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21St Century Learning Spaces Space to Succeed DECADE: 21st Century learning spaces Space to succeed The challenge of twenty-first century learning is in • Schools as spaces to connect learning, services creating spaces to succeed, based on equity of access and enterprise opportunities. Learning should In this chapter: that’s personalised to learner needs. This is about the be without boundaries and supported within the design of relationships, methods of interaction and the community. whole learning experience. It changes our concept of Nurturing this space Evaluation and adaptability. Why do we build for ‘school’. • Angela Edwards, Inverclyde Council 20 years? How do we know what we build today will work in 20 years? Shouldn’t we build to adapt, Twenty-first century learning is about learners co- Within, across and beyond; ‘third spaces’ in test settings and evaluate what works as we go, creating their own learning journey. This involves trust, tertiary education changing things as required? blended learning experiences, social learning and Keith Smyth, University of Highlands and Islands adapting to need. It’s also about ensuring relevance and a richness of experience. It means using different Our learners learn in a time and place beyond the Tapping into the potential of the pupil’s spaces in different places and re-using the same space building. And people should have a sense of ownership phone for different purposes to create distinctive, relevant, of buildings and learning decisions. That’s the key if Ian Stuart, Scottish Government purposeful and responsive experiences. every learner is to find his or her space to succeed. Creating quality spaces to nurture learning The Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Maggie Barlow, Space Strategies Workforce has asked how all learners, young and old, Diarmaid Lawlor, Head of Urbanism and Schools, A&DS can be the best they can be. The school experience Bridge21 model and learning spaces is vital for many, an opportunity to build social and Ciarán Bauer, Bridge 21, Trinity College Dublin collaborative skills, as well as technical knowledge. So, how we design spaces within schools and in places really matters. At the DECADE event, participants identified four priorities for the design of twenty-first century learning environments: • A focus on creating places where people want to be – a prerequisite for participation. • Equity of access, so no matter who you are or where you’re from, you can access learning in a supportive environment. < Campbeltown Grammar. Image by Alan Dimmick Nurturing this space Within, across, and beyond: ‘third spaces’ in tertiary education by Angela Edwards, Inverclyde Council by Keith Smyth Nurturing the Inverclyde space shouldn’t be difficult something worth losing’? Recently, we had IT difficulties in building an How might we conceptualise the nature of educational otherwise meet come together; and where knowledge the curriculum, teaching and assessment practice to … outstanding views, a rich heritage, strong sense of interactive, engaging Children’s Services Plan. ‘Being spaces – physical, digital and intangible – within the and experience is shared for a collective good. position students as active researchers and influencers identity and beautiful places and people. But none of We need to drive forward high cultural expectations Connected … the Inverclyde Way’ worked by involving context of further and higher education? Furthermore, of change, and producers or co-producers of ideas, this is usually portrayed. for all, follow a curriculum that creates opportunities our MCMC team and then commissioning young people how might we think about learner engagement within When we think about the concept in relation to formal resources and interventions that often have a broader for all and develop a workforce to full capacity. But at West College of Scotland to deliver this for us on educational spaces, and the relationship between formal tertiary education, we may extend the idea of ‘third social purpose. Inverclyde’s coat of arms bears the motto ‘we look education can’t do this alone. Meaningful connections our website and as an APP. The problem was worked educational spaces and the communities within which space’ to spaces for learning and collaboration that exist forward to better things’. In times of austerity, we must be made with entrepreneurs, businesses, public through across people and places. they sit? between and across courses and course cohorts, formal Harnessing the ‘third space’ in tertiary education can must focus on doing the right things to secure a better services, colleges and partners in a wide range of and informal learning communities, and across the facilitate connections between different groups of future. In Inverclyde we boast one of the highest places. We create outstanding spaces through Inverclyde has amazing buildings and spaces. But, as There are two propositions to consider here. The first university, local communities and wider society. learners, and enable students, colleges and universities investments and best school estates nationally. But our new builds, but do we use them to connect a place, are we truly connected? Connected in a concerns the intangible space that is the curriculum. to better connect with the communities they belong do these amazing new spaces allow our young and impact on culture, curriculum and workforce way that ensures living in Inverclyde is no barrier to We know and experience the curriculum through ‘Third space’ is central to the rapidly developing to – benefiting not just our learners, professions and people to ‘look forward to better things’? How do capacity? success? the artefacts, activities, resources and people that alternative higher education movement in the UK, and industries, but also wider society itself. we future-proof our investments? it is instantiated within and communicated through. in the work and ethos of initiatives and collectives Here, the gap isn’t just about attainment. It’s The right spaces, used in the right way can help us However, our notions of ‘curriculum’ are often bounded including the Social Science Centre in Lincoln, the Free 30 31 The council aims to create a Nurturing Inverclyde attendance, exclusions, participation, employment, make sure we are. by assumptions of space and place in programmes of University Brighton and the Ragged University. Each and has adapted the GIRFEC wellbeing aims for our environment, housing, culture etc. In Inverclyde we study, and within the ‘hard’ and virtual walls of the of these creates and facilitates free higher education communities, which provide a clear shared vision and talk more holistically about ‘minding the gap’. We must institution. and adult learning opportunities within the community, set of outcomes to work towards. We hope that any be mindful of and address gaps, and their impact on in collaborative and collegiate spaces that sit outwith child, born or coming to live in Inverclyde, achieves outcomes. How can our spaces and places help us The second proposition concerns the open education formal institutions. There are also similar initiatives these outcomes no matter what his/her circumstances, to do this? movement within the higher education sector, which within the digital domain, including the work of the or where he/she lives. But do we use our places and originally offered to harness open online approaches to charity Lead (Linking Education and Disability) Scotland, spaces to help us fulfil this vision? In terms of collaborative spaces, we tend to create widen access to higher education on an unprecedented and its Thinking Digitally course. ‘wow’ factors and light, open areas. Children tell me scale. However, this has mostly amplified access for Inverclyde has a solid platform for future success. With they want more intimate, cosy areas with less expanse those who already have a higher education, rather than What we see in these examples is an ‘unbounding’ of funding from Creative Scotland’s Place Partnership, and exposure. Do we involve our children enough facilitate those who are aspiring to engage. I suggest the curriculum and tertiary learning opportunities from ‘place’ can be put at the heart of our communities. As in pre-design collaboration? I wonder what refocusing the open education debate on physical the physical and virtual walls of formal institutions, a small authority, Inverclyde can develop relationships ‘Andrew’ would say? spaces and locations – and not framing it so strongly in and a ‘co-location’ of the curriculum within our wider and networks through and across places. open online education. communities. In deliberating how to consider ‘space’ issues, we A key issue is our rate of de-population – a large identified ‘branding’ as important. The uniqueness of Important to this refocus, is the concept of ‘third space’. There are also examples that illuminate what’s possible percentage of our young people don’t want to stay Inverclyde relationships has been summed up as ‘The About the author: Drawing upon Ray Oldenburg’s (1989) seminal work, when we reconceptualise formal higher education About the author: here. A young man, Andrew, recently informed me that Inverclyde Way’. This and being ‘connected’ formed the ANGELA EDWARDS is Head of Inclusive Education, Culture the key characteristics that define ‘third space’ include spaces and what we expect to happen within and KEITH SMYTH is Professor of Pedagogy at the University of and Corporate Policy for Inverclyde Council. She has been the Highlands and Islands, and works on strategic
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