The Crappy Classroom and The Fabulous Classroom

What does space have to do with a good learning environment? What does space have to do with compelling experiences? How do these things collide into good space for a good learning environment which is compelling? I'm thinking about physical space and teaching, classrooms in particular. I have been teaching college accounting since 1994 in a variety of settings, most recently at a community college. At my school there are a variety of classroom types that range from a state of the art building that just went up and has won awards for its interior design to the old building where my office resides containing the worst "Calcutta of JCC" classroom. I have taught in all of these types of classrooms on campus. I would like to examine what it is that makes for a good learning environment in terms of physical space.

Let me start with the worst classroom space I have encountered yet. It is a smallish classroom but is required to contain 30 seats. So, the arrangement of tables and chairs is quite limited by the actual square footage of the room. Everything about the room is tired and old and used up from the beat up tile floor to the faded bleak walls to the lights that flicker in and out. My favorite feature of this particular room is a collection of pull down maps that would suit a geography type of class. These maps are worn and frayed and ripped and just awful. It is a dreary space indeed. How does this affect learning? Do the students know that they are in the Calcutta of JCC? Does it make the subject matter seem less interesting? Does the professor seem less engaging? Do the minutes seems ever so long? My experience is no. The space is not helping but it does not break the experience either. Meaningful discussion and engagement can occur no matter what the environment. I think of severely disadvantaged children around the world learning on dirt floors in partial shade with questionable textbooks and materials. In my zeal and enthusiasm for education, I do not believe for a minute that anything can stop learning. Not even a crappy classroom. Especially not that.

Perhaps the nicest, slickest, fanciest classroom on campus is in the new building. It is a perfectly square room with completely movable furniture and laptops for every student. Each wall contains a projection screen which can be lowered. In the center of the ceiling are four projection units. It is therefore possible to project 4 different things at the same time. So, let me try to come up with a reason why I would want to project four different things at the same time. Let's say it's Principles of Accounting II, and we are analyzing financial statements. I could have Excel up on one screen and be working financial ratios in Excel. I could have the Balance Sheet on another screen for our company, let's say Ford Motor Company. I could have the Income Statement up on another screen. And, on the fourth screen...I could have current news articles from the web. Whew.

Not only is the technology in the room superb, but the design in lovely. From the paint colors to the artwork to the lighting to the symmetry of the space, it's just fabulous. Here's the thing. The students in the fancy room do not whine any less that the students in the yukky room. They all struggle, and they all find their way (well, most do) and they all work and process in the same manner. The pretty room casts a certain pleasant light on the experience, but it is not the room that makes anything happen. It is the spirit of the students and the instructor that does. In the same way that the unpleasant room cannot stifle learning, the pleasant room cannot create learning on its own.

If I were king for a day, how would I design classroom space at my school? Ahhh, what a lovely thought. First of all, I would accept financial constraints and students demands. We need classroom space at my school. We are overextended with extremely high enrollments and have completely run out of classroom space. We have a very small collection of these new ultra tech classrooms and not enough regular classrooms. I would favor creating more classrooms with less technology over creating fewer classrooms with more technology. When building and renovating classroom space, I think each room should have projection capability at a minimum. The older rooms should be painted. A fresh coat of paint would make a world of difference. We should budget for ongoing maintenance. We seem to find millions of dollars for building projects and then have zero dollars for maintenance. Some of the initial building fund should be invested and put away for maintenance and repair. That's it. My classroom plan is: (1) enough classrooms, (2) projection capability and (3) fresh paint.

As I consider all of these things and my opinions on interior design, I realize that in my view, interior design is not the catalyst for compelling experience. It is the human element that makes an experience compelling. The space can be fabulous but without people and buzz and activity, there is nothing.