One Learning Environment for Every Child

How spaces for active learning in mainstream schools can allow children with special education needs (SEN) to learn with their friends.

The transition towards competency-based education requires us to rethink and update learning environments at compulsory schools. In the meantime, as the number of children with special educational needs is increasing, inclusion in schools becomes a matter of concern. Can we combine these two issues and find a way to deal with them?

Reiko Shimokura will present her research about furniture arrangement for active learning in mainstream schools and breakout spaces for children with autism in special schools. She will use case study evidence from Sweden, UK, and Japan to illustrate her analysis of the architecture, the layout of furniture and spatial dynamics in SEN and mainstream schools.

Speaker:
Reiko Shimokura, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture and Structural Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kure College, Dr. Eng.
Shimokura has been researching school buildings for the last 20 years. She received a Doctor of Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2008. She began her research career analyzing the utilization of open spaces in elementary schools. Since working as a visiting researcher at Sheffield University in England, she has extended her survey fields abroad. Her knowledge bridges the needs from educators, learners and society and how to design learning environments. Reiko is a member of Architectural Institute of Japan and sits on the AIJ’s subcommittee of Educational Facilities. She has published dozens of papers and conducted presentations at home and abroad.

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