GET ACTIVE
Reimagining Learning Spaces
for Student Success
Dale Basye
Peggy Grant
Stefanie Hausman
Tod Johnston

International Society for Technology in Education
EUGENE, OR EGON • A R LINGTON, V IRGINI A

Get Active
Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success
Dale Basye, Peggy Grant, Stefanie Hausman, and Tod Johnston© 2015 International Society for Technology in Education
World rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system—without prior written permission from the publisher. Contact Permissions Editor: www.iste​.org/about/permissions-and-reprints; permissions@iste.org; fax: 1.541.302.3780.
Editor: Emily Reed
Director of Strategy, Clarity Innovations, Inc.: Steve Burt
Copy Editor: Mike Van Mantgem
Indexer: Wendy Allex
Book Design and Production: Ryan Scheife
First Edition
ISBN: 978-1-56484-365-4
Printed in the United States of America
ISTE® is a registered trademark of the International Society for Technology in Education.

About ISTEThe International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the premier nonprofit
organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected
learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders
throughout the world.
ISTE’s innovative offerings include the ISTE Conference & Expo, one of the biggest, mostcomprehensive ed tech events in the world—as well as the widely adopted ISTE Standards
for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and a robust suite of professional
learning resources, including webinars, online courses, consulting services for schools anddistricts, books, and peer-reviewed journals and publications. Visit iste.org to learn more.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successiii

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dale Basye is an award-winning writer with more than 20 years ofexperience developing multimedia experiences for children. He is
co-author of Personalized Learning: A Guide for Engaging Students
with Technology as well as the author of the Circles of Heck series.

Peggy Grant is a senior content developer for Clarity Innovations.
She taught junior high English and reading before earning her PhD
in literacy education. She is co-author of Personalized Learning:
A Guide for Engaging Students with Technology.

Stefanie Hausman has been a classroom teacher, a teacher coach,a teacher trainer, an education writer, and is currently the Content
Manager at Clarity Innovations, where she leads a team of writers
dedicated to improving teaching and learning by focusing on theintersection of technology and instruction.

Tod Johnston, a classroom teacher for ten years, focused on creating
flexible and student-centered learning experiences for elementary andmiddle school students both in the United States and abroad. He
now uses his classroom expertise as a Content Developer for Clarity
Innovations.

iv

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessAcknowledgments

We would like to thank our contributing authors, Donna Teuber, Technology Integration
Team Leader for South Carolina’s Richland School District Two, and David Jakes, ed
tech leader and blogger, for their invaluable insights.
We also would like to express our gratitude to Steelcase Education and Intel Corporation
for funding this project.
Finally, our thanks go out to all the educators, students, designers, architects, andcommunity members who work every day to create learning environments that educate
and inspire.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successv

Contents

Foreword .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . ix
	Introduction . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 1How to Use This Book .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3Overview .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4Case Studies .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5Chapter 1

Learning Spaces of the Future.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7Past, Present, and Future Learning .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9Preparing Students for the Future Workplace.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
Digital-Age Learners and Technology.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12
Designing Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Students.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14
Case Study: It’s All in the Blend. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18

Chapter 2

Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25
Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Learning Models .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25
Inset: Types of Active Learning Spaces .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
Components of an Active Learning Space.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34
Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Skills. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
Technology Integration. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
Learning Spaces and Academic Achievement.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 40
Case Study: Breaking the Norm .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 43

Chapter 3

Reimagining the Classroom .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 49
The Impact of Effective Learning Spaces .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 49
Inset: Home Work Spaces.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 51
Spaces within a Space. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 52
Spaces for Optimal Learning Experiences .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 53
Classroom Furniture. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 56
Furnishing Today’s Classrooms.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 58
Accessorizing.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 60
Inset: Teacher Research on Learning Spaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successvii

Contents

Chapter 4

Redesigning Your Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
A Process for Redesigning Your Classroom .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 69
Repurposing Furniture.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 76
Overcoming Challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Inset: Managing an Active Learning Space .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 80
Case Study: A Place for Every Learner and Learning Activity .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 83

Chapter 5

Schools for the Future. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 91
Digital-Age School Architecture.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 91
Technology Infrastructure.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 94
Sustainability .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 96
Safety and Security. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 96
Beyond the Classroom. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 97
Inset: Maker Education. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 101
Case Study: A Digital-Age School .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 104

Chapter 6

Digital Spaces for Learning.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 117
The Concept of “Classroom”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
The Student Learning Experience as Design Driver .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 119
Characteristics of a Digital Learning Space .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 120
Tools for Digital Space Creation.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 121
Toward a Next Generation Ecology of Spaces.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 123
The Impact of Active Digital-Age Learning Spaces. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 125
Case Study: Plymouth Rocks Learning Spaces.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 126

Chapter 7

Planning for Active Learning Spaces.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 133
Engage and Educate Teachers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Steps to School Redesign .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 139
Inset: Interview with an Architect.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 146
An Iterative Process.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 150

Conclusion The End . . . Or Just the Beginning?.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 153
Appendix A ISTE Standards .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 155
ISTE Standards for Students (Standards•S).  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 155
ISTE Standards for Teachers (Standards•T) .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 157
ISTE Standards for Administrators (Standards•A). .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 160
References .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 163
Index . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 169

viii

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessForeword

You are about to go on an adventure.
In your hands is a ticket to understanding the power of an active learning space. These areplaces that help students develop the skills they need in the digital age—communication,
collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking—and where they become actively involvedin the learning process.
As someone who spends his days talking with students, faculty and educators while
visiting schools, colleges and universities and, I assure you these are trips worth taking.
I am confident you too would be inspired and energized by the places and people you
meet. And you’ll meet some of them in this book.
People like Pamela Kennedy, a one-time illustrator and stay-at-home mom, who now
teaches in Room 17, an active classroom she helped design in Portland, Oregon. The
third graders in her class also helped customize their own learning experiences. That’s
right, third graders.
You’ll meet Stacey Roshan, a high school teacher who successfully flipped her calculus
class, a notoriously difficult subject to learn. And you’ll meet administrators like Anthony
Saba at The Academy, a college-prep school for foster, underserved and community teens.
This school has a 97% attendance record thanks in part to the learning spaces that attract
kids and help them learn.
You’ll tour the Design39Campus, a public school in San Diego where students learn in“studios” with “learning experience designers.” The staff has an audacious goal: to change
education for students all over the world. Read their amazing story and you may want tojoin their effort.
Elsewhere in this book you’ll encounter learning spaces that expand the idea of thethird teacher—the classroom—into the digital realm. You will also learn how involving
students in their own education transforms a learning space into a learning experience,and you will explore useful strategies and tactics to help you revolutionize your own
learning spaces.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successix

Foreword

This is a rough guide to the territory with reports from the frontiers of new learning spacesby the people who have spent time there. It’s also a workbook to help you take the journey.
But it’s not just about space. I believe, as so many other educators do, that technology,
pedagogy, or space alone is not the answer. Pedagogy as the driver, supported by space andtechnology, all working together, empower teachers to be their most effective and students
their most engaged and successful.
Active learning spaces have been shown to help improve student success, and they’re realitvely easy to implement. The emphasis on space comes from what we observe in theclassrooms in schools around the world: too many remain single-purpose spaces that only
work well for passive teaching methods developed over a century ago. They don’t support
active learning. Even teachers who embrace active learning pedagogies and who know
how to integrate technology into the curriculum are handcuffed by ineffective learning
environments: classrooms that don’t support communication and collaboration; chairs
too big and heavy for students to move; desks and tables that hinder group work, mentoring, information sharing, and content creation. The people featured in this book describe
how they have changed their spaces—and how you can, too.
How far you go and how much you get involved depends on how you use this book. You
can do any or all of the following:
1. Consider this book to be an overview of some exciting new learning spaces andpedagogies. A good use, but one that only mines part of the rich content here.
2. Use this book as a study guide that examines the thinking behind new learningspaces, how people planned and designed them, and how you might do thesame. A useful journey, perhaps as part of research and planning for reimagining your own classroom or local school.
3. Actually set foot in new territory, a more responsive learning environment.
This book can be a “starting point” to places you’ve always wanted to go as ateacher, school leader, or involved citizen.
Explore this book. Complete the “Your Turn” sections, which are workbook exercises
designed to help you assess your own situation and apply solutions. Visit the sites listed in
the book to learn more about the learning spaces featured here.
This book is a trip that can take your class to places you never imagined.
—Sean Corcorran
General Manager
Steelcase Educationx

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessIntroduction

One of the primary goals educators are tasked with today is to help students become college
ready and—more importantly—career ready. If you look at modern workspaces, not justin the high-tech industries but most everywhere, you will see that workers are collaborating and connecting across every possible boundary, and with increasing frequency andurgency. Our digital-age workforce relies on dynamic and flexible teams composed ofindividuals who possess critical thinking skills. Active learning spaces are part of a movement to help today’s students become ready for such workplaces so they may better serve
the communities in which they’ll work and live.
Active learning is a practice and philosophy that supports student engagement. It offers
students a variety of learning styles and choices so that they can more easily collaborate
with one another, nurture their innate curiosity and creativity, and ultimately succeed. It
enables them to go deeper into their education and become immersed in more meaningfullearning experiences. Active learning spaces promote student choice, allow for flexibility,and provide profound opportunities to bring the outside world into a student’s learning.
These spaces also push learning beyond the walls of the classroom through blended,flipped, and online learning approaches. It represents a paradigm shift for how we think
about learning in school as well as out of school.
This type of multi-disciplined flexibility is, unfortunately, not necessarily a part of thenormal skill set that the traditional learning experience instills in students. But it is vitalthat they learn this way.
Students who become well versed in active learning—earning them the capabilities thatcolleges, vocational schools, and the workforce demand—will be far more successful thanthose who are educated in traditional classrooms. It’s not that some students can’t succeed
in a traditional learning environment. Many have. But a more modern, smartly designed
learning space offers more flexibility and more choice to engage students more deeply inthe process of their own education, thus allowing for more adaptable personalized learning
approaches that help students to achieve, well . . . more.
As schools invest in modernizing their systems, they have to look more holistically inregard to how they design learning environments (both the physical and the blended),

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success1

Introduction

where they spend their money, and how they focus on increasing student engagement andachievement. To have a facilities person strictly focusing on space, an IT person strictly
focusing on blended space . . . this doesn’t make sense anymore.
It’s important to have a variety of skills and expertise at your work table, so make surethat your decision-makers are “all-in” when establishing these new, powerful places oflearning. This means you must include leaders in finance, operations, facilities, leadership,
instruction, and IT. This book is designed to support multiple stakeholders across all teamefforts, across all boundaries, so that they may create multifaceted plans to help modernize
schools—whatever it takes to keep students learning and growing.
Expectations of schools, educators, and students have never been higher. These expectations demand the fostering of new digital-age skills such as literacy, collaboration, andproblem solving. It’s not just about having education in the classroom becoming more
relevant to the outside world: it’s about preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s job skills
and helping them to work more efficiently both face-to-face and virtually. Active learningspaces help students build these vital skills while bringing the world into the classroom
and allowing for dynamic learning choice.
And creating these vibrant spaces and environments today will make classrooms more
enduring, adaptable, and accommodating for what learning will look like tomorrow. I
hope the information and insights provided in this book will help you and your school or
district make the important first steps toward bringing the promise of active learning to
your students and communities.
—Paige Johnson
Education Strategist, Intel Corporation
ISTE Board of Directors

2

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessIntroduction

How to Use This Book
This book is designed to guide thinking about how schools and classrooms can be designed
to reflect how students learn and how people work and live in the digital age. Whether you
are a classroom teacher, an administrator, a school board member, or an interested parent
or community member, you will find information and resources to help you design more
responsive, flexible learning spaces that meet the needs of students and teachers.
This book is geared toward the following audiences:• Teachers who teach in a school environment with a traditional design but
would like to make some changes to their classroom arrangement. These individuals will find low-cost, simple suggestions that can help them update theirclassroom environment.
• Education leaders with progressive pedagogies who feel that their learningspaces are holding back their efforts. These individuals will find strategies formoving an educational community toward more responsive school design.
• School leaders and community members who are planning new buildings orare considering renovating existing schools to accommodate digital-age learners. These individuals will find design suggestions and planning advice to help
them update their buildings to reflect how today’s students learn best.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) stands at the forefront of
the movement to realize the benefits of technology-rich education and transform howteachers teach and students learn in the modern world. The ISTE Standards for Students,
Teachers, and Administrators help guide the digital transition in schools and define bestpractices in learning, teaching, and leading with technology. As you read, look for thesedifferent sets of standards as well as many of ISTE’s Essential Conditions for effective
technology integrations (2015).
Throughout the book, you will find exercises and activities to help you apply the ideas
you are reading about to your current school or classroom, or the school or classroom you
would like to create. These exercises include reflections and goal-setting prompts, discussion questions, planning documents, and activities that ask you to investigate various
topics related to the learning spaces you have and the spaces you would like to design for
the future. Of course, you can complete these activities on your own, but you will findthem far more valuable if you partner with a colleague to explore your thinking about
what you are reading here.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success3

Introduction

Overview
Chapter 1, Learning Spaces of the Future, provides an overview of the ways in which schools
must be designed in order to meet the needs of students and teachers in this digital age.
Chapter 2, Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age, describes the most effective instructional methods for helping students develop the skills and knowledge they need to be
successful, which is accomplished by integrating technology, pedagogy, and learningspaces to create active learning environments.
After establishing the importance of active learning and active learning spaces, the bookfocuses its attention on the primary learning space in any school: the classroom. In
Chapter 3, Reimagining the Classroom, teachers can find practical ideas for designingand furnishing a flexible, student-centered classroom.
In Chapter 4, Redesigning Your Classroom, Donna Teuber, Technology Integration
Team Leader for South Carolina’s Richland School District Two, empowers teachers toreimagine the classroom. She shares a process for redesigning the classroom and provides
helpful tips on involving students and overcoming common challenges.
The most effective learning spaces expand beyond the classroom and utilize spaces
throughout a school campus for learning. In Chapter 5, Schools for the Future, the bookshifts its focus to the big picture of school design and explores how spaces like school
grounds, entryways, and multi-purpose rooms can be transformed for active learning.
Technology removes limits to where and when learning happens. In Chapter 6, Digital
Spaces for Learning, ed tech leader and blogger David Jakes explores how virtual spaces
extend and enhance learning experiences that are traditionally reserved for the classroom.
Chapter 7, Planning for Active Learning Spaces, describes a process for planning a new or
updated school building that supports active learning. This chapter lays out the kinds ofdecisions that need to be made, who should be involved in the process, and how best to
make decisions that will support active learning and grow with the times.

