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What to look for in a teaching and learning space

A smooth, effective, comfortable session is enabled by spaces that allow us to achieve the following acts during the phases of the session. When designing your use of a space (or designing a new space), consider how these goals will be achieved.

  • arrive at the room on time, without undue effort and difficulty, ready to enage;
  • access and prepare the room in time, calmly, without excessive effort;
  • easily adjust the layout, lighting, mood, temperature as needed;
  • know in advance how the space and the session will work, be ready to enter and make the most of it;
  • wait outside of the room, in comfort, and using the time productively;
  • create orderly, welcoming, pleasant, enaging, inlcusive transitions into learning together in a timetabled session, in which everyone knows where to go, what will happen, and what they need to do;
  • close doors and control privacy;
  • sit comfortably in a manner that promotes wellbeing;
  • hear and see clearly from wherever they are sitting;
  • move around the space as needed;
  • use personal adaptive technologies as needed;
  • efficiently access resources used/created in previous sessions or through online collaboration, including whiteboard content;
  • alternate smoothly between activities of different types and scales, moving between whole-class sessions, appropriately-sized group work, and individual work, mixing things up efficiently as required;
  • alternate smoothly in and out of the space as required (e.g. for breaks), with equipment and personal possessions secured;
  • teachers support individuals, groups and the whole class as needed;
  • notice important non-verbal cues and social dynamics;
  • interact with each other, and online participants as needed, without inappropriately disturbing the rest of the class;
  • use physical and digital artefacts with the whole class or with groups;
  • collaborate on creating and editing digital artefacts live, with every student able to participate;
  • gather feedback from every student in the room;
  • include input from and collaboration with people who are not physically present (e.g. an expert in another country);
  • create and share hi-fidelity accurate recordings of activities as required;
  • access food and drink when required;
  • use personal computing equipment and stationery to take notes and collaborate;
  • access power sources for charging equipment without disrupting the flow of activities;
  • save resouces created/edited in the session, for use in further sessions or outside of timetabled teaching space;
  • transition out of the space and the timetabled session in an orderly way;
  • ensure the room is clear, resources saved/stored, and ready to reuse.