In the times of Aristotle and Plato learning was woven into the life of the community. Students (males!) were orally instructed by the sages - in buildings, cloisters and even under the shade of trees. There was no separation of learning from life.
The ICT of the Day
Gradually, the Church took on this role of extending oral instruction and learning was associated with monasteries and privilege. History and ‘truths’ were passed down from one generation of holy people to the next, with the material being only handwritten manuscripts. This was the ICT of the day! To this extent, learning was divorced from the community, although those who were educated comprised a small minority of the population.
Mass education came with the Industrial Revolution. The growing cities required a workforce that was disciplined and compliant. This was the charter for the early schools. The schools were uninviting ‘institutions’, where mass teaching was teacher-centred with the mode of communication being the blackboard and rote learning. Students sat in rows of fixed desks in rooms lining long corridors. This was the significant beginning of the separation of learning from home and community.
Architecture and Learning
Buildings have been around in various shapes and forms since the days of the nomads and their tents. Why do we need them? We need them as a form of shelter and because they bring together the three concepts of time, place and space. When you go to the movies in the shopping mall, you meet at a certain time. The shopping mall is the place where you meet and the theatre is the space you’ll be in for the show. The main game is the film but the building is the envelope where it happens. Buildings have performed this role for all sorts of human functions and activities. In the context of this discussion, it is interesting to consider all those public buildings of former times and how they have adapted or been superseded:
- banks;
- court houses;
- churches;
- railway stations;
- post offices;
- town halls; and,
- schools.
The roles and functions of most of the above buildings have changed. Rationalisation and economies of scale account for some of this trend but the impact of ICT has also been significant. Changed banking operations are a good example of this.
Schools Slower to Evolve
Schools, as public buildings, have been slower to adapt to these changes for reasons including educational conservatism, bureaucratic systemic constraints and the provision of equality of opportunity and economic stringency. The planning of school layouts, as distinct from the fabric of the buildings, has changed little over the last 100 years. The open-planned innovation of the 1970s was one exception, although this did not lead to a long-term change of direction.
The Influence of ICT on Time
Schools provide an environment for teaching, as distinct from learning. This is not to say that learning does not happen in schools – it does – but it is not only confined to schools, as with teaching. Schools, as traditionally established, are based around the concept of teaching taking place in small blocks of time and with one teacher in contact with 25 to 30 students. The operational times of schools are set to cover the ‘teaching day’ and the timetable is usually based on a weekly cycle. ICT has the potential to free up this framework. To date, computers in schools have largely been confined to computer laboratories and some schools have also wired each classroom for two or three computer outlets. Other schools have adopted a laptop programme and many students have access to computer technology at home. All of these developments mean that the imposition of time for learning is fading. Learning can, and does, happen outside of school. Hopefully, thankfully, it always has! However, ICT has accelerated this potential to free up time. A number of schools have taken advantage of this to shift the responsibility for learning more towards the students. They are then able to control when they undertake components of their learning, along with the ‘where’ and the ‘how’. With greater connectivity to teachers (facilitators), other students and wider information, students are able to structure their time of learning to suit themselves to a greater degree than they were able to previously. This, of course, applies to a larger extent as the students become older. This is a variation on the theme of correspondence distance education. But it is richer, because the student benefiting from ICT can tap into many more educational sites and databases of knowledge.
The Influence of ICT on Place
Schools as isolated institutions of teaching and learning are being re-thought. Learning can take place anywhere, as well as in school. For reasons not to do with the introduction of ICT, some schools have taken students off-campus and into alternative environments to experience nature, the country and to interact with other students and staff in the outdoor environment. A wider appreciation of the environment, experiential learning and relationship building have all been a part of this shift away from traditional school for segments of the school year. This trend has been enhanced by the introduction of ICT. Now, students and staff are able to access their school, their family, friends, and indeed, all their other contacts from wherever they are. The world information system follows them wherever they wish to go. Satellite communication systems ensure this. So the logical extension of this is the concept of students joining an ‘educational ship’ in Melbourne, Australia, and taking a year to cruise the world, stopping off numerous times and in various ports and countries, without any interruption to their educational programme - whatever that may be.
