Student voice and the architecture of change
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- Julia Flutter and Jean Rudduck 1. Background to the study
- 2. Aims of the study
- 3. What the study has found: Developments in the UK
- Twyn Primary School, Caerphilly
- 4. What the study has found: Some international examples
- 6. Outcomes of the project
- APPENDIX: a short bibliography
| STUDENT VOICE AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE:
Mapping the territory A Report to Research Committee 07/06 Julia Flutter and Jean Rudduck FACULTY OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE February 2005 Student Voice and The Architecture of Change: Mapping the Territory Julia Flutter and Jean Rudduck 1. Background to the study The development of interest in listening and responding to the student voice has been well documented (Rudduck and Flutter, 2003; Fletcher, 2004) and it is clear that the growth of this movement has made an impact on educational practice both within the UK and internationally. Interest in the effect of the school environment on students' learning has also come to the foreground in recent years and research has now established that the physical environment can play an important role. Studies have demonstrated that the school environment has an important bearing on the effectiveness of teaching and learning (Earthman and LeMasters, 1996; Clark, 2002) and on students' attitudes and responses to school (Fisher, 2000). In the UK, policy-makers have become aware of the importance of school environment and the government has recently established a £2.2 billion initiative, Building Schools for the Future, with the objective of renewing or rebuilding every secondary school in England within the next 15 years. These two strands of research - on student voice and on the learning environment - have recently converged, giving rise to a wide range of studies exploring students' perspectives on the learning environment and new initiatives for involving students in improving school buildings and facilities. In the UK, these developments have occurred against a backdrop of government policy promoting user (or client) engagement in public arenas such as health, planning and social services which has also served to promote student participation in the school environment. 2. Aims of the study The study aimed to explore how schools, architects and planners have consulted young people about the school environment and what impact student consultation and participation have had on planning and design. A review of current practice in the UK and internationally was undertaken to provide a clearer picture of how student consultation and participation in improving the school environment is being developed. During this first stage of the project, data were collected to help us identify:
Our review has included an extensive literature search to investigate theoretical and practical aspects of this area of student voice and the production of a short bibliography 3. What the study has found: Developments in the UK We have found a wide range of initiatives that have focussed on student participation in the school environment; some of the most interesting examples are outlined below. The majority of these developments are instigated and structured by organisations and government agencies rather than initiated by schools themselves. The projects and programmes differ in their emphases, reflecting the objectives and philosophies of the particular organisations concerned. Some programmes have centred on ways of engaging students' interest in design and the built environment; others have mainly focussed on the pragmatic benefits of user consultation for professional designers; while for others, providing opportunities for citizenship education and democratic decision-making in schools has been the principle objective. (The initiatives are listed in alphabetical order.) i. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment CABE's Education Foundation aims to encourage students to engage with the built environment and has recently focussed on student participation in the design and improvement of school buildings and facilities. The rationale for its approach is that 'involvement in their own school building project is enjoyable and beneficial for both the school and the pupils'. (Robin Nicholson, CBE, CABE Commissioner, CABE, 2004). CABE is working with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) capital investment programme on its Building Schools for the Future programme. It provides 'Enablers', experienced environment professionals, to give schools advice on building projects and on ways of creating meaningful involvement. CABE is currently working with Private Funding Initiative schemes to support client engagement in the commissioning process. Student participation in CABE's individual school projects varies from initial consultation with students in planning new school buildings or in schemes for improving the existing facilities (for example, The Dukeries, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire) to more extensive, prolonged involvement, with students taking active roles in the design process and being given opportunities to learn about the construction