A creative learning environment is a space which encourages learning in all its forms- academic, social etc. The space shouldn't have anything in it- it should be a flexible environment which can be shaped and changed according to need. It should be fresh and have lots of windows which can be opened and allow in natural light.

What is a learning environment for?

Learning!

In the classroom - children (rather than the teacher!)

A place for having fun, but the flexibility fo it to be serious too.

A place that is safe and secure and one that can inspire and support where necessary.

Messy creative area.

Storage area.

Parents need to feel safe coming in to it - welcoming.

A place to display work, show what has been done.

A place for the children's personal possessions.

A space during inclement weather, play space.

A place to calm down in, or for time out.

Office for the teacher.

Multi-purpose place that is all things for all people.

secure in the environment where learning can take place, whether inside or outside

more on the empty side than the cluttered side

resources should be available if and when needed

children should be able to move around easily to use resources

flexibility so that space can be changed to suit the use and purpose of task

full of possibility and stimulus

warm and airy and light

you need to see pupils at all times so visibility is important

classrooms need to be spacious

colours should be varied

What is the learning environment for? .....To inspire, to motivate , to learn, to explore, to enjoy, to have fun, to enthuse!

What is a learning environment for?

It should provide a place for people to develop.

It should provide a informal space with a simple formal structure.

To stimulate all the senses
To inform through what is in and around it
Should provoke and have uncomfortable elements!
Needs a soul and a tree growing in the middle of it

Think too about ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS!

adaptable space to move around in and change to fit the purpose with readily available resources when needed
smaller class numbers and team teaching to share the work load and meet both group and individual learning needs

mix the age groups up so older children work alongside younger ones when possible.

The space should be thoughtful about colours used- applying stimulating colour theory, whilst still being 'clean' enough to have space and time to think.Not made of breeze blocks! Good quality durable clean materials. Having materials that can be used to change the feel, shape and textures of the space. High ceilings, good natural and replaceable natural light for the winter. Plants. fold away desks and chairs. The whole room needs to be able to be changed according to activity. Water available.Comfortable/relaxation area.Good supplies and resources available as requested. interactive white boards. All learning spaces should be like this.

What should a learning environment have in it?

The learning environment should be a comfortable space where ideas are welcomed, but where discipline and good manners are essential to help socialise children from an early age.

Shape, size and the other considerations are not as important as respect for each other.

things a classroom can be

coal mine
air raid shelter
cafe
change
colour, temperature, lighting, mood: smell, floor level, ceiling level, role-playing is easier if environment is different
enclosed spaces
paint on walls, ceiling, floor, use outside space for giant temporary work - paint with water, things that can wash away and dont need clearing up
sensory area - tactile things -

LIGHTING - dimmed lights change mood
coloured lights - affect mood specifically

What facilities should be available?

Multi-use and multi-user spaces are essential.

In the large 'service centre' model, children would be exposed to health, exercise and first aid lessons alongside a health centre for everyone, helping them connect what they are learning immediately to the wider 'adult' world. Likewise other lessons could take place in a public library or the school library to which the public have access.

What facilities should be available?

Multi-use and multi-user spaces are essential.

In the large 'service centre' model, children would be exposed to health, exercise and first aid lessons alongside a health centre for everyone, helping them connect what they are learning immediately to the wider 'adult' world. Likewise other lessons could take place in a public library or the school library to which the public have access.

yurts and teepees in the playground or in the hall

what is a learning environ for?

Providing a conducive learning space which is both accessible and inspirational.

A space which provides the basics for human comfort. A balance of the practical and the aesthetic in terms of design and build. Explorative learning materials,prividing opportunity to ask questions and explore answers. Interrative learning places.

