Hostile Design In Education
The Hidden Cost of many well-Intended actions Taken by Educators
Have you ever been in charge of something in your classroom or around your school that didn’t make you feel good when watching student reactions? I’m thinking of the ways in which we give detention, a bad grade according to policy, seating arrangements or other elements of student life that can leave an unsavory feeling in your mind. It might be an example of hostile design, just as urban design has public benches that prevent rough sleeping of the unhoused, schools punish forgetfulness for missing homework, tardiness when students aren’t responsible, and poor grades for learning behaviors rather than for ability. Many times our actions in schools are similar to to that of the park bench that prevents rough sleeping in one critical way… from Educators as Designers: The Hidden Architecture of Learning
“Just as in the urban environment, these instances of hostile design aim to deter unwanted student behaviors and outcomes, but neglect to the root causes of the problems they address.”
Hostile Design in Schools
A few particular examples come to my mind when I think of hostile design in schools. The first comes from my own career when a colleague recommended that I join her and issue homework, tardy and materials slips to student who are in violation of our expectations. Participating annoyed my students and left me with a sinking feeling that I might be doing more harm than good. Soon after, I quietly quit, likely because I didn’t have the vocabulary to explain why I didn’t like what was happening.
Hostile Design in Schools
The second example comes from my own childhood. A teacher I had as an elementary school student punished those who didn’t turn in their homework, those who had behavior problems and other offenses by moving their popsicle stick from the recess can to the detention can. I often forgot my homework, making those cans with student names on sticks a focus of my dislike for school that year. This left me with no choice one day but to take action and get a recess that I desired… for that story, please check out my book.
Hostile Design in Schools is a frame for our thinking that allows us to see what had been in front of us our entire carriers: actions, policies and a school environment that does not solve the underline problems students face. Rather, hostile design in schools pushes away unwanted behaviors without addressing the causes. Furthermore, it pushes the responsibility of learning positive habits and other behaviors squarely onto the students and away from the educator.