Liverpool John Moores University Teaching and Learning Conference, 17th & 18th June 2015 How does a university come to understand how space shapes learning? This short paper reflects on the methods we have developed at Sheffield Hallam University which have involved senior managers, students, developers, teachers, information specialists, researchers, facilities managers, and others, in walking the campus together in open conversation. A series of ongoing ‘space walks’ have modelled active informal and liminal learning; literally using the spaces actively to learn and reformulate the ways we, as a university, reimagine learning. By walking the formal, informal and blended campus, as a response to committee meetings, we have challenged our ways of thinking. Using smart technologies to capture our thinking, we have walked and talked, listened and observed, and picked up and moved things together. This way of learning has changed the dynamic of important and organisationally complex discussions as we have reviewed not only our learning and teaching spaces, but our thinking about good teaching itself. Alongside our mixed group walks we have begun to develop a set of design principles and a typology of learning spaces which we can use together to design and evaluate our spatial and temporal needs. The presentation will explain what we have done so far and will include some extracts of the video conversations we make as we walk. In response to this presentation we will consider how we are learning together in this conference today and the influence of the spaces we are using on the way we are learning and what is learnt. Together we will reflect on the space we are in, and those we have already experienced. In our work we have learnt space is often invisible to the learner and teacher. Our discussion will reveal its influence. The participants will consider: • the significance of the physical and virtual spaces they use as teachers and learners; • the relationship of active learning to informal learning as part of a shift away from over formulated and delivered learning; • mobile ethnography as a rich, qualitative research methodology.

1. Andrew Middleton
Head of Academic Practice & Learning Innovation
@andrewmid
Spacewalking
a mobile ethnography, principles and typography to learning about learning spaces
jordi.martorell CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2. Introduction
What comes first? Who comes first?
Learning spaces - a story of disconnects
 L&T
 IT (infrastructure, development…)
 AV
 Facilities
 Timetabling
 Online
 (…Academics?)
 (…Students?)
Yet investment decisions are made!
Found Animals Foundation CC BY-SA 2.0

3. How does a university come to understand
what space means?
What does space mean to you?
In pairs compare your answers
Doug CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

4. Fixed
Physical Virtual
Informal
Formal
Social
Independent
Psychological
Instrumental
Co-operative
Isolated
Active
Passive
Teach
Learn
Asynchronous
Synchronous
Open
Closed
Provided
Personal
Flexible
What do we talk about?
tanakawho CC BY-NC 2.0

5. Fixed
Physical Virtual
Informal
Formal
Social
Independent
Psychological
Instrumental
Co-operative
Isolated
Active
Passive
Teach
Learn
Asynchronous
Synchronous
Open
Closed
Provided
Personal
Flexible
So, it's complex!
The Third Space
recognising space
holistically
and equally
tanakawho CC BY-NC 2.0

6. Spacewalking..?
 Invite a group e.g. senior managers, subject group, students,
mixed...
 Schedule 2 hours well in advance
 Devise a route to feature 'beauty spots' or 'problem spaces'
 Invite each walker to nominate a "viewpoint" or pause space
 Meet at the start point and model the methodology
 Start walking and talking!
 Keep to a 'map' (schedule)
 Facilitate the walk: always bring it back to learning
Tim Green CC BY 2.0

7. Video
Annette Dubois CC BY-NC 2.0

8. Video

9. Revealing the invisible
Facilitate by having a language - typology
Discuss:
 Learning space principles
 Dominant teaching and learning approaches
 Capacity
 Flexibility
 AV
 Components (furniture, walls, surfaces, carpets, etc)
 Ambience
 Connections (physical/virtual. formal/informal, etc)
Andrew Middleton CC BY

10. SHARE
Sheffield Hallam Active Reflective Engaged
 Groupwork tables e.g. SCALE UP or TEAL 3x3
 Pair work and break out methods, and peer support
 Integrated personal and provided technology
 Immediate in-class feedback from tutors and peers
 Flipped learning methods informing deep and active in-class
learning
 Problem-based and enquiry-based with class-wide discussion
 Student-led active learning
 Facilitative teaching - teacher is not anchored, navigates the
room
 Peer observation and co-production
 etc

11. Conclusion
 Being together
 Heutagogical - self-determined routes and conversations
 Addressing complexity through authentically situated
conversation
 Shared language (evolving)
 Reflecting on active learning in actual spaces
 We are co-operative walkers!
Dachalan CC BY-NC-SA 4.0