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| dc.contributor.author | Mistry, Bhavisha | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-05-10T14:11:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-05-10T14:11:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-05-10 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2309 | |
| dc.description | The general focus of this study is to improve the current learning environments of kindergarten classrooms by taking inspiration from global classroom design and learning methods throughout history. The way each individual learns is different, therefore the classroom needs to be able to accommodate all learners. Classroom environments and learning methods have not seen a notable change since the time of the Industrial Revolution. Through this study, it has been shown that the essence of the design of the classroom remains the same; which is expected to be a closed classroom, with conventional furniture, and the teacher determining the learning activities. With the changing times, as new studies on various styles of learning and brain functions emerge, there is a need to customize education and cater to every individual’s need as everyone learns differently. The first framing concept of this thesis is the learning/teaching methods because the way the teacher teaches, interacts, and communicates with the student influences the way they learn and absorb information. A survey was conducted between public school and Montessori school teachers to show how these teachers implement distinctive styles in their teaching and classroom design/layout. The second framing concept is the spatial quality in a classroom. Spatial quality in general is an important concept when designing any space, in the case of a classroom it needs to provide a level of stimulation where students can learn from different environments, whether it’s natural or artificial, allowing them to experience the classroom comfortably. The last framing concept is the built environment. These concepts are studied through surveys, precedents, and classroom analysis. The way a class is designed and laid out can have an impact on how well students learn. Classroom layout is not just a matter of rearranging chairs, but of purposefully rearranging a classroom into a multiplicity of learning environments to achieve desired outcomes. How the classroom is arranged should depend on personal philosophy, therefore it would show through the outcome from the students. This study focuses directly on the relationship between the student and the classroom. This includes the growth in technology and the unique way everyone learns. One question that was focused on is how can meeting children’s needs for a modern world support early childhood development by improving classroom conditions? In addition to further learn and develop design principles for further classroom design through the question, how can we implement learning theories and environments in current and future classrooms? Today's classrooms are not designed to assist students’ learning. They need to be designed in a way where they create different environments and allow for design changes in the future. This is important because it benefits students and allows them to experience an environment that helps them learn better. According to a study, a school’s physical design can improve or worsen children’s academic performance by as much as 25 percent in early years. The physical environment of the school and the classroom play a crucial role in affecting the learning of the children and their overall development. The physical environment can be changed using design principles of experiential learning. One of the biggest concerns would be that it is not possible to change all current schools and these strategies would be recommended to be used in the design of future schools. Instead, I argue that parts of these strategies can be implemented in current-day classrooms to improve the students' learning through minimal changes and additions. Another critique would be the budget and the cost of these changes, as well as the safety concern and how code would still be implemented. One of the biggest limitations to my study that has come across in my research is design code. Code will be restricting the layout and design of classrooms due to safety concerns. Another limitation is the COVID-19 pandemic; it has restricted me from observing and investigating the classroom. This also includes the way students interact with one another when it comes to learning theories and the way each student is around another. Social distancing has made it difficult to understand the current movement in a classroom. This study focuses on enhancing the development of a student in the environment they are learning in, with growing technologies, through different methods of learning and a change in an environment where they learn by experience. Architecture and design play a significant role in a pupil’s learning because the classroom environment needs to be designed creatively and be flexible to be changed to create a modernized learning environment. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this thesis is to generate a kindergarten classroom design that is not governed by the needs of a multipurpose classroom but instead, curating an integrated learning experience. This permits the learners to be able to control their own learning through more flexible, self-controlled and autonomous exploration. The educational landscape is constantly shifting with remarkable advancements in technology and changing pedagogy. In the upgrading of Ontario’s public school system, the traditional kindergarten classroom remains largely unchanged. However, we assume that the addition of facilities that schools are currently integrating are ineffective since the root problem lies within the poorly designed classrooms, with the impression that all forms of learning can effectively be done within the same four walls. More recently, it is expected for learners to be future-proof by providing the opportunity of unique experiences in the learning environment to children through design elements focusing on sustainability, play-based learning, sensorial design, open-layout, and scale. These elements will bring opportunities that will remain relevant to them in their future when it comes to developing a love for life-long learning through refining the child-like curiosity in the classroom. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.subject | education | en_US |
| dc.subject | environment | en_US |
| dc.subject | Learning | en_US |
| dc.subject | student | en_US |
| dc.subject | classroom | en_US |
| dc.subject | Kindergarten | en_US |
| dc.subject | classroom design | en_US |
| dc.subject | pedagogy | en_US |
| dc.subject | learning theory | en_US |
| dc.subject | learning environment | en_US |
| dc.subject | spatial quality | en_US |
| dc.subject | built environment | en_US |
| dc.subject | education in design | en_US |
| dc.title | The Age of Development | en_US |
| dc.title.alternative | Understanding the Architectural Impact of a Kindergarten Classroom on the Developing Mind of a Child | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
