Announcing a Public Forum on learning environments in schools

Image credit: Holy Cross College, Western Australia. EIW Architects. Photographer: Douglas Mark Black Photography.

Pursuing that elusive evidence about ‘what works’ in learning environment design and use.

Brief opening speeches from leaders in design, education and infrastructure will highlight the need for evidence for their sectors.

This Public Forum is a call for action, aimed at academics, school leaders, architects and designers, infrastructure providers. It will produce a tangible advancement in our collective attempts to use quality research to improve learning environments for all students.

A series of short, timed presentations by representatives from European and UK research groups will focus on evidence – what we know and what we need to know. This will be followed by a high-level discussion, amongst the Forum’s skilled participants, about feasible ways to address identified gaps. Speakers who will presenting (in order of appearance):

• John Hattie – University of Melbourne
• Yael Duthilleul – Council of Europe Development Bank
• Pam Woolner – University of Newcastle
• Colin Campbell – Ecophon
• Do Coyle – University of Edinburgh

It will conclude with an agenda for immediate implementation of these strategies.

The event will be underpinned by learning from the Innovative Learning Environments and Student Experience project (ILESE). More than a year was spent on workshops with >250 learning environment leaders from education, academia and industries, representing 19 countries. This identified what research practitioners know of and use. It identified gaps and established a list of priorities for the next decade of research and action. Another year was spent by this collaboration designing one research strategy with the capacity of gathering the required evidence. That strategy was translated to six languages and piloted in 30 sites in 21 schools in 10 countries (n=946). To date it has produced four research reports, a validated data collection tool, and an international network of academics, educators and industry organisations to move the pilot to a full project late in 2025.

ILESE acts as one example of collaboration by those concerned with seeking better schools, to add an evidence-based foundation to our work. Come, discuss, and share at this special event.

To register

Cost is AUD $110 to cover catering. This event is limited to 120 attendees. Please register ASAP via the link below

https://learningenvironmentforumeurope.eventbrite.com

Hosted by

In association with over 100 institutions who collaborated on ILESE development, cited on pages 18-20 in
https://ilese.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Whitepaper_web_2024.pdf

Further details

Contact Professor Wesley Imms wesleyi@unimelb.edu.au or Kelly Day Kelly.day1@unimelb.edu.au