4 Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessIntroduction

Case Studies
Throughout the book you will read case studies of districts, schools, and classrooms thathave used their learning spaces in flexible and innovative ways. These are real-life successstories that illustrate the principles of active learning spaces. In these case studies, you willmeet the following educators:• Kecia Ray, executive director of Learning Technology and Library Services,
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Nashville, Tennessee• Anthony Saba, head of school, The Academy, Santa Ana, California• Pamela Kennedy, teacher, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, Portland,
Oregon• Megan Power, teacher and school designer, Design39Campus, Poway, California• Michael Delp and Jennifer Felke, co-directors, Weidner School of Inquiry,
Plymouth, Indiana

Now that you have a general sense about what is in this book, identify how you
want to use it. Answer the following questions to help guide your exploration.
1. Why are you interested in active learning spaces?
2. What is your role in creating active learning spaces? An administrator?
Teacher? Interested community member?
3. What is the scope of your project? One classroom or a whole school? A
repurposing of an existing structure or a brand new building?
4. Who else might be interested in reading this book or discussing learningspaces for the digital age with you?
Identify three goals you hope to accomplish by the end of reading this book.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

5

CH

AP

TER

1

Learning Spaces of the FutureJ

ake Kahn is a fictional yet realistic 21st-century teen. He is a good student with lotsof friends and interests that occupy his out-of-school time. For Jake, there is no suchthing as one space for schoolwork and another for personal tasks. He is an anywhere,anytime learner.
Jake’s high school is an old building that has been rehabilitated to accommodate flexible
learning spaces. Although he takes traditional classes, the lines separating the subject areas
are fuzzy, and the physical spaces where he works are blurred and constantly changing.
His teachers take full advantage of the active learning spaces in the school and give Jake
considerable control over his own learning. For example, in his English class, for a groupproject on writing for multimedia, Jake is working with a partner on a video production
for the end-of-year banquet for his tennis team. They brainstormed ideas for their video,
created a storyboard, and then worked out a script.
Because collaboration is a digital-age skill the school emphasizes, Jake’s teacher begins
most days by bringing the class together for a short mini-lesson on collaboration skills. On
a typical day, after the whole-group presentation, the students rearrange their classroom
furniture into small groups to work on their projects. Jake’s partner is taking a multimedia
production course, so after they have filmed the scenes, they work in the media lab to edit
the video and get it ready for feedback from a local media professional. This professional
has agreed to meet with them in the evening through Google Hangouts to give themsome suggestions.
Jake is excited that he’s learning about media production because he has an upcoming
collaborative project in his world history class. For that project he plans to suggest they doa video on World War I. His professional mentor suggested some online tutorials that hecould look at and an online course he could take for free to refine his video editing skills.
Media production brings out his creative side and he really enjoys it, so much so that he’s
thinking of pursuing it as a possible career path.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success7

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

At lunch, Jake hangs out with his friends at the café-style lunchroom where he can recharge
his laptop and share photos he took on a recent hike with the ecology club. He meets up
with some students from his French class, and they make a date to meet at the library thenext evening to study for a big test that is coming up later in the week. Jake always likes
to make socializing part of his study routine if he can!
Until dinner, Jake plays online games on his Xbox, and then he helps his mother clean
up the dishes after he eats. At his usual homework time, he goes to his ergonomicallydesigned study area in his bedroom to work on his world history homework. His history
class is designed around the flipped learning model, and his assignment is to watch a video
about the causes of World War I and then do some thinking about whether the war could
have been avoided. Jake explores one or two of the recommended websites and makessome notes about questions and comments he has on the topic in preparation for a classdiscussion the next day.
Jake’s mother, Paula, owns a small bakery that specializes in weddings. Her days are
hectic, and she finds herself working on her business wherever she happens to be. She
keeps up with the day-to-day operation of her business while thinking of ways to improveand expand.
This week, she begins her workday in her home office. She checks her email and finds a
message from a marketing firm she has contracted with requesting ideas for an upcoming
ad campaign. She accesses a collaborative online document and adds some comments andsuggestions.
She arrives at her business at 9:00 a.m. for a scheduled meeting with her staff to brainstorm some ideas for new recipes, products, and improved customer service. The kitchen
has a large table that can accommodate all the staff, and she sets up chart paper to record
everybody’s thoughts. She takes a photo of their notes and posts them online so thateveryone can have a chance to revisit them before their next meeting.
In her work office, Paula interviews an applicant via Skype for the part-time accountant’s
position that she advertised on Craigslist. After the interview, she goes to a local coffee
shop for lunch, taking her tablet computer with her to surf the internet. She looks for thelatest wedding trends and takes notes on her digital notepad for any ideas she wants toinvestigate further.
Paula’s afternoon is a mixture of time at her desk working on schedules and planning,meeting with clients and vendors, and socializing with her staff. She likes to keep the work
environment friendly and comfortable. She believes that promoting a family-like environment contributes to staff satisfaction and productivity.
At home, Paula relaxes with a glass of wine and reads a novel before getting dinner ready.
While the chicken bakes, she looks through a print publication on entrepreneurship forideas that she could use to improve her business.

8

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

Past, Present, and Future Learning
Paula’s work requires flexible lifestyle, one that allows her to use technology effectively,
collaborate with others, and adapt to the demands of any given moment or task. Jake’s
school environment is preparing him for the workplace of today, the type of environment
his mother works in. But it is also preparing him for the workplace of tomorrow.
With the rapid pace of change, educators can’t predict what jobs students like Jake might
do in even 10 years, much less in 20. What we do know, however, is that today’s students
will probably not spend their whole workday within the walls of an office or factory. And
whatever job they do, and however often they change careers, they will always need thedigital-age skills, such as creativity, communication, and collaboration that they began todevelop during their school days.

Track how you spend your workday. Similar to the description of Paula’s day,note any professional activities in which you engage. In particular, pay attention
to when, where, and how you collaborate and communicate with others, work
independently, and use technology.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

9Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

How are schools in your community preparing students for the demands of themodern workplace? Similar to the ways Jake is learning, what are some additional
ways schools might better equip students for working in the digital age?

Schools of the Preindustrial Era
In ancient times, ordinary people participated in everyday tasks. This is how they learned
the customs and values of the culture as well as the skills for working or managing a home.
Learning experiences consisted of listening to stories and didactic talks, and observing theactivities of experts who were usually members of an extended family. As children grew,
their tasks gradually increased in difficulty until they were considered ready to proceed on
their own. Formal education in abstract subjects such as mathematics and rhetoric, whichwere reserved for elite classes, was designed around the transmission of knowledge andcultural norms in generally passive environments where a leader passed on informationthat students learned, often by recitation and repetition.
Throughout the preindustrial era, no special school building was required for peasantsand tradesmen to learn their crafts. The exception was for religious education that took
place in a traditional, passive learning environment through sermons, exhortations, andstudy. The learning environment for most children of the preindustrial era was the world
they lived in. And for most of the population of the earth, this level of education was
10

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

sufficient to prepare them for the lives they would lead. Their options were quite limited,
however, particularly if they happened to be female.

The Ford Model of Education
The advent of the industrial age in the 19th century created a necessity for a large numberof educated workers who not only had basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills but
who also could easily conform to the requirements of large factories. The answer to theserequirements was what Nair and his colleagues (2013) call the Ford model, or the cellsand-bells approach to education. Imagine a big, factory-like building. Inside is a hallway
lined with individual classrooms. Inside each classroom are rows of desks facing the frontof the room. Imagine a workday managed by a bell system that controls the beginning andending of discrete class periods. This approach is based on four assumptions:• All students are ready to learn the same thing at the same time in the same way
from the same person.
• Learning is passive.
• One teacher can be all things (mentor, guide, lecturer, subject matter expert,
caregiver) to 20–30 students simultaneously.
• Learning happens under teacher control (Nair et al., 2013).
There is much we could say about this model of schooling, but it hardly needs saying.
Except for some early childhood learning environments, this model calls up a school
design we all recognize, one that is still very much in use around the world, even in developed countries such as the United States. Sadly, this setting bears little resemblance to theworkplace of today, much less the workplace of tomorrow.

Preparing Students for the Future Workplace
It’s a long way from the apprenticeship model of learning in preindustrial times to thefactory approach of the 19th century to the knowledge-based economy of the digital age.
Work and life are very different now: more complex, more connected, and certainly more
fast-paced. Unlike Jake, for most of today’s students the gap between their out-of-school
behavior and their school activities is considerable, both in the skills they are learningand the context in which they are learning them. This book aims to give educators theinformation and tools they need to begin to close the gap by looking at the ways that redesigned learning spaces can transform schools to better prepare students for the digital age.
Although not the only purpose of education, preparation for the workplace is certainly acritical goal of today’s schools. Leaders in business and industry have been clear about thekinds of skills that will be needed in digital-age careers. Helping students develop theseskills is a challenge that is made all the more difficult because many future careers don’t yet
exist! Whereas in the past, children could learn the skills of a career in school and expect to
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

11

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

use those skills throughout their lives, tomorrow’s workers must prepare to use technology,
develop ideas, and solve problems in ways that can hardly even be imagined today.
Mohammed Khan of the World Bank lists some of the skills that students will need in the
future workplace: “analytical thinking, problem-identification and solving, time management, adaptability, and the capacity for collaboration and effective communication”(Kahn, 2014). According to Amber Golden Raskin, the executive director of businessdevelopment and operations at SCVi, a charter school in Castaic, California, teachingthese skills requires classroom spaces where, “students can collaborate and participate inreal-life environments where they can learn how to work on teams; that’s what they’ll bedoing in the work world” (McCrea, THE Journal, 2012).
A 2013 Gallup poll conducted with the support of Microsoft Partners in Learning and
the Pearson Foundation asked workers about the connections among their secondary andpost-secondary instruction, their aspirations as students, and the quality of their work
lives. The survey found that people who were taught digital-age skills in their schooling
had greater aspirations for learning. The effectiveness of this learning depended, of course,on the quality of the instruction. The survey found that students must have frequent andbroad practice with these digital-age skills, such as activities in the context of real-life
problem solving, if this learning is to have an impact on their work life.
The findings of this survey pose a challenge for today’s educators who want to prepare
students for the digital age: half of the respondents replied that they had developed most of
the skills they use on the job outside of school. Additionally, while 86% of those responding
said they did use computers and technology for school projects, only 14% of them usedtechnology to collaborate, one of the most critical skills for the digital-age workplace.
Clearly, there is work to be done in today’s classrooms if we want students to be successful
not only in their future careers but in their social, political, and personal lives.

Digital-Age Learners and Technology
There’s no question that today’s students depend on technology far more than their predecessors. For these “digital natives,” as they are often called, the lines separating technology
for learning and technology for fun are blurred, as are the lines that separate learning
inside and outside of the classroom.
A survey conducted by Harris Poll for Pearson (2014) found that 80% of all students
surveyed said they had used a laptop to do schoolwork during the past year. Students
are also increasingly leveraging mobile devices for learning. The percentage of elementary students using tablets rose from 52% to 66% in just one year from 2013 to 2014.
Although, at 43%, high school students are most likely to use their mobile phones for classwork, middle school and elementary students reported following the trend: 20% and 17%
respectively.

12 Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

Interestingly, this behavior occurs in school
environments where the use of mobile phones
is often banned in the classroom. Not surprisingly, according to the survey, over half of all
students at any grade level would like to use
their mobile devices in school more often thanthey currently do.
You could say that today’s young people are themost 24-7-connected generation in history. With
their smartphones always within reach, digitalage learners have come to rely on technology tocommunicate and collaborate. A 2014 survey ofteen-agers found, not surprisingly, that students
are heavy users of social media and microblogging platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter. However, by far, the most popularmethod of communication through technology
is text messaging, where the average number oftext messages exchanged by teens each day is 30(Lenhart & Page, 2015).
Of course, it’s impossible to keep completely
current with the technology that teens use themost. It seems that the more popular a particular tool becomes in the mainstream, the lessyoung people want to use it. Still, the trend of
constant connection is not likely to diminish
over time, and educators must find ways toincorporate this type of virtual collaborationand communication into the learning process.
It is what digital-age students want, and it will
happen with or without the beneficial guidance of educators.

ISTE Standards
Jake seamlessly integrates technology into all
aspects of his life and demonstrates the true
impact technology can have on the way welearn, work, and play. Consider how closely thefollowing ISTE Standards for Students (ISTEStandards•S) align with the daily activities in the
lives of a digital-age learner such as Jake:
1. Creativity and innovation—Students
demonstrate creative thinking, constructknowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
2. Communication and collaboration—
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, tosupport individual learning and contributeto the learning of others.
3. Research and information fluency—
Students apply digital tools to gather,evaluate, and use information.
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, anddecision making—Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct
research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using
appropriate digital tools and resources.
5. Digital citizenship—Students understandhuman, cultural, and societal issues
related to technology and practice legal
and ethical behavior.
6. Technology operations and concepts—Students demonstrate a soundunderstanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations (ISTE, 2007).
Visit the ISTE website at iste.org/standards for
additional resources and information about the
ISTE Standards•S.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

13

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

Designing Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Students
What does the proliferation of accessible technology mean for educators who want todesign learning spaces for digital-age students? First, it means educators must acknowledge that students not only benefit from having this technology at their fingertips but thatthey expect to have it available whenever and wherever they need it. Second, they mustbelieve that when technology is integrated into meaningful, real-life learning experiences,
students will be engaged and motivated to learn. Third, they must accept that in thedigital age, ubiquitous technology access is a given, and so it must be a significant featureof any digital-age learning space.
Another significant consequence of the technology habits of today’s students and tomorrow’s workers is the expectation that learning can happen anywhere and anytime. Like
Jake and Paula, digital-age students and workers do not limit their work areas to the four
walls of the school or the office. They move from large-group spaces to semi-private nooks,
from inside to outside, and from quiet, sheltered places to noisy, chaotic public places.
Neither are these individuals limited to learning materials recommended by teachersand other authorities. Technology enables learners of all ages to personalize their own
learning, look for the resources they need, and design their own learning paths. Mobile
technology expands the learning environment both figuratively and literally. And today’s
schools must support this critical aspect of digital-age life.

