The Space Between Rows:

Physical Space and Active Learning at the University of Toronto

Cynthia Sa

AS A SECOND YEAR UNDERGRADUATE student, on the Arts and Science campus, a few thingscometo mind when I think of physical space at theUniversity of Toronto. Memoriesof sprinting acrosscampusand havingtoclamber over someone to get to the last empty seat in the row tend to come to the forefront. It was from these experiences that a thought occurred to me while I sat down to prepare for this article ? I knew the student perspectiveof physical spacein classrooms, but I had noideahow it impacted theinstructors It was a gap in my perspective that I felt inspired to rectify.

Second Year

Computer Science Specialist

Linguistics Major

I was able to speak to four instructors and glean their opinions on how physical space impacts how they teach and how physical spaces across the university reflect theshiftingopinionsamongst the teaching faculty. I want to extend a wholehearted thank you toRadu Craioveanu, JesseFröhlich, Steve Engels, and Michelle Craig for taking the time to speak with me.

To begin my journey, I started with what I assumed was a simple question ? what makes a good classroom?Soon though, I realized thiswasa more nuanced question than I initially thought Radu Craioveanu, a Ph D candidate in the linguistics department, expressed that what makes agood classroom ismore?acombination of factors and not just any one thing? While some things were universally desirable ? like having space between rows of seats, so no one is climbing over each other ? it is hard to determine a single universal quality that makesagood room

There is no single universal good quality because every room at the university is somewhat specialized for different teaching styles, and consequently, what makes them ?good? will be defined by different measures An example Radu posited was the rooms fitted with rolling chairs. Those rooms were very well-suited for students to break up into groups and have discussions However, in the context of a course without a planned or expected discussion, the lecture can becomerather chaotic

I felt this made a great deal of sense Rooms were created with particular teachingstylesin mind, and there can be cases where a classroom can be unsuitablefor thelectureprepared.Aroom wasnot necessarily good or bad, just better suited or ill-suited to what the instructor attempted to achieve.

With this newfound perspective under my belt, instead of fixating on what specific things would make a classroom a ?good classroom,?I began to explore a different question: if rooms across campuswere created to cater to very specific sorts of teaching styles, does the assigned room then impact how acourseistaught?

Michelle Craig, a Teaching Stream professor in the Computer Science department, said, ?I think that the space supports what [the instructor] wants to do You can fight it [ ] Most of the time we don? t know about the space when we?re planning how we?regoingto arrangeacourse [ ] Sometimesyou have to fight against the space to accomplish what you want to do, and other times the space really supports that kind of teaching? The number of blackboards, projector screens, and the way the student seating is established all lend to some teachingstylesand slightly detract from others.

SteveEngels, another Teaching Stream professor in the Computer Science department, had similar thoughts He cited his experience in teaching CSC404: Video GameDesign and how thecoursehas been given various rooms over the years. ?There was one room where tables and chairs were much more mobile, and [ ] people could break into groupsof two, break into groupsof four, groupsof eight,?hesaid

And while the current room that CSC404 takes place in has slightly less mobile tables and chairs, that does not make the setup any less impressive. The room in question is in Myhal Centre for Engineering It is equipped with large hexagonal tables, and eight large monitor screens set up around theroom, all working together to createan environment well-suited to more intimate group work Which, for a small course in fourth year like CSC404,worksincredibly well.

?We adapt based on the room we are in, and the moreopportunitiestheroom givesus, themorewe can do thefun activitiesthat we know would make the classroom more engaging If we?re in a room that?s just plain old tablet desks facing in one direction, that?s going to limit the kind of things I can do?

Tofight against rooms,towork with rooms, thereis no small amount of compromise that goes into planning and teaching a course or lecture. While the physical construction of a classroom does not have a fundamental impact on how the course is taught?that still lies in the hands of the instructor?therearesmall aspectstothedelivery of a said course that are rendered more and less convenient by thespacein which they aretaught. However, I was rather surprised there was even more to the conversation beyond that Jesse Fröhlich, a Ph D student in mathematics, was the one who first brought the concept of active learning and how that involves physical space into my periphery

?A lot of pedagogical research lately has been showing that classrooms are far more effective learning environments when they?re interactive,? he explained ?As opposed to a traditional lecture where the instructor presents content and the students are expected to copy it down and ask the occasional question ?

?With these two modes of learning in mind, the more interactive a learning environment is, the more you need to be able to, as an instructor, traverse the environment. And the better the environment has to be for the students to interact with each other ?

?Many classroomsare designed just for studentsto beableto seetheboard, and not so much for them tointeract with each other. Othersaredesigned [...] without a central location, and thisallowsstudents to interact with and intermingle with each other more,?headded.

