The classroom of the future: reinventing spaces to innovate in education
Today’s modular and connected teaching spaces bear little resemblance to lecture halls and classrooms with their neat rows of chairs and tables. Redesigned to encourage collaborative work, build concentration and boost creativity, they are a reflection of broader discussions about the future of teaching and training. In this article we look at some experimental spaces that are changing the role of teachers and revolutionizing learning methods.
Disrupting teaching habits
With the digitalization of knowledge and the spread of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and YouTube tutorials, everyone now has access to knowledge. This is changing the purpose of educational institutions: no longer necessarily the place where people go for knowledge, they have become the place where people learn to use that knowledge and put it into practice. If the challenge for students is to put their intelligence to work for their community, teachers have a fundamental role to play in initiating approaches, providing the keys to access knowledge and leading projects that promote the ability to work together. While lecture halls and traditional classrooms are still useful in a top-down approach to knowledge distribution, the time has come for a reboot. “In the world of work, 10% of what you know comes from classes you took, 20% from social interaction and 70% from personal experience. In other words, exchanges account for 90% of your useful knowledge. By disrupting workspace architecture, we can work on that 90%”, explains Stéphane Parisot, head of innovation at emlyon business school.
Using modularity to support group work
To foster cooperation, the first thing you have to do is get rid of rigidly organized workspaces and promote modularity. Wall-mounted boards are out: now they and the tables are on wheels so that they can be reorganized in a flash. The approach has been successfully tested at Silex, an experimental workspace set up by emlyon business school, which is trialing new configurations that could provide a template for the future Lyon-Gerland campus planned for 2022. All the furniture in the experimental space is flexible and can be modulated to suit the event, whether that be a class, workshop or training course. Says Stéphane: “At Silex, we are trying out new working positions that will reshape interactions between students, managers and educators.” By removing the tables, letting people set up where they want, and creating islands of cooperation (just like in primary school!), creativity can be unleashed and small-group work becomes possible. This in turn promotes peer learning and helps participants to learn by doing. The educator’s job is then to navigate between groups and coordinate projects. Spatial modularity also breaks down the “natural boundaries” that separate learners, teachers and professionals. The key idea is to promote comfort and freedom in order to encourage mental well-being.
The all-screens approach has its limits
While digital and interactive screens are tending to replace the old blackboard, relying entirely on a connected architecture and intensifying use of digital tools can be unproductive. “Sometimes, writing something up on the board helps people to remember”, says Stéphane. In a redesigned and optimized workspace, you need a mix of smartscreens, conventional boards and comment walls so that educators and learners have choices. Individuals need to be able to access the right solutions in every learning setting, from classes and workshops to creative sessions.
Creativity can come out of incongruity
Getting out of the standard class or meeting room can have unexpected effects. At Silex, one room was deliberately furnished like a primary classroom and used to host creative workshops and seminars. “I used it to organize a day of meetings between members of Volvo’s executive committee and local managers”, says Stéphane, who points out that interactions increased and exchanges were more open than usual. By putting everyone in a childlike position, the quirky interior layout enabled participants to set aside their natural fears and adult superegos.
Empire of the senses: using neuroscience to rethink the teaching environment
While the architecture of a room is important, plenty of research has also identified links between sensory perceptions and cognitive functioning. With that in mind, color, smell and the acoustic environment all have to be part of the conversation about creating new educational spaces to optimize individual learning, support concentration and unlock creative potential.
A silent classroom?
An interesting avenue of discussion is acoustics. Repeated sound pollution fatigues the brain, while 9 out of 10 French people say they are exposed to excessive noise. This aspect is especially important in a class setting or during a long meeting, which is precisely when people need to be listening well to understand the messages being conveyed. To cut background noise, the first stop is obviously to encourage soundproofing in workspaces and to use sound-absorbing materials to dampen reverberations. But that’s not enough. At Silex, “we are testing an acoustic solution that can artificially reduce some low frequencies”, explains Stéphane, who says he has noted a slight difference in brain fatigue. Silex also has a soundproofed cylindrical meeting room that allows participants to talk softly to maximize concentration.
Phototherapy and mental well-being
We all know that the right amount of light is needed to promote mental health, especially in learning environments. And we are familiar with the basic rules: prioritize natural light, avoid glare and get the right mix in terms of the quantity and quality of light. A Northwestern University study from 2013 found that being exposed to natural light promotes productivity and sleep. At Silex, light comes in from three sides, which enhances visual comfort. To go a step further, “we need to test the right frequency for the neon lighting and measure its cognitive impact”, says Stéphane.
Harnessing the benefits of aromatherapy
Another sense that needs to be taken into account is smell. While aromatherapy has been successfully used in medicine and even in banking, it has never really been part of the conversation about teaching spaces. Yet by invoking memories, like that of Proust’s famous madeleine, or by encouraging the brain to relax, some smells can promote creativity. “Orange, lemon and vanilla scents have already shown themselves to be effective”, says Stéphane. All that remains is to bring this option into practice.
Color does not distract
Renowned French filmmaker Jacques Tati famously claimed that too much color distracts the viewer. Maybe, but a recent study from the University of Texas at Austin found that the color of the walls of an office or classroom can affect mood and productivity, with blue stimulating creativity, red promoting productivity and green encouraging calm. It is too early to draw final conclusions, because perceptions change not only from person to person, but also between sexes. Yet it may be that color can play a part in overall wellbeing, which means it is time get out of the comfort zone and stop thinking about school in black and white!
