1.
REDESIGNING CLASSROOMS FOR THE FUTURE:
GATHERING INPUTS FROM STUDENTS, TEACHERS
AND DESIGNERS
Valencia, 6 March 2017
Neuza Pedro, Patrícia Baeta, Alexandra Paio, Ana Pedro, João Filipe Matos
Institute of Education- University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL)

2.
INTRODUCTION
There has been an increasing pressure for the development of more updated teaching and learning
practices in all school levels. Yet some relevant aspects of the learning process has been underestimated.
Recent studies have focused on how learning spaces can promote innovation.
A study, developed in the UK primary schools, involving 153 classrooms and 3766 pupils, proved that design
parameters can explain 16% of the variation in pupils' academic progress (Barrett et al., 2015)
This study focused on the analysis of the sensorial impact of environmental factors of classrooms’ space and
schools building on students’ performance. The authors listed 10 parameters related to classrooms design that
were organized around three principles:
 Naturalness (proximity with the outside, light, temperature, sound and air quality);
 Individualization (flexibility, sense of ownership and connection);
 Stimulation (complexity and colour)

3.
CONTEXT: PROJECT TEL@FTELab
The Project TEL@FTELab - Technology Enhanced Learning @ Future Teacher Education Lab
is a 3-year research project coordinated by the Institute of Education of University of Lisbon
Main goal:
 Rethinking initial teacher education for the way future schools and classrooms could look like and therefore
aiming to constitute a specially designed learning space for promoting the skills that teachers need to have
to proficiently act as professionals in these future environments
1st phase of the project: Design and setup of the Future Teacher Education Lab
a reconfigurable space organized in different zones where new learning scenarios enriched with digital
technologies are experimented in teachers’ initial and continuous training.

4.
“WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?”
METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES
A qualitative research study was conducted by using a Participatory Design Methodology. This approach involves
the “users” on the process of designing spaces and buildings.
Subgroups Nº of participants at phase 2
1. In-service teachers group 7
2. Preservice teachers group 7
3. Undergraduate students group 4
4. Architects and interior designers group 3
Total 21

5.
“WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?”
METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES
• The data collection process was constituted by 4 phases:
Phase 1: Sensitizing phase (where participants were asked to fill up a postcard with their
individual vision of a future classroom environment)
Phase 2: Exploration of a collective vision of the past, present and future classroom of all the
participants
Phase 3: Collective development of a 3D Model of the future classroom through the construction
of mock-ups
Phase 4: Development of a Virtual Reality 3D scenarios of the future classroom based of the
inputs of previous stages and evaluation of these scenarios by the participants.

6.
METHODOLOGY: Data Collection procedures
• Data collection took place between March and May 2016 in 4 different occasions (one session for each
subgroup)
• The sessions were run at a conference room, taking 60-90 minutes each. A projective technique, involving
the recall of past memories, the vision of present moment and ideal future was used.
The main aim of these sessions was to:
i. Encourage participants to reflect on the main differences between past and present learning
environments, on a comparative perspective
ii. Collect participants vision and ideas regarding what makes a future classroom successful
iii. Understand what characteristics were seen as relevant in the design of a future classroom and how
these differ in level of importance

7.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 toolkit
Task 1 and 2

8.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 outline
Task 1

9.
Task 2
 Participantes were asked to draw three concentric
circles and hierarchically display their ideas about
the future classroom in it.
 In the most inner circle, they should place words,
icons and images representing what they saw as
the most relevant concepts for the design of a
‘future classrooms’ and in the outer circle they
should place important ideas, even though they
were seen as less relevant.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 outline

10.
Task 1 and 2
 Participants were given 20
minutes to complete the activities
and 5 minutes to present the
outcome to the all group.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: Phase 2 outline

11.
DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS
• In order to analyse the cardboards created in task 1 and 2, the
research team looked at three main sources:
1) The groups’ oral presentations, video recorded
2) The images, icons and words chosen as key concepts
3) The displayed level of importance of those components in the
inner circle, middle circle and outer circle of task 2