A space that can accommodate numbers, appropriate to the area of work. A range of spaces relevant to task. Spaces which are flexible for multi use but also dedicated use.
Smells could be calming or stimulating eg. lavendar, mint, lemon balm etc. but not overwhelming. NAtural smells, plants and flowers etc. Outdoors inside. Growing tomatoes etc...activity creates the environment.
Colour calming - gentle shades
Colour dynamic when energy stimulus required
neutral backdrop for displays.
Sounds - music to soothe aid concentration(care in considering the whole class to detract from concentration)
Preferrably Natural matrials. Tactile and mixed fibres. Beautiful...aesthetic what you'd want in your own home....
FAcilites need to varied - small quiet spaces, communal spaces to chill for both staff and children. Snugs abd window seats in classroom spaces to offer choice of quiet time or active engagement. enough IT equipment for whole class use, working, maintained and with users/teachers who are confident in its application. Outdoor spaces which are learning spaces in their own right. A whole inclusive approach to the learning and learning environment both physical, emotional, social educational is essential.

We think that it is important the learner has as much to do with the creation of the learning enironment.
The space could be;
inside
outside
big, small
The learning environment is the minds of those present....leaners, teachers, enablers.

It should have teams of people including facilitators

What is the relationship of the space to other spaces in the learning setting?

See above, also the lessons could incorporate all aspects of the/a curriculum around a theme, which does happen in some schools now.

Please let's not forget the value of silence. Many children have their waking hours filled with sound but also with noise, not all of it productive or relevant. While not wishing to impose a regime, it will help children to experience quiet times and spaces to help them reflect on the lessons they are learning, and to review. It's 'ok' to be quiet sometimes!

What should it have in it?

Ideally it should have a number of different areas within the space, including:

Huge! - lots of space.
An empty space
Role play area
Arts and crafts area / wet space
quiet area / reading corner
Storage
Outdoor area
Designated work area - so define the space as for independent serious work

It needs to be bright and airy, colourful, well-maintained, lots of textures. Suitable furniture for the age group, and varied for different activities.

Ideally the space would be developed in association with the children.

A learning environment is the the whols school - including the dining hall and corridors and outdoor space ...

The staff room is often overlooked, need someone to relax - need to show that the staff are valued (including dinner ladies etc.). Comfy chairs, clean and peaceful, a quiet working areas, a space where you can easily talk personally to another person rather than always feeling like the whole room is listening and contributing.

Designed ideally by children and teachers.

Shape - different zones but still able to be observed by the teacher. The flexibility to change the shape. Maybe be screens that can move.

Smells of children, need to be able to have fresh air.

Flexibility needed to change colours depending on what you are doing. LIke the classroom to look different every term / topic. LIke displays to look freash rather than tatty.

Sound system, TV, interactive whiteboards, laptops - moveable things. Don't like using hot, crampt ICT suites! All of these need to be maintained on a regular basis to save time and energy in the long run.

No fluorescent lighting if possible, dimmer light switches, chill out area with larva lights / moving lights etc.

Sound proofing between classrooms, no open plan schools - so able to concentrate and do exams etc if necessary.

Easy to clean materials and spaces.

Something to stimulate all the senses
A leader or guide
No Computers and loads of green stuff...computers should have a habitat all of their own...any thing relevent to the experiences they want to have.
It should be as much outside of the classroom as in it...
children need to learn outdoors so they get to perceive and understand where they are with.
greater awareness.
I would like instruments and other things that make sounds that make children aware of the elements around them.
Children need to get wet, muddy, hot and blown away...to have the vocabularly to describe how they feel.
Soimwhere children can hide and get lost. There needs to adventure and the unknown.
They need to find or grow their own food.

mezzanine spaces for quiet learning or building environments - use space in middle upper room - mobiles, hanging screens, projections

mezzanine spaces for quiet learning or building environments - use space in middle upper room - mobiles, hanging screens, projections

Teachers would like to be able to do more in the way of changing the learning environments more frequently and more imaginatively, but this takes time and money! It would be nice if this was recognised more so.

It would be lovely to be able to change the classroom into a whole different world - like Narnia, a garden, a Roman temple etc.

more temporary environments, creative small environments, hanging spaces, treehouses, use corridors more, wrap the furniture a la Christo, change furniture around - change the space using available furniture
use music in background and mix in with subjects

enhance one sense by removing another - feel things blindfolded, describe them,

erase ownership of work - group work and/or destroy work so process is all important

3-D drawings - wire. light. shadow. space. projections

giant moveable collage - film from above - use objects to draw with and change image by shifting things around (Tony Hart)

use the playground more - big chalk drawings - get proportion by using a grid (like hill figures)

Give children the opportunity to have change! Not always the same, they need to have ownership of their space.
If the entire school is perceived as the learning environment, multi shapes can be created within.

