On Sunday 16 July, this article (linked here) appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, and it has been referred to during various news channels and opinion programs since then.
Obviously as a collaborative teaching school with “open plan classrooms” we wanted to explore the research this article refers to further. Please note, the title of the SMH article is misleading but we all understand that is the nature of news articles, to gain attention.
*The research referred to (attached here) comes from the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology (Vic). The authors in the research studied how "*the physical characteristics of a child’s learning environment can affect health, wellbeing and educational progress. (They) investigate(d) the effect of classroom setting on academic progress (specifically in reading fluency) in 7–10-year-old students comparing reading development in ‘open-plan’ (multiple class groups located within one physical space) and ‘enclosed-plan’ (one class group per space) environments*" (Rance et al., 2023, p.1).
We believe the research referred to is sound and the findings are not surprising in regard to noise being a distraction, as we have always been conscious of and proactive in sound reduction within learning spaces of any size or configuration. It is important to note the differences between Claremont College learning spaces and the schools referred to in the research which appear to have multiple and varying class lessons within the same space at the same time. In the Claremont College learning space the students are predominantly working on the same Key Learning Area (subjects) at the same time, where our teachers are always mindful of activities that may be noisy or distracting for other groups, and they take precautions to reduce the noise. In key subjects such as English and Mathematics, the Claremont College learning space has higher staff ratios so that students can work in smaller, differentiated groups. It absolutely makes sense, and this research substantiates that students learning to read fluently should be in noise-restricted learning spaces.
*We agree that noise is an issue in any learning space*, and precautions must be taken.
- Each of our learning spaces have been designed by architects with consultancy provided by specialist acousticians, whose recommendations were incorporated into the build. A Claremont College learning space has breakout rooms, heavy curtains/dividers, carpeting, and careful consideration of activities that may cause distractibility so that students are positioned with the learning space accordingly. Over time further refinements and modifications have been made based on teacher feedback; - A Claremont College teaching team has a set of Collaborative Teaching Models to draw from to help them to consider the best teaching strategies for each set of learning experiences; and - The Claremont College teachers have the professional learning and skills to work collaboratively in a team, so they each know the impact that they and their teaching and learning activity may have on another teacher and other students, and therefore they are considerate and truly collaborating within each learning space.
The summary of the findings in the research (Rance et al., 2023), for your information, are as follows:
*"In summary, the results of this study highlight the important role classroom setting plays in the academic development of young students. Exposure to the open-plan classroom environment resulted in considerably slower rates of reading fluency development across the whole cohort and particularly in those children with relatively poor attention and/or speech in noise skills. This finding is likely associated with increased levels of background noise occurring as a result of higher student numbers and multiple class activities in the one physical space. *
*The results of this study further suggest that care must be taken if open-plan spaces continue to be utilised. Whilst positive learning and social development opportunities can be provided by open-plan classrooms, appropriate and adequate measures to facilitate speech access should be applied. These include acoustic treatment to maximise sound absorption of ceilings/walls and lowered ceilings to optimise listening conditions. Consideration should also be given to visual barriers or operable walls to minimise visual distractions. Careful intentional design of learning spaces to ensure that conditions are optimal for all students will likely have direct positive outcomes on the academic development of young students." (p.6)*
*At Claremont College we are committed to* ongoing improvement in relation to our learning spaces and teaching strategies, to improve both student outcomes and the learning experiences our students participate in. It is not possible and nor should we, restrict the excitement experienced when students are participating in STEM group problem solving tasks, while using robotics, creating a presentation for drama or during an exciting science experiment. We do promise to continue to use all available research to ensure that within our own context, one that we are very proud of, we provide the best possible learning experiences for our students, and teaching experiences for our staff.
*Janelle Ford Deputy Principal*
Ref., Rance, G., Dowell, R.C. & Tomlin, D. The effect of classroom environment on literacy development. *npj Sci. Learn.* *8*, 9 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539...
