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Date and time: Wednesday 22nd June 2005, 2-6
pm
Venue: Social Science Suite, 6th Floor, Physics
Building, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End
Road, London E1 4NS
The surroundings within which children learn and play
can influence their academic performance, well-being
and morale. Architecture, layout, décor and facilities
of schools and playgrounds all play a crucial role in
shaping the learning environment. Recent policy has
focused on the value of design in and for education,
most notably a major government initiative, Building
Schools for the Future (www.bsf.gov.uk),
that aims to rebuild or renew every secondary school
in England over the next 10-15 years. The work of organisations
such as School Works and Learning through Landscapes
also address the ways in which school buildings and
grounds relate to school standards and affect the self-esteem,
morale and pride of the school community.
This seminar will focus on recent, innovative examples
of school and playground design. It will explore gender
mainstreaming in school and playground design and the
gendered design and use of play and leisure spaces for
children and young people.
Speakers
Hattie Coppard is an artist who designs
playgrounds. Hattie will talk about her work as part
of the Experimental Playground Project at Daubeney School
in Hackney, and about her work with Snug and Outdoor,
a company of artists who design innovative play spaces.
Sadie Morgan is an architect at dRMM
(de Rijke Marsh Morgan), which won the Building
Design magazine award for best new architectural
practice in 2004. Sadie will talk about the remodelling
of Kingsdale School in London, described as ‘a
model of its kind’ by the Guardian, which
involved designing the largest space ever created in
a British school.
Gill Valentine is Professor of Geography
at the University of Leeds. Gill has written widely
on children and space, including work on IT use within
the home and children within public space. Her recent
books include Public Space and the Culture of Childhood
(Ashgate, 2004) and, with Sarah Holloway, Cyberkids:
Children in the Information Age (Routledge, 2003).
Discussant
Val Klenowski, presently Senior Lecturer at
the Institute of Education, University of London, will
act as discussant. Just appointed as Professor of Education
at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, Val’s
research interests include learning, assessment and
curriculum design. Recent work includes a World Bank-funded
project in Latvia, being a school governor in Camden,
and her book Developing Portfolios for Learning
and Assessment: Processes and Principles (Routledge
Falmer 2002).
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