The Space: A Guide For Educators Paperback – June 8, 2016

This book was beautiful, the only way I could explain the way it is written. When I received it in the mail, my son asked, "is this one of those activity books for grown up?" Yes it is, son.But the book was not only designed in a way that was pleasing to the eye, it really got me thinking. I kept reflecting on my classrooms over the years and I could see how some of the classroom worked and others didn't. How often did I put the room together to make it easier for me as a student instead of focusing on my students' learning and designing a space to meet those needs.Anyone that has a say in learning spaces, from teachers to librarians to building admins, please take the time to read this book. It is a deep but easy read.

This is an easy book to read but it wasn't formatted properly Kindle so I couldn't highlight, bookmark or take notes. That was disappointing. The book itself gave a good introduction of how you might approach your classroom through the lens of a designer. Also, there are a few ideas about how you might engage students as co-designers. Overall, it went through what kind of "spaces" need to be carved out in your classroom. The ideas are clearly expressed but not a lot of depth. Not exactly a how-to book and certainly not a deep dive into using design thinking in creating "the space". But overall, it got me brainstorming on how I can apply some design principals into creating a more collaborative and purposeful classroom. I thought the chapter that they linked educational philosophies and design ideas was rather cool and really wish they could have made better connections with more elaboration and examples. I think this book is a good "first thinking" and iteration on making those connections and hope the authors do this topic more justice with more examples and details for a future text. They piqued my interest but did not convert me into thinking like a designer....yet!

I just recently purchased the Kindle version of this book - The Space, a Guide for Educators.We are creating a makerspace at our elementary school and I was looking for inspiration and guidance. This book has helped me think about what and why we are creating the space - for our students/learners - and therefore how important it is to keep them in mind and, better yet, involve them in the design process. After all, it will be there space - a space for them to broaden and grow their learning so it should be a space where they want to be.The Space gives great guidance into the design process and ways to help you make your space - classroom, library, makerspace - a positive and engaging place; short snippets of things to think about; examples of what the space can look like; and then offers ideas of the "stuff" you and your students might want to have in your space that inspires and invites creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.I would, and have, recommended this book to others. You can be new to creating a creative space or you can be experienced and just looking for ways to offer more for your learners.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it useful in considering how to arrange things in my classroom. However, a lot of the material is hard to apply to more structured non-elective classes.

Space is an excellent book for helping you reevaluate what a classrooms purpose is and how we can utilize the space more effectively. This book encourages you to question how your learning space is arranged and how that effects student learning. This is not a book about making your classroom pretty or themed but how to create an environment where real collaboration, learning and innovation can take place. Space helps to put you in the design process by asking thought provoking questions and then shows you how somewhat small changes can change the entire way you teach and your students learn. As a person that cannot properly hang a picture on the wall I was always worried that my classroom design was flawed, that I didn't use my space optimally and that my students were suffering because of it. After reading Space I have made some furniture changes that have completely inspired my to take a fresh view of my curriculum that I believe will push me to new heights as a teacher and will elevate my students learning to new levels. This book is a MUST for all educators and administrators.

The Space is more than just a guide for educators, it is a true handbook for rearranging our thoughts and understanding of how space impacts learning. With a student-centered approach, Hare and Dillon weave us through a beautiful and visually rich journey to making learning space more empowering, meaningful, and inspiring. This is a must-read for any school or educator that wants to elevate their space to reach the true needs of their students.

This book was not what I was expecting. I was looking for a book with specific space ideas including pictures. Instead, it was a lot of quotes and information about what to consider when designing spaces for students to learn (i.e. get student voice, etc.). It seemed repetitive as well. I was looking for something that helped me think more creatively about designing learning spaces for the 21st century.

I just purchased the Kindle version of this book. It's all black and white except the cover. Is the paperback copy in color? Since the authors talk about color palette and the book is about design, I had high expectations for the visual layout.