Interview students about how they use technology in and out of school. Consider
using some of the following questions:
•
•
•
•

14

What types of devices do they frequently use or own?
How do they use technology for personal tasks?
How do they use technology for school-related tasks?
Does their technology use in school align with their expectations and/or
needs?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

After gathering student responses, consider implications for ideal learningspaces. How can learning spaces be designed to better accommodate the ways inwhich students currently use technology and want to use technology?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

15

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Learners
Paula, our small business owner, does not work in the restricted environment of theassembly line, the iconic workplace image of the 20th century. Likewise, our student Jake
does not attend a classic cells-and-bells school. Instead, both use a range of technologies
and physical spaces to work on personal, professional, and academic tasks.
P21 (formerly Partnership for 21st Century Skills) describes the kind of learning spaces
needed to meet the needs of digital-age students and teachers. This learning environment:• Supports professional learning communities that enable educators to collaborate,share best practices, and integrate 21st century skills into classroom practice.
• Enables students to learn in relevant, real world 21st century contexts . . .
• Provides 21st century architectural and interior designs for group, team, and individual learning.
• Supports expanded community and international involvement in learning, bothface-to-face and online (P21, n.d.).
Although all educators aspire to prepare students for success, few schools are designed
to take advantage of what we know about learning spaces. Combined with effective pedagogy and qualified teachers, we can transform schools into responsive, flexible environments that engage students and help them develop the skills and knowledge they needfor the future.

16

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

Create a Venn diagram similar the figure below and use it to compare and contrast the form and function of learning spaces in the industrial era and ideal
learning spaces of the digital age.

1. Jake’s experience in school aligns with the realities of his life. How does thiscompare to the experience of students in your community?
2. What skills do you think are most imperative for your students to develop
for working and living in the future?
3. How does the instructional pedagogy employed in your classroom, school,or district align with the current learning spaces?
4. Given the current status of learning spaces in your community, what are thebiggest challenges for administrators and teachers attempting to incorporate digital-age skills?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

17

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

It’s All in the Blend
Metro Nashville Public Schools Learns
That with Big Grants Come Big Responsibilities
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has a lot of things going for it:
strong district leadership, dedicated funding, and a supportive state partner. And
it isn’t lacking in vision, either: in September 2013, the MNPS Board of Education approved a strategic plan with the goal of making Metropolitan Nashville
Public Schools the highest-performing urban school district in the United Statesby 2018.
As the 42nd-largest urban school district in the country, encompassing an areaof about 525 square miles, serving roughly 85,000 students speaking more than
70 different languages, you would think progressive institutional change would
come slowly.
Think again.

Metro Nashville Demographics (as of 2014)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

86,000 students
5,786 teachers
4,227 staff
157 schools (73 elementary schools, 33 middle schools, 25 highschools, 18 charter schools, and eight specialty schools)
72.4% free- and reduced-lunch eligible
14.3% limited English proficient
19% Hispanic; 32% Caucasian; 45% African American; 4% AsianUrban location encompassing the city of Nashville and the surrounding county

Space Is the Place for Learning
Through a competitive grant process, the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
district allocated 1 million dollars of RTT (Race to the Top) money to their schools
through a competitive grant process in order to fund sweeping renovations to its
facilities. The aim was to incorporate technology and establish model learningspaces throughout the district. Hume Fogg Magnet High School (the oldest

18

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1high school in the district, dating from 1912) had a vast, underutilized space thatconnected two wings of the school. The district turned this area into a collaborative learning space that could be used by students throughout the school. The
room has six TVs on rolling stands and tables and chairs that roll to accommodate
multiple learning scenarios. By design, the environment can be configured incountless ways.

Figure 1.1: Nashville’s completely renovated Hillwood High School Library featuring flexible
spaces for research and collaboration

Another high school in the district, McGavock High School, had locker bay areas
about the size of a small classroom. These locker bays were unused by students,
so they were converted into internet cafés. One of the new internet cafés, similar to a coffee shop atmosphere but without food, has six cubicles that students
can use to do online work for their classes or do credit recovery online. Threecollaborative areas feature high-top tables with stools, comfortable chairs, andmounted TVs.
The middle schools in the district added new tables in their classrooms instead ofindividual desks. They also created spaces with computers, large-screen TVs forcollaborative technology use, and comfortable seating. The walls were painted withwhiteboard paint and a large interactive wall was installed, which allows 15 students
to approach a wall and write, draw, or doodle at the same time. The whiteboard
walls also have interactive projectors, making the wall an interactive whiteboard.
“When you walk into a restaurant, you scope out the room and look for a comfortable and clean space. If you see dirt and disarray, then you go somewhere
else,” says Kecia Ray, executive director of Learning Technology and LibraryServices for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. “That’s the same impact
learning spaces have on engaging students. When students walk into inviting, interactive, and comfortable classrooms, they are much more likely to be

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

19

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

engaged and interactive within their learning experience. Classrooms that are
cluttered or focused on adults rather than students are not places where students want to learn . . . just ask them!”

Figure 1.2: Concept designs for Stratford Stem Magnet High School’s Academy of Scienceand Engineering

Pumping up the Technology
The district’s active learning spaces are amplified with technology to support
both personalized and blended learning approaches. Buena Vista Elementary
Enhanced Option school, for example, features adjustable tables and chairs inevery classroom, including a teacher desk that can recharge 10 tablet devices
at a time. Each classroom has carpet to accommodate reading groups and comfortable multipurpose seating for performing activities such as reading books orusing devices. The school has blended instruction in grades K–4, and student
classes have blocks for blended ELA (English language arts) as well as blended
math, with a computer for every student in every classroom.
According to Dr. Ray, these ambitious changes in classroom spaces and instructional design have resulted in substantial rewards (8 to 10-point increases in ELA
and Math scores from 2013 state standardized test scores to 2014 scores).
“Buena Vista is comprised of 95% FARL (free and reduced-price lunch), 70%
transient, and 30% homeless students,” Dr. Ray clarifies. “So it was important to the principal and myself to ensure that this school had the best of thebest. And this emphasis on creating a thriving environment for the students
while they were in school has paid off in dividends. In every school where we’ve
implemented blended learning, we are seeing at minimum eight-point gains in

20

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1

academic achievement from 2013 state standardized test scores to 2014 scores.
If there is such a thing as a silver bullet, I believe blended learning is the closest
we’ve come to date.”
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is one of the most diverse school districts in the country, which is one reason why the district’s strategic plan focuseson personalized and blended learning for all students. Typical classrooms may
have carts loaded with laptops or tablet devices to accommodate students who
don’t bring their own devices to school. The focus is on building and providing alearning environment that any device could connect to, from anywhere, at any
time. This platform ensures that no matter what devices are purchased, loaned,or brought from home, students can have seamless and dependable access tocontent and instruction.

Building a Foundation for Blended Learning
And the same approach that went into providing a robust and flexible technological platform to support blended learning initiatives also went into the design ofthe physical spaces in which that learning happens. Some of the district’s libraries,
for example, feature internet cafés (some even serve food or welcome students infor lunch), cozy reading nooks, self-checkout stations, and collaborative spaces.
Bringing this level of change to a district of this size takes strong leadership. To
facilitate innovations in space design and technology infrastructure, the principals of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools are given budget flexibility tosupport school-based decisions within the constraint of the district’s strategicplan and their own local school improvement plans. Principals were involved in
the development of the district’s action plan to better align with their own school
improvement plans, and are given support from the central office to implement
these school plans.
“You’ve got to engage a lot of people in the design process to make sure you
get it right while not being afraid to do something different,” Dr. Ray explains.
“Learning spaces include furniture, lighting, flooring, interactive technology,
wireless access points, and engaging—oftentimes adaptive—software, so you’ve
got to be sure to consider all of it!”
Dr. Ray, who oversees the Learning Technology and Library Services department, is in charge of instructional and learning technologies in each of the district’s 6,000 classrooms as well as the collections in their 132 libraries. Designinglearning spaces is a key component of this role as well. Learning technologies
include all instructional software: everything from digital textbooks and RTI(Response to Intervention) to games and physical education software, as well as
the hardware to support interactive instruction.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success21

Chapter 1 • Learning Spaces of the Future

Figure 1.3: The open and accommodating layout of the Apollo Middle School Library

Process Makes Perfect
The Learning Technology and Library Services department helped schools to
implement technology integration and blended learning within their buildings.
They worked to ensure that all of the district’s school libraries have high-quality
collections and engaging learning environments, and that each school identifies atech lead to support the overall plan for technology within the school’s improvement plan. The department also has a team of people who work with schools on
design and build phases. The library services team works with architects on thedesign of the spaces and then with interior designers to make the selections on
everything from fabric and furniture to fixtures and floor coverings. They sign
off on final installations before occupancy and then work with the schools on the“punch list” to correct flaws. They are also involved in the network infrastructureneeds for the facility from beginning to end, and they collaboratively determine
such details as where boxes should be located for cable and power as well as thelocation and logistics of Wi-Fi and interactive boards. Because the school librarians play such a significant role in the planning of spaces, they are able to support
teachers and students in utilizing those spaces.
Based on a solid foundation of innovation, creativity, and integrity, Metropolitan
Nashville Public Schools has taken public education fearlessly into the digitalage. The MNPS Learning Technology and Library Services department is providing learning opportunities to those who meet students on the front line andmake the largest impact on students—the teachers. These opportunities are also
moving into the digital age via innovative multiple delivery platforms, such as
virtual, asynchronous classrooms, real-time webinars, and traditional face-toface instruction. And this innovation is evident in the district’s learning spaces,
where classrooms, libraries, and collaboration spaces are alive with engagementand dynamism.

22

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessLearning Spaces of the Future • Chapter 1“When you go to banks, restaurants, shopping centers or even office parks, doyou see the same work environment you saw twenty years ago? No!” Dr. Ray
says. “So, why shouldn’t schools similarly morph into environments that will be
more engaging and interesting to our students? When I walk into a classroom I
want to see students buzzing about from one space to another with little needto ask direction of the teacher. I also want to see appropriate technology being
used by students for learning. Whether it’s nice furnishings, high-quality technology, or the best software money can buy, our students deserve the very best
we have to offer.”

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

23

CH

AP

TER

2

Teaching and Learning in the Digital AgeN

obody knows exactly what the future will bring. Fifty years ago, who would havebelieved we would be carrying powerful computers in our pockets but not riding
around in flying cars? Still, we have some pretty good ideas about what the future
will require of today’s students. And even if we can’t always predict the successful technologies of the future, we can be certain that teachers will be greatly challenged when
preparing students to succeed in our constantly changing cultural, social, and technological environment.
Recognizing the shortcomings of knowledge transmission and rote memory exercises
as teaching methods is hardly a digital-age innovation. Beyond the apprenticeship andfamily and community enculturation models from the earliest of human history—you
can’t get much more active than that—for at least two centuries educators have proposed
school environments that help students actively grapple with real-life problems.
Research has decidedly refuted the traditional teacher-centered approach to learning. A
review of the literature on teaching for deep learning found that “Traditional academic
approaches—narrow tasks that emphasize memorization or the application of simple
algorithms—won’t develop students who are critical thinkers or students who can writeand speak effectively” (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008), skills that are critical for
success in the digital age.

Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Learning Models
A desire to provide students with learning experiences that deepen their content knowledge and prepare them for the future has long been a concern for educational theorists andpractitioners. Over time, a few pedagogical models have emerged that incorporate what
we know about how students learn. Taking a look at these models can help us think about
how the spaces in which students learn can be designed to promote and enhance this kindof meaningful learning.
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

25

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Active Learning
The term active learning has been prominent in educational circles for decades. Consideredin this book as the intersection of technology, pedagogy, and space, active learning refers
to a wide range of approaches that place students at the center of the learning process.

Figure 2.1: Venn diagram showing Active Learning as the intersection ofTechnology, Space, and Pedagogy.

The term is often used in contrast to passive learning, an approach that depicts students
as the receptacles for knowledge transmitted by teachers and textbooks. Traditional classroom design, while ideal for an environment where students merely absorb informationfrom outside sources, is inadequate for supporting students as they construct their own
knowledge. Table 2.1 compares the two approaches applied to middle school math lessons
on probability:
Table 2.1: Comparison of Passive and Active Learning

Instructional
Approach
Passive learning

Lesson: Probability, Middle School Math

Learning Space

1. The teacher introduces the topic of probability
and presents the basic concepts in a wholeclass demonstration and lecture format.

A classroom with individual desks allwith a view of the teacher’s presentation.

2. Students individually complete a few probability exercises in class and complete theremaining problems as homework.

Individual spaces for students to workon assignments by themselves.

3. The next day, students trade papers to correcteach other’s work while the teacher “goesover” the answers.
4. The teacher presents the next topic in thesequence and assigns practice exercises.

26

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

Instructional
Approach
Active learning

Lesson: Probability, Middle School Math

Learning Space

1. The teacher puts students in pairs to play
“Rock, Paper, Scissors” 15 times to think
about probability.

Places for students to meet as pairs
while being observed by teacher.

2. Students record the results of their games inan online document.
3. Student pairs join into small groups to discuss
the results and answer open-ended questions
about experimental and theoretical probability.
4. Each group shares its conclusions with thewhole class.
5. The teacher conducts a whole-class discussion
on their conclusions.

Small-group spaces under teacher
supervision with access to technology.
Large-group area with view of screen
for presentations.
Large-group area with view of eachother for discussions.
Individual spaces under teacher
observation where students can complete individual work quietly.

6. Students write in their journals about what
they thought about probability before andafter the experiment.
7. The teacher engages students in a whole-classdiscussion where they formalize learning fromthe experiment.

If you ask teachers who approach instruction from a traditional, passive learning perspective to describe the activities in their classroom, you are likely to get responses like:
•
•
•
•
•

“I’m covering Chapter 11 today.”“Students are working on a study guide for a unit test.”“I’m showing a video on the Battle of Gettysburg.”“I’m reviewing the symbolism in Huckleberry Finn.”“We’re checking last night’s homework and then moving on to parallelograms.”

By contrast, teachers with an active learning perspective will describe different kinds ofactivities that are often facilitated, rather than directed by, the teacher.
• “Students are watching a video on plate tectonics, taking notes, and then working
with a group to create a graphic organizer of the most important information.”• “Students are working with a partner to interpret a poem and share their ideas
with the class.”• “In small groups, students are brainstorming ideas for a statistics project.”• “I’m doing a mini-lesson on how to use the project rubric to give each otherfeedback. Then students are sharing their presentations on World War I for
peer review.”

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success27

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Nearly all teachers today incorporate some aspect of active learning into their instruction.
They do so because many student-centered activities, such as think-pair-share activities,
small group discussions, and personal responses can be successfully integrated into a
mostly traditional classroom environment. That being said, a flexible learning space canmake it easier for teachers to expand their repertoire of instructional strategies to include
more student-centered options.

Figure 2.2: Teaching and learning models

Use the following checklist to assess your readiness for active learning. Check a
box indicating the level of your agreement with each statement. Please note thatthe activity is not meant to judge your teaching; instead its goal is to encourage
reflection about instructional styles that are conducive to active learning spaces
and digital-age learning.

28

Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Disagree❑❑❑I am comfortable giving students control overwhat and how they learn.

