The above video is a representation of a room in a home where I teach a Spanish class of four students. This is an approximation of that room, though there are a couple of key differences. One, while the room is always clean, it is full of things. Art, art supplies, notebooks, books, and more. Also, two bunny rabbits live in one corner. Otherwise, this is about right. By and large, I enjoy teaching in this room. The circular table facilitates dialogue, interaction between peers, and equanimity among students and teacher. Having lots of art and other odds and ends makes the room inspiring. However, there are some downfalls. The overall structure of the room and its furniture is wholly uninspiring. The many things and the bunnies serve as distractions. There is nothing with which the students nor I can meaningfully interact.
In my transformation, I wanted to consider the (user) experience of my students. From the moment they enter the classroom, until they leave, what will they see, hear, feel, and do (Interaction Design Foundation). Is it possible to curate a perfect combination of those experiences to maximize learning? The first thing I would do is transform the room itself. Breaking the four-wall convention invites a freedom of expression and flexibility in the classroom. Ideally, the room would be completely round, though some architectural tradeoffs are not worth it. I added windows around the room to create openness. I also wanted there to be some art on the wall, for inspiration, however, I thought it important for there to be additional elements that invite interaction. Hence, the “whiteboard” (which could only show up as a corkboard in the program I used). Additionally, a projector and sound system were added to incorporate multimedia elements to our lessons. The other major change I made was adding plants. Clean air and additional living beings (particularly ones less distracting than bunnies) bring additional vibrancy and energy to a space.
When thinking about UX Design and the Universal Design for Learning, I am flooded with ways a space creates opportunities for students to learn better. Optimizing a space with Engagement, Representation, Action & Expression, and the student experience in mind transforms the classroom and the student experience. In this redesigned space, students are encouraged to leave the table, sketch out ideas, search for new information, and engage with the material (and one another) with fewer distractions.
References:
Daniel Farmer. (2023, December 10). Spanish Room Transformation [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/gOK0vThMEFs
Interaction Design Foundation. (2023, August 12). User Experience (UX) Design. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design