“If you want a team of smart, creative people to do extraordinary things, don’t put them in a drab ordinary space.” Tom Kelley and David Kelley in Creative Confidence Ask someone to describe or draw a typical classroom and most undoubtedly they will depict straight rows of student desks and a front board or screen controlled by the teacher. It would be quite difficult to find this same space design in a workplace setting. This disconnect between real-world setting and school setting became problematic at North Rowan High School as we desired to nurture and encourage students to cultivate their passions and gifts for academics, careers, and life. The NRHS staff considered that, if not designed to emulate the real world, perhaps traditional school spaces are designed especially with learning in mind. In Campfires in Cyberspace, David Thornburg posits that there are four “primordial learning spaces” which must all exist in balance for authentic learning. The campfire– the most formal setting where a storyteller or elder passes knowledge directly to those sitting around the circle The watering hole– an informal setting where ideas are exchanged as each participant is both learner and teacher, and where new discoveries made The cave– a private setting where one goes to ponder new learning by themselves, where insights are often formed Life– where learning is applied as the knowledge is converted from “just in case” you need it in the future to “just in time” to use in this very situation In traditional schools many classrooms mimic the campfire space. Hallways and cafeterias provide some sense of watering holes. However, students find their “cave time” as they study at home, and the application to life is often implied to be post-graduation. If all four of these spaces are required for authentic learning and they mimic the real world, then the question became how could we leverage the space in our school to create a balance of these necessary learning environments? Three very generous volunteers, with expertise in space design, helped North Rowan High address this design challenge. Sherry Mason Brown, a designer with OFS Brands, Jeff Austin, an intrapreneur and retired senior VP with Wells Fargo, and Laurie Korth, a managing director with Savills Studley, all joined the team. These volunteers helped us engage stakeholders to create a key piece of our learning space: the 9th grade design lab. Once a very large library with a mezzanine, glassed in office space, and two-story ceilings, the new 9th grade design lab would become the heart of our first-year students’ experience. The volunteers organized a design charrette, where students and stakeholders joined together to consider Thornburg’s spaces and the needs of our students as they created protoypes of the 9th grade lab. Combining the charrette prototypes and the designers’ expertise resulted in a plan for a design lab with flexible furniture, references to nature, collaborative and individual work spaces, a removable stage, and even a hammock! The design will provide opportunities for caves, watering holes, and campfires as students use the design lab to create solutions for real-world problems through challenge based learning. Its inherent flexibility will allow the space to change with the needs of the learner. An exciting space, alive with color and art, its design will invite the learner to engage. In addition to designers Sherry, Jeff, and Laurie, many generous companies and organizations have come alongside North High to help make the plan a reality. The full installation of all parts and pieces is scheduled for late fall 2018. Throughout the process we will continue to post about the progress and pedagogical thought driving each design decision. Here’s a preview of the topics we’ll address: Waste Not, Want Not – how Green Standards and Wells Fargo went green for the BGN! All The World’s a Stage – how a d.school hack allowed for a flexible campfire space Learning and the Environment – how a Dutch company helped us manage sound in a large open space while bringing the outdoors in How a Floor Can Be More – how carpet modifications defined space and purpose OFS Takes Us to The Edge - how flexible furniture with relaxed finishes completes the space Meredith Williams - Principal, NRHS
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AuthorMeredith Williams is the principal at NRHS. A graduate of NRHS and an community member, Mrs. Williams is invested in the success of the NRHS student population. ArchivesCategories |