The Texas Woman's University Future Classroom Laboratory (TWUFCL) is a unique learning space designed for use by university faculty, future teachers, and local PreK-12 teachers and students. Part of the European Schoolnet's Network of Future Classroom Labs, the TWUFCL offers users the chance to explore the science of teaching and learning in a…

This article is concerned with the influences that are brought to bear on the design of school buildings and the effects that the design of these buildings have on those who teach and learn in them. The article also focuses on the ways in which design is altered in and through the practices of these occupants. We argue that there is a mutual…

For a number of years, higher education has moved away from didactic teaching toward collaborative and self-directed learning. This paper discusses how the configuration and spatial geometry of learning spaces influences engagement and interaction, with a particular focus on hierarchies between people within the space. Layouts, presented as…

The classroom is crucial for students, and seating position within the classroom can affect students' performance. This study conducted a survey to investigate the relationship between seating zones and academic performance among 174 university students in Beijing. The results revealed differences in student performance in terms of seating…

Awareness of how to ensure that a family and consumer sciences (FCS) classroom meets the criteria of universal design is essential. Yet, meeting the requirements for students with diverse abilities may be perceived as a daunting task when educators think about planning, delivering instruction, and assessing learner outcomes. Differentiated…

The present educational design research involved analysing Finnish upper secondary school students' participation in the improvement of their psychosocial and technology-enhanced physical learning environment (LE). It examined which LE characteristics students considered important when redesigning their LE, and whether they felt that their ideas…

To date, learning spaces in higher education have been designed with little engagement on the part of their most important users: students and teachers. In this paper, we present the results of research carried out in a UK university. The research aimed to understand how students and teachers conceptualise learning spaces when they are given the…

Mathematics instruction would be more effective if students were able to help each other and exchange information actively. This can effectively be done when students are engaged in cooperative learning. The study was intended to analyse the extent to which mathematics education is supplemented with cooperative learning in Grade 9 of Secondary…

A student's ability to attend in the classroom is an important factor in determining academic success. This systematic review examined the effects of an alternative seating system on improving attention in students with attention difficulties. Databases searched included CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, OTSeeker, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.…

The aim of this article was to explore the views of parents regarding seating for children with cerebral palsy. Two interviews with parents were conducted. These were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was conducted. This small study outlines three themes: the importance of seating, seating and participation, and the parental role in…

Although learning spaces research is not new, research approaches that target the specific teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students who occupy active learning classrooms (ALCs) is nascent. We report on two novels data collection approaches: Flashbacks and Re-Captures. Both leverage faculty reflective practice and provide windows…

In this paper we present the findings of an investigation into the ways in which the discourses and practices of school design produce educational spaces which influence the discourses and practices of teaching and learning when the building is occupied. It expands notions of post occupancy evaluation (POE) research by exploring how the…

Although engineering education research has empirically validated the effectiveness of active learning in improving student learning over traditional lecture-based methods, the adoption of active learning in classrooms has been slow. One of the greatest reported barriers is student resistance towards engagement in active learning exercises. This…

Lecture halls, an enduring feature of higher education landscapes, are undergoing a spatial revolution. These materialize pedagogic imaginaries of technology-enhanced, student-centered learning. This article investigates the pedagogic performance of a contemporary lecture theater in regional Australia, distanced from a capital city, presenting…

Desk arrangements in primary classrooms can encourage or negatively influence learning. With no previous research reporting on student perspectives, we explored perceptions of two common desk configurations (Year 3, n=32, mean age=8 years). Qualitative data were collected by means of open-ended questionnaire, with an even spread of most preferred…