make space

As made evidenced by the banner of this website (and the title of my classroom website), I hold the book Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration in high regard.  I even have it along side the physical copy of my commonplace book. 

Make Space is a book put out by the d.school [design school] at Stanford.  It was created to help people create spaces that foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration (all three ideas build a foundation from which classrooms should be build). 

This book is has multiple types of entries interwoven to maintain engagement and provide multiple entry points throughout the text.  The different sections are: 

• "Tools--tips on how to build everything from furniture, to wall treatments, and rigging
• Situations--scenarios, and layouts for sparking creative activities
• Insights--bite-sized lessons designed to shortcut your learning curve
• Space Studies--candid stories with lessons on creating spaces for making, learning, imagining, and connecting
• Design Template--a framework for understanding, planning, and building collaborative environments"

I use this book to give me ideas for things to build in my classroom, how I should structure the space to optimize flow, and just as a source to spark classroom design ideas.  I will have many posts taken directly from my journal [which in turn was inspired by this book].  I regularly use it as a reference to help me synthesize my image of a perfect classroom [one that is always changing].

Contemporary design is a passion of mine, and this book only fans the flames.

Amazon Description: 

"If you are determined to encourage creativity and provide a collaborative environment that will bring out the best in people, you will want this book by your side at all times." --Bill Moggridge, Director of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

"Make Space is an articulate account about the importance of space; how we think about it, build it and thrive in it." --James P. Hackett, President and CEO, Steelcase

An inspiring guidebook filled with ways to alter space to fuel creative work and foster collaboration.

Based on the work at the Stanford University d.school and its Environments Collaborative Initiative, Make Space is a tool that shows how space can be intentionally manipulated to ignite creativity. Appropriate for designers charged with creating new spaces or anyone interested in revamping an existing space, this guide offers novel and non-obvious strategies for changing surroundings specifically to enhance the ways in which teams and individuals communicate, work, play--and innovate.

Make Space is a new and dynamic resource for activating creativity, communication and innovation across institutions, corporations, teams, and schools alike. Filled with tips and instructions that can be approached from a wide variety of angles, Make Space is a ready resource for empowering anyone to take control of an environment.