KINNARPS CL ASSROOM BY
PETER C. LIPPMAN
PE TER C. LIPPMAN, SCHOOL DESIGNER, E D U C AT I O N A L FA C I L I T Y P L A N N E R , R E S E A R C H E R .
The ideal classroom is created to build relationships between teachers and students, and between student and student. According to learning environment expert Peter C. Lippman, this is a matter of creating a classroom that enables the students to develop self-awareness, social awareness and spatial awareness. Peter is a learning environment expert from New York and has been working on designing learning environments for more than 25 years. He also conducts research in the subject and is currently working on his dissertation on school environments at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Victoria in Australia. His research covers various projects in schools in Australia, USA and Sweden. Peter is also one of the people behind the innovative Skapaskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. With degrees in psychology, sociology and philosophy, he always bases his work on scientific evidence. for groups of four students, while the tables and sofas at the front are for groups of eight.
Whether we are talking about today or tomorrow, a modern learning environment enables the teacher to move around the room and have direct contact with each student.
“The grouping of the furniture is based on research into group work, where the groups can consist of up to eight people, but then gradually break up into groups of four, and then two. The larger groupings are right at the front, so they are easily accessible for the teacher. By creating these various groupings, the teacher can easily integrate with all the students in the room.” This type of furnishing has many advantages. A larger
A CLASSROOM WITH VARIATION
number of smaller groups is easier to manage. The teacher
“This room for classes 7 to 9 has been planned to be used
can focus on the whole class, and if necessary circulate
for large group meetings, group work and individual work.
among the groups and talk to them directly. Plus, each
The best thing is that teachers and students can switch
student can focus on the work tasks individually. To put
seamlessly between different activities,” Peter explains.
it simply, every student has a place in the room. Another
The hard architecture in the room, such as the walls
advantage of this arrangement is that all the students can
and windows, is based on existing classrooms he has
focus their attention towards the front of the room at the
worked with in his Swedish projects. The concept of the
same time as they have their own personal space - an
arrangement of the room is based on his ideas and his work
invisible bubble around them – which can be extended or
in the USA, Australia and Sweden. Right at the back of the
shrunk depending on what activity they are involved in and
room, perpendicular to the wall, are high benches designed
who they are cooperating with.
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