process (for example, Whitecross High School, single school PFI, Hereford). ii. The Design Council's Schools Renaissance Project The Design Council is working with 12 schools over the next three years as part of the 'Kit for Purpose' programme to produce better furnishings and environments in schools to promote more effective learning. The schools taking part represent a cross-section of UK schools and include inner-city comprehensives as well as a rural primary school. The Design Council project brings teachers and students from each school together with a team made up of professionals from the design, education, and procurement fields with the aim of transforming the schools resources market. The focus on products, communications, systems and environments, will enable these teams to establish a process for creating learning environments to suit their needs. iii. School Councils UK This agency has been working with schools to develop the role of school councils and provides training courses, materials and newsletters. It is currently running a campaign for involving school councils in improving school toilets, the 'Bog Standard Campaign', and it is encouraging school councils to carry out surveys with students to gather their views on this perennially problematic issue. iv. School Works This organisation is a non-profit company which works in partnership with other agencies, including the DfES, Demos and the DTI's Movement for Innovation. Its principle aim is: 'to link the design of secondary school buildings with their impact on teaching, learning, culture and management of those schools' (School Works, 2003). School Works has been working on a small number of school building projects to develop participatory procedures that can be replicated elsewhere. The Kingsdale School, Southwark has been one of their main projects. Here, the School Works team designed a competition with RIBA to identify architects skilled in working with user groups and subsequently carried out a participatory process involving an interdisciplinary team and all sections of the school community, including students. Consultations with students proved particularly helpful in highlighting problems with the existing school buildings: The deficiencies of the building meant the timetable was rigid, knowledge was delivered in chunks and large populations had to move simultaneously at the sound of a bell. (Moody, 2003) School Works is encouraging community consultation and participation in the design and renovation of school buildings but it recognises the particular value in offering students opportunities to express their views and to become actively involved. v. The Sorrell Foundation's Joinedupdesignforschools Project The Foundation, set up by Frances and John Sorrell, has a key principle of 'inspiring creativity in young people and improving the quality of life through good design'. The Joinedupdesignforschools project was set up to explore how user engagement in the design process could be used to help improve the quality of school environments. The project also sought to increase students' awareness and interest in design and to offer them opportunities for active involvement in design processes. A pilot scheme was begun in 2001 with seven primary and secondary schools (reported by Demos) and in 2002 the DfES provided funding to extend the programme to 100 schools over a three year period. The report on the 31 schools taking part in the second year describes a wide range of projects in schools: some schools chose to focus on issues connected with image and identity (such as signage, websites, uniform), others looked at small-scale practical improvements (such as storage, lockers) while others explored larger developments such as constructing flexible space in a new sixth form facility and playground shelters. The Foundation provided us with videotaped material showing interviews with students, designers and teachers who had taken part in the project. Students' comments indicated a number of positive outcomes:
vi. Individual Schools We found some interesting examples of work being undertaken by individual teachers and schools, in responses to the survey distributed to former members of the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme Network Project Consulting Pupils about Teaching and Learning. Some schools were contacted by telephone to discuss their work in more detail. Examples of these student participation initiatives included:
W Twyn Primary School, Caerphilly e have also been given details of work being carried out in Caerphilly primary schools supported by the Children's Participation Officer for Caerphilly County Borough Council, Stephen Berry. The schools are developing projects to improve playgrounds and facilities with the participation of their school councils and they are looking at ways of encouraging students to take an active role in the design of these improvements. The Twyn Primary School has involved pupils in designing and creating an internal garden area that is used for a wide range of cross-curricular activities including art, science and as inspiration for literacy work. The area also provides a pleasant area for pupils to relax in during break and lunch times (see photograph below, supplied by Stephen Berry). The head teacher, Julie Coldrick, said the pupils' positive response to the project has led to the school extending this work to the development of outside areas with the involvement of the school council. The Landscape for Learning Trust has given advice and support with this project and there has been some financial support from the local community. 