How the Brain-SET Environments Formula® Works
The Brain-SET Environments Formula® is a practical, research-informed approach to learning environment design created by Dr Kathryn Murray after more than 40 years in education.
It brings together brain development, teaching practice and purposeful learning environment design to help educators and organisations create environments that support safety, connection, engagement, wellbeing and learning.
Brain-SET is more than where you put the furniture. It provides a way of thinking about how people experience the spaces where they learn, play, teach, work and connect.
What Does Brain-SET® Change in Learning Environments?
Brain-SET® helps educators think intentionally about how learning environments can support safety, connection, engagement, wellbeing and learning.
By considering how an environment is organised and experienced, educators can make purposeful decisions about spaces that support participation, communication, collaboration, movement, curiosity, problem-solving and self-regulation.
Brain-SET also encourages educators to consider different developmental, sensory and learning needs, including the needs of neurodivergent learners.
The approach brings together environment design, relationships and teaching practice, rather than treating classroom design as simply a question of furniture or appearance.
How Does Brain-SET® Work?
Brain-SET® helps educators and organisations understand the relationship between people, teaching or working practices and the environments they use every day.
Rather than asking only, “Where should we put the furniture?”, Brain-SET encourages a deeper set of questions:
How does this environment feel?
What does it invite people to do?
Does it support connection, movement, curiosity and engagement?
How does it respond to different developmental, sensory and learning needs?
These questions help educators move from simply arranging a space to making purposeful decisions about how the environment supports safety, connection, engagement, wellbeing and learning.
Brain-SET can then be applied through professional learning, training, coaching, mentoring and practical environment review.
Brain-SET® for Early Childhood Centres
Brain-SET® helps early childhood educators intentionally design learning environments where babies, toddlers and young children learn, play and develop. The way furniture, resources, activity areas and everyday spaces are arranged can influence how children experience and interact with their learning environment.
Over the first five years of life, 90% of the brain is developing. This makes the early learning environment an important consideration when thinking about children’s development and learning.
Brain-SET® asks an important question:
What if we designed early childhood learning environments with the developing brain in mind?
The Brain-SET Environments Formula® provides educators with a practical framework for considering the environment alongside children’s developmental, emotional, physical, cognitive, social and language needs.
Brain-SET® Classroom Design
As children grow and develop, their learning needs change. Brain-SET® classroom design considers how learning environments can respond to those changing needs while supporting independence, engagement, participation and thinking.
Creating classrooms that support safety, connection and calm can help educators provide spaces where children can engage with learning opportunities, interact positively with others and develop greater independence.
Brain-SET® for Workplaces & Organisations
Brain-SET® can also be adapted to workplace and organisational environments where people gather, collaborate, think and work.
The approach considers how spaces can support focus, collaboration, wellbeing and productive working environments, while recognising that each workplace has different people, purposes and needs.
Brain-SET principles can therefore be adapted to the purpose, people and context of each environment.
Brain-SET® workplace design considers how spaces can support focus, collaboration, wellbeing and productive working environments. The approach looks at the relationship between people and the spaces they use, with the aim of creating workplaces that are purposeful, supportive and responsive to the needs of the people using them.
The principles can be adapted to the purpose, people and context of each environment.
Who Is the Brain-SET Environments Formula® For?
Brain-SET® began through Dr Kathryn Murray’s work in early childhood education, but its principles can be adapted to different ages, settings and contexts.
Brain-SET can support:
- Early childhood educators and centres looking at environments for babies, toddlers and young children.
- Schools and classroom educators considering classroom design, learning needs, regulation and engagement.
- Education leaders and teams looking to connect professional learning with practical environmental change.
- Organisations and workplaces exploring how environments can support people, collaboration, focus and wellbeing.
- Educators supporting neurodivergent learners who want to think more intentionally about sensory experience, regulation, communication, movement and participation.
The goal is not to create one perfect environment. It is to help people make purposeful decisions based on the people, activities and context within each space.
