Thinking Space
January 2010
Tim Rudd, Kieron Kirkland, Carlo Perotta and Marisa Harlington
The full version of this resource is available to download in pdf format from the Vision Mapper website along with additional resources to support the visioning of learning spaces for the future.
Introduction
Thinking Space is a free workshop resource from CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), Futurelab and Portsmouth City Council. It aims to support people who are thinking about, or currently undertaking, redesign and rebuild projects, including those involved in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and Primary Capital Programmes (PCP). The resource goes some way to addressing a need that has been identified by educationalists and other stakeholders, by providing a set of activities, tools and techniques that can be used to facilitate workshop sessions to help people in the visioning and pre-engagement phases of redesign and rebuild projects.
It specifically aims to engage practitioners with activities to support critical and creative thinking about the future of education, related practices, approaches, relationships and technologies, and the implications these might have on future educational spaces. It also offers a set of workshop activities that can be undertaken with pupils as part of a wider commitment to actively engage and involve them in the redesign process.
The resource comprises of materials for two workshops, one aimed at staff and the other at pupils. Each workshop comprises of a set of activities spanning two days. Alternatively, each of the various activities can be used as ‘stand-alone’ activities, based on specific needs or requirements, or worked through modularly depending on available time. However, a number of the activities are themed or grouped together and work better as sets of activities that build on one another.
This resource was developed by CABE, Futurelab and Portsmouth City Council, as part of their wider commitment to developing and sharing resources and learning with and from others embarking on learning space redesign programmes. The activities were developed and refined during workshops with staff and pupils in Portsmouth schools who committed their energy, time and enthusiasm and towhom we are extremely grateful.