4. What the study has found: Some international examples There are some interesting examples of student participation in improving and planning the school environment in countries around the world. In Norway student councils are invited to act as consultants to architects commissioned to design new school buildings. In Australia, children from aborigine communities have been actively involved in designing school buildings (for example, the Djidji Aboriginal School, Western Australia) to ensure that the learning environments are sensitive to their culture and traditions. Rob Walker (University of East Anglia) has also reported on a primary school in an urban setting in Australia which has been designed with students acting as consultants throughout the design process. There are a number of student participation and school environment projects in the United States. The University of Washington College of Architecture has a Center for Education, Environment and Design Studies which is currently working on a project called Build-a-School-Community Case Study. This project uses a case study approach to develop a model in which university faculty and students work in partnership with schools to maximize the educational benefits of constructing a new school building. They are interested in whether children's appropriation of their school environment--through participation in design, construction, and management activities--can enhance their academic and social development, while also improving school safety and sense of community. The study site is the Tukwila Elementary School, where a new facility is under construction. 5. Comment Although we have found many projects that include an element of student participation, the extent of students' involvement is often quite limited. The word 'participation' is commonly adopted in policy documents (see, for example, the DfES guidance booklet, Working Together: Giving Children and Young People a Voice, 2004) and it crops up frequently in project objectives but its interpretation and application vary. Few, if any, of the initiatives described in this review could be categorised as reaching the top rung of Hart's Ladder of Participation (Hart, 1992) in which an initiative is described as: Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults - This happens when projects or programmes are initiated by young people and decision-making is shared between young people and adults. These projects empower young people while at the same time enabling them to access and learn from the life experience and expertise of adults. Some initiatives could be categorised as tokenistic (Rung 3 on Hart's Ladder) because the pupils appear to be given a voice but, in fact, they have been given very limited choice of what they do and how they participate. It may also be the case that short-term initiatives have little influence on the culture and ethos of a school and their impact is not sustained over time. However, although only a few completed projects have been fully evaluated, and evidence is largely anecdotal, feedback from students, teachers and designers suggests that there are important, positive outcomes for schools, for students and for the design profession. Our review suggests that further research is required to examine how student voice can be used to improve the quality of the school environment through a sustained structure for participation. References CABE (2004) Being Involved in School Design. London: CABE. Clark, H. (2002) The role of the physical environment in enhancing teaching and learning. London: Institute of Education, University of London. DfES (2004) Working Together: Giving Children and Young People a Say. London: DfES. Earthman, G. & Lemasters, L. (1996) Review of research on the relationship between school buildings, student achievement and student behaviour. Scottsdale, Arizona: Council of Education Facility Planners International. Fisher, K. (2000) Schooling issues digest. Building better outcomes: the impact of school infrastructure on student outcomes and behaviour. Canberra: Dept of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. Fletcher, A. (2004) Meaningful Student Involvement: Research Guide. Washington: Sound-out!/The Freechild Project. Hart, R. (1992) Children's Participation: From Tokenism to Citizenship. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. Moody, M. (2003) School Works - a design case study. http://www.edininfo-centre.net The Sorrell Foundation (2003) Joinedupdesignforschools. London: The Sorrell Foundation. 