You can paint it on just about anything to give it a clear, glossy finishing that can be written on.
Things of importance. Place things of value and beauty into the space that are personal to the student and family and that communicate belonging and says that this location matters. Get some small chalk surfaces to leave words of encouragement for your student. Be mindful of this recommendation if the space will be broadcast to others through online meetings. But, with this in mind…
Create a prideful space: If there will be online meetings, you are literally inviting people into your home. Create a space reflective of the pride that you have in your family and of the importance you place in learning, realizing that what you broadcast to others sends an incredible message that won’t be missed by others who view the space.
I hope these helped and I hope your upcoming year is as positive and productive as the times will allow. Thank you for reading.
Banner image courtesy of The Coherent Team, via Unsplash