Global Search

Student-designed learning spaces

Location: Main Street, Alstonville.

Level: Primary School, Kinder to Year 6

Enrolment: 407 students

Students designing new learning spaces

Throughout 2019, the school had extensive renovations across the school, with all 16 classrooms refurbished and rejuvenation of outdoor learning areas.

Staff and students identified two large spaces that were being underutilised for learning: the library and original hall.

The school engaged learners in the process of redesigning these spaces to suit the student-centred and collaborative learning pedagogies that engage students in their learning every day.

"Students took on the role of designers and architects to restructure the learning areas, so they would allow all students to use each of the eight learning modes in isolation, or in a multimodal manner.”

Kate Moore, Principal

A collaborative design process

Alstonville PS worked collaboratively with a School Learning Environments and Change (SLEC) advisor to co-design learning that would enable students, staff and parents to engage in the design of the spaces.

First, students collected evidence, using surveys, of their peers' use of existing learning spaces. They visited the local community preschool to learn about play-based learning environments, and a group of students travelled to Sydney to see flexible workspaces and new schools in action.

The school community then participated in SLEC’s ‘Flexible Learning Space by Design’ professional learning (pictured below), which was co-facilitated by the school leadership team and SLEC advisor.

Finally, students developed designs and prototypes for their new flexible learning spaces and presented these to the school community. The community voted on and selected the most promising designs for their school.

See this design project in action by viewing this short film showcasing the great work of the Alstonville PS community.

Alternatively, access the Alstonville Public School Illustration of Practice to read more about how SLEC worked with the Alstonville PS community to design their new flexible learning spaces.

Return to top of page Back to top