12.
RESULTS: Task 1 (Past and Present classroom)
It was possible to notice that most participants represented these two realities by focusing on a traditional way of
teaching: Students being represented in individual seats facing the front of the room where the teacher and the
chalk board are positioned.
On the past classrooms:
 Participants referred to frequent requests for silence, lack of interactivity and the
rigidity of the environment.
On todays’ classrooms:
 Participants referred that teacher still take the central role in the classroom, not only
in managing the space but also on setting up the pace for the learning process.

13.
RESULTS: Task 2 (Future Classroom): Image selection
• The images selected by participants show not only technology
assisted learning environments, but also active students
working in collaboration in a variety of spatial layout
arrangements
“We claim for classrooms with high interactivity and
flexibility, allowing for students to engage in different
activities which can be carried out in the same room”
• The informality of some of the spaces presented on the
images also stood out.
• An open space classroom environment was also emphasised.

14.
RESULTS: Task 2 Icon selection
• Icons were the least selected items to be placed on the white cardboard. In the 9 groups’ cardboards only 6
icons were used
• The most selected icon was the Wi-Fi connectivity symbol. It highlights the importance participants gave to
the internet access in a future classroom environment
• The other selected icons were chosen only once.
The most selected icon (placed 3 times
on the white cardboards)
Three icons selected only by one group of participants

15.
RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection
• At the total 64 words were displayed
in the cardboards
• Strong emphasis on collaboration
and participation
• The words ‘creation’, ‘flexibility’ and
‘technology’ was also frequently
referred
Word (original language Translation Number of times word was selected
colaboração colaboration 6
alunos participativos
participative
students 5
criar create 4
flexibilidade flexibility 4
tecnologia technology 4
comunicação communication 3
criatividade creativity 3
espaço space 3
feedback feedback 3
imaginar imagine 3
inovação inovation 3
interação interaction 3
aprender learn 2
autonomia autonomy 2
construir construct 2
dinâmico dinamic 2
experiência experience 2
falar talk 2
inclusão inclusion 2
rede wireless internet wireless 2
respeito respect 2
social social 2
Total 64

16.
mi
RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection level of relevancy
Focusing only in task 2 cardboards, it was
possible to see that:
• inner circle = ‘collaboration’ and
‘creation’
• middle circle = ‘participative students’
and ‘technology’
• outer circle = ‘space’
inner
middle
outer

17.
In order to visually combine the most
selected images, icons and words used by
participants, a three concentric circles
were designed, putting in the inner area
and in larger size the most selected
items
RESULTS: Task 2 Word selection

18.
CONCLUSIONS
It was possible to see that:
• collaborative work is seen has being the core of the future classroom
environments
• Students should have a more active role in their own learning
experiences and the classroom layout need to successfully
accommodate this
• The classroom space, along with other elements such as furniture and
technologies, should promote more student-to-student interactions

19.
FINAL REMARKS
Guidelines for the design of future classrooms
i. All the architectural characteristics of the classroom must enable students’ collaboration
and active learning, it should energise students, encourage them to move, think, act and
communicate;
ii. Furniture must be movable, multifunctional and reconfigurable in order for adjust to
students and teacher’ needs;
iii.Internet access and interactive technologies should be embedded in the classroom and
used for educational purposes;
iv. Classrooms as any human living space must be seen as a dynamic environment, an
evolving habitat that adapts to its users and not something that has remained static for
centuries.

20.
“Imagine a classroom space that fits
the learning, instead of learning that
fits the space!”
(Basye et al., 2015, p.50)

21.
Thank you!
Neuza Pedro, Patrícia Baeta, Alexandra Paio, Ana Pedro, João Filipe Matos
Institute of Education- University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL)
More information at http://ftelab.ie.ulisboa.pt/