“Over the past decade there has been virtually no improvement in learning outcomes from students in the western world…”
World Class – How to build a 21st-century school system. Andreas Schleicher 2018.
The shocking statement made last year by Andreas Schleicher from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that there has been virutally no improvement in learning outcomes from students in the western world over the past decade must not be ignored, but instead seen as a call to arms.
Transforming education to meet contemporary needs means reimagining schools, and reimagining the environments in which learning and teaching take place.
Pioneering Italian educationalist, Louis Malaguzzi, famously described the classroom as the “third teacher”; evidence from around the world establishes the link between the design of the spaces in which young people learn and better learning outcomes.
School designs have a great impact on our lives. Those designs must foster curiosity, creativity, collaboration and the skills that enable learning to continue throughout life.
A new book, Planning Learning Spaces, which I have co-edited with Terry White from A4LE tackles how we can create educational spaces that will maximise learning and prepare children for life in our evolving world.
The book can be used as a practical, research-based guide: each section highlights the rationales and experiences of those designing learning spaces in different educational settings.