Design considerations for the autism spectrum disorder‐friendly Key Stage 1 classroom

There is a growing consensus that an appropriate classroom environment will aid the performance of the pupil with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are, however, very few design guidelines available when considering ASD and the school environment. Such guidelines that do exist tend only to be in general terms. Therefore, this article seeks to highlight design considerations specifically for the ASD‐friendly Key Stage 1 (age five to eight) classroom. It will first highlight some of the challenges for those with autism spectrum disorder in a school environment and the triad of challenges faced by architects and designers when considering ASD‐friendly classroom design. It will then go on to describe the findings and results of a two‐year study carried out in conjunction with the ASD teaching staff of Northern Ireland's Southern Education and Library Board. These consist of 16 specific design considerations for the Key Stage 1 ASD‐friendly classroom applicable to all classrooms for pupils between five and eight years of age.     

Designed by the pupils,for the pupils: an autism‐friendly school

There is growing interest in promoting autism‐friendly environments, especially in a school setting. Findings to date have generally advocated an accepted reductionist or generalist approach when providing an autism‐friendly built environment. However, previous studies, while very well intentioned, have rarely involved those with autism spectrum condition (ASC) to comment on and then instruct designers on what, for them, constitutes an autism‐friendly learning environment. If going to be truly inclusive, the authors contend that those who are most knowledgeable about ASC, those with ASC, should, whenever possible, be given the opportunity to comment on the design of our shared built environment. Hence this article first introduces some of the challenges faced by those with ASC in trying to cope with their surroundings, before proceeding to outline the development of a simple school design ‘jigsaw’ kit that helped pupils with ASC to communicate ideas for their perfect school. Used in four design workshops, secondary school aged pupils (aged 13 to 18) with ASC imparted their likes, dislikes and what was most important to them within the school environment. This facilitated comparison with current autism‐friendly guidelines and provides a valuable insight into the mind of the secondary pupil with ASC. It is hoped that by increasing awareness and then including those with ASC in describing what might constitute an autism‐friendly learning environment, it will help facilitate greater inclusion of the child with ASC into mainstream education and society at large.     

A Comparison of Tutor and Student Conceptions of Undergraduate Research Project Work

Tutor and student conceptions of undergraduate research project work were evaluated following the distribution of questionnaires to 85 members of academic staff and 136 final‐year (honours) students in the Schools of Biology and Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University of Belfast (QUB). The percentage of individuals submitting a return was 52% for staff and 38% for students. The issues considered included: (1) types and purpose of honours projects, (2) roles and responsibilities of supervisors (staff) and students, and (3) assessment and feedback. The results revealed a diversity of opinion among both staff and students about the various issues surrounding this complex learning exercise. To remedy this situation and to enhance student learning it is essential to establish a climate of open dialogue between staff and students, to share learning conceptions and to ensure that the assessment of any learning task is commensurate with the aims, objectives and learning outcomes.     

Becoming an Architect: The Role of Work-Based Learning in Architect Training

This article examines the work-based placements of trainee architects in the United Kingdom to examine how trainees become architects. The trainee architects in this study experienced varying levels of participation and responsibility during their yearlong placements. Despite this diversity, developing the trainees on placement was found to be integral to the professional role of the architect. The university-based element of architecture training focused almost exclusively on abstract design while their placements involved practical problem-solving. However, the apparent tension between these elements encouraged the trainees to integrate architectural theory and practice while on placement so they developed both aesthetically and technically. Moreover, the trainees’ presence in the studios helped to nurture fresh design and so helped to feed the central design core of architectural practice. Nevertheless, the trainees’ experience of working in an architectural studio on placement often confounded their expectations of architects’ practice. Yet, becoming an architect retained its personal significance. Issues remain, though, around the unequal access to opportunities on placement and how this inequality might affect trainee architects’ learning.     

New Labour and higher education

This paper is the first part of an edited version of a Keynote Presentation delivered at the AUA Annual Conference, Queen's University Belfast, on 11 April 2006. The second part will appear in the next issue of perspectives.     

“Inside out”: a collaborative approach to designing schools in England, 1945–1972

This article explores the European dimension of a collaborative approach to school design through the lives and relationships of a group of key individuals who in England set about transforming school in the post‐war era. The philosophy and practice of this group of architects, educators, designers and policy makers, who regarded the school environment as reflecting the essential humanity of children and their teachers is explored through archival documentation as well as oral testimonies. The notion that teachers might be spacious in their thinking is traced through the personal histories of HMI, architects and artists who collaborated during the years 1945–72 within a culture of commitment to public service. Design from the ‘inside out’ is explained as a process that was rooted in the development of a common vocabulary generated by research through practice.     