❑

❑

❑

I expect students to reflect and monitor theirlearning progress.

❑

❑

❑

I hold students accountable for committing totheir education.

Statement

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Disagree❑❑❑I focus on explicitly teaching skills not just thecontent.

❑❑❑

I strive to create life-long learners.

❑

❑

❑

I provide and promote opportunities forcollaboration.

❑

❑

❑

I want students to responsibly leverage technology and other resources to augment thelearning process.

❑

❑

❑

I give students choices about how they present
their learning.

❑

❑

❑

I believe that learning gets messy and thatdifferent perspectives should be celebrated.

❑

❑

❑

I am comfortable with a noisy classroom aslong as students are engaged and actively
learning.

Statement

From what you have learned, sketch two contrasting spaces in the space below:
one that is ideal for active learning and one that is ideal for passive learning.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

29

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Types of Active Learning Spaces
Learning could—and should—happen anywhere. A learning space can be any place wherea student is actively engaged with new concepts and ideas. Table 2.2 below shows ways oflooking at the kinds of spaces that support active learning.
Table 2.2: Types of Active Learning Spaces

Space

Private/Alone

Public/Alone

Private/Together

Public/Together

Description

ExamplesStudy carrels, privaterooms, blocked outclassroom spaces, outdoor
seating
Individual study spaces Classroom desks, caféwith social connections, seating, libraries, park-like
often a matter of per- seating
sonal preference
Spaces with accommo- Large tables, grouped
seating in public areas
dations for a range ofgroup sizes and learning like libraries and cafeterias, groups of chairs withmodes
whiteboards, dyads andtriads, outside benches,playgrounds
Places to support shar- Whole classroom arrangement, auditoriums, athletic
ing of information or
performances with large fields, community meeting
placesgroups of individuals
Private areas withoutvisual or audio distraction

Active Learning
Experiences

Reading, writing, reflecting, research

Research, reading,writing, individual work on
collaborative projects
Small group discussions,brainstorming, collaborative project work, partner
sharing, getting and giving
feedback, socializing,
informal play
Teacher and student
presentations, guest
speakers, large-group
discussions and sharing,
performances, organizedathletics(Steelcase Education, 2013)

David Thornburg, in his book From the Campfire to the Holodeck (2014), uses time-honored concepts to describe the kinds of learning spaces in digital-age schools:• Campfires: Places where a large group gathers to share the same experiencethrough listening and/or watching a performance or presentation.
• Watering holes: Spaces for small group collaboration and socializing.
• Caves: Individual spaces with barriers to audio and visual stimuli for quiet
reflection.
• Life: Real world spaces where students apply what they are learning to authentic
situations and problems.
Regardless of the metaphors you prefer to use to describe learning spaces, the actual
environment must provide students and teachers with the flexibility they need to accessthe right kind of space at the right time.

30

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

Blended and Flipped Learning
The flipped and blended learning instructional models incorporate technology to createa more student-centered environment. A blended approach uses both face-to-face interactions and digital resources to give students the most meaningful experiences possible.
Blended learning is any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brickand-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery
with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace (Horn &Staker, 2011).
The blended learning model has become for many classrooms today the usual way to designteaching and learning. Virtual experiences in such classrooms are seamlessly integrated
with activities throughout the learning process. This approach increases the likelihoodthat students in a classroom will be engaged in a variety of technology-centric activities
that require different kinds of learning spaces,
many of which need access to technology.
A specific type of blended classroom is theflipped classroom. The term flipping meansthat the traditional order and location oflearning activities is reversed. In a flipped
learning environment, students access content
information outside of the classroom andapply that information in the classroom. For
example, to prepare for a face-to-face classsession students would, on their own outsideof class, read a passage or watch a video
online that the teacher produced. Students,
working at their own pace, take notes andconsider questions in any location where
they have internet access. Later, in the classroom, students then interact with peers in a
student-centered activity where they apply
what they have learned through problems,projects, or other authentic learning experiences. These are tasks that would be given as
homework in traditional learning environments. When learning is flipped, during theapplication stage (the challenging part of thelearning process), students get support fromtheir peers. In addition, the teacher is available
for one-to-one or small group explanations.

Voices from a Flipped Classroom
Stacey Roshan, a teacher at Bullis School in
Maryland, flipped her AP calculus class andcollected the following comments from her
students about the experience.
“The format of this class allows us to work at ourown pace. If we need to pause a video and rewind,
it is much simpler than interrupting a teacher
during class and asking her to repeat what she
said. I also love that we have class time to workwith other students and ask individual questions.
Another great aspect of this format is that it
reduces stress because it is so easy to make up
the work at home by watching the videos.”“I can get help with whatever problems I needinstead of struggling with hard problems athome with no help.”“The video lectures allow for a student to workat their own pace. And it is important to notethat all students have different strengths. For
instance, I watched some videos three times,
and skimmed through other ones” (2012).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

31

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

The fact that flipped classrooms allow students to collaborate with peers and teachers inmeaningful learning experiences during class time normally reserved for routine instruction makes it an appealing learning model. Flipped instruction can be done in a traditionalclassroom. However, a digital-age active learning environment can better accommodate
the kinds of activities that that students would do at home and in the classroom, thereby
meeting the needs of all students.

Distance Learning
Digital age distance learning is a method of learning where subject-based lectures orpresentations are broadcast over the internet, allowing students to take part in classes
wherever they are. Distance learning classrooms require specific technology and design
requirements to best facilitate this unique form of learning.
For capturing lectures and presentations, high-definition video cameras are essential,
while well-placed LCD displays are ideal for viewing. Some distance learning classrooms
feature videoconferencing and webcasting capabilities for more interactive discussions andfunctionality.
Lectures can be displayed from a PC or laptop onto LCD screens for improved visibility.
This allows students to easily follow a distance learning lecture as well as the simultaneousback-and-forth interaction of an in-class educator or facilitator. The infrastructure, thelighting, and the acoustics should all be carefully considered when designing a room for
distance learning. For example, acoustic panels can be used to eliminate distracting noise,and dimmable lights help maintain optimal viewing conditions. Small details such asthese can make a huge impact on the learning experience.

Project-Based Learning
At the far end of the active learning spectrum is project-based learning. In today’s educational jargon, you will hear the terms project-based or problem-based learning. Althoughenthusiasts of these methods can provide definitions and examples that differentiatethem, for our purposes they both aim to accomplish the same goal: to engage students inlearning through the application of content knowledge and skills to real-life situations.
Calling an activity a project doesn’t necessarily make it an authentic, meaningful experience for students. Many so-called projects connect superficially to content standards andrequire little in the way of deep thinking. John Larmer and John R. Mergendoller of the
Buck Institute of Education, an organization whose mission is to help teachers implement
project-based learning successfully, list eight characteristics of high quality projects.
• A need to know. The project is introduced to students in a way that engages
their thinking and curiosity, and prompts questions that must be answered
through investigation and problem solving.
• A driving question. A good driving question captures the heart of the project in

32

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

clear, compelling language, which gives students a sense of purpose and challenge. The question should be provocative, open-ended, complex, and linked
to the core of what you want students to learn.
Student voice and choice. The more choice within a project, the better. Making choices encourages intrinsic motivation and helps students develop selfmanagement skills.
Impactful content: The learning in a well-designed project-based experience
centers around knowledge and skills that are important, relevant, and tied tostandards.
21st century skills. Good, complex projects require a range of 21st century skills
including collaboration, communication, and creativity. Most projects today,
either by requirement or by student choice, also require technology skills suchas information literacy and new media literacies.
Inquiry and innovation. Projects become more meaningful when students conduct real inquiry, not research that consists of copying and pasting from online
sources. A good project asks students to investigate primary sources, conduct
experiments, and evaluate conflicting information.
Feedback and revision. Giving and receiving substantive feedback is an important skill for the 21st century workplace in the information age. As students
think critically about their own work and the work of their peers, they also
begin to internalize the standards for high-quality work.
A publicly presented product. Few students are motivated to do their best workwhen the only audience is their teacher. Projects provide students with not only
the skills and content they need to be academically successful, public presentations help them practice the communication skills they need to successfully
explain and defend their ideas (Buck Institute of Education, 2010).

•

•

•

•

•

•

Sample Project: A Case of the Cooties
Seventh grade students at a middle school that is part of the High Tech High network ofschools in San Diego complete a project investigating the origin of different diseases, how
they are spread, and how they can be prevented. To demonstrate their learning, students
create either a game or a Flash animation.
The project is designed to meet five learning goals:
•
•
•
•
•

A thorough understanding of a disease
How the disease interacts with the human body
The impact of the disease on humans around the world
Time management
Project management
Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

33

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
Continued from previous page

Brent Spimak, a multimedia instructor from High Tech High, reflects on one aspect ofthe project:
I do not have much background in Adobe Flash, so it was challenging to troubleshoot the students’ work because I was learning it along with them. . . . There
were often times when we did not find an answer. This frustrated students attimes, but I think they learned that their teacher is not the smartest one in theclass. Other students stepped up and helped them out with their projects, andthis is the most ideal learning environment during a long-term project (Projects
at High Tech High, n.d.).

Components of an Active Learning Space
Authentic learning projects, like life projects, do not confine themselves to just one subject
area: They are interdisciplinary. Reading and writing are parts of many projects, as are
the arts through graphic design and multimedia production. The physical arrangementof a school should then support communication among subject areas as well as access tomaterials, technology, and experts in different domains.
Consider the following glimpses into student activities in an active learning environment:

ISTE Essential Condition:
Student-Centered Learning“Planning, teaching and assessment all center on
the needs and abilities of the students” (ISTE,
2009).
Student-centered learning is a critical elementin effective technology integrations. Beyond
simply adding technology into classrooms, it
is essential that a teaching and learning pedagogy leverages technology to deepen relevant,standards-based learning experiences. Active
learning spaces that allow for varied student
learning activities with and without technology
can support a shift toward a student-centerededucational approach.

34• Students in a language arts class contact
a local video producer through Skype
to learn more about how to shoot andedit a video they are creating about abook their group has chosen to read.
• A math teacher notices from observational formative assessment that students working on a statistics project are
drawing incorrect conclusions basedon their misconceptions about probability. She draws the whole class
together for some direct instruction
and guided practice on the topic.
• After completing an interdisciplinary
project, students take time to reflect
on their learning and to set goals for
future work.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2• As an introduction to a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) project, a teacher asks students to use their smartphones to takevideos of examples of simple machines around the school grounds. When they
return to the classroom, they use the videos to get ideas and then to document
the creation of simple machines from everyday office supplies.
In an active learning environment, whether it is one that includes some student-centeredactivities, blended or flipped learning approaches, or full-blown project-based learning,learners need different kinds of spaces to meet their needs. The following list is just a sampleof the kinds of spaces that support digital-age learning:• Small-group areas for discussing, brainstorming, planning, and creating• Large-group areas for whole-class instruction and presentations• Technology-rich areas for activities such as online research, virtual communication, media production, and app development• Quiet, solitary areas for individual reading, writing, and reflection• Community accessible areas for sharing, parent meetings, and presentations• Makerspaces where students have access to technology as well as hands-on
materials

Is your classroom ready for active learning? Consider the following activities
common in active learning classrooms, and then assess a learning space withwhich you are familiar.
Activity

What works?

What doesn’t work?

Small group collaboration

Large group discussion andinstruction

Use of technology to gather, process, and synthesize
learning

Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

35

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
Continued from previous page

Independent study

Presentation of learning tolarger community

Experimentation and handson learning

Learning Spaces for Digital-Age Skills
One of the main drawbacks to a passive learning environment is that it provides few opportunities for students to develop the skills that are so important in the digital-age workplace.
When teachers control the topics and pace oflearning, the ways students access knowledge,
Communicationand the ways they demonstrate what they’ve
learned, students can’t develop their creativity,
and Digital-Age Standards
collaboration, and problem-solving skills. And
Communication skills are addressed in digitalwhen the only audience for student work is
age academic standards, particularly as they
the teacher, students can’t develop the flexible,
relate to forming good arguments.
effective communication skills they need in adigital age.
“Mathematically proficient students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions,and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures and build
a logical progression of statements to explore
the truth of their conjectures” (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices,
2010).
“Any education in science and engineeringneeds to develop students’ ability to read andproduce domain-specific text. As such, every
science or engineering lesson is in part a language lesson, particularly reading and producing
the genres of texts that are intrinsic to scienceand engineering” (Quinn et al., 2012).

36

Collaboration Skills
All digital-age skills are, of course, important.
But it is collaboration that is often identified
as among the most critical skills for the future
workplace. It is also fundamental to active
learning. Collaboration in the classroom canmeet two important instructional goals. First,
the development of collaboration skills is itself
an important learning objective. And second,
research conclusively shows that well-designed
collaborative activities contribute to improved
academic achievement (Lai, 2011).
Incorporating collaboration into a traditionalclassroom environment poses many chal-

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

lenges. Students need spaces where they can meet with each other. They need access tothe tools that support the kinds of thinking that helps them learn, often at the sametime that other students are working alone or with the teacher. Digital-age learning environments also need to support collaboration
among adults, mentors, and peers outside of
Digital-Age Skills in the Classroom
the classroom, often facilitated by technology.
Thinking carefully about how a learning space
Consider how the following project in a highcan support the kind of collaboration that
school language arts class addresses the digitalbuilds confident learners is an important step
age skills of collaboration, communication, andin designing effective learning environments.

creativity; and how the design of the learningspace supports learning.

Communication Skills
In the industrial learning environment of the20th century, communication skills such as
writing and speaking were relegated to thelanguage arts class; but in digital-age learning
environments, communication is a criticalcomponent of every subject area.
Communication in digital-age learning environments takes on far more forms than it
does in traditional classrooms. Gone are thedays when an occasional essay or speech in an
English class meets learning objectives. Today,
throughout the curriculum, students are
expected to explain their thinking, persuade
others of their opinions, and engage readersand listeners. And students must do so not
only with words but also with graphic andmultimedia elements.

Creativity Skills
Creativity is another critical skill in the digitalage. We all recognize creativity when we see
it—in the gadgets we use every day, in theart that makes us appreciate and think about
the world around us, and in the ideas thatchallenge us and help us grow. P21 identifies
creativity as one of the most prized skills forthe future, and yet the traditional classroom
environment often presents more of a challenge than a support for creative thinking.

