Rapid advances in technology have stimulated changes in educational delivery. Initially, industry leaders touted the ‘virtual classroom’ as the answer to personalized learning and improved outcomes. In reality, it is the combination of instruction, technology and space that enhances student engagement, resulting in improved academic success and greater student retention.

Studies have shown that interactive classrooms improve academic outcomes. However, as we design space and the necessary technology infrastructure to maximize collaboration, we must gain in-depth knowledge of how spatial configuration influences behavior. This seemingly simple concept impacts things like adjacencies, room size and orientation, accessibility, furniture and system selection, future infrastructure requirements, and additional collaboration opportunities.

Via dlrgroup.com >

In part two of our three part series, Arnold Levin explores what the workplace design and strategy profession can learn from design initiatives adopted by schools that focus on children with learning differences.

In the first article of this series, I set forth my hypothesis that learning differences (LD) represent both an overlooked area of attention by workplace strategists and designers in our approach to developing workplace strategies. LD can also be a lens though which we can better understand the relationship between workplace design and organizational performance, based on the notion that there is a direct correlation between learning styles and work styles.

In this second article, I will expand on the importance of understanding the nature of learning differences, it’s ability to be a roadmap to better understand the importance of learning styles, and how the workplace design and strategy profession can learn from the design initiatives being adopted by many schools that focus on children with learning differences.

Via workdesign.com >

Every year for the past 15 years the New Media Consortium and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) have been taking the pulse of where education technology stands among K-12 educators. A panel of 59 experts from 18 countries discussed major trends in education that are driving the adoption of technology, as well as the big challenges to effective implementation. This collaborative effort helps to paint a picture of where things stand now and where they might be going. This year NMC and CoSN have also put together a digital toolkit to help educators and policy leaders start conversations about these trends in their community, with the hope that some of the changes they see happening in pockets around the world will become more broadly accepted.

Via ww2.kqed.org >

Anyone who has recently sat in or observed a college classroom knows: the times of lecturing to a large group of students is coming to an end. While some large universities still prefer the lecture format, increasing numbers of smaller institutions are looking to smaller groups to improve learning experience and knowledge retention. It’s becoming a significant trend in higher education, and one worth monitoring as it relates to classroom design.

via tangraminteriors.com >

In a pilot study by the University of Salford and architects, Nightingale Associates, it was found that the classroom environment can affect a child’s academic progress over a year by as much as 25%.

The year-long pilot study was carried out in seven Blackpool LEA primary schools. 34 classrooms with differing learning environments and age groups took part.

Via salford.ac.uk >

One year after receiving an Active Learning Center Grant from Steelcase Education, a Michigan high school classroom is taking stock of the changes it’s already seen in students and teachers.

Traditional classrooms are geared toward lecture mode and do not foster student participation. The goal for this new classroom was to transform an old computer lab into a space that promoted active learning through collaboration and student engagement.

Via steelcase.inc >

Tasked with imagining the newsroom-classroom of the future, Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, CA journalism teachers and students envisioned a Media Arts Center that would promote multi-platform publishing, collaboration, a sense of community, transparency and innovation.

Read the blog post on corbettinc.com >

It's all about using open architecture to nurture young minds.

Read the article on fastcodesign.com >

The seats, space, and stuff that idyllic learning environments are made of.

Students need to be in classrooms that inspire them—spaces that are light, airy, and filled with examples of work that they aspire to do. Each school will have a variety of spacious classroom settings. Some will be more traditional in the way that we envision classrooms now, but others might be set up outside or within an atrium or amphitheater. There might be desks, cushions, or benches arranged in rows or circles—however the teachers want them, as not every classroom will follow a template. 

Read the article in theatlantic.com >

Hundreds of schools, from Ivy League universities to community colleges, have remade their libraries as colorful hubs of college life. Gone are bound journals, miles of musty books and rules governing proper behavior. In are on-site cafes, group study areas where talking is encouraged, 24-hour access and sofas designed for dozing.

