“If your school were bulldozed to the ground, what learning space would you design to replace it?”
Well, I graduated from one of the top universities in Canada. This university has strong research programs and it is pretty rare (but not impossible) to find spaces that are not suited for learning. There are several libraries on campus, but there is a special building where all kind of subjects can be studied, and language is one of those. It’s the BARBER LEARNING CENTRE (search this on flickr). In my view a language learning place should have the variety of spaces for the variety of uses this building has.
There are classroom for different group sizes, even auditorium-like rooms, there are tables (and couches!) for individual or group study on the halls. One of the most important library branches is there too. It also has the Learning Commons, a kind of computer room, and the Digital Media Commons. This “space includes four high-tech, acoustically buffered multimedia rooms and carrels that house Mac multimedia workstations with music editing software”. As most of the buildings on campus, it has Wi-Fi, which grants internet access to the academic community.
I taught in this building both formally and informally. I taught a Spanish half-course, and I tutored there. So I had the opportunity to take advantage of all the services. Both projectors and a reliable Internet connection were very useful to me. Little study rooms were very convenient for private lessons, as language students are always interested in some privacy for oral practice.
The University uses a LMS, and the bookstore offers all the tech equipment you may need for your learning purposes, from flash-drives and clickers to desktop computers and specialized software.
This space offers so much, that I cannot imagine it being bulldozed. Instead, I can summarize what makes it important as a model for a language learning facility:
• Rooms in different sizes holding one or two boards, head projectors, speakers, and comfy furniture for students and teachers that can be easily re-arranged for different learning activities.
• Access to reliable Internet connection and equipment (for examples, a set of tablets).
• Access to more sophisticated equipment for media production and edition.
• Tech support and training.
• Photocopiers, scanners and printers.
• Bathrooms, cafeterias, offices, and lots of natural light!