Small groups of students choose an allegoricalnovel to read together from a list provided bytheir teacher. After they have finished reading their books, each group is asked to createa 3-dimensional object that illustrates theirinterpretation of the allegory presented in thebook, including a quote from the book for eachcomponent of their object.
Each group, supplied with chart paper, meetsin a small-group space to brainstorm ideas fortheir project. One group decides to make amobile illustrating their interpretation of Lord of
the Flies. With a general idea of what they wantto create, the group works at a large-screen
computer to design and create their mobile.
Two students, both are taking a STEAM course,
volunteer to use a 3D printer to create somepieces for their mobile. Other group members
get art materials, including glue and paint, froma convenient storage location. They put all thepieces of their project together in a production
space that features large tables.
The activity concludes with an oral presentationof their mobile to other small groups in a small
presentation space. The different groups taketurns describing their projects and analyses of
their chosen novels.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success37

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital AgeCreativity flourishes in an environment where students can take risks and fail, where they
have options about what they learn, how they learn, and how to demonstrate what they
have learned. Although you can certainly find examples of student creativity in the mosttraditional of classrooms, flexible learning spaces supported by effective instruction canbring out creativity in all students.
Creative thinking is both collaborative and solitary. Students can be inspired to create
surprising and useful projects by interacting with peers and mentors. They can get feedback from others and use examples of admired work as models for their own creations. The
creative process, however, also requires that individuals find time and space for reflection
and self-assessment, for thinking through ideas, and for imagining how an idea might bebrought to fruition.
Creativity is both chaotic and orderly. At the “anything goes” stage, the free flow of ideas
is crucial. Students need spaces that support interaction and allow them to keep a recordof their thoughts, whether it is digitally, on whiteboards, or chart paper. At some point,
however, the ideas must be made real, and a clear process must be followed to transform
an idea into a reality. Spaces for the development of a creative idea might include tools andresources such as powerful computers with specialized software, 3D printers, art supplies,
or building materials.

Technology Integration
Today’s students already use technology, particularly mobile devices, for educational
purposes. Increasingly they expect to be allowed, if not encouraged, to use them within
the school walls. (In later chapters, we describe concrete ways to design spaces that provide
students with the technology they need, when they need it.)
It’s no surprise that students want to use technology. But is it good for them? Does it
actually engage them in deep and meaningful learning? Does it help them meet content
standards and learn digital-age skills? The answer is—it depends.
Mostly, the success of technology integration depends on what students are doing withtechnology. Simply integrating technology alongside traditional teaching practices may
not have a positive impact on student learning. For example, an analysis of data fromthe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found a negative relationshipbetween students’ math scores and the frequency of their technology use if the technology
was used simply for drill and practice, similar to paper worksheets used in the traditionalclassroom (Warschauer & Matchuchniak, 2010).
There is considerable evidence, however, that technology can contribute to deep learningof content as well as the development of important digital-age skills. Using technology
for learning activities such as simulations and writing show a positive effect on learning38

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2(Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010). Perhaps the most important way to use technology in adigital-age learning environment is by engaging students in the creation of content throughproject-based learning. These kinds of activities, combined with teacher support and collaboration with peers and others, result in “stronger engagement, self-efficacy, attitudes towardschool, and skill development” (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski & Goldman, 2014).
Research shows that the use of technology can motivate students, especially those whoare disengaged from the learning process. In a 2010 report by Project Tomorrow, teachersreported that technology improved students’ “cognitive, affective, behavioral, academic,
and social engagement.” They also said that it increased skills and dispositions such as“taking initiative and responsibility for learning, using resources wisely, time on task, andhaving interest and desire to pursue information and learn in and beyond classrooms”(Taylor & Parsons, 2011).
Designers of digital-age learning spaces are challenged to provide students with the necessary access to technologies that motivate and engage them in thinking critically about
content. Students and teachers can do a lot with the technology available on cell phones,
but more sophisticated projects require more powerful technology and the right peripheraldevices. And the success of it all depends on adequate infrastructure. In an active learning
environment, where students are working on different activities at the same time, someindividually, some in groups, some virtually, and some face-to-face, spaces need to be
designed that make the right technology available to students when and how they need it.

Spatial Implications of Technology-Rich Learning
Steelcase Education Solutions completed a design research study in 2014 that involved
observations and interviews at 16 schools, colleges, and universities throughout theUnited States. The intent of the study was to better understand the spatial implications oftechnology-​rich learning approaches. Based on its study, the Steelcase Education researchteam has identified six key insights:
1. Person-to-person connections remain essential for successful learning.

Steelcase Education cites several studies suggesting that blended learning that combines
online and face-to-face elements is more effective than either purely face-to-face or purely
online learning. As described in Figure 2.1 earlier in this chapter, the best learning happens
if best practices in pedagogy, technology, and space are considered equally when designing
the learning experience.
2. Technology is supporting richer face-to-face interactions and higher-level cognitive learning.

Progressive educators are leveraging technology to create a more effective use of class time,
forgoing mere information transfer in favor of more hands-on approaches to help students
with advanced problem solving, communication, and collaboration activities. Spaces mustalso support students in hands-on activities and group work as well as be flexible enoughto support varying activities and modes of learning.
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

39

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

3. Integrating technology into classrooms mandates flexibility and activity-based space planning.

Technology allows students to progress through material at different paces. As a result,multiple subjects can all be taught in the same room. Because blended learning changes
the role of the educator to become more of a facilitator and coach, teaching is often done
shoulder-to-shoulder, with multiple teachers acting as tutors and motivators.
4. Spatial boundaries are loosening.

Schools are increasingly recognizing the value of informal areas outside of classrooms
where learning-based collaboration and reflection can occur. Inside the classroom as well,mobile furniture, moveable walls, and whiteboards can turn one learning environment
into many. This level of flexibility helps students and teachers tailor learning experiences
to the specific needs of students.
5. Spaces must be designed to capture and stream information.

With multimedia creation/consumption and video conferencing, many classrooms need
to be equipped to not only view online content but create it as well. Video is also being
used more and more as an evaluation tool for student-presented content or for demonstrating practical skills. Learners need ways to shut out distractions in self-directed learning
environments for focused work. They also need flexible approaches to space division fordifferent activities: group project work, group self-assessment, and receiving feedback
from peers and grading from the teacher.
6. High-tech and low-tech will coexist.

Analog tools are often used in tandem with digital tools to support every facet of learning.
Despite the growing presence of digital technology in today’s classrooms, whiteboards,
paper, and notebooks remain important tools for teaching and learning. For example,
cognitive mapping research has shown that the physical process of writing helps people
learn and recall information. Schools will continue to need spaces designed to support theparallel use of analog and digital tools.

Learning Spaces and Academic Achievement
Effective pedagogy and strategically designed spaces are, along with technology, the threeessential components of a digital-age learning environment, an environment that supports
active learning. Research on the role that learning spaces play in K–12 learning environments is just beginning, but we can draw some inferences from existing research on thekinds of learning experiences these flexible environments support.
Perhaps the most important component of academic learning is engagement.

40

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

In 2014, a team of Steelcase Education
researchers, in collaboration with academic
If learners engage in physics, they want to talkresearchers in Canada and the United States,
to engineers in the field. . . . Facilitating suchcompleted studies at four U.S. universities
expanded relationships requires a shift from
(Steelcase Education, 2014). A robust survey
vertical to horizontal classrooms—no longer
instrument titled the Active Learning Post-Octhe sage on the stage, teachers are learning
cupancy Evaluation (AL-POE) was developed
alongside students, helping them actively conspecifically for measuring the impact of classstruct their learning experiences and knowledge
room design on student engagement. This
(Taylor & Parsons, 2011).
tool is widely recognized as a highly probablepredictor of student success. To ensure adherence to the standards of academic research,
the Steelcase Education team worked with third parties that included IRB (Institutional
Review Board) research review protocol, researchers, and a statistician to analyze andreport results.
The results revealed that classrooms intentionally designed to support active learning
increased student engagement on multiple measures as compared to traditional classrooms.
In the universities studied, participants reported that the new classrooms improved active
learning practices and had more positive impact on engagement compared to the oldclassrooms, with the majority of students rating the new classrooms better than the old. A
large majority of students self-reported a moderate to exceptional increase in engagement(84%), ability to achieve a higher grade (72%), motivation to attend class (72%), andability to be creative (77%). Almost all faculty members reported a moderate to exceptional increase in student engagement (98%), and all perceived a moderate to exceptional
increase in students’ ability to be creative (100%). A large majority of faculty reported amoderate to exceptional increase in students’ ability to achieve a higher grade (68%), anda moderate to exceptional increase in students’ motivation to attend class (88%).
Another study focusing on how certain spaces affect student engagement showed thatcreative spaces featuring flexibility, a unique atmosphere, and inspiring aesthetics led tomore engagement. In this study—compiled in the Use of Creative Space in Enhancing
Students’ Engagement (Jankowska, 2007)—researchers found a direct connection between
intentionally designed, flexible, active learning spaces and student engagement.
The most commonly used adjectives throughout all the responses—such as:
creative, positive, interactive, enjoyable, exciting, flexible, productive, engaging,
involving, encouraging, inspiring, stimulating, fresh, functional, comfortable,
relaxing, informal, personal, active—create a very positive and cohesive view ofthe [Creative Space], perceived as an excellent space for learning in a more unconventional way (p. 9).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

41

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Considerable research suggests the positive role that collaboration can play in academic
achievement. We can thus infer that creating environments in which collaboration is easierand more productive will have a positive impact on learning. Another study (Dunleavy &Milton, 2009) describes three activities that students listed as important to their learning
through interaction:• Learning from each other and community members• Connecting with mentors and experts• Having more opportunities for interacting with each other
Educational research and theory provides substantial evidence for the effectiveness ofa student-centered learning pedagogy. Learning environments that provide spaces forstudents to listen to experts when needed, to be free of distractions when they need toconcentrate, and to learn from each other when they can, support students’ academic
development as well as their interest in learning.

1. Research supports the efficacy of active learning over passive learning. In
your experience, how do the results of the two approaches compare?
2. What are the major challenges to implementing an active approach to learning? How might these be overcome?
3. The amount of technology varies widely across communities. How does
the level of technology in your classroom, school, or district affect student
learning? What can be done to further leverage technology in your educational settings?
4. An ineffective teacher can still be ineffective in a well-designed learningspace while an effective teacher can make the most of an imperfect environment. How are pedagogy and active learning environments connected?

42

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

Breaking the Norm
Orange County’s The Academy Makes Space for All Learners“Ben Franklin had a famous quote: ‘Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may
remember, involve me and I learn,’” says Anthony Saba, the head of school at
The Academy in Santa Ana, California. “That’s totally what we do here at The
Academy. It’s more than just holding something up in front of kids at the frontof the class or showing them a PowerPoint. It’s about involving them in theirlearning . . . involving them in their own education. That’s where a learning spacebecomes a learning experience . . . and that’s when the magic happens.”

Figure 2.3: An aerial concept view of Orangewood’s The Academy

The Academy is a college-preparatory public charter high school that will ultimately serve a student body of 480 foster, underserved, and community teens.
The school welcomed its first class of 120 freshmen in August 2013 in its temporary quarters located on the building site of the school’s new campus. As The
Academy’s 7.1 acres campus is built out, it will eventually include residential living
for up to 80 foster teens. The attendance rate in that first year was 97%—one of
the highest rates of any school in Orange County, California. Additionally, 50%of students finished the first year with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

43

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Saba attributes the school’s early success to a fresh way of looking at how students learn.
“Most of us school administrators have gone through our lives experiencing only
one form of education,” says Saba. “But just because learning has been delivered
the same basic way for all these years, doesn’t mean that that’s the best way to
do things anymore. The Academy is engaging kids like no other school I’ve everseen. But engagement through neat and engaging learning spaces coupled withphenomenal teachers is, unfortunately, not the traditional formula. That’s why
we have a 97% attendance record: Kids really want to learn this way. And ourlearning spaces go a long way in achieving that.”

The Academy At-A-Glance
The Academy offers educationally underserved communities a new
choice for the high school education of their teens. Future expansion of
the campus will include on-site housing for those students who need astable living environment in order for them to excel academically.
• 120 freshmen in August 2013.
• Each subsequent year, the school will add another freshmen classfor a total student body of 480 teens.
• 80 foster students will reside on campus.
In the 2014–15 school year, The Academy had 13 teachers and 20 staff
members. It will ultimately have 25 teachers and 35–40 staff members
when fully staffed.

Seeing the Difference
Walking through the classrooms of The Academy, you can immediately noticea contrast from traditional school configurations. For one, there are no typicaldesks arranged in rows facing a teacher up in front of the class who is disseminating a lesson. You also notice flexible groupings of students who are collaboratingwith one another freely and with purpose.
“We not only teach collaboration in everything we do, but we assess on collaboration as well,” explains Saba. “It’s part of every student’s grade in every single
class: how well they can collaborate with one another. It’s very hard to positively and effectively collaborate when seated side-by-side in rows, listening tolectures. They must collaborate with one another in every project, learning theessential interpersonal skills it takes to work in teams.”

44

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

Figure 2.4: Students share ideas and concepts using whiteboards

The classrooms of The Academy feature Steelcase Verb tables and Node chairs
so that the furniture can be quickly reconfigured to suit learning needs. The Nodechairs have special arms specifically designed to accommodate tablet devices or
laptops, and are in effect mini workstations. These mobile chairs allow students
to easily form spontaneous learning groups to discuss a project or lesson with one
another, or to congregate around the teacher for a teacher-driven discussion.
All students at The Academy have Toshiba laptops, while teachers have their own
tablets, laptops, and smart projectors with interactive pens that allow them tonavigate through content and draw graphs. Teachers also have document cameras. The school’s engineering room has a 3D printer, and science labs feature
microscopes with miniature LCD screens that are connected to laptops so thatstudents can better carry out experiments. Even The Academy’s health education classes have heart rate monitors that the students can strap on so thatteachers can wirelessly monitor the bodily stats of each student.
The first two buildings on The Academy’s new campus are scheduled to becompleted by the summer of 2015. They will feature state-of-the-art interactive classrooms with cutting-edge technology for all students; an expansive,
multi-functional student union; an extensive college and career resource center;a black box performing arts theatre; a learning commons area on each of the campus’s three floors; and a new athletic gymnasium. There will also be couches in theschool’s lounge areas and open learning spaces so that students may work together,
comfortably, in project teams or as individuals to complete work assignments.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

45

Chapter 2 • Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age

Building the Skills Students Need to Succeed
As part of the New Tech Network—a nonprofit organization that works nationwide
with schools, districts, and communities to develop innovative public schools—The
Academy uses much of what the organization provides in terms of a rubric whenteaching collaboration. At the end of every project, students must present theirprojects before a group composed of not just teachers but also outside community members who score and critique student presentations. Many of the samecommunity members who assessed student presentations in The Academy’s firstyear came to do the same in the following year since they were so impressed,
seeing for themselves how the students grew in confidence and delivery.
“I, too, have personally seen how much our kids gave grown in mastering 21st
century skills,” Saba says. “Our flexible furniture and innovative learning spaces
contribute to that. They have helped our curriculum to be wildly successful. Their
flexibility makes every day in the classroom new and exciting. We also feature a
1:1 laptop environment, with every student having the technology they need tosucceed academically. Combine this access to the latest technology with flexible
active learning spaces that facilitate collaboration, then you’ve got an unbeatable
formula for ensuring academic success.”

