“For too long, schools have been places young people go to watch their teachers work.”
Teachers make generations of difference – impacting the children we teach today, their children and their children. Having a great education creates great opportunity, and opportunities for future generations.
The environment where that learning takes place is vital. If our intent is to inspire collaboration, we must have spaces that allow for this. Likewise, if the intent is critical thinking, there has to be places to be by yourself, to read, ponder and write. We need to consider not only the desks and chairs, but also the scenarios we are designing for. A boring, didactic, teacher-led lesson isn’t made any less boring because I’m sitting on a comfortable chair.
Learning spaces are also a question of equity. What works for one child won’t necessarily work for another. One may prefer working at a traditional desk while another will feel more comfortable on the floor. Every child deserves the education that is right for them.
Watch John Fischetti’s full video blog below:
Criterion’s series of School conferences cover topics including STEM, Digital Technologies, Learning Space Design and more. View upcoming events here.
Submitted by John Fischetti
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John, your blog is “spot on!”
The modalities of learning are codependent in my mind with the physical design of classrooms. Classrooms should be designed for those students who need space to bounce, stand, sit and pace while they are learning. They also should be designed with variable lighting in order to serve the students who need blue walls and full spectrum lighting. We have known for quite sometime that fluorescent lighting and white walls can exacerbate negative student behavior which in turns effects learning. Desks should be designed for the student who needs to use earphones to block disturbing sounds or to listen to soothing music. If we are in fact trying to teach the whole child then examining the physical spaces in which they learn is critical. As leaders and teachers, we should work to incorporate these things when they have not been included in the design of our schools and classrooms.