1. Disciplinary Thinking Learning Spaces - Activities
Also see the Introductory presentation on Learning Spaces, Learning Spaces Introduction.
velcr0, via Flickr, CC-BY

2. Activities to introduce the topic and encourage discussion
Images 1: Places for learning?
Images 2: Teaching space audit
Favourite learning space
Photostories

3. 1. Places for learning?
Look at the photographs of teaching spaces (on the following slides)
Choose 3 or 4 and, for each of these, jot down notes on the following:
What conception of teaching and learning do you think informed the design of this space? (What kind(s) of learning is this space intended to support?)
Where (if at all) does this sort of learning fit into your discipline? Give an example.
How flexible is this space?
How many people could it accommodate?
Do you and/or your students work in this kind of space?
What would you and the students be doing in a space like this? Where do you go in the space? Are there distinct areas for teacher and/or students?
The photographs are available as printable files, or can be downloaded from Flickr or as a zip file from the Disciplinary Thinking website.
The questions are meant to be prompts and used where they spark discussion.

4. Distinctive Classroom By Daniel Nugent - http://www. flickr

5. National Museum of Natural History by YoTuT - http://www. flickr

6. Language lab – by Eric E Castro – http://www. flickr

7. The Interactive Classroom by azwaldo - http://www. flickr

8. My classroom in Bonn by Evan Bench - http://www. flickr

9. Edinburgh library by learningspaceTK - http://www. flickr

10. Renovated Library Space, SSW, by University of Michigan MSIS -
Renovated Library Space, SSW, by University of Michigan MSIS -

11. Cook and Llewelyn Mews, by University of Exeter – http://www. flickr

12. Test: lab setup, by Armandas - http://www. flickr

13. By Loughborough University Library - http://www. flickr
Outhouse - Temperate Field Study Centre, by Ecotrust Canada -

14. Outhouse - Temperate Field Study Centre, by Ecotrust Canada -
Outhouse - Temperate Field Study Centre, by Ecotrust Canada -

15. Photo by University of Michigan MSIS
Bert’s Student Study Lounge, Shapiro Library, by University of Michigan MSIS -
Bert’s Student Study Lounge, Shapiro Library, by University of Michigan MSIS -

16. 2. Teaching space audit
Take a photograph of a physical space that you teach in
List all the things that are in the room
Mark on the list the item that is least necessary to the teaching and learning (If you had to remove something from the room what would it be?)
Mark on the list all the other things that could be dispensed with.
What model(s) of learning and teaching was this room designed to support?
How do you actually use it?
Is there anything you would like to have in the room that is not there now? How would this addition improve the teaching and/or learning?
Now go through your notes and consider what they tell you about learning and teaching in your discipline, in the spaces that you currently use. If possible, compare notes with colleagues in similar and different disciplines.
This could be a preparatory activity. Students might post their images, and perhaps their notes, online. Alternatively, they could print them out to talk about in a workshop. A later activity suggests that they write a manifesto for developing the learning spaces they currently use, so it would be useful to record the notes on this activity.

17. 3. Favourite learning space
5 minutes free writing
Topic: A place where you like to work. Where is it and what is it like? What equipment/furniture is there? Any other features or facilities? What kind of work do you do there? Why do you like working in this place?
Discussion: Was the place you chose very specific to your discipline or could anyone work there easily? Do your students work in places like this?
After trying this yourself you might consider asking your students to do this 5-minute activity. They could write anonymously and hand in what they write, or you could follow up with a short discussion.

18. 4. Photostories
Collect digital photographs of the spaces where you and your students work. Take photographs yourself and ask your students to do the same. You could also involve colleagues.
Upload the images to a place where you and your students – and colleagues perhaps - can view them. This might be in your VLE.
Invite students and/or colleagues to a half-hour discussion.
Based on the discussion, decide on 3 action priorities for improving the space for students and teachers.

19. Ownership & institutional priorities
These two short activities aim to raise awareness of the range of people – apart from students and tutors – who have an interest in the spaces used for teaching and learning. 5. Competing interests 6. Learning space language

20. 5. Competing interests?
Who are the people who have an interest in the learning spaces located in your department or disciplinary area? Spend 2 minutes jotting down your own list and then compare notes with someone else.
If you are not sure, start by listing the people you would need to consult in order to make changes to a room in which you teach (minor and major changes).

21. 6. Learning spaces and language
Collect together four or five descriptions of the learning environment in your own and other institutions ( words in total). An institution’s online prospectus might be a good source.
Find the 3 most commonly occurring words (exempting words such as ‘a’, ‘the’).
You could do this yourself by counting the instances of particular words, or you could get a visual representation by pasting your descriptions in to Wordle ( ). Does this suggest anything about how institutions view learning and learning spaces?
You could also look on YouTube and iTunesU for marketing-style descriptions of what the campus offers.§

22. Reflection and action
The writing activities in this section could be used for assessment, perhaps as part of a portfolio. 7. Reflection 8. Making a case for change 9. Ideal learning space

23. 7. Reflection
Write about words in response to this question: How does space impact on my teaching and my students’ learning?

24. 8. Making a case for change
Choose one of these:
Draft a case for developing and refurbishing one learning space in your department, to put to the Head of Department.
Draft a manifesto on learning space in your discipline. The target audience for this would be other academics in your discipline.

25. 9. Ideal learning space Choose one of these
Write a near-future prospectus entry for your department, imagining that you are writing at a time when physical and virtual learning spaces are ideal for the discipline
Write words describing your ideal teaching space

26. Learning Resource Metadata
Field/Element
Value:
Title
Disciplinary Thinking - Learning Spaces: Activities
Description
Slides containing a selection of activities related to learning spaces in Higher Education. A selection of these activities could be used in a workshop with the presentation, University Learning Spaces - Introducation.
Theme
Learning Spaces
Subject
HE - Education
Author
Jane Hughes & Colleen McKenna: HEDERA, 2012
Owner
The University of Bath
Audience
Educational developers in accredited programmes & courses in higher education.
Issue Date
20/04/2012
Last updated Date
03/07/2012
Version
Final
PSF Mapping
A1, A4, K3, K4
License
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
Keywords
ukoer, education, discthink, disciplinary thinking, hedera, university of bath, omac, learning spaces, classroom design, mobile learning, e-learning, learning environment, student experience, learning technologies, e-learning