The Academy’s Best Practices• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math)curriculum• Project-based learning• Work-based learning• Engineering and design pathways• Small class sizes (approximately 20 students per class)• Small student body (approximately 480 in grades 9–12)• A Toshiba laptop for each student• Caring staff focused on the “whole” student

The Academy actively assesses students’ written and oral communication skills,
as well as agency skills such as literacy and numeracy. According to Saba, having
the right flexible and adaptable furniture configurations lends itself to all of thisperfectly. Verb tables feature detachable, personal whiteboards so students caneasily visualize learning concepts, share ideas with group mates, or write answers
to a teacher’s questions. This technology allows the teacher to instantly gauge
the student’s understanding and better assess outcomes.

46

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessTeaching and Learning in the Digital Age • Chapter 2

With that said, furniture alone does not meet all of the many demands of modern education. The right teachers, the right tools, and plenty of support are alsoneeded. Furniture, on its own, doesn’t create an optimal learning environment;
but it can support one. Even things like having chairs that swivel a little bit canmake a big difference in learning.
“Back when I went to school, if the teacher had a situation where he or she needed
to divert the class’s attention, the class would have to pick up their chairs, andmove them noisily into another configuration,” says Saba. “With our Node chairs,
however, students can move them quite effortlessly and quietly so that the flowof learning isn’t disrupted. In this day and age, students struggle to maintain theirattention . . . even a subtle movement back and forth can make a big difference on
a student’s attention span. When used in combination with great teaching andmeaningful technology, the affect of the learning space can be profound.”Figure 2.5: A concept design of a communal, multi-use area

Serving the Underserved
The idea for The Academy began nearly ten years ago with Orangewood Children’s Foundation, and it was spearheaded by philanthropists Susan Samueli andSandi Jackson. Concerned about low graduation rates among high school teensin Orange County (including foster care teens served by Orangewood), Samueli and Jackson explored new educational opportunities for local high school
students while researching best practices around the country. They rallied likeminded individuals and organizations from philanthropy, business, education, andchild advocacy to join their efforts.
After spending nearly a decade meeting with experts, talking with foster youth,
and researching intensively, Orangewood Children’s Foundation realized it

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success47

needed to build a school for all children, not just foster children. From these
beginnings, The Academy was born.

The Mission of the Academy
To provide a transformational learning environment for foster, underserved, and community teens that offers consistency, stability, support,
and a community in which to belong, thrive, and grow into responsible,
independent adults.

“In this day and age, 21st-century skill building is not only about what students
need to know, but why they need to know it,” Saba says. “Students need toembody the skills that today’s companies are screaming for. Not just ticking off
answers to bubble tests, but a thorough mastering of how to work efficiently indynamic teams; how to stand up and present your work with confidence; andhow to work with and incorporate meaningful feedback. It’s really hard to do anyof those things when you’ve spent your school days sitting still and listening tolectures, simply regurgitating notes. True education is most powerful when students are in charge of their own learning—taking equity in their education—with
this dynamic learning experience facilitated by skilled teachers well versed in new
tools and new ways of engaging with their students. Future-thinking furnitureconfigured in clever spaces is another arrow in our quiver, another way to bringour pedagogy to life.”

CH

AP

TER

3

Reimagining the Classroom

Space matters. Most of us have home environments that not only meet our most basic
needs but also suit our lifestyle and taste. The physical environment affects how wefeel when we, or others, are in our home. Lighting, paint colors, and furniture cangreatly influence the feel and functionality of a space. A home may be cozy with comfortable furniture, pillows, subdued colors, and low lighting. Such a space might provide asense of relaxation. Or a home might be minimalist, without clutter or a lot of furniture,
wall hangings, or knick knacks. Such a space could create a simple and undistracted feel.
Why should a classroom space be any different? The classroom environment is not neutral—
it communicates what students will be doing in the classroom and what’s important. A
room with rows of fixed desks sends a very different message than a room with easily
movable tables and chairs. If collaboration and other digital-age skills are important,
students need a space that invites those skills. Busy educators know that the business ofteaching and learning can be messy, chaotic, and often unpredictable. Many may struggle
to find time to think about where students are going to sit or the type of lighting that ismost conducive to learning. However, teachers can overcome time constraints, limited
resources, and their many other commitments and adapt their classrooms to meet therequirements of digital-age teaching and learning.

The Impact of Effective Learning Spaces
Reenvisioning learning spaces empowers educators to employ best practice pedagogies
that embed technology and make an impact on teaching and learning. Without a change
in pedagogy or the way technology is used, new or redesigned classrooms will have no
impact on student outcomes. It is critical that schools shift away from a classroom designthat has the teacher as the center to a classroom that is focused on learners.
With a swift movement of furniture or the creation of spaces within spaces, a classroom
can support collaboration, reflective thinking, peer mentoring, lectures, group projects,
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

49

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

and more. Even at the same time, within one room, a classroom space can support students
working on a variety of learning experiences or tasks in a more personalized, comfortablemanner. Yes, one space can indeed combine caves, watering holes, campfires, and life!
By implementing the types of spaces most beneficial for teaching and learning, the configuration of those spaces, and the furnishings within those spaces, educators can create
subtle and dramatic changes in classroom culture, interactions, and engagement. Imagine
a classroom space that fits the learning instead of learning that fits the space!

List the characteristics of your home environment that you appreciate on a daily
basis. Draw connections to possible spaces in a classroom environment, either
real or imagined.

50

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

Home Work Spaces
Instructional models such as blended and flipped learning, and even old-fashioned homework, extend student workspaces outside of the school building. Students often use laptops and tablets while lying on their beds or sprawled out on the floor. But should they?
They work on math problems while watching videos on YouTube or write essays while listening to loud music on headphones. But should they?
Today’s young people will undoubtedly say they can work well in these kinds of circumstances, that they’re excellent multitaskers. But that is probably not the case (Paul,
2013). Just like at school, students need flexible spaces for working on school tasks, quiet
places for solitary work and reflection, and collaborative spaces to work with others either
face-to-face or virtually. They also need to learn how to make good decisions about how
and where they work most productively.
Ergonomics is the design and arrangement of someone’s work environment to fit the person. Without the benefit of ergonomics, people are forced into furniture or positions thatare uncomfortable, which creates physical stresses. Or they are placed in an environmentthat may impact their hearing, vision, and general comfort and health. Ergonomics is an
important consideration when designing a home work space. We are just beginning tounderstand the long-term physical effects of working with technology for long periods oftime in unsuitable positions.
Similar to the hearing loss suffered by students who grew up listening to blaring music,
students can experience serious physical problems that are traceable back to work habitsdeveloped in their youth. For example, in a recent study published in Surgical Technology
International, back surgeon Kenneth Hansraj found that the average human looking down
toward screens at a 60 degree angle places 60 pounds of force onto the cervical spine.
The more time students are looking down at smartphones or other mobile devices, themore stress they are placing on their spines, leading to increased wear and tear (2014).
Digital-age students need education in ergonomics, in understanding the kinds of furniture to use, and how to use it, as well as how to arrange the various components of a productive workspace. And the adults in their lives will need to model healthy ways to work.
A stimulating, student-centered classroom environment is one that engages learners on
all levels—through sights, sounds, movement, emotions, and social interactions—and does
not solely rely on a teacher to fill heads with lectures and one-way exchanges of knowledge. The learning environment should not only shake up learning for the student but
also shake up teaching for the teacher. The space should encourage all students to takeover the reins of their own learning, and grow their curiosity and expertise beyond their
comfort zones. The space should allow them to connect concepts across disciplines in an
atmosphere that builds collaboration, creativity, and communication skills in the context
of developing deeper engagement with learning and content understanding.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

51

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

Spaces within a Space“From one class to the next, sometimes during the same class period, classrooms needchange. Thus they should fluidly adapt to different teaching and learning preferences”(Steelcase Education, 2013). If a classroom provides choice of learning spaces and furniture, students can discover how their preferences, when considered in light of theirproductivity, can result in meaningful creative work, either by themselves, in pairs, or ingroups.
Agile classrooms can best accommodate multiple activities. The same physical areas mayneed to support listening, performing, creating, collaborating, and thinking. Active
learning spaces accommodate virtual learning experiences, multi-age learners, long-term
project work, and students using a variety of devices. The singular classroom actuallyneeds to be a flexible multipurpose room. All spaces must be both comfortable andinclusive for students with special needs. Educators must pay attention to the spaces
between desks and tables, accessibility within a classroom, and furniture that can beeasily adapted or moved.
A shift to active learning experiences implies that students are expected to move. Movement stimulates thinking. According to brain researcher David Sousa, physical activity
increases the amount of oxygen in our blood, and this oxygen is related to enhanced
learning and memory. (Sousa, 2012). Space and furniture can encourage students to easily
move if they need to, while standing, swiveling in chairs, or walking around. Furniture,such as swivel stools, allow students to rock back and forth on a cylindrical stool, andripple benches (see Ripple by Steelcase) cater to students who need to change position or
who work best in a comfortable extended position.
Equipping the classroom with furniture and supplies that can be easily moved is essential
for a redesign. For example, rolling whiteboards make it possible for students to quickly
reconfigure a space for independent and collaborative work. Casters can be added to tables,
chairs, and desks in classrooms that otherwise would not have rolling furniture. An ideal,
intentionally designed active learning classroom has the following characteristics:• Designed to maximize student access to and ownership of the learning
environment• Versatile, allowing for multiple uses, concurrently and consecutively• Maintained continuously• Future proofed to enable space to be revised and modified• Able to support multiple types of learning experiences• Zoned for sound and activity• Designed for comfort and efficiency• Information rich and technologically reliable• Connected to the outdoors• Spaces for optimal learning experiences

52

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

Spaces for Optimal Learning Experiences
Reflect back to the section Types of Active Learning Spaces in Chapter 2, and then consider
spaces that would improve the classroom experience. Where could these spaces exist in theclassroom you know so well? The following section looks at different classroom activities
and provides an example of an effective environment for each learning experience.

Quiet Work
Students reading, writing, reflecting, or working independently benefit from a quiet space
so that they can concentrate and do their best work. Some students just prefer to work
alone. Even so, with a more personalized approach, all students may be conferencing withteachers more often. Quiet spaces are the “caves” and/or private or public alone spaces.
For students who need a more private, alone space to concentrate, consider using dividers
like mobile whiteboards and bookshelves to allow students to work independently withfew distractions.
Designated quiet spaces in the classroom are another option, such as a three-walled
space or a pop-up tent. According to Professor Stephen Heppell (2013), “three walls areenough . . . They offer a space for mutuality, for an intimacy of collaboration, for serious
study and focused conversations, for peace and quiet sometimes, for focus, and of course,with always one side open and an eye line in, for safety too.”
A fifth-grade teacher allows students to read when they finish their work.
However, she noticed that students who were trying to read became frustrated
and annoyed by the distractions in the room. The class discussed this issue anddecided to ask parents to build three-walled human-size cubbies where students
could put pillows and retreat to for reading. A few parents procured wood, nails,
and hammers and assembled three human-size reading cubbies, or “nooks” asthey came to be called. The reading nooks are freestanding and can be moved.
However, they currently line a back wall.

Small Group Work
Digital-age learning means extensive collaboration on projects and other small group
activities. Peer-to-peer teaching and learning is critical for a successful outcome. Most
professional workplaces have conference rooms or other spaces for collaboration, andclassrooms should as well. These collaborative areas can include whiteboards, technology,
and ready access to other materials that are necessary for the given project or activity.
Sometimes another space may be used, such as a media center or makerspace. This is the“watering hole,” or private/together space.
A high school science class is doing a mechanical engineering project, as a way tobuild engineering and design skills. In small groups, students identify a problem tosolve, come up with a solution, and design and prototype their machines. Thanks

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

53

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

to a flexible workspace with movable and adjustable tables, students can easily
work on the small group project at their own pace: research on the tablets; ideate
on whiteboards; consider solutions, oftentimes try out some form of the solutionsin an open space; and sketch or use 3D modeling software. For prototyping, theyhead to the Maker Classroom, which is equipped with all the tools they need.

Large Group WorkMoving away from a teacher-centered, lecture-based approach still requires whole group
discussions, lectures, presentations, and instructions as needed. In an active learningspace, ideally there is no “front of the room” where the teacher stands or students present.
Instead, any part of the room can be set up as a presentation area. Mobile tables and chairs
are well suited for facilitating whole group discussions, presentations, or lectures. This is
the “campfire” where stories are told and large-group discussions occur. With the rightdesign, this public/together model can be easily and quickly modified.
A seventh-grade social studies class is learning about civil wars. Each of the fivesmall groups has created a presentation demonstrating why the war occurred,
sharing ideas on how the war could have been prevented, and relating theirlearning to gang activity in their own community. Each group presents in adifferent way. One group created a short film; another group scripted a play;
another group created a “choose your own adventure” website; a fourth groupplanned a debate-style panel; and the fifth group created a multimedia presentation. Students share their products with peers in another class as well as with
community activists. For the presentations, students fold and roll aside most of
the tables. They stack most chairs, but leave some out for visiting community
members. They also keep a few tables out for computers. All students gather inthe open space. A computer and projector are set up by one of the large whiteboards; a small stage with scenery is set up on the other side of the room; andlaptops and tablets are set out against two walls.
Classrooms can also extend beyond their four walls. Hallways, in-between spaces, libraries,
and outdoor areas are potential extensions of the classroom. A classroom may even extend
further by way of field studies, internships, and excursions into “life” beyond the schoolbuilding.

54

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

What types of learning experiences would benefit from a change to the space?
Which types of spaces would you like to incorporate into your classroom? Use
the following space to create sketches of the different types of classroom learning: quiet work, small group work, and large group work.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

55

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

Classroom Furniture
Learning can happen anywhere, but learning happens better with the right classroom
design. Research on learning shows that creativity and collaboration can be enhanced
through the redesign of space. In the book Make Space (Doorley & Witthoft, 2012), theauthors purport that the design of furniture enhances the ability of teams to collaborate.
When envisioning a classroom as an active learning space, keep in mind a few considerations
so as to best accommodate student and classroom needs. These considerations include:

ComfortSeating and classroom furniture/accessories should be designed for comfort and to allow
for individual preferences.
• An active learning space should have places for students to sit and work forsustained periods of time.
• Comfort is different for everyone, and the type of seating may vary dependingon the type of work students are doing, so offering a variety of seating andposture-support options (such as lounge seating and seat or stool heights) is
ideal.
• Seating options should vary and can include wobbly stools, foam benches,bean bags, yoga balls, or plush carpets. If students are not using desks or tables,
clipboards provide a good solution for a writing surface.
• Comfortable chairs should be selected.