The welcoming touches reflect the latest thinking about the millennial generation's learning habits and recognition that students with laptops and Wi-Fi access can study anywhere, said Julie Garrison, Western Michigan University dean of libraries.

Read the article on voanews.com >

Texas A&M researchers have shown, for the first time, evidence that standing desks in classrooms can slow the increase in elementary school children’s body mass index (BMI)—a key indicator of obesity—by an average of 5.24 percentile points. The research was published today in the American Journal of Public Health. 

“Research around the world has shown that standing desks are positive for the teachers in terms of classroom management and student engagement, as well as positive for the children for their health, cognitive functioning and academic achievement,” said Mark Benden, PhD, CPE, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Texas A&M School of Public Health and an author of the study. “It’s literally a win-win, and now we have hard data that shows it is beneficial for weight control.”

Read the article on vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu >

Despite the constant back and forth on its health and productivity benefits, the standing desk—the Skechers Shape-Ups of office furniture—has gone fromworkplace curiosity to a fixture of the modern office. But there's a yet untouched desk pasture ripe for colonization by our favorite love-to-hate workstation: schools.

A handful of classrooms have already ditched traditional sit-only desks for their standing counterparts, but following a new study from Texas A&M this week, a lot more could follow. Researchers found that standing desks had a positive impact on the body mass index (BMI) of kids who use them. 

Read the article on bloomberg.com >

Whatever you decided, the clunky, heavy, built-to-last furniture was inflexible and would likely stay put for the year. Some of the more eager teachers might consider moving around furniture from time to time, but the work involved usually meant the furniture stayed put most of the time. The limited mobility not only hampers interaction among students, instructors and content but the static environment actually became a barrier to learning.  

Read the blog post on techlearning.com >

In 1998, when Don Tapscott published “Growing Up Digital” the definition of the classroom of the future was not fully clear. No one definitively predicted the full spectrum of changes in curriculum, culture and technology we are experiencing today.

In multiple school districts across the country of all sizes, shapes and settings, a cultural transformation is occurring as a result of the pull of an ever changing workforce economy and a push from students who want to be engaged, who want to create their own pathways for advancement.

Read the article on dlrgroup.com >

An experimental learning space at the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, Calif., was created with agility in mind. Equipped with highly mobile, flexible, and technology-enabled furniture from Bretford, the Idea Lab—or “iLab” for short—is like a blank slate for learning. Each time the space is used, the teacher and/or students decide how it will be configured—and teachers overwhelmingly notice that their students’ energy picks up dramatically when they enter the space.

A private day school for students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, Hillbrook has equipped each middle school student with a tablet computer they can take home as well. As Hillbrook leaders saw how these mobile devices changed teaching and learning, they began thinking differently about the learning spaces as well.

Read the blog post on blog.bretford.com >

Back-to-school conjures images of desks in neat rows, and the smells of crayons and glue. Teachers work hard to make warm, inviting learning spaces for students, but let's take a step back. What does a desk represent? Imagine a classroom that looked less like a traditional classroom and more like an artist's studio. Our physical environment, as explored in The Third Teacher, tells us what is possible in that space. What if, instead of making our space for our students, we made it with our students? This is what design thinking allows us to do.

Read the article on edutopia.org >

A decade of research from the national nonprofit group Project Tomorrow tells us that students want access to anytime, anywhere learning opportunities through the use of mobile digital devices. And K-12 leaders have responded in kind, with a growing number of schools creating mobile and digital learning environments. But this shift has important implications for how we design K-12 learning spaces to support more agile learning.

Read the blog post on blog.bretford.com >

Improving student achievement is the main priority for all schools. Research shows that classroom design has a significant impact on student performance. So today I’m looking at 5 things you should prioritize in order to design a classroom that creates an environment conducive to learning and student achievement.

Read the blog post on blog.millikencarpet.com >