Jesse went on to say that, from his perspective in the math department, this movement towards more interactive learning environments has been gaining traction in the university He has seen many changes happen since he first arrived at the University of Torontoin 2017asagraduatestudent, citing Myhal and McLennan as examples of buildings with spaces to accommodate more student interaction.

It seemsthough that thisinterest in activelearning isfar from unique to the mathematicsdepartment Prof Engels expressed that many faculty members arefansof activelearning, although not all of them. Someinstructorscaremorefor thetraditional ?sage on the stage? approach, and more open rooms wouldn? t make much of a difference for them.

?However, for those of us who want to do more active learning or discussion-based activities, these [moreopen and decentralized rooms] aregreat ?

Another question comesto mind then ?do weneed more of these more spacious rooms to implement interactive teaching styles? According to Prof. Craig, maybe not necessarily, but it does make a noticeable impact for some students and instructors. To begin with, she clarifies what exactly theprincipleof activelearningentails

?The principle of active learning means you have the student doing something active, mentally, with the material as you?re teaching it or interspersed with teaching it,? she explained. ?A very strong student is actually doing active learning in a regular, traditional [lecture]. They?re constantly, actively processing how this new idea connects to what they know ?

But, unfortunately, that only applies to the strongest students

?So we provide a mechanism for strongly encouraging [the average student] to work actively with the material more immediately after they?ve been taught it It doesn? t have to mean working in groups, it could be working by yourself in a row But alot of what workswell isdiscussion with your peers, [...] or doing something that requires some movement so you?re [ ] actually working with the material. Sometimesthe space really facilitatesthe activity that ishelpingthemental activity.?

However, what kind of space isneeded depends on what activity is being facilitated and, from there, what discipline is being taught For example, those studying music could participate inactive learning when playing and practicing in ensembles. In contrast, others in STEM disciplineswould actively engage with knowledge through various labs. Both of these fall under the umbrella of active learning, though clearly would require different kinds of spaces ?I?m not sure about other disciplines, as much as I am about my own, about what the right activities would be to support the mental processing of new materials,? Prof Craig says ?So perhaps you don? t need to physically get around to the students, or they don? t need to be in groups, though I can? t really imaginewherethat wouldn? t help ?

?In disciplines where active learning is a big contrast from traditional teaching, the professor used to stand on the stage and speak at students who just took notes furiously. Certain rooms really facilitated that styleof teachingand otherssupport breakingfrom that convention ?

Everyone I spoke to had a wealth of thoughts on what small thingstheUniversity of Toronto can do, and has done, to improve their classrooms. Multiple power outlets, screens, and surfaces to project and display information, and even spaces that do not echo. However, larger-scale improvements?like creating rooms that can effectively handle multiple teaching styles?may still beawaysoff for multiplereasons.

For one, many of the rooms we use today were created tosuit popular teachingstyles. Especially in older buildings like University College, the rooms are even built with an auditorium-style slope The university is unlikely to invest in the expensive endeavor of remodelingtheserooms.

Another issue is that rooms built for discussion rather than lecturesare very expensivein termsof space What that means, essentially, isthat it takes agreat deal morespacetohold thesameamount of seats in more decentralized classrooms than it would in auditorium-style rooms A room full of desks with comfortable space in between will take more space than a lecture hall with seats packed together in elevated rows; this is a given For a university as large as the University of Toronto, spaceisfinite, and, assuch, needsto beconsciously and efficiently utilized

That is not to say that the University of Toronto is not making progress towards accommodating the new interests of the teaching faculty. Newer buildings like Myhal already have rooms built to accommodate more interactive teaching styles, and the university will likely continue to build more as additional buildings are constructed

Though, from Prof. Engel?s perspective, it is highly unlikely that we will ever get rid of auditorium stylerooms.

?I think they're just trying to make up for the fact that they?rearen? t alot of thesekindsof rooms,?he explained ?Sothisiskind of their way to[ ] swing the balance a little bit. But they?ll never get rid of the auditorium style rooms because they still need those for when you have a large group of people that all need tobetaught at thesametime.?

It seemsthat I have only scratched the surfaceof a rather complex topic?and I would onceagain liketo thank all four of the instructorsthat took time out of their schedulesto speak with me on the subject Their insight wasinvaluablein guidingmetoward a better understanding of how physical space at the University of Toronto both impactsand reflectsthe teaching styles and interests of our faculty, and I hope that their perspectives can introduce others to this conversation about the search for balance, engagement,and thevalueof physical spacehereat theUniversity of Toronto.