Ergonomics
Ergonomics is a science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so thatthe people and things interact most efficiently (Merriam Webster, 2015).
• Consider furniture that will benefit growing students’ spines, posture, andpositions.
• Chairs should have lumbar support and armrests, and feature adjustable heights
and positions.
• Ideally, some tables will have adjustable heights.

Flexibility
Learning spaces should allow for different types of classroom activities and be easily
customizable.
• For an agile learning space, modular seating should be purchased or created so
as to facilitate quick reconfiguration.
• Furniture should provide for multiple purposes. For example, a bookshelfmight double as a standing workspace, or a mobile whiteboard might serve asa seat divider.

56

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3• Include some furniture that allows students to move, such as wobbly chairs.

Mobility
Furniture should be easily moved to allow for easy reconfiguration of the classroom.
• Tables should have the ability to be folded and easily rolled aside so as to create
an open gathering space.
• Chairs, too, should be easily movable. Chairs that are light and can be stacked
are ideal.
• Some workstations could include an attached desk and chairs on wheels.
• Swivel seats should allow students to turn to see each other for collaboration,and they should also provide students a way to release nervous energy so they
can better focus on learning.

Durability
Strength and durability should be taken into account when repurposing existing furnitureor selecting new pieces. Here are some things to consider.
• Furniture should be constructed to handle the heavy use of the school
environment.
• Classroom furniture should be easy to care for; “wipeable” surfaces allow foreasy cleaning.

Think of the furniture in your current classroom, school, or district. Use the following table to assess individual pieces of furniture according to the aforementioned considerations. Rank the level of satisfaction within each category, with 1
being the least satisfactory and 5 being the most satisfactory. The first column isfilled out as an example.
Item Namestudent desk

Comfort2

Ergonomics

3

Flexibility

2

Mobility

4

Durability

5

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

57

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

Furnishing Today’s Classrooms
Companies, such as Steelcase, design and make furniture that accommodates active
learning. For example, some rolling desks, such as the Node chair, have laptop storage
and desktops that can be easily pushed aside to allow for easy entry and exit. They arelightweight and have wheels for mobility. Tables may fold and have whiteboard tops andwheels for mobility. Design39Campus in Poway, California, only purchases furniture thatis multiuse and mobile. They worked with a furniture company to customize some of thefurniture they use. For example, legs on tables were moved an additional eight inches
apart so students would not have to bother with a table leg placed in between their legs.
When a teacher at Design39Campus says “reset,” students know they are to fold, roll, andstack furniture off to the side, and they are able to do so in seconds.

A Focus on Tables
Adjustable height and flip-top tables allow for flexible use of space. Flip-top tables canbe easily stored when not in use to provide for more open space. Adjustable height tables
allow students to be comfortable no matter if they prefer to stand or sit. Standing workstations also have health and learning benefits. A 2014 study showed that with standing
workstations, students increased their physical activity and caloric expenditure; experienced less stress on spinal structure; and showed improved academic successes. (Benden,
Zhao, Jeffrey, Wendel, Blake, 2014)
If funding is limited, rectangular tables with folding legs are a versatile and inexpensive
purchase. Mobility is key in making it possible to reconfigure tables for different types ofactivities that accommodate teams. This can be accomplished by arranging an area of theclassroom with taller tables and adjustable-height tables. For students who prefer to stand,a podium is another option. Castors oncan be added to tables to help students move fromcollaborative groups to whole-group or independent work in a matter of minutes.

A Focus on Seats
When planning for seating, student physical stature and mobility abilities are importantto keep in mind. Student preferences may also be considered, and a variety of chairs allow
for those preferences. The same seat style for thirty students may not be desirable: Somestudents may prefer to sit on stools, exercise balls, or the floor. Rocking stools, such as
the Steelcase Hokki, or exercise balls allow for active students to keep moving. Moreover,these seating types take up a small amount of classroom space. Stackable or folding chairs
can be moved out of the way when needed. Casters on chairs help students to easily movearound and keep others within their line of sight. Mobile chairs with attached desks thatmove to the side for easy desk entry are another option. Small hand-built wooden bleachers
are a good choice for a stadium/tiered seating area for whole-group or small-group work.
With different bodies, different learning styles, and different kinds of work it makes
sense to have a variety of seating options in a classroom—the more the better. Like other58

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

learning tools, conversations about the furniture are important. Teachers and students
must agree on usage, turn-taking, and expectations.

Sketch some examples of ideal furniture for your active learning space. Whatwould be your ideal chair? What would be your ideal table? Use the following
space to brainstorm ideas.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

59

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

Accessorizing
Aside from rethinking furniture, other classroom features and products, both large andsmall, are worth exploring and can have a big effect on the efficiency and feel of a learningspace.

Storage and Classroom Supplies
Storage containers, crates, and shelving can be used to divide space as well as hold a variety
of supplies and equipment for student projects. Castors can make them easy to tuck away.
A rolling cart stocked with project or art supplies can be easily moved to areas inside andoutside of the classroom for sharing between classes. Discount furniture stores provide awide variety of inexpensive storage solutions. For safe storage for mobile devices, consider
carts, designated bookshelves, even hanging files in a locked file cabinet. All technology
storage options should include a charging feature to make sure devices are ready for use
when needed.

Personal Supplies Storage
Students bring stuff to school—books, pencils, jackets, lunches, mobile devices, andpossibly a change of clothes for afterschool activities. Personal spaces may be at a deskwith a cubby underneath, a backpack slung over a chair, or a locker. In a redesigned classroom, personal belongings are often kept out of the way of the learning space by way ofhooks, cubbies, or bins. Pens, pencils, math, and art supplies can be shared and placed indesignated locations.

Writable Surfaces
Some students like to write on desks, walls, doors, and windows—for the sense of audience, the collaborative nature of the activity, the exchange between writers, the richcolors, the personalization of large-scale writing, and more. Rolling whiteboards are oneof the most versatile additions to any classroom. Whiteboards can be used for collaborative brainstorming or even as dividers to provide teams with more private space. Smaller
double-sided whiteboards can be hooked onto the ends of tables for easy access. Tables
with whiteboard tops allow space for personal ideation and expression, while verticalwhiteboard surfaces (such as walls) make thinking visible to others while providing information persistence. Glass panels on the wall or white contact paper on tabletops can beused for writing notes.

Presentation or Teacher’s Station
In active learning spaces, students and teachers may be sharing work, instructing small
and large groups, or broadcasting videos. Rolling metal mobile teacher’s stations are usefulfor moving the classroom focus around and projecting to different classroom areas. A

60

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

cart may have a shelf for small projector storage, a laptop surface, and drawers for remotecontrols, pens, and other supplies. It may also include a removable tote bag.

LCD Display
Aside from a small mobile projector, an LCD display can be mounted on a wall so it’s outof the way of learning. Likewise, this location minimizes distractions from bodies thatmight pass in front of the projector.

Display SpaceClassroom walls can be maximized for the display of student work. Bulletin board strips
can be attached to walls or hanging wires attached to the ceiling to provide ample room
for showcasing work. High Tech High in San Diego was able to take advantage of its
existing open ceiling architecture to create a variety of areas for showcasing student work.

Color
Research has shown that color contributes to students’ ability to learn. Frank H. Mahnke
in his book, Color, Environment, and Human Response (1996), suggests using cool colors
to improve a student’s ability to focus and warmer colors to stimulate creativity. Colorcoding the different work zones in a classroom can help distinguish quiet areas fromcollaborative areas.

Lighting
Lighting, too, may influence students’ learning. A research study, Illuminating the Effectsof Dynamic Lighting on Student Learning (Mott et al., 2012), suggested the use of full spectrum lighting to improve focus. A study of 20,000 students showed test scores increased asmuch as 26% among students in classrooms filled with natural light (Chua, 2007). Lamps
are another way to establish a more comfortable and natural learning environment. Even
reducing the number of bulbs in fluorescent light fixtures can be helpful.
Each and every classroom should look different from one another. After all, no classroom,
teacher, or student is exactly the same. Just some of the factors affecting a classroom design
include grade level and subject matter, room size and shape, window size and placement(or the absence of windows), whether the classroom is shared by many teachers or is
assigned to one teacher, and if students stay in the classroom most of the day or move
between several classes throughout the day. And of course, individual teacher and student
preferences also factor into the look of a learning space.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

61

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

However, all classrooms start empty. Think about an empty classroom space, either animaginary place or one you know well. Imagine it without furniture, with blank whitewalls, no lighting, and a swept floor. Perhaps the room has windows, perhaps not. If
windows are there, they are uncovered.

In the blank space provided, draw a quick sketch of the empty space. Label assetsthat you want to capitalize on, including large walls or windows.

Now, imagine the students who inhabit that space. How would you like them tobe learning? How would they be using the space? How are they moving throughthe space? What would students appreciate in a classroom?

62

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

Now, consolidate your learning and brainstorms about what constitutes yourideal learning space. In the space below, draw your final round of sketches considering furniture, accessories, and ideal areas for student learning. Feel free totry out new ideas. Remember this is just an ideation process to generate classroom design ideas for you and your students.

In the space below, make a list of what you want your students to be doing inyour classroom. Now revisit your empty classroom and add some features to thespace: perhaps desks, tables, and chairs, or something else.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

63

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom

Daily Rituals
As you rethink classroom spaces, take time to observe daily classroom rituals. For example,
at the beginning of the day, kindergarten classes often gather to sing songs and discuss
the day ahead. A third grade class may be given activity choices for 45 minutes a day that
could include reading, playing an educational game, working on homework or a project,or learning a language using an app. A middle school social studies teacher could haveseveral daily newspapers delivered for students to read throughout the day. A high school
science teacher may provide class time for students to work on engineering projects thatinterest them. Daily rituals are important when rethinking learning spaces.

List your daily rituals in the space below. Consider how you would like a classroom space to best accommodate these rituals. Revisit your classroom sketch
and integrate your rituals into your sketch.

64

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

Teacher Research on Learning Spaces
At Hillbrook School in Northern California the media lab had been made obsolete bymobile devices. With support from Director of Technology, Bill Selak, and Center for
Teaching Excellence Research Designer and Science Teacher, Ilsa Dohmen, educators
redesigned the school’s media lab into an Idea Lab (iLab). They shared their process
and observations in a webinar entitled, Designing Agile Learning Spaces. An iLab is anactive learning classroom where research is collected and ideas get piloted before they
are implemented in the whole school. It’s a space that is content agnostic; it can be used
for things that can’t be done in a more traditional classroom. The iLab is equipped withwhiteboards, movable chairs and tables, window seats with soft cushions, and a couch inthe corner. “Students love the lab,” shares Dohmen, “compared to other learning spaces.”
The lab has a variety of seating options and tables, whiteboards, and a projector. After aclass uses it, all furniture must be pushed to the side so the next class finds it “empty.”
One of the guiding principles behind the iLab is to foster student choice; to allow students
to set up the room and move around in it; and choose to manipulate their environment
based on what they’re doing. Dohmen recognizes that adults are used to honoring eachother’s work habits, but asks “ how often do we honor those differences in students andchildren and how often do we give them the opportunity to even start to develop anddiscover what are the differences that work for them?”
For a research study of seventh and eighth grade students in a Language Arts class, thequestion posed was, “If you give students choice about their work space, will they bemore productive?” To discover the answer to this question, a teacher at Hillbrook School
set up the space herself, assigned seats, and gave a prompt about a novel that students
had to respond to in ten minutes. After the exercise was complete, she gave out a new
assignment. This time she set a timer for five minutes that allowed students to set up theirown space. Students could do whatever they wanted to design the best space for silent
writing. They then responded to a writing prompt for ten minutes. The freewrites fromboth exercises were assessed for word count and quality (claims and examples from thenovel). They discovered that when the students created their own spaces, the results weresignificantly improved, with more words and higher quality responses. Teachers observedthat when students had the opportunity to set up their own space, they didn’t do anything
crazy—just the act of asking students to create their own spaces gave them accountability
and buy-in.
In another research study of a second-grade classroom, the objective was to understandthe effect of movement on productivity. The hypothesis was that students in Steelcase
Hokki stools could focus longer while getting their “wiggles” out. In one class, students
used Hokki stools while doing as many problems as they could in five minutes. In the otherclass, students did the same worksheet, but on rigid stools. The two classes then switched.
Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

65

Chapter 3 • Reimagining the Classroom
Continued from previous pageThe results? Students in the wiggle stools completed significantly more problems thanwhen seated on rigid stools.
Without being pushed, more and more teachers at Hillbrook School are asking for flexible
furniture and are changing their learning spaces.
Future research could include studies on what would happen when the teacher:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Allows students to stand or sit at the back of the classroom?
Removes teacher-produced decorations?
Says it’s okay to stand up or fidget?
Lets students work outside or sit on the floor?
Asks students how they would change the space?
Moves students’ desks every day of the week?
Gets rid of the teacher desk?
Makes materials more accessible for students? (2015)

What are you waiting for? Individually or collectively, you can redesign a classroom space
to accommodate digital-age learning experiences. Just imagine the possibilities.

Now that you have ideas about classroom active learning spaces, tour otherclassrooms in your school or community. Identify spaces, furniture, and accessories that complement student learning. Make a list of ideas for your classroom
space in the space below.

66

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReimagining the Classroom • Chapter 3

1. Where do you do your best learning or work? What makes those space(s)effective?
2. Think of the learning spaces in your school or district. What types of typesof student learning do they best accommodate?
3. Many learning space design ideas were presented in this chapter. Whichdesign ideas seem the most feasible? What are the major obstacles to theideas that don’t seem feasible?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

67

CH

AP

TER

4

Redesigning Your Classroom
By Donna Teuber, Technology Integration Leader and Coach for Richland School District
Two in Columbia, South CarolinaEducators don’t need a large budget to redesign a classroom for active learning. One
or two strategic purchases and some repurposing of existing furniture can transform classroom areas to allow for a variety of active learning experiences. Small
adjustments to classroom layouts and reimagined classroom management procedures canpositively impact student interactions, engagement, and learning as well. Successful redesign projects, like Room 17 in Oregon’s Meriwether Lewis Elementary (described in thenext case study) often happen gradually over the course of months or even years.
Once teachers determine the learning experiences that they want for students, it’s essential
to involve students in the process of redesigning the environment to best meet their needs(Bill, 2013). Engaging students in the redesign project is an empowering learning experience. Not only is their input about pain points and desires heard, but students engage inan authentic learning experience that can involve math skills such as measurement, scaledrawing, and budgeting. In addition, they get practical experience with several digital-age
skills that include problem solving, creativity, and collaboration. Design Thinking, an
iterative methodology for creative problem solving, is ideal for this project.

