Purpose

To deliver a plan in which design principles support 21st century learning with a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) focus.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Jamie Tubbs's Thoughts

From the morning:
The word "flexible" came up again and again.  At each school, building in flexible space was a goal, but in order to fully realize 21st Century learning goals, there also had to be flexible furniture and a flexible schedule. 

What does this mean? Obviously, the current model that we have in our school (and in the vast majority of schools in general) is far too rigid.  Side-by-side classrooms (rather than the other models we discussed) with little space for collaboration, desks in rows, and a 43 minute bell system now seems so 20th Century.   I really like the idea of classrooms as "innovation spaces," which leads to my thoughts of the afternoon.

From the afternoon:
The idea of building innovation spaces rather than classrooms was my big take-away of the day.  Just the use of that term completely changes the way one thinks about how to design a classroom and the expectations of the type of learning that is supposed to take place within it.  These spaces be built with flexible space, flexible furniture, with a focus on enhancing collaboration.  They would also be digital--various forms of technology would need to be available for student use at anytime. 







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