Mediamix: a Maltese experience of educational media

Joseph Mifsud is lecturer in education at the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta. He teaches courses in classroom management techniques using audio‐visual and micro‐teaching resources. He has produced videos on classroom ecology at the University of Padua in Italy and on educational management at the School of Education, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland. He was also invited speaker to various media forums in Malta and in Italy. He has taken part in Council of Europe meetings and UNESCO projects on various areas of teacher training and education.     

Teachers' salient beliefs about a problem‐solving demonstration classroom in‐service program

Each year science teachers have the opportunity to participate in a variety of in‐service programs, with the most traditional yearlong in‐service agendas consisting of a preprogram, program, and follow‐up program. One alternative to the traditional program is the inclusion of demonstration classrooms within the follow‐up segment. This study specifically explored the beliefs of in‐service teachers about one such program; the Problem‐Solving Demonstration Classroom in‐service program. To capture participants' beliefs, open‐ended interviews, focus groups, and observations were conducted throughout a yearlong Problem‐Solving Demonstration Classroom in‐service program. The collected data were inductively analyzed to identify the salient beliefs of participants. The results of this study suggest that the Problem‐Solving Demonstration Classroom in‐service program provided participating teachers an opportunity to address their instructional needs pertaining to problem solving, develop a view of the student in the context of problem solving, redefine their understanding of problem solving, reflect upon their own instructional practice, and engage in a collegial and mentoring dialogue with peers. This preliminary investigation suggests that the demonstration classroom program may be one variation to the traditional yearlong in‐service program that is worthy of further exploration. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 141–158, 1999     

The Advantages of a Rooftop Garden and Other Things

Design education is an aesthetic and humanistic approach for teaching how to contribute to the improvement of the conditions that affect everyone's lives. This article offers an overview of some important concepts to teach young people about regeneration design and the future of our changing environment. It is becoming increasingly evident that we are immersed in vital ecological relationships and with that awareness comes the undertaking of responsibly sharing the planet with non‐human life, of the need to live within environmental limits, and of ways to create communities that enhance life. There is movement toward a transition from a society preoccupied with consumerism and exploitation, to one that gives priority to a more sustainable future. Underscoring the importance of this issue are three regeneration principles adhered to by many city planners, architects, and product designers: smart growth, sustainable development, and new urbanism. Each has a slightly different set of theories and practices but all have a common thread in restructuring efforts for cities and buildings to be aesthetically, economically, and ecologically healthier places for human and non‐human life. Students should be taught that life‐enhancing design embraces inclusiveness, is built to human scale, is eco‐effective, is aesthetically enriching, and is embedded in social responsibility     

Teacher education in the generative virtual classroom: developing learning theories through a web‐delivered,technology‐and‐science education context

This paper reports the use of a research‐based, web‐delivered, technology‐and‐science education context (the Generative Virtual Classroom) in which student‐teachers can develop their ability to recognize, describe, analyse and theorize learning. Addressing well‐recognized concerns about narrowly conceived, anachronistic and ineffective technology‐and‐science education, this e‐learning environment aims to use advanced technologies for learning, to bring about larger scale improvement in classroom practice than has so far been effected by direct intervention through teacher education. Student‐teachers' short, intensive engagement with the Generative Virtual Classroom during their practice teaching is examined. Findings affirm the worth of this research‐based e‐learning system for teacher education and the power of a biologically based, generative theory to make sense of the learning that occurred.     

课堂交往的表现形式及其实现

课堂交往是指作为自由主体的师生在平等和谐的环境中相互之间所达成的对话、理解和沟通,从而达到每个人发展的过程。师生之间的对话,生生之间的沟通,以及在对话和沟通中师生对课程教材文化的理解、筛选、培植都体现了课堂交往形式的多样性。因此,课堂交往的有效实现也必然建构在这种多样性的路向上。     

课堂演讲与和谐课堂文化的建构——以“中国近现代史纲要”为例

课堂演讲是构建和谐课堂文化的重要途径。课堂演讲不仅可以使学生延伸课下阅读,而且也能够为其提供展示自己观点的文化平台,加强师生之间的对话交流,从而有利于和谐民主课堂文化的建构。课堂文化发生在特定的空间和特定的时间里,表现在教学活动的展开的全过程。和谐、生动、活泼的课堂文化不仅有利于激发学生学习的主动性,而且也会提高教师的教学兴趣和激情,营造良好的课堂气氛。     

