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Newsletter 3: Dec 2016
The project has achieved a great deal in our first 6 months with the first survey, 3 workshops, conference presentations and preliminary literature review completed. We have made it a priority to engage with teachers and principals through conferences, social media and our partners in order to raise awareness about the project and encourage participation. In 2017 we will be sharing early findings from our first survey and the teacher workshops and will commence further data collection activities with schools. 

Our office will be closed from 20th December to 9th January for staff leave. We wish you all a happy Christmas.
best wishes from the ILETC team
 

Survey of learning spaces in schools

The first step in the project is a very short survey of principals in all government primary and secondary schools in NSW, QLD, ACT and New Zealand and schools managed by the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta. There is still time to participate here with the survey open until 9 December 2016. It only takes 5 minutes to complete and enable schools to contribute to a greater understanding of how space is currently used.  

The survey will provide us with baseline data about the types of learning spaces in schools, how teachers are using them and the types of learning occurring.  We will select a range of schools from this data to conduct more in depth case studies to inform development of resources and strategies for teachers using ILEs. 

Regional Workshops

During November we held regional workshops in Sydney, Auckland and Christchurch. The workshops were attended by 130 teachers, principals, departmental staff, professional learning providers and researchers. Each workshop was 2 hours and held in the late afternoon. 

The workshops each focused on a different aspect of ILEs:

  • Sydney – Teachers experiences of ILES
  • Auckland – Teaching practices and beliefs in ILEs
  • Christchurch – Deep learning in ILEs 

The workshops were facilitated by project chief investigator Prof. Lisa Grocott and design researchers Allison Edwards and Dion Tuckwell of Monash University. They were developed using the principles of design thinking to engage teachers in reflection and discussion about their experiences and beliefs of teaching in innovative learning environments. 

The aim was to refine the project hypothesis and assumptions regarding teachers’ views on ILEs and their teaching practices and to raise awareness about the project. The data from the workshops is currently being analysed and will be distributed to partners and workshop participants in summary form in the near future.  

Further workshops will be held in Canberra and Queensland in March/April 2017, which will focus on teachers’ experiences of change.  
The workshops involved group discussions and activities, as well as individual exercises, using a variety of props and materials to stimulate discussion and reflection. 
The project was featured in a recent University of Melbourne campaign “Made Possible by Melbourne’, which highlighted 14 research projects lead by the University that represent significant breakthroughs.  
The campaign involved a tram stop exhibit, advertising on trams, video and article in Pursuit for each of the featured projects.
The exciting program for Learning Environments ​Australasia's 17th annual conference, eXperience Asia, has just been unveiled.

Scheduled for 12-14 July 2017 at the spectacular Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the conference features a fantastic selection of site tours and an inspirational lineup of speakers, including Sugata Mitra and Bunker Roy. 

Educators will have the opportunity to explore how contemporary pedagogy and placemaking can be integrated to create inspiring learning environments where teaching and learning is enacted with energy and imagination.
As well as being one of the best value-for-money conferences around, eXperience Asia also falls within the winter school holidays for most of Australia and New Zealand, so why not add on a great holiday amid the awe-inspiring sights and sounds of Singapore? 

Everything you need to start planning for one of the most ambitious and exciting conferences we’ve ever staged is now on the eXperience Asia website, including:
    •    the program for download
    •    the first round of confirmed site tours
    •    biographies of our inspirational keynote speakers
    •    detailed registration costs

Registrations will open in early 2017. ​ Stay tuned for further announcements!​

Learning Environments Publications and Presentations 

Recent ILETC blog posts:

Terry Byers, along with representatives from Marshall Day, Hayball, NZ MoE and the Nat. Acousitcs Lab presented a course on Classroom Acoustics – How Innovative Learning Environments are changing the Educational Playing Field in Brisbane as part of Acoustics 2016 in November.
 
Project CIs Wes Imms and Ben Cleveland, along with Marian Mahat and LEaRN researcher Pippa Soccio presented on learning environments research at AARE Conference in Melbourne this week (28 Nov-1 Dec).
Photo: Scott Alterator.




















 
 

Talking Spacesintersections

9-10th Feb 2017
University of Melbourne

 

The 7th semi-annual Talking Spaces conference – Intersections– will be held on Thurs and Friday 9th and 10th February 2017 at Studio Five, Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Please save the date in your calendar.

This much anticipated conference, held by Learning Environments Applied Research Network, will explore the key issues intersecting the design and use of learning environments. How do we create and effectively utilize new spaces for learning? How do we imagine the complexity connecting educational intentions, practices, spaces and people? What formal and informal ‘evaluative’ knowledge can we bring to bear on these issues?

More information here. Registration details to come. Enquiries to Natalie Robinson, LEaRN.
Sign up to the ILETC Network
What is the ILETC Project?

The Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project, known as ILETC, is a four year Australian Research Council Linkage Project, led by the University of Melbourne’s Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN).

It is a partnership between education departments in New Zealand, Queensland, the ACT and New South Wales, the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, key ‘industry’ partners Steelcase, Telstra, Saint-Gobain Ecophon, Marshall Day, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Hayball and the Association for Learning Environments Australasia, as well as 3 leading research focussed schools, Woodleigh School, Anglican Church Grammar School and the Australian Science and Mathematics School.

The project will explore how space enhances teaching practices by collecting a range of data from principals and teachers.  This data will be used to design, test and implement practical tools and strategies to assist teachers in maximising learning in both physical and virtual environments.
 
Copyright © 2016.  
This research is supported under Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme (project LP150100022). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Australian Research Council.


Our email address is info@iletc.com.au

Our mailing address is:
ILETC Project,
LEaRN, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne Parkville VIC 3010.

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Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change · Melbourne Graduate School of Education · The Uniiversity of Melbourne · Melbourne, Vic 3010 · Australia

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