From February 2007 to April 2008
Project Leader(s): Pam Woolner
Staff: Jill Clark, Elaine Hall, Lucy Tiplady, Ulrike Thomas and Kate Wall
Contact: Pam Woolner
Sponsors: Durham County Council
Introduction
The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative, which is now in its early stages, intends to rebuild or remodel every secondary school in England over the next fifteen years (Building 16/5/03; http://www.bsf.gov.uk). A central part of the scheme is the consultation of users (DfES, 2002, p.63), with the participation of users in the design process being recommended by many in this field (e.g. Curtis, 2003, p.27).
This necessitates the interaction, through the design process, of two distinct groups of people: those primarily concerned with the architecture and planning of space for whatever purpose, together with those whose first concern is teaching and learning, in whatever space is provided. For this to be successful, it has been argued that it is important for school users to develop their awareness of architectural issues (e.g. Dudek, 2000).
Previously, CfLaT has explored the foundational areas of how the physical environment might impact on learning (Higgins et al., 2005; Woolner et al., 2007a) and the historical understanding of school-building programmes (Woolner et al., 2005). Through this work and investigating the practice of involving schools in design (Hall & Wall, 2006; Woolner & Hall, 2006), CfLaT has developed an appreciation of the tensions and difficulties inherent in consultation and participatory design within schools (Woolner et al., 2007b).
The aim of this project is to develop this understanding further, but also to facilitate the participation of the school community at Seaham College in the consultation and planning stage of their BSF rebuild. The purpose of this exploratory research will be:
· to identify the elements of the current building which are valued and those which are problematic;
· to explore the hopes of staff and students for the new building;
· to synthesise these data to produce areas for action and discussion with the architects.
Research ParadigmThis is a situated enquiry, where CfLaT researchers will work with members of the school community to investigate their experiences of their school and develop this understanding through innovative visual methods. The interaction itself, together with its results, will increase theoretical knowledge about learning environments, provide a foundation for the school’s involvement in its rebuild and add to the Local Authority’s understanding of the BSF process. Research MethodologyThe project will use a range of methods which draw heavily on visual and participatory traditions. The mix of approaches will enable the team to triangulate the perceptions of a range of participants, who will include students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff.
This project will be centred around two days in school. On the first day, a team from CfLaT will work with groups of students, groups of teaching staff and groups of support staff on a mapping exercise which will enable users of the building to highlight areas of comfort and concern, to annotate and explain some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current arrangements and to move on from there to producing priority lists for the new buildings. The day will end with feedback sessions to mixed groups, so that early progress can be made in identifying areas of difference and commonality. The second day will follow on from an analysis of the data produced on the first day, which will be structured into a maximum of five key themes and will consist of smaller groups of students, teachers and other staff, working with the CfLaT team, in focus groups and, where appropriate, through mediated interviews (potentially using Pupil Views Templates) to explore these themes in greater depth. After these consultation days, a report will be produced for the school, focusing on priorities and action points to take to the architects.
ReferencesCurtis, E. (2003). School Builders. Chichester, Wiley.
DfES (2002). Schools for the Future:Designs for Learning Communities
Building Bulletin 95, DfES document.
Dudek, M. (2000). Architecture of Schools. Oxford, Architectural Press.
Hall, E. and Wall, K. (2006) Schools Renaissance Evaluation. Design Council.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/cflat/Higgins, S., Hall, E., Wall, K., Woolner, P., McCaughey, C. (2005) The Impact of School Environments: A literature review.. London: Design Council.
Woolner, P., Hall, E., Higgins,S., McCaughey, C., Wall, K. (2007a) A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future. Oxford Review of Education, 33(1), 47-70.
Woolner, P., Hall, E., Wall, K., Dennison, D. (2007b) Getting together to improve the school environment: user consultation, participatory design and student voice. Improving Schools (in press).
Woolner, P.and Hall, E. (2006). Evaluating the Role of the Artist in Building Schools for the Future
Woolner, P., Hall, E., Wall, K., Higgins, S., Blake, A. and McCaughey, C. (2005) School building programmes: motivations, consequences and implications. Reading: CfBT.
For further information contact:Pam Woolner Elaine Hall|
Jill Clark
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Elaine Hall
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Lucy Tiplady
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Dr Pamela Woolner
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