共生理念引领下的共生性课堂建构

共生是建立在对生命关怀和对异者接纳的基础上,通过平等对话和理性竞争,达成相互促进、共同发展的理想生存状态。在共生理念引领下的课堂教学要扭转忽视生命特性的工具取向．尊重师生生生命活动的自主性和多样性,强调理解、对话与合作,达成全面的共生理想,在教学目标、教学内容、课堂管理、教学环境、教学评价和师生关系等六个方面体现出新的价值取向．进而构建出符合共生理念、以其生性为典型特征的新型课皆、     

How do we create ASD‐friendly schools? A dilemma of placement

Scope exists within the Northern Ireland (NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)‐friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD‐friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such as inclusive pedagogical approach, universal design for learning and learning without limits. These are discussed alongside strategies to enact core inclusive principles of equity, participation and belonging. However, the need for ASD‐specific approaches and schools is also recognised. Our perspectives as educators influence pedagogy, attitudes and approaches to educating autistic children. A social constructivist consciousness is fundamental to moving from deficit SEN rhetoric to creating enabling education for autistic young people. The question of how to achieve this is answered within this article. The use of identity‐first language is preferred by a large proportion of the autism community; therefore the term ‘autistic child’, rather than ‘child with autism’, is adopted throughout.     

设计信息的阐释与扩充

设计产品与受纳者的对话是设计信息的传递和阐释过程.设计产品不是设计师的个人独白,设计师决不能"孤芳自赏",受众对设计信息有权进行不同的阐释和扩充.设计信息活动过程既包括设计师通过设计产品向受众发送信息,也包括受众接纳并反馈信息,存在着信息的相互交换,最后的设计信息是产品原有信息和受众增生信息的合成或综合体.受众的这种阐释,由于各自的文化背景、地域背景、生活经验以及形态记忆的不同,而会产生截然不同的形态联想,也会得到不同的受纳效果.阐释是综合性思维,是受众的再创造活动.不同特点的信息传播,会造成对现代设计信息的不同阐释.一件设计作品的真正意义的阐释和发现是一个生生不息的过程.     

Design Considerations for an Intensive Autism Treatment Centre

Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) who display severe and challenging behaviour sometimes require centre‐based intensive applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy to meet their health, safety and educational needs. Unfortunately, despite the need for centre‐based treatment, there is a paucity of empirical research on building and programme design features that influence positive behavioural outcomes for individuals with ASD. We surveyed professionals who had experience providing services to the ASD population regarding the building design and policy features that could facilitate treatment. This article highlights the features that were highly endorsed as beneficial in the design of an intensive ASD treatment facility, with the intended purpose of discovering which features create an environment in which the individuals can more easily transition into an appropriate mainstream learning environment. It is hoped that the results of the survey will be helpful to those developing ASD treatment facilities and allow them to circumvent trial and error that could occur when building a centre from the ground up.     

Editorial Review and Book Reviews

Evaluating and Assessing the Visual Arts in Education: International Perspectives. Editors: Doug Boughton, Elliot W. Eisner, and Johan Ligtvoet TRIX of the Grade. Tutor A + Tutor B Writing an art policy and curriculum plan for a primary school – guidance for co–ordinators. John Bowden Oxford GNVQ Intermediate Art & Design. Norman Binch Media in Art – Classroom materials for moving media in art at key stage 3. Tony Carroll Design History: An Anthology. A Design Issues Reader. Dennis P Doordan Surfaces: Visual Research for artists, architects, and designers. Judy A. Juracek Susie Cooper: An Elegant Affair. Bryn Youds Clay In The Primary School. Peter Clough     

The Interplay of the Classroom Learning Environment and Inquiry‐based Activities

This quasi‐experimental study investigates how the classroom learning environment changed after inquiry‐based activities were introduced and student questioning was encouraged. Three science teachers and three classes of fifth graders (n=92) participated in this study. The analysis of covariance reveals that although the experimental group students perceived that their teacher’s support was significantly lower than that for the comparison group did (p< 0.05), they were significantly more involved in learning (p< 0.05) than their counterparts. Classroom observations of student questioning and inquiry activities revealed that those students with high quality levels in asking or responding to questions outperformed their counterparts in the inquiry ability of designing experimental procedures.     

Sixth‐formers reading ‘the troubles’: A cross‐community investigation

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a one‐year (2002–2003) action research project conducted in a representative number of post‐primary schools across the sectarian divide in Belfast. The research investigated the responses of sixth‐form students to a number of carefully chosen texts focused on ‘The Troubles’. In analysing the pupils’ responses, it was discovered that, although inherited sectarian tensions persist, it is possible in many cases to encourage pupils to critically examine their attitudes and even abandon some prejudices. The key elements are the choice of texts and the need to provide ample and skilfully directed opportunity for dialogue and reflection. These findings are particularly relevant in the current climate of curriculum change, with the new emphasis on ‘diversity’ as well as ‘local and global citizenship’.