The Brain-SET® Framework
The Brain-SET Environments Formula® is organised around 3 Pillars of Design and 16 Design Elements that provide a practical framework for designing purposeful learning environments.
Each pillar connects environment design with different needs of the developing brain:
Design for Learning
Thinking & Learning
Supports purposeful opportunities for thinking, learning, curiosity, creativity and engagement.
Feelings for Learning
Engagement & Connection
Supports emotional connection, relationships, belonging, participation and engagement within the environment.
Spaces for Learning
Safety & Regulation
Supports safer, calmer and clearly defined spaces that help children experience security, regulation and independence.
Together, the three pillars and 16 Design Elements help educators make purposeful decisions based on the people, activities and context within each environment.
Brain-SET is not about creating one perfect classroom. It is about making purposeful decisions based on the children, educators, activities and context within each environment.
Brain-SET and Learning Environment Design
Learning environment design is about more than arranging furniture or creating an attractive space.
Brain-SET® encourages educators to consider how physical space, relationships and teaching practices work together to support safety, connection, engagement, wellbeing and learning.
The approach helps educators consider movement, sensory experience, developmental needs, communication, relationships and opportunities for curiosity, participation and thinking.
Rather than creating one perfect environment, Brain-SET® provides a framework for making purposeful decisions based on the people, activities and context within each space.
From Professional Learning to Practical Change
Understanding the principles is only the beginning. Brain-SET® can be delivered through professional training, workshops, coaching and mentoring, helping educators and leaders connect ideas with the environments they work in every day.
Depending on the setting and goals, support may include professional learning, practical reflection, environment review and guidance on purposeful changes.
The aim of Brain-Set Training is to help teams move from understanding → applying → observing → refining.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brain-SET
1. What is the Brain-SET Environments Formula®?
The Brain-SET Environments Formula® is a practical, research-informed approach to learning environment design created by Dr Kathryn Murray. It connects brain development, teaching practice and purposeful environment design to help educators and organisations create environments that support safety, connection, engagement, wellbeing and learning. The framework helps people consider how the environment is experienced, rather than focusing only on furniture, appearance or layout.
2. How does Brain-SET® work?
Brain-SET® helps educators and organisations consider the relationship between people, teaching or working practices and the environments they use.
It encourages people to look beyond furniture and appearance and consider how spaces can support safety, connection, movement, sensory experience, curiosity, engagement and learning.
Brain-SET can be supported through professional training, coaching, mentoring and practical environment review.
3. What are the benefits of Brain-SET®?
Brain-SET® is designed to support calmer, more engaged and purposeful environments. It encourages educators to consider how spaces can support participation, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, self-regulation and different developmental and learning needs.
4. How can Brain-SET® support neurodivergent learners?
Brain-SET® encourages educators to consider how differences in sensory experience, regulation, communication, attention, movement and engagement may affect how children experience an environment.
This can help educators create more flexible and purposeful spaces that provide meaningful ways for neurodivergent learners, alongside other learners, to feel safe, participate, connect and engage.
5. What are the 3 Pillars of the Brain-SET Environments Formula®?
The Brain-SET Environments Formula® uses three Pillars of Design: Design for Learning, Feelings for Learning and Spaces for Learning. These pillars connect environment design with thinking and learning, emotional connection and relationships, and safety and regulation. Together with the 16 Design Elements, they provide a practical framework for making purposeful decisions about learning environments.
6. Where can the Brain-SET Environments Formula® be used?
Brain-SET® began through Dr Kathryn Murray’s work in early childhood education, but the principles can be adapted for early childhood centres, classrooms, education teams, organisations and workplaces. The framework is designed to help people consider the needs of the people, activities and context within each environment.
Ready to Explore Brain-SET® for Your Setting?
Whether you lead an early childhood centre, classroom, education team or organisation, the first step is a conversation.
Tell us about your setting, your goals and what you would like to change. We’ll help you explore whether Brain-SET® training, coaching, mentoring or learning environment consultation is the right fit.