News — How can school buildings be adapted to the pedagogical approaches promoted by the Quebec Education Program (QEP)? Mahdieh Hosseini, an Iranian-born architect now based in British Columbia, tackled this question in her doctoral thesis at Université de Montréal.
Supervised by professor Rabah Bousbaci of UdeM’s School of Design School, Hosseini looked at the interplay between school design and the QEP, which was introduced in 2001 and is commonly referred to as “la réforme.”
She wanted to determine how spatial design can support new pedagogical approaches based on active learning and knowledge construction, and came up with ways to align the architectural design of schools with the spirit of the QEP.
The QEP embraces flexible classroom organization to accommodate diverse learning situations, encourage teamwork and enable differentiated teaching tailored to individual needs.
Each according to their potential
“The general idea is that each student should be helped to learn according to their own potential, without standardization,” said Hosseini. “But to achieve this, the architecture must provide adaptable modular spaces, more comfortable learning environments, and the tools to make it possible.”
Her work underscores the gap between the QEP’s educational philosophy and the way school are designed. “Design hasn’t kept pace,” she said. “Most Quebec high schools were built 50 or 60 years ago, based on the standards of the time, with few adjustments for new teaching approaches.”
Hosseini believes some of the changes made over the years have in fact been counterproductive. “For example, eliminating a central space to add hallways lined with classrooms restricts educational styles,” she said.
10 design challenges
Hosseini listed 10 school design challenges: health and comfort, flexibility, technology, efficiency, accessibility, safety, the pedagogy-space relationship, aesthetics, building condition and school size.
“These issues must be analyzed in light of the reform’s three main goals: the development of scientific knowledge, the acquisition of life skills and the development of social and moral values,” Hosseini said.
She cited concrete examples from other jurisdictions, such as the U.S.: “There are common areas connected to classrooms for group learning, individual carrel desks with computers in the classroom, and small adjacent workshops for free experimentation.”
Already proven their worth
Hosseini believes architectural designs adapted to the local climate and culture have already proven their worth.
“To be sure, architecture is not the main factor in academic success,” she acknowledged, “but it can have a positive impact by removing barriers and making it easier for teachers to apply the program.
“Schools with adaptive designs have seen higher graduation rates and a stronger sense of community. So architects need to think outside the box and come up with innovative designs that can make a difference in students’ lives and learning.”
RSS