Stay updated with LEaRN's events this quarter.
No images? Click here
Warmer months are coming to Melbourne, and we hope everyone is hanging on as we approach the end of this unprecedented year, 2020.
In this issue:
Schools as Community Hubs International Conference 3-4 December 2020
Registrations now open & Building Connections UpdatesILETC Updates
PhD Completions at LEaRN
UoM Graduate Certificate in Design for Health and Wellbeing launching in 2021
LEaRN@Home: Design for Health and Wellbeing – Video available
Learning Spaces & Special Education Needs Updates
Plans to Pedagogy Updates
Academic Workplace Evaluation updates
Upcoming events in October
New LEaRN publications
Building Connections: Schools as Community Hubs Updates
Our project recently celebrated 12 months, and we are pleased to announce the Schools as Community Hubs International Conference: held online, over two half-days on December 3-4. This event will feature presentations on practice-based insights and academic analysis from around Australia and North America; accompanied by full written proceedings. We hope you can join us for this unique conference! Register here >
In the Publications section, we share some of our first research outputs. If you want to follow the Building Connections project, you can subscribe to our Newsletter and follow us on Twitter.
Welcome new PhD candidate
Our project team is delighted to welcome Robert Polglase, our fourth and final PhD researcher, on board - our team is now complete! See our team profile.
Rob joins the Building Connections team as a PhD candidate with the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University. Rob is fulfilling a long-held dream to contribute to the evidence-base and influence policy settings connected to the planning, design and delivery of learning and community sites; thereby supporting flourishing communities. His PhD research will look at evaluating policy-planning-design-governance settings.
Robert Polglase
Rob's experience includes education, health, community sectors, commercial, multi-residential, public realm, transport, urban renewal and land development programs. These projects have incorporated urban policy development, strategic planning, funding submissions, setting site planning and development vision, concept to final agreed design, contract procurement to delivery with advocacy for clients, stakeholders, communities, and all levels of government. Rob has participated in industry forums and academic teaching throughout his career. His recent teaching focus has included affordable, socially inclusive design for education, community health and connected neighbourhoods.
Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change Updates
As the ILETC Project edges closer to its conclusion, much work is being done in consultation with the Partner Organisations, to bring together the wide range of evidence produced during the three phases of the main project with the relevant contributions from the eight associated PhD research projects. Some preliminary findings from this last stage of analysis and a discussion of where this will lead into the future was presented by A/Prof Wes Imms as an invited address at the Education Estates United Kingdom online conference on October 13th, 2020. You can access a recording of the session entitled ‘Where to now? Future directions from the Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project’ here https://doi.org/10.26188/13093463.v2
The ILETC project team look forward to announcing plans for a closing event once COVID issues allow.
PhD Completions
Congratulations to our PhD researchers associated with the ILETC project who have successfully delivered their virtual completion seminar.
Fiona Young – Completion seminar on 16 October 2020
“Learning environment affordances: bridging the gap between potential, perception and practice”
Abstract: New educational spaces are increasingly being designed as innovative learning environments (ILEs), exhibiting a wider range of affordances for learning than traditional classrooms. Nevertheless, little is known about how the affordances of ILEs are being actualised (i.e. used). This study clarifies the concept of affordances within the context of learning environments and identifies how teachers can be supported to take advantage of the affordances of ILEs to enhance student deep learning. The strategies identified related to infrastructure, school organisation and teacher practice.
Supervised by Dr Benjamin Cleveland, A/Prof Wesley Imms & A/Prof Kenn Fisher.
Dan Murphy - Completion seminar on 27th August 2020
“Relationships between innovative learning environments, teacher mind frames and deep learning”
Abstract: This study investigated if deep learning is higher among students in schools where innovative learning environments (ILEs) predominate. Instruments to gauge deep learning and teacher mind frames identified by Hattie were validated and used in a comparison study. Deep learning and teacher mind frames were greater in ILE schools. Findings support continued investment but further investigation should identify variables present in ILEs that increase the likelihood of students engaging in deep learning.
Supervised by Prof John Hattie & A/Prof Wesley Imms.
Design for Health and Wellbeing
The Specialist and Graduate Certificates in Design for Health and Wellbeing will launch in July 2021. Associate Professors Clare Newton and Kenn Fisher of LEaRN have been developing the Design for Health and Wellbeing courses to highlight the significant role of the built environment in health and wellbeing. We are delighted to have Associate Professor Christhina Candido join the teaching team to coordinate the first subject, titled ‘Designing WELL’ (previously EBD Design for Health and Wellbeing). The name change reflects closer links to the WELL Building Rating system, of which Christhina is a Faculty member. The two other online subjects in development focus on tools for ‘User Experience (UX) Design’ and ‘Applied Design Thinking’.
LEaRN@Home series
Episode 1: Design for Health and Wellbeing now available
Watch our first episode of the LEaRN@Home series, where A/Prof Clare Newton discussed the topic of Design for health and wellbeing with our guests: Simon Goodrich (Portable), Ken-Yi Fong (Arup Australasia) and Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick (Melbourne Graduate School of Education).
Learning Spaces & Special Educational Needs (LS & SEN) Updates
Australia has been taking strides towards inclusive school design for a number of decades, but with little clarity on what an inclusive design should actually look like.
How do we make all schools inclusive? Dr Ben Cleveland and Dr Scott Alterator will be speaking at the inaugural School Building & Maintenance Summit on 28 October 2020. Ben has also recently shared valuable insights on inclusive designs for school environments.
Plans to Pedagogy (P2P) UpdatesThe P2P research team has recently published an article, titled Teachers as Embedded Practitioner-Researchers in Innovative Learning Environments, in the Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal. Read the abstract in the Publications section below. |
Academic Workplace Evaluation (AWE)The AWE research has been in hiatus during Melbourne’s lockdown but we look forward to continuing research as we work through the lessons from this disruptive moment of working from home. How will the academic workplace transform as we gradually return to a mix of F2F and remote work? We welcome the arrival of Associate Professor Christhina Candido, joining the University of Melbourne from Sydney, bringing extensive expertise on Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) and Indoor Environmental Quality. |
Upcoming events
MSD at Home Webinar Schools of the Future: Vertical, Viral, Virtual?21 October 2020 1-2pmTraditional models of educating school children in Australia have seen significant changes in recent years. Derek Scott (CEO and Principal, Haileybury) and Richard Leonard (Director, Hayball, whose projects include South Melbourne Primary School and Richmond High School) will discuss with LEaRN's Associate Professor Clare Newton what the future of learning might look like for our children. |
LEAustralasia Webinar |
Recent publications
Article |
Article |
Report |
Report |
Report |
Presentation |
Report |
Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN)
The University of Melbourne
VIC 3010 Australia
sites.research.unimelb.edu.au/learn-network
CRICOS Provider Code: 00116k
 |  |  |
The University of Melbourne