6. Outcomes of the project i. Publications Flutter, J. (submitted for special edition of Educational Review Spring 2006) ''This place could help you learn': Student participation in creating better school environments. Flutter, J. (2004) Student Participation and the Architecture of Change, Connect Journal (published by the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia), Winter 2004, (special 150th edition) A summary version of this report will be made available to schools and researchers. Short articles have been published in the CABE journal '360' (June 2004) and in 'Voice Box', the School Councils UK newsletter '(December 2004) ii. Short bibliography (see Appendix, pages 7-12) iii. Links Links have been established with a number of key organisations including CABE, School-Works, the Sorrell Foundation and the Design Council. A bid is being prepared to apply for funding for an extension project working with schools on improving how space and time are used in schools. We have also been invited to participate in the Sorrell Foundation's seminars at the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Design Council seminars on the Schools Renaissance project and to give feedback on the CABE's Schools of the Future initiative. APPENDIX: a short bibliography Ackerman, J. S. (1969). Listening to architecture, Harvard Educational Review: Architecture and Education, 39, 4-10. Allen, S. (1972). Picking the right flooring. American School and University, 45(1), 27 – 32, 34 – 36, 39. Altman, I. & Wohlwill, J. (1978) Human behaviour and environment: advances in theory and research. Children and the Environment, 3. London: Plenum Press. American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (1995, March). Position Statement and guidelines for acoustics in educational settings. ASHA, 37, (Suppl. 14), 15-19. Anderson, K., Smaldino, J., & Crandell, C. (2000). Improving acoustics in the American classroom. Educational Audiology, July/August. Andersen, S. (1999). The relationship between school design variables and scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. . Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Annesley, B., Horne, M. & Cottam, H. (2002) Learning Buildings. London: School Works/Demos. Astor, R. A., Meyer, H. A., & Behre, W. J. (1999, Spring). Un-owned places and times: Maps and interviews about violence in high schools. American Educational Research Journal, 36(1), 3-42. Ayers, P. D. (1999). Exploring the relationship between high school facilities and achievement of high school students in Georgia. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Bednar, A.R. 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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: 64th Annual International Conference on the Council of Educational Facility Planners. ERIC Reproduction Service No. ED286278 Bullock,A.A. & Foster-Harrison, E.S. (1997) Making the best decisions: designing for excellence. Schools in the Middle, 7,2, 37-39. Carbasho, T. (May 4/10, 2001). Survey finds students’ learning facility linked to design elements. Pittsburgh Business Times, 20, 42. Cash, C. (1993) A study of the relationship between school buildings condition and student achievement and behaviour. In: Earthman, G. & Lemasters, L. (1996) Review of research on the relationship between school buildings, student achievement and student behaviour. Scottsdale, Arizona: Council of Education Facility Planners International. Chan, T. C. (1980). Physical environment and middle grade achievement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 198645)
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) (2004) Being Involved in School Design. London: CABE. Copa, G. & Sharon, S. (2001) New visions. Northwest Education, 6, 4, 10-13. Cutler, M. (1973). Intermediate, open and carpeted, Branford’s school that could give you ideas. American School Boards Journal, 160 (3), 48 – 49. Defining Teen-Age Needs Produces a Different School, 1955. Architectural Record, 110 (October): 220-227. DfEE (1992) Designing for pupils with special educational needs: Special schools. Building Bulletin 77. London: DfEE. Dixon, A. (2004) Space, schools and the younger child, Forum, 46, 1, 19-23. Dudek, M. (1999) The Architecture of Schools and the New Learning Environments. Architectural Press. Earthman, G. & Lemasters, L. (1996) Review of research on the relationship between school buildings, student achievement and student behaviour. Scottsdale, Arizona: Council of Education Facility Planners International. Fisher, K. (2000) Schooling issues digest. Building better outcomes: the impact of school infrastructure on student outcomes and behaviour. Canberra: Dept of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. Fisher, K. (2002) Schools as prisons of learning or as a pedagogy of architectural encounters. Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University. Fisher, K. (2004) Revoicing classrooms: a spatial manifesto, Forum, 46,1,36-38. Fisher, K., Jamieson, P., Taylor, P. & Trevitt, C. (2000) The pedagogy of place and space: designing new learning environments. Journal of Higher Educational Research and Development. Melbourne, HERDSA. Francis, M., Ladd, F., Lorenzo, R., & Townsend, S. (Eds.) 1975. Teen-environment: The need to know. Childhood City Newsletter. Spring, 1,3. French, J. D. & Hill, D.M. (2004) The Kid-Friendly School: When you design a school, consider asking the students to help with the plans. The American School Board Journal, 191 (part 2), 36-38 Gordon, T. & Lahelma, E. (1996) School is like an ants' nest: spatiality and embodiment in schools. Gender and Education, 8(3), 301-310. Gordon, T., Holland, J. & Lahelma, E. (eds) (2000) Making spaces: citizenship and difference in schools. