Education Design – Highlights from EXCHANGE 2016

Senior staff at Hodgkison recently had the opportunity to attend the Association for Learning Environments’ 16^th National Conference in Melbourne.

The theme of the conference was “EXCHANGE’’ and provided a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge, experiences and an insight into future practices in planning, designing and building learning environments.

“Today, education design and pedagogy are inextricably inter-twined in an exciting dynamic of possibilities, innovation and collaboration” says Richard Leonard, Chair of Learning Environments Australasia.

Peter Goern and Caroline Adams had the opportunity to participate in that innovation and were inspired by exceptional local and international speakers. The presentations focused on challenging the way we think about Education and looking at different ways to equip students with the soft skills they will need to succeed in a rapidly changing employment market. Together with teaching the core curriculum, there were examples shared of school environments engaging children to develop the ability to learn how to learn, problem solve and think critically as well as building confidence, presentation, collaboration and team skills.

They visited some innovative education settings including:

• The University of Melbourne’s Studio Five, which was designed with the intention of facilitating improved pedagogic practices in a tertiary arts precinct.
• Froebel Early Learning Centre, where smart insertions into the building, logical and functional external space allocation and sensitive landscape detail allow for meeting and interaction at varying levels.
• Caulfield Grammar School, showcasing classrooms and collaborative areas that will support the future evolution of learning.
• Officer Education Hub, a good example of how community and school connecting beyond the school gates.

At Hodgkison, we look forward to using this knowledge to provide you with the very latest in contemporary education design and assisting you in the planning and building of better learning environments.