Module 7: Architecture of Space

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose to explore a place on my school’s campus which has always caught my attention as a very interesting and engaging space.  It is called the Atelier and it is the space where our school practices their form of the Reggio Emilia approach to primary education.  The director of the Atelier, Paula, explained to me some more of the theory behind the approach (in Spanish so I hope I didn’t misunderstand anything!) and I found myself making many connections to what we have been learning in CEP 818. The first weeks of the program the students “play” at the different stations and explore all the items and ways they can think of to use them.  The teachers focus on provoking curiosities and helping students continually work within these curiosities and questions.  The teachers observe and note what seems to interest the children most.  Paula spoke of three lines of investigation that they use with the children while they are exploring their interests in the Atelier. 1) The scientific line where the students propose ideas (theories) and test them continually asking questions about what they are experiencing/observing and learning from mistakes.  2) The contemporary arts in connection with infancy line which tries to eliminate limits of what is art as well as construct a common language with which to communicate ideas.  3) The concept of trash line which is using the idea that all trash has a story behind it and we can take that trash and give it a new significance.  This is different than recycling which just reuses trash.  They take trash and give it new meaning and purpose.  Give it a new story.  Paula calls this resignify rather than recycle.

 

The space in which the children explore is very conducive to provoking curiosity and promoting creativity.  There are many spaces where students can focus on exploring concepts.  The openness and high ceilings to me symbolize the openness of what is accepted as art and creativity in this space.  Even the chairs, doors, and shelves of the building are resignified trash from abandoned houses or thrown out garbage. 

 

This article was intriguing as it never occurred to me about how the way a space is designed can contribute to or hinder creativity, however it makes complete sense.  The way I organize and use my classroom speaks about what I think is important.  Do I have my seats in pairs, groups, or individually?  Are the students facing the front of the room or each other?  Are the walls blank, filled with manufactured posters, or filled with student work?  Even the location of windows and if they are open or not can play a role in what I am planning for my students.  I cannot say this article is going to make me completely rearrange my classroom, however it has given me yet another variable I can work with when planning my lessons and activities.  Perhaps it may even be necessary to leave my room if it is not sufficient enough of a space for a specific activity (embodied thinking).   Being that “sometimes, the most creative solution may be to step back and do nothing at all” I think it could be an interesting experiment to have all the desks stacked in the middle of the room when students come in for the first day and ask them to arrange the seats in a way that promotes their own learning preferences.