Want a learning environment designed around students' learning needs?

Learning Space Design Lab (c) by Autens

Roskilde, Denmark

A powerful workshop tool for collaboratively designing and redesigning learning environments based on how children learn, while transforming the shared pedagogical practice through a playful, creative method that mimics great project-based learning.

Autens, building schools, Co-creation, Design, designing schools, Design Thinking, flexible learning, Flexible seating, Innovative Learning Environments, innovative learning spaces, Learning Environment, Learning Space design, Learning spaces, Project Based Learning, school for the future, transformation, Workshop

Introduction

Introduction Media Milestones Map

...

Interested?

Introduction

What is Learning Space Design Lab?

“We are not designing learning environments, we are designing a learning culture.”

Lene Jensby Lange, Founder, Learning Space Design Lab

One innovative teacher might improve their classroom layout and culture, but this is unlikely to have a long term impact on the learning culture of the school. For lasting impact and meaningful change, the whole school community needs to play an active role in changing the culture and design of learning spaces.

Autens is a leading Danish education consultancy, specialising in developing and supporting visionary projects that transform schools into meaningful 21st century places for learning. Autens believes learning should be purposeful, joyful, co-created and personalised, and that learning spaces should be a reflection of this.

Among many endeavours, Autens runs Learning Space Design Labs for educators. It is used for learning space (re)design small and big scale as well as for co-creating design briefs for architects when building or refurbishing schools. In these workshops, all staff come together to co-create desired new learning environments - or co-create a design brief for their new school (for architects to work with) - on the basis of a shared vision for learning. Staff have the freedom to think, play and create together so that the outcome is as innovative, insightful, shared and inspirational as possible. The design process is hands-on, project-based learning in action, with an authentic, real-world problem that demands a solution.

The workshops have a dual, inter-related purpose: to create design solutions for specific learning spaces and to strengthen a shared learning culture with a very high sense of ownership and empowerment among teachers. Even more important it's a powerful way to co-create innovative learning space design principles to lead the schools work with learning spaces and innovative practices in years to come - and can shape the basis for a design brief for architects that everyone can get behind when building or refurbishing schools.

We successfully facilitate this workshop both in Denmark and in different countries across the world. As of now we have held workshops for more than 3,000 educators and these workshops have influenced the daily school life of at least 19,000 students.

Innovation Overview

TEACHERS

Target Group

2 400

Children/Users

Countries

2005

Established

For-profit

Organisation

5 227

Views

Focus areas

Tips for implementation

Redesign your learning spaces for new ways of learning or co-create a forward-thinking design brief for architects that you can all get behind! Make sure to invite all teachers and get student voice onboard - and bring in inspiration from others to work out what powerful learning looks like to you!

Connect with innovator

Lene Jensby Lange

hello@autens.dk

Denmark

Lene Jensby Lange

Roskilde, Denmark

HundrED Review

Innovativeness

Learning Space Design Lab allows teachers to design not just a learning environment, but a learning culture. Instead of static designs, the spaces created are fluid and able to change. These spaces become dynamic tools for pedagogy, didactics, learning and well-being in the hands of teachers and learners.

Impact

When teachers are asked to design classrooms or learning spaces using this method, not a single teacher to date has designed a traditional classroom. Thus, the impact of this workshop on challenging & changing mindsets is notably impactful. Through this tactile, playful and collaborative workshop, their beliefs, knowledge and experience are channelled into creative and inspiring solutions. If that wasn’t enough, research shows that learning environments are pivotal in engaging students with their learning; however, this goes hand in hand with changing cultures and practices.

Scalability

This approach can be used in all types of schools and any space within the school, such as classrooms, learning hubs, staff rooms or offices. Autens have run this workshop in over 20 schools to date!

Media