The Mosaic Initiative regularly invites the Learning Spaces team to observe class meetings in Mosaic classrooms, we call these gatherings Classroom Observations. These Classroom Observations are a great way to bring stakeholders together that might not normally engage and to encourage conversations around the intent of space design and actual use.
Lisa Contino | Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology
On November 13th we held a Classroom Observations in LE 104 on the IUPUI campus with Professor Lisa Contino (Psychology) and several members of the Learning Spaces team.
During the observation, the Learning Spaces team and Mosaic staff watched the class session, taking notes of what we noticed, questions that arose, and noted what tools were used and not used during the class meeting. At the end of the class meeting, the Lisa passed out a very simple anonymous survey asking students what about the room helped their learning, and what about the room hindered the learning.
After the class session ended, the Learning Spaces team members, the Instructor, and our Mosaic Staff immediately sat down to debrief about the experience. We talked about our notes and questions as well as quickly reviewed students comments on the written survey (later to be explored fully by the Learning Spaces team). The instructor, Lisa, also shared her questions and what she found most and least useful about the design of LE 104.
The following comes from Lisa Contino, who shared her experience with the classroom observations. Part 2, will share the experience from the Learning Spaces team’s perspective.
What was it like to have classroom designers and consultants from the Mosaic Initiative observe my class?
As class started, I introduced the Mosaic team to my students and explained the purpose of the visit. This gave me the opportunity to share my thoughts about how learning can be transformed by the synergy of purposefully designed classrooms, intentional teachers, and engaged learners. I like students to know that decisions are (sometimes) made with their learning in mind, and therefore they should be an integral part of the feedback loop. I distributed a half-sheet with two questions: What about this room helped your learning? What about this room hindered your learning? Their anonymous feedback would be used by the Mosaic team to improve existing and future learning spaces.
I was surprised at how unobtrusive the team was. I forgot about them in about a minute. The class session included both high- and low-tech, small- and whole-group discussion, and a Prezi presentation by our graduate TA on how to create a poster. It was a typical class – some things went according to plan, and others required on-the-spot modifications. For example, I had planned to have students write themes from their small-group discussion in Word on their group computers and display it on their group monitors, following which I would randomly display themes, one monitor after another, on the giant screen. As had occurred before, some of the group monitors would not come on. So, we used portable white-boards instead!
What did I get out of the conversation with the Classroom Folks?
A lot. First, it didn’t take them long to figure out and show me what was happening with some of the “dysfunctional” group monitors. They were either sleeping, or the input buttons on the group tables were set incorrectly. Sounds intuitive, right? Not for me. I had tried everything I knew to get them to turn on, without success. The team asked why I hadn’t contacted someone during the class? I responded that I didn’t want to lose any more class time, so I quickly adjusted by coming up with a less elegant but effective work-around. Then, the team asked me why I hadn’t contacted someone when I got back to my office? I responded that I would have had to meet someone in LE104 at a time that I was free and so was LE104, and that didn’t seem all that likely except for early morning or evening, so I didn’t do it.
Post observation; Lisa Contino discussing the room with IU’s Learning Spaces team.
Second, I asked the team if there could be a simple, very simple, trouble-shooting guide somewhere on the lectern. For example: Monitor won’t turn on? 1-Might be sleeping; touch the keyboard. 2-Still not working? See those knobs on each table? For the monitor to activate, they need to be set at _____. The team told me that there is some sort of edict from Tech-On-High stating that there shall be no signage on the dais. Rather, if help is needed, it should be accessible online. That doesn’t work for me. Not quick enough. Too disruptive when something goes wrong in class. Too complicated. They listened. I appreciated it.
Last, I noticed an unlabeled button under the top surface of the dais. I asked one of the tech gurus on the team what it was. He didn’t know. No one knew. He flipped it to one side, then back to its original position. I’m not certain, but I think he did it again. I said I hoped it was not some type of emergency button, not knowing, never having been informed, that IUPUI classrooms are equipped with such a system. Within three minutes, two uniformed officers appeared in the doorway looking very relieved to see six adults having a calm, peaceful, enjoyable conversation. We apologized profusely. They told us they were glad the button worked as it was supposed to. Talk about high tech.
What did I get out of the feedback from students?
I learned that the students are much more aware than I knew they were of how various features of a learning environment affect their attention, relationships, communication, and learning.
Student feedback forms
I learned that they like to know what is happening at other tables.
I learned that like to be in close contact with the instructor and each other.
I learned that they like technology when it supports all of the above.
I learned that they don’t like it when technology does not function properly, but they are forgiving nonetheless.
I learned that they don’t like it when their view of the instructor is blocked.
I learned that there is very little they don’t like about LE104.
What happened after the meeting?
From that point forward, there was never a time I couldn’t “fix” the group monitors. I felt more at one with the room, as if it were an extension of me. While I look forward to teaching in LE104 again, I believe this experience and student feedback have altered how I will view all of my future teaching and learning environments.
Don’t miss Part 2 of this blog series where we hear from Gary Cummins and the Learning Spaces Team perspective.
