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MONTREAL, Nov. 16, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - The trendiest places in downtown Montreal have nothing on the ambiance in LaSalle College's innovative new collaborative learning spaces designed around various themes. These classrooms are equipped with ergonomic furniture and cutting-edge technology appreciated by students and teachers alike. It's the end of learning standards as we've known them. In these classes, there's no more front or back of the room, no traditional blackboards, no desks in a row. The educational institution now has a dozen of these collaborative rooms in its facilities, including six new ones. They all enable the school to better meet the needs of modern learning methods.
Beneficial Effects on Students
These rooms were designed with three objectives in mind: increase student motivation, offer a practical teaching method that supports students in taking more risks, and encourage students to think about their learning process. "Teachers were called on to modify their teaching methods to optimize the use of these new classrooms. While prior methods centered on students, the new method features fewer lectures and more time for coaching and interactions with students," says LaSalle College Academic Dean Marie-France Tassé.
Grow Personally and Feel More Comfortable
Classroom configurations provide a more relaxed, informal environment. In addition, teachers assign more group projects, which promotes a collaborative atmosphere, rather than a spirit of competition among students. For example, many teachers now invite their students to give their oral presentations in the center of the room, rather than in front of the class. This helps students avoid feeling like they are in a confrontation with the group. This helps students who are more timid feel more at ease when addressing their peers. "Since they have so many tools available, students demonstrate a higher level of creativity, as well as stronger engagement in their own learning process. According to the teachers who have used the first six collaborative rooms set up as a pilot project in 2016 and 2017, students are showing an increase in motivation through lower absenteeism rates, especially after breaks," says Pedagogical Support Coordinator Mathieu Lépine.
An Inspiring Environment
LaSalle College hired VAD Designers d'Espaces to create a more inspiring atmosphere. The designers involved in the project worked with different themes in mind that inspired the names of the new rooms. There is Loft with its industrial ceilings and red brick wall; Terrace with its real trees, plant wall, artificial turf and light garlands; Bistro with its colorfully-cushioned benches, decorative library and eclectic furnishings; and Tandem, whose floor and walls are graphically divided into two contrasting sections, one white and the other black. In addition, Éric Santerre, a well-known Montreal artist who made the winning design for the special 375th edition Romeo's Gin label, agreed to paint two sliding doors in the Loft room. He drew inspiration from the programs LaSalle College offers, as well as the locations where the network is present around the world, to create two works of art made in his Verdun studio.
Ambitious Goals
Our short-term goal is to double the number of collaborative classrooms. The longer-term plan is to renovate each classroom in the institution to keep up with new learning models so we can use the best educational practices possible.
About LaSalle College
Founded in 1959 in the LaSalle borough of Montreal, LaSalle College offers professional, college and pre-university training. Located in the heart of the city, it is the largest bilingual college in North America. It has five specialty schools with over 60 programs: Fashion, Arts and Design; Hotel Management and Tourism; Business and Technologies; Humanities and Social Sciences as well as e-learning programs. LaSalle College Montréal, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2019, is a member of the LCI Education network, which has 23 higher education campuses on five continents. This provides the College with unmatched reach and enables it to offer students unequaled opportunities for transferring between campuses, particularly the Barcelona, Bogotá, Jakarta, Vancouver and Melbourne campuses.
About VAD Designers d'Espaces
VAD team members design spaces, creating experiences and generating innovative solutions. They dream up livable spaces where their clients' values and aspirations materialize in the form of environments. The firm is composed of 25 creative professionals driven by shared passions: defying limits, knocking down walls and designing spaces that feel good to be in.
SOURCE LaSalle College
LaSalle College Press relations: Audrée Boisvert, Marketing Advisor, LCI Education, 514-939-4445, ext. 4303, [email protected]
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