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Hart, R. (1987) 'Children's participation in planning and design'. In C.S. Weinstein and T.G. David (eds) Spaces for Children: The Built Environment and Child Development. New York: Plenum Press. Heschong Mahone Group (1999). Daylighting in Schools. 11626 Fair Oaks Blvd. 302, Fair Oaks, CA: Heschong Mahone Group. Hickman, R. (1998) School students' responses to architecture: a practical studio project, Journal of Art and Design Education, 20,2, 161-170 Horelli, L. (1998). Creating child-friendly environments: Case studies on children's participation in three European countries. Childhood, 1998, 5, 2, 225-239. Horelli, L. (2001). Young people's participation in local development: Lip service or serious business. In H. Helve (Ed.). Youth, Citizenship, and Empowerment (pp. 57-71). Helsinki: Nuorisotutkimusseura. Horne, M. (2004) Breaking down the school walls. Forum, 46,1,6. Images Publishing Group (1999) Educational Spaces: A Pictorial Review. Images Publishing Group. Johnson, V., Hill, J. & Ivan-Smith, E. (1995) Listening to Smaller Voices: Children in an Environment of Change. Chard: Actionaid. Kaplan, S., 1983. A Model Person-Environment Compatibility. Environment and Behavior, 15, 3: 311-332. Kirby, P. & Bryson, S. (2002) Measuring the magic: evaluating and researching young people's participation in public decision making. London: Carnegie Young People's Initiative. Lackney, J.A. (2000) Educational Facilities: The impact and role of the physical environment of the school on teaching, learning and educational outcomes. Milwaukee, USA: University of Wisconsin (Center for Architecture and Urban Planning Research). Larson, R. & Richards, M., 1989. Introduction: The Changing Life Space of Early Adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence,18, 6: 501-509. Lescaze, W., 1936. The Functional Approach to School Planning. The Architectural Record, 79 (June): 481-486. Lopez, F.G., 1955. The New High Schools: Architectural Record's Building Types Study Number 227. Architectural Record, 110 (October): 205-206. Luckiesh, M. & Moss, F. K. (1940). Effects of classroom lighting upon the educational progress and visual welfare of school children. Illuminating Engineering, 35, 915- 938. MacGregor, J. (2004) Space, power and the classroom, Forum, 46, 1, 13-18. Matthews, M. H. (1992). Making Sense of Place: Children's Understandings of Large-scale Environments. Savage, MD: Barnes and Noble Books. McCardle, R.W. (1966). Thermal environment and learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa, Des Moines, IA. McDonald, E.G. (1960). Effect of school environment on teacher and student performance. Air Conditioning, Heating and Ventilating, 57, 78-79. Meek, A. (ed) (1995) Designing places for learning. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.
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Sorrell, J. & Sorrell, F. (2005) Joinedupdesignforschools. London: Merrell. The Sorrell Foundation (2003) Joinedupdesignforschools: Work in Progress.. London: The Sorrell Foundation. Stuart, F., & Curtis, H. A. (1964). A digest of climate controlled and non-climate controlled schools--An evaluative study conducted in Pinellas County Florida, ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 001128 Tanner, C. K. (1999, November). A school design assessment scale. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Council of Educational facility Planners, International, Baltimore, MD. Tanner, C. K. (2000a). The classroom: Size versus density. School Business Affairs, 66, 21-23. Tanner, C. K. (2000b). The influence of school architecture on academic achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 38, 309 – 330. Taylor, A. (1989). Perspectives on architecture and children. Art Education, September, 7-12, 170-179. Taylor, A. & Warden, M.G. (1994) Learning environments for the 21st century. Curriculum in Context, 22, 1, 12-14. Weinstein, C. (1979). The physical environment of the school: A review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 49 (4), 577-610. Weinstein, C.S. & David, T.G. (1987) Spaces for children: the built environment and child development. New York: Plenum Press. Wright, S. (2004) User involvement in school building design, Forum, 46, 1, 41-43. Yarbrough, K.A. (2001) The relationship of school design to academic achievement of elementary school children. Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Directory: research -> projects research -> Lyra Viol Composers research -> Geographies of Race and Food research -> Author (s) title research -> The Media and Intercollegiate Sports research -> Project Title: Research and Development for goes-r risk Reduction Principal Investigator research -> Why Everyday Life Matters: Class, Community and Making Life Livable Les Back research -> Ecocritique and the Materialities of Animation projects -> Jamie cowling projects -> A0263 Nikolaos lavidas null vs Cognate Objects: What Aspect Can Tell Us about Their Diachrony Download 56.97 Kb. Share with your friends:
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