We think that the is a need for a space for learning. We would like twice the amount of space and every class needs access to external space.
Hilary said something to me that I have never considered in this way before that every class room is designed by and for those that came before and is always not quite suitable for the current group and usage.
Give a class and learners a blank canvass to develop for the learners and as the years progresses.
The model we discussed has 3 unique spaces.
1.Indoor rectangle subdivided mostly by a retractable wall. one half of the space is our learning zone with water and sink in it, one wall is triple glazed doors floor to ceiling that open up to our secure outside all weather area. One wall has an interactive white board on it and the other wall has surfaces suitable for all display materials. The cieling is solid enough to hang things off. The colours are neutral with lighting providing the colour washes and flexible lighting levels including spot lit areas. The floor is washable and a little bit soft but not carpet. Heating is underfloor and air-con can pump cool fresh oxygen when required into it.
2.The other half of the indoor space is totally about storgage and a teachers office. The big doors can be rolled back and screens, tables, chairs, laptops, etc. can be contained here also the fridge and printers and scanners and any other electrical equipment. A corner for coat pegs and bag storage is in here as well - it is a utility room. All book cases , class room equipment storgae is in wheelie cupboards so shapes and settings can be rearranged at need or just at the beginning of weeks/months/years. Soft seating easily moved to create quite spaces and individual learner areas.
3. Out door spaces are secure and have level access so anything from the storage area can be moved outside and gates link it to the joint external spaces of the rest of the school - grass areas, climbing places, exploation spaces and experiementation areas.
4. Toilets should be located everywhere and be single units just like at home. but with enough room to move chilren and adults with mobility issues to use.

Can a space be completely flexible? If so that's what is needed. A space that can transport us to different times, different moods and somewhere where we can be energised and active as well as being able to relax. It should be able to accommodate groups and also be able to accommodate the needs of individuals.

to .the adults in partnership with the chidren to develope their learnming;
.stimulate curiosity
to inspire
to facilitate
to set challenges
to provoke enquiry
a relaxing space
a secure space
flexibility
adapt the space to meet the needs and moods of the chidren and adults

the space should should be flexible to create a sense of inside/outside with lots of light that can be controlled.
an area on entry that is seamless in the way it eases movement between working spaces outside /inside

materials textures should be a range of different materials which cto meet the requirements of adults and children
it could take the form of hangings or banners which can be moved to meet the requirements of adults and children

Trish is thinking about creating a calming space for adults and children to withdraw to next week!
(Implications for the new build- ideas when meeting the architect

waterfalls/fountains in spaces to produce positive ions to counteract the negative ones produced by machines/lights etc

the energy in a space is extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemely important

Relationship of the space to the learning setting?

Separate but still with a sense of the whole.

Easy routes withing the setting, eg. to and from assembly.

Sense of an outdoors.

A spearate space for lunches - maybe the possibility for children to eat outside. Tablecloths? Small things, ability for small groups of people to eat together - more informal and less like an army canteen.

Friendly dinner ladies - no shouting and screaming.

Blur the boundaries between inside and out both in a physical sense and an imaginative one.

Once there was a child and he went outside and it rained and he got wet...and the teacher got her to lie in the rain and wonder where the rain coame from...
Once there was child who saw a mark in a tree and wondered how it got there. The guide asked questions and there was a story.
Once there was a child who fell in the mud and a woodlouse crawled up his leg and he wondered where the mud came from.
Once there was a child who met an old man in the street and wondered what his story was.
Once there was a child that wondered.....
The child that wondered discovered that all their stories were her stories too.

Management is to manage to get by.
People need to be managed, but not everyone all the time.
Resources and assets need management.

Who needs what qualifications to deliver the services of your learning setting?

Experience as a qualification comes first, even and especially for trainees!

Other qualifications should be sought when their is a genuine need and desire to add more to the fruits of experience. Institutions will ask for qualifications they see fit, according to their needs.

Clearances for working with the vulnerable are essential, although the implementation of and responsibility for them must also be monitored.