The Influence of ICT on Space
Can we say therefore that the traditional classroom spaces and layouts are still appropriate? In the secondary school situation, it is necessary to distinguish the ‘learning by doing’ rooms from the ‘learning by listening and writing’ rooms. The former rooms cater for subjects, which include science, technology, hospitality, music, drama and physical education. Much of the learning that happens in these spaces is constructivist. The latter rooms cater for the traditional instructivist teaching of subjects, which include maths, English, history, geography, business studies and languages. Aside from the oral transfer of knowledge by the teacher, the print medium has been the main form of communication for the students in these general-purpose classrooms. It is more difficult to see that the spaces, which require special equipment, will significantly change in layout than it is to see the possibilities of change for the general-purpose classrooms. With the decline in emphasis on teacher-centred environments and the greater emphasis on student-centred learning, the spaces where this occurs should be geared for student comfort and student amenity. Given that ICT will shift the balance of learning in this direction, learning spaces will need to change. In addition to ICT, but again facilitated by it, there is the introduction of new curriculum models and new pedagogies. Team-based teaching and learning, interdisciplinary curricula and thematic learning are all concepts being practiced in various schools at present. These impact on the design of learning spaces.
The Potential of Virtual Reality
But perhaps the most significant impact of ICT – yet to be implemented in any meaningful way outside of laboratories – is virtual reality. This technology allows students to learn by entering ‘unreal’ environments to experience whatever is being studied. This technology has been around for a while and used widely for pilot instruction in flight simulators. We all benefit and appreciate that! It will soon extend into general education though; and when it does, it will have an impact on the ‘learning by doing’ rooms. Will it be necessary to diminish the forests by cutting up wood for materials technology when it could all be learnt and experienced in a virtual sense? The applications are many and the impact on facilities significant. At the edge, classrooms could be akin to learning laboratories - heavily equipped with technology for simulation and virtual reality.
One Scenario
A well-quoted architectural convention is that ‘Form follows Function’. In this context, if the function of education delivery changes and the importance of time, place and space are diminished, then the form of the buildings which house whatever emerges should change. Is there still a case that necessitates a structure to bring together the concepts of time, place and space? Many educationalists would argue that there will always be the need for the passionate teacher – the one who can enthuse their charges to explore their subject. (‘Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher’: Japanese proverb) There is no argument with this and the appropriate spaces should be provided for this to occur. The point is that this type of one-to-many contact will not take place for as much time as it does at present. It may develop into more of a lecture, a tutorial and self- study environment, as it presently the case at university level.
A Reshaped Environment
Teachers, tutors, facilitators - whatever they are called - will also be housed in more appropriate less cramped environments than they at present and they will have improved access at their desks (or workstations) for continuous electronic connectivity. Many schools have given their teachers laptop computers to encourage this level of communication. The environment for students will improve. At present, the only personalised space for students is their locker space and this is often cramped in a congested corridor. Student homerooms, where students will have their own workstation and computer facilities, will evolve. These spaces will be allocated to the students for a whole year and so there will be ‘ownership’ of them and care of them. Teachers/facilitators will come to the students for instruction where necessary for those subjects, which do not require the provision of special equipment. Lockers will disappear. E-learning will increase in importance, as will interactive multimedia learning tools. Some of this will be for entire learning content - others will be for top-up or extension purposes.
New Concept of a School
More learning will be undertaken outside of the school and there will be more community use of the school. This will lead to a deinstitutionalisation of the school. This could even lead to learning being a seamless activity within the community once again. The concept of school could disappear. Learning centres could evolve and be indistinguishable from shopping malls which, in many instances, are the new hearts of communities. The convergence of time, place and space, in the form of a building for learning, will change but not disappear. Learning is more than the academic absorption and understanding of knowledge. It is also the process of maturing and socialisation of human kind. The pro-social aspects of growing up, and becoming a well-adjusted adult, is as important as academic achievement. That is why education should not take place entirely as a ‘cyborg’ at home, without external physical contact with others, unless there are extenuating circumstances. In any case, subjects like sport and drama are especially difficult to 'do' on your own!
Andrew Bunting, Director, Architectus Melbourne
