Open Learning Ireland

TFE Research Group (NCAD) Meeting

Present: Gareth Stack, Thomas Stewart, Sebastian Dooris, Emma Creighton, Caoimhe Mac Mahon
02/11/12

TFE Research Group – http://www.tferesearch.com/
– task furniture in education
Research on ‘design thinking’ approaches – formal and informal learning
Run design day workshops
Develop physical tools, furniture, technologies
Including ‘learning furniture’ and ‘physical tools to make spaces multiuse’
Both independent PHD research and TFE work

Emma & Caoimhe worked with Ré Dubhthaigh on the Hedge School initiative
http://www.tferesearch.com/2011/10/introducing-hedge-school-dublin/
– work in participative way – design for learning
– students designing their own learning environment – ‘scoil spraoi’
– participants documented via team blogs
– kids had group roles – ‘journalist’, ‘facilitator’
– started off with morning reflection time (postcard sized reflexive documentation)
=> what is their state of mind?
– also video journaling ‘diary room’ style

Emma
– would like to be as involved as possible
– may be interested in doing survey / other forms of research on randomised workshop participants (yay research)
– can invite previous hedge school young people to participate
– interested in panel on formal / informal educational space
=> perhaps Emma can invite appropriate folks / chair?

Interesting Space – Bridge 21 – part of TAP (Trinity Access Programme)
http://www.bridge21.ie/
– very different educational space
– working for last 5 or 6 years = to smash the victorian educational paradigm
– take in 4th year students
– group based learning, project based learning, technology based learning
Bridge 21 = woodland / fantasy themed
– has support of department of education / new classroom paradigm
– Email Claire

How to make a fun / non traditional learning space in a pop-up? (sans time / funds)
– empty clinical space of vacant building
– space alone doesn’t dictate effect (on learners)
=> space + pedagogic techniques + relationships + what kind of learning experience
= gestalt learning outcome
1) Furniture – use funky multi-use learning furniture
=> ‘teach’ sitting down rather than standing up (‘wobbly stools’) / or everyone standing – standing desk
2) Visibility to street – brings in community
3) non-competitive games = Art Based Games (book)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-based-Games-Don-Pavey/dp/0416714307
=> more recent developments – http://www.heliotrope.ca/about-prelude/
– ‘icebreakers’ – design games, memory games, introduction, tell a story, there is a street in Shanghai

4) Makespace by D-School (book)
http://dschool.stanford.edu/makespace/
– physical tools to shape learning spaces
5) Lessons from Open Plan School movement
– open plan spaces = noisy! & hard to manage
– how to divide?  = Makespace (Stanford) – ‘T-walls’ – http://dschool.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/T-Wall.pdf
– Julian Treasure – ‘Why architects need to use their ears’
http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_why_architects_need_to_use_their_ears.html
6) Learn from other spaces
– Sudburry Vallery
– Tinkering School / Brightworks
=> http://www.tinkeringschool.com/
– Open School movement in UK
=> new ways of measuring learning outcomes

Potential space – Near Fumbally exchange (near St Patrick’s cathedral)
NCAD Gallery – time 2 days restrictions

Change Nation
http://changenation.org/
– weekends for young people
– 10 or 12 weeks
– empowering to make change
=> presentation day in Exchange

Fablab Dublin
http://fablabdublin.com/
Eimer and Kate O’Daly
– 3D printing business in the city

H2 Learning – Digital Hub – Logan Mclane
http://www.h2learning.com/
Young maker – evening course for students

091 Labs – Might be more responsive to working together than TOG
http://091labs.com/
(also Cork and Limerick maker / biolab groups)

Coder Dojo
– Ireland (James Crook)
– http://coderdojo.com/2012/09/20/camara-ireland-more-info/
– Teaching Kids computer programming

Inventorium – Fiona Hyland
www.inventorium.org
– might be a good place for funding
– through personal contact – rather than the explicit funding process
– relationship THEN application (doh)
– Design for Learning – next Wednesday night
=> We provide social good value (rather than economic)
Coder Dojo – recently received social entrepreneurship funding
=> as did Camara and Bridge 21
– ROI as a social output

Integrating Younger People
– Get young people to run workshops
– mentoring based on Hedge School experience etc
– peer learning
– youth groups – students of those groups – experts by experience

Integrating Older People
– intel in Summerhill (Ronan McDonald may have done PHD here)
– kids teach computer skills, elderly teach knitting to kids etc
– who to contact?

Idea – have vlog station or similar – Diary Room
– similar to one used in hedge school initiative
– get OLI unskool participants to document their experience
– could be as simple as Photobooths video functionality
– potentially edit in another workshop
– user generated documentation!

Near FM / TV Meeting

http://near.ie
Present: Gareth Stack, Thomas Stewart, Dorothee from Near
02/11/12 

Near can run Workshop – how to use portable recording equipment – upload and edit
– afterwards participants can interview some of the participants of other workshops
– might serve as a means of ‘documenting’ some of the week
– Dorothee is away for November, but will interface with us after that

Clare from Near TV
– no capacity to help us document
– could film promotional clips
– Near TV volunteering next Jan – members of Open Learning Ireland could attend
=> then potentially borrow equipment
(DCTV broadcast Near TV content)

Steiner / Waldorf education
– one of the elements is using natural materials – outside, the learning city

Yam.ie
– list of arts and cultural events for 13 – 25 (tell Fabian)