New teaching, new classroom. How space can help delivery of new teaching practices.

Devon and Cornwall Police Constabulary uses newly designed classrooms to help introduce their innovative teaching programme.

MULTI-STORY-THINKING have been working in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police force to re design the training rooms for their Police Training College at their Middlemoor Headquarters in Exeter. 

The design of teaching spaces has long been recognised as having a positive impact on the learning experience.  Well-designed spaces can improve performance and transform the experience of the learner.

The college had been training both police officers and special constables for over 15 years and teaching methods and the teaching environment have changed little over that period.  Picture a drab and dull classroom with a horseshoe arrangement of desks led by a teacher at the front of the classroom.  It’s hardly inspiring and brings back memories of school days.

The initiative, which fuses teaching approach with changes to the physical space, was prompted by the introduction of extra targets of recruiting an additional 65 new recruits to the 120 already planned for 2013/14. 

To cope with the additional numbers the force’s Learning and Development Department have introduced a new open learning programme, which is similar in format to the Open University.

The importance of changing the physical environment alongside the teaching methods was recognised by Acting Sergeant Tiffany Macedo-Dine, from the Learning and Development team, who worked with us to realise the project.

“As well as changing our teaching approach we wanted to make a
statement with the space to signal a shift in approach.  We wanted a
more professional and grown up space that was modern, flexible and
responsive to the changing methods we were introducing”

A change of environment can trigger a shift in behaviour and expectations and underpin the changes by both enabling the different activities but also creating a change in perception of how the space will be used.

MULTI-STORY-THINKING worked collaboratively with Tiffany to develop the new design that enables the introduction of the more dynamic and responsive teaching methods, which embrace technology, encourage peer learning, improve interaction between tutor and student and create a more professional environment. 

The changes reflect wider trends in the education sector.  In creating the interior we sought inspiration from the revolutionary teaching spaces of the Stanford d. school but also from our recent projects for Plymouth University and ACCA.  The designs create a modern, professional, and more grown up interior with the flexibility to create the range of different teaching modes that will be used.

Selection of flexible furniture creates a ‘toolkit’, which enables a number of different teaching modes, both informal and formal, including presentations, group work and brainstorming/idea generation.  Teaching sessions can be dedicated to one activity or split to create multiple activities and students can move between areas as the nature of their learning changes.

The combination of interior design and new teaching methods is taking the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary forward in terms of technology, accessibility and the learning environment, putting them at the leading edge of police training in terms of innovation and best practice and excellence in learning delivery. 

Danish Box Sets.

With the return of Borgen to our screens and the approach of those long winter nights the prospect of curling up on the sofa to work through some quality drama is really appealing.  With the popularity of box sets we're posed with the problem of how to store them.

  

Montana is a system that gives you the freedom to create unique and personal designs for your home or office.  It's combination of 42 boxes in 4 depths available in 49 colours gives creative freedom and scope to create a truly unique design just for you.

Wall mounted, free standing or on wheels the combinations can help to fill corners, become features or help to shape space as a wall/divider.   Keep it straight and regular or go free style.  Ideal for everything.

If you're working your way through those great Scandinavian dramas this furniture will help you emulate the style and give you somewhere to store those DVDs.

Available from Oskar in Bristol.  TAK.

Student accommodation. Just add personality and a sense of place.

University campuses should be designed to attract their target market, that's students in case you wondered, but in many cases we see design solutions that are dull, corporate office style interiors, lacking any personality or sense of place.  No fun or narrative.  They miss the point that their target market are all young people with sophisticated tastes and a well developed sense of design and brand.

Universities administrators have recognised that environment is important as a differentiator and are trying to improve with new buildings and facilities.  The key challenges is to create spaces within their buildings that respond to the activities (social and learning) that students do and to connect both visually and emotionally.

Social spaces should reflect the environments that students like to inhabit when they venture out into non university world.  Outside of university they are going to bars, coffee shops etc that have well designed interiors aimed at them as consumers.  University spaces should similarly reflect this with interiors that are similar to the environments that students inhabit.

Award winning Trof bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter, designed by Forster Inc,  is a favourite haunt of students and young creatives alike, a provides a example for student developments.

Student accommodation is an obvious area for universities to invest in as it ticks the key drivers of the student decision making process of 'safety' and 'security' particularly for overseas students.  It's also a strong and dependable revenue source for universities.  Naomi Cleaver's design for IQ Shoreditch developed by Quintain celebrates the creative vibrancy of it's location and creates an individual and exciting space to live and study.

The design puts the student experience at the centre of the project and has become a selling feature that encourages sales to prospective students.

With student expectations being raised on the back on increasing fees good interior design can be a powerful tools for Universities to differentiate themselves and complete for business.

86% of students asked stated that the quality of the common rooms was the
deciding factor in booking IQ Shoreditch against all other alternatives.

Naomi Cleaver's designs add personality and a sense of fun.

Product of the Month. Stock Chair

We like this Stock Chair, designed by Magnus Long for Lerival.  Originally designed for the St Martins Materials Library this robust chair combines strength, durability and functionality.

Manufactured using a powder coated steel frame, with a solid wood seat and back, it is available in natural ash, charcoal beech (lacquered), or acacia for outdoor use.  A milled seat and back profile reveals wood grain strata giving it an honest utilitarian feel and, even if it's being kicked around a student design studio, it should last for ages.

Keep on rolling

We love castors.  The add mobility to your furniture and flexibility to your work spaces.  We've used them in our project to re organise the Plymouth University 3D design studios.  We've built mobile locker stacks, which act as room dividers for project group areas.
















The studios were set up last week in preparation for the new term when the students will return to a radically altered learning environment. The changes are intended to improve the way in which they can be taught by providing a more collaborative space which will encourage peer learning  and integration.

You can follow progress on the Plymouth Facebook page and see more set up photos here.

Learning Spaces. Plymouth University

We're working with Plymouth University's 3D department to reorganise their design studios.  With a brief to encourage peer learning and create an environment where creativity and collaboration can flourish we're aiming to design a dynamic and adaptable space that can cater for 180 students.

The studios are teaching spaces with groups of 15-30 students working on 6 week modules studying the 3 specialisms of Designer Maker, Product design and Spatial and Interior Design.

We'll be documenting the progress as we design, test and prototype this project.

Wall Magic- ideapaint

Time for some brainstorming? ideapaint by Muraspec will help get the creative juices going. Paint it on and get scribbling