In order for us to create a space that both teachers and students would enjoy, we needed to hear what they wanted from the outdoor classroom directly. We thought of different questions and different approaches to find out what people wanted. Here is the link to the Survey. the whole class contributed different ideas for what should be asked, how certain questions should be phrased, and how even the survey should be presented. Here are the questions that we asked
1. which of the following spaces would you use? 2. which tools/materials would you need to make this space functional for you? (ex. whiteboard, wifi..) 3.What would you use this space for? 4. What would be the most useful arrangement of seating? 5. Which location factors are most important/convenient for your use of this space? 6. What subjects would you want to teach/be taught in this space? 7. What should be the carrying capacity be of this space? 8.What would you want the outdoor classroom to look like?
The results were very varied. Students and teachers had very different opinions on what they wanted for the outdoor classroom. For example, more students wanted to use the space for lunch and picnics, while more teachers wanted the space to be used for independent work. however, students and teachers agreed that the seating arrangements should be either a group work seating or an amphitheater seating. However, sometimes we would have to overlook some opinions in order to find what would best fit the needs of the school, the students, and the staff. Although it is important to know what people want when creating a public space, but there can be complications along the way that can prevent the builders from creating a perfect space that everyone will like. It was interesting to see what people look for, and the survey definitely helped us create the final outdoor classroom design.