A Process for Redesigning Your Classroom
Design Thinking, developed by the Institute of Design at Stanford University (the d.school)
is a process for innovative thinking that involves five steps: Empathize, Define, Ideate,
Prototype, and Test. Design Thinking lends itself well to student learning experienceswhere students select a problem and design a solution through ideation, collaboration,
problem solving, and innovation. As you read this chapter, you’ll see how the Design
Thinking process aligns with the steps in a classroom redesign project.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

69

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

Figure 4.1: Design Thinking Process

Getting Started
The first step in designing an effective classroom is gathering information from students:
the most important users of the learning space. Survey students to find out what makes
them feel the most comfortable and productive, and ask them how they feel about thecurrent environment. Survey items should provide the teacher and students with information on the kinds of features they feel would improve their ability to be successful.

Design Thinking Stage 1: Empathize
The Empathy stage of Design Thinking focuses on learning about the user. This may
involve surveys, interviews, observations, and discussions to find out what matters to students in the classroom, what they might be bothered by in the current classroom environment, and what they’d like to see in the future.

70

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

Take a moment to consider a current classroom from the perspective of a different user. This most likely will be a student. However, you could also choose aparent or an administrator. Once you’ve identified your user, list their feelings
and issues with the space. If possible, interview a user for exact information.

By turning the redesign into a learning experience, teachers and/or students might createa driving question that motivates students to consider their own needs, research best practices, come up with a plan, and implement the plan. Driving questions should help define
the exact parameters of the projects and set the stage for success in the next steps of theprocess. A driving question might be: How can we redesign our classroom so it’s the best
environment for our learning?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

71

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

Design Thinking Stage 2: Define
In the Define stage of Design Thinking, students use the information they collected in the
Empathy stage to bring clarity and focus to the problem. By looking for patterns, considering context, and through explaining anomalies, students can create a problem statement that will drive the rest of the work (Stanford University Institute of Design, 2015).

Creating user personas is another way to define a project. This involves imagining a few
different students and a teacher with varying needs and desires, and then describing howeach person uses and feels about the current space, and what that person would like in aredesigned space. Before moving on to brainstorming your solutions, it’s essential that the
problem is clearly defined from the perspective of different users.

Brainstorm a list of driving questions to help define the problems or critical issues
that need to be addressed in your classroom redesign.

72

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

Brainstorming and Prototyping
Once a project is defined and needs are identified, participants are ready to propose ideas.
Notosh (2015) includes a variety of activities
to engage students in brainstorming at notosh.
com/lab/come-up-with-great-ideas. One technique, called 100 Ideas Now, is designed tocreate lively discussion and help students
come up with original ideas.

Design Thinking Stage 3: Ideate
In the ideation—or brainstorming—stage, students should be reminded not to judge any ideas.
This is critical. Aided by activities such as brainstorming and researching inspirational materials,
students concentrate on generating as manyideas as possible for a classroom redesign. These
ideas provide the fodder for the next steps of theprocess: Prototype and Test (Stanford University Institute of Design at Stanford, n.d.).

Use Google Drawings or other computer
graphics tools to draw a reimagined classroom. Many tools allow students to work
collaboratively on designs in real time. Explore tools like Google Drawings andconsider how you could use them for your design project. If possible, explore
more than one tool to find a tool that will meet the needs of you and your students. Use the space below to record your thoughts on the program.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success73

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

Design Thinking Stage 4: Prototype
Prototyping is a concept borrowed from theengineering field that is relevant for processes
and designs. In this stage, students create artifacts that, through testing, will help them reacha final plan. Prototyping is a general term thatcan be applied to many different kinds of tools,
and a task such as redesigning a classroom mayneed a few distinct prototypes.

After ideating, students can use whiteboards,
Post-it notes, physical materials, and computerdrawing programs to create a variety of prototypes for their solutions. Students can also
use a variety of materials to create prototypesof their redesigned classroom. The Stanfordd.school has a list of materials that can beused for creative prototyping at their website(dschool.stanford.edu/groups/k12/wiki/56
b69/Materials_List.html).
Consider the following steps to successful
prototyping:

Step 1: Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping is a technique that can be used to effectively redesign classroom space.
Look at the prototype classroom designs developed by students and select something to
implement immediately. If survey data shows that students need to have space for independent learning, use bookshelves or crates to make a private area. After implementing a
new idea, observe and interview students to find out how they feel about the new space.
Adjustments can be made if the initial experiment fails. This method allows the teacher toreceive feedback before investing more time and funding on an idea.
Step 2: Large-Scale Prototyping

If everything goes well with the first step, continue to move forward. Add new features tothe classroom, observe the classroom environment, and ask students for feedback about
the changes. In Richland School District Two in Columbia, South Carolina, a highschool technology coach at Westwood High School redesigned a classroom space into amakerspace by prototyping with large boxes to indicate where furniture would be placed.
This allowed the technology coach to watch how students moved between zones before
deciding on purchases. After watching the flow of students through the area, the technology coach purchased tables that would fit well in the new space.

Testing and Implementation
The next step is to go for a complete makeover. What would it look like if you moved out
all existing items and reimagined the classroom for a thoroughly transformed learning
experience? Empty out the room and bring back the items that fit into the learning experiences that students have designed. Remember that in an active learning space there is
no longer a front of the room. When nonessential items are removed, more space is madeavailable for a variety of classroom activities. By looking at the classroom through a newlens, students and teachers can redesign the classroom into a space that can transform thelearning experience.

74

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

When the plan has been developed, students
should assist with repurposing furniture,
decorating, and organizing supplies. Set aside
time after school or on the weekend for willing
students to help with the project and plan anopen house for parents when the redesign iscomplete.

Design Thinking Stage 5: Test
During the Test step of Design Thinking, designers collect feedback from users about the prototypes they have created. At this stage, users
should first explore the process without explanation from the designers. Creating realistic
scenarios and experiences for users with different components and variables provide the kindof information that planners can use to improveand refine their design (Stanford University
Institute of Design, n.d.).

Students in a Google Applications class at
Kelly Mill Middle School in South Carolina’s
Richland School District Two learned business skills as they worked with their teacher tomake the classroom more functional for theirneeds. At a certain point, they realized thatthey wanted to go bigger with their plan andacquired and redesigned a portable classroom
into a “cloud classroom” using Google-themed colors, colorful bean bags, inexpensive
decorations, and repurposed furniture. The initial efforts to change their existing spacegave them important information about their needs, and they were successful with implementing the full plan when they acquired the new space.
Getting buy-in from the local administration is important for the design to be successful.
Policies that prohibit painting or moving furniture may need to be adjusted to allow fora learning space makeover. Students can also help with gaining support for the classroom
redesign. Having students go through the design process allows them to take ownership of the project and lead to improved student engagement. As such, they can present
their design to school leadership and explain why the changes will benefit their learning.
Students can also contact business partners and parents to ask for materials and supplies.
Organizations at the school may be willing to provide funding through existing fundraising efforts and endowments.

IteratingContinue observing and testing the new classroom design even after implementation.
Students and teachers should iterate back through the process, ideating once again to
improve their designs and solutions based upon what they have learned during testing.
The process continues until all stakeholders involved in the design project feel their classroom design accomplishes their goals. Even after a design has been implemented, theprocess can continue as students and teachers continue to make small adjustments toaddress problems and needs.
A practical example of a successful Design Thinking for developing a new school ispresented in the case study of Design39Campus at the end of Chapter 5.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

75

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

Repurposing Furniture
Furniture can be modified from current furniture or retired furniture from the school
district. Table legs can be cut to make a low table for floor seating. Removing the storage
spaces from underneath an old table can encourage sharing of materials. An old podium
can become a standing desk. Wooden boxes can be made for nooks. And the list goes on.
Beyond the obvious cost-saving benefits of adopting second-hand furniture, reusing andrepurposing furniture models promotes sustainability and conservation principles tostudents, and also pushes them to act creatively and with resourcefulness.

ISTE Standards for Teachers
As teachers consider a move to active learning spaces, it is helpful to ground the process
in standards for best practice. The ISTE Standards for Teachers (2015) define the skills,
knowledge, and characteristics teachers need to demonstrate in our globally connected,
digital world. As you read through the following standards, consider how they apply notjust to technology but also to teaching in student-centered, active learning environments:
1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, andtechnology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, andinnovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content
learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in
the ISTE Standards•S.
3. Model digital age work and learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an
evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional
practices.
5. Engage in professional growth and leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning,and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting
and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
Visit iste.org/standards for additional resources and information about the ISTE
Standards•T.

76

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

A school media specialist in Columbia, South Carolina, repurposed her old library chairs
into modern stools by removing the backs, painting the frames, and reupholstering theseats with new fabric. Students painted the tops of wooden library tables with whiteboard
paint and added casters for better mobility.
Prior to updating existing furniture andmaking new purchases, teachers might workwith the school’s art teacher to develop a color
scheme for the room. Color can be added
through paint, fabric, and accessories. Paint
stores provide a variety of color palettes anddesign ideas to help with the selection of colors
that support the desired learning environment
for each work zone.

Many crafty suggestions and plans can be foundin the book Make Space: How to Set the Stagefor Creative Collaboration. For example, you canlearn how to create your own foam cubes andmovable walls (Doorley & Witthoft, 2012).

A teacher at Richland School District Two’s Summit Parkway Middle School involved
students in the design process and was able to turn her media center into an active learningspace. Students worked with her to create a makerspace by brainstorming their needs
and developing computer designs for the space. After creating a plan, they pitched theiridea to the district administration to receive support for painting walls and repurposing
furniture. Students participated in all stages of the redesign and gained valuable entrepreneurial skills (2014).

Overcoming Challenges
When redesigning classroom space for learning, teachers will face challenges. Classroom
space and funding are limited. There is also fear that students will be off-task if they’re
not visible to the teacher at all times. These challenges can be overcome by thinking
differently about the use of space. Letting go of some control is key to getting started withtransforming a classroom for active and flexible learning. Following are some common
challenges and how to address them.

Buy-In from Leadership
Teachers can work with colleagues and students to develop a plan that will be pitched toschool leadership. Include research studies and student feedback about learning to provide
a convincing argument for redesigning classrooms. Present leadership with a reasonablebudget and explain the process for moving forward with the plan.

Time
Time for planning, prototyping, repurposing and purchasing items, and evaluating theredesign is needed. Involving students in the design and creation of the space, and making
the creation of the space their learning experience, may take more time than you usually
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success77

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

spend on classroom projects, but consider it time well spent. Successful redesign projects
can improve student teacher relationships and foster a shared sense of ownership over the
space, setting the stage for more balanced and productive learning environments.

Fear
Fear can become a barrier to creating a classroom environment that allows for active
learning. Teachers considering a transition to student-centered learning may voice
concerns that classroom management will be more difficult when students are moving
between activities and collaborating in teams. By developing classroom procedures that
set the new classroom up for success, teachers will feel more comfortable about giving up
the control of teaching from the front of the classroom. Teachers in well-managed classrooms incorporate assessment strategies with clear expectations for classroom behavior
and the work that students need to accomplish. Learn more about management in theManaging an Active Learning Space section.

Parent Concerns
Parents may be concerned about the redesign and wonder if the environment will be
conducive to assessments and independent work. Counter this concern by offering an
open house and asking students to demonstrate how they work in the space. Showcase
student learning through blogs, electronic newsletters, and social media.

Find other teachers who have redesigned their learning spaces. Ask them about
their process. What steps did they follow? How were they able to involve students? In addition, find out strategies they used to overcome any obstacles to a
successful redesign, including those listed previously. Record your findings below.

78

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

PLANNING GUIDEThe following planning guide can assist you as you transform a classroom space:❏ Observe how students andteachers currently work in thespace and interview them to findout which type of environment
works best for them. Think
about extreme users—the mostactive students and the quietest
students—and evaluate how thechange might impact their work.
❏ Research best practices forflexible learning environments.
❏ Survey students to find out
about their learning styles andpreferences.
❏ Work with students tobrainstorm ideas for the space
based on their learning needs.
❏ Involve students in creating a
prototype of the redesigned
classroom using a computerdrawing program or craftmaterials.
❏ Decide on the purchases that will
provide the most benefit within areasonable budget.

❏ Get buy-in from the school
administration by creating
a budget and timeline for
implementation.
❏ Communicate the plan toparents and ask parents forassistance.
❏ After developing a prototype,ask students to pick the mostpromising and feasible ideas toimplement immediately.
❏ Involve students in repurposing
existing furniture and assistingwith fundraising and asking for
donations.
❏ Observe and refine ideas basedon the reactions from the first
rapid prototype.
❏ Continue to introduce newfeatures. Observe and get
feedback on each change.
❏ Host an open house for parents
to see how their children are
working in the new space.

❏ Take advantage of design advice
and assistance from an art
teacher or furniture supply store
designer.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

79

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

All learners deserve a space that can be customized to meet individual learning needs.
When students are given opportunities to make decisions and provide a variety of seating
options, they learn to make choices that best suit them, discovering that they may preferto stand, wobble in their seat, or sit on the floor. Fortunately, preferences can be expressedin an active learning space.
To accommodate a variety of learning preferences and physical needs, teachers and students
can redefine how traditional classroom space is used. By involving students in the design
process and looking at ways to maximize a small budget and existing resources, teachers
can reinvent the classroom into a dynamic space that engages students in learning.

1. New or old? In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of repurposing
second-hand furniture or buying completely new furniture for a classroom
space?
2. Have you ever used the Design Thinking process before? If so, for what typeof project? How do you think it would work with a classroom redesign?
3. Involving students is essential to creating shared ownership, but can comewith challenges. What are these challenges?
4. What steps can you take to generate buy-in for your redesign project fromdifferent stakeholders including students, parent, and administrators?

Managing an Active Learning SpaceAs mentioned, fear can be an intimidating obstacle for teachers considering a transition toa more active learning space. For example, some teachers—citing off-task conversations
or distractibility when students sit in groups—might prefer to keep desks in rows facing
the front. Others might be wary about losing track of learners and their progress whenworking on diverse tasks in spaces scattered throughout a classroom or school. Without
doubt, teachers are confronted with giving up a certain amount of control when they
allow students to move freely about the room, make decisions about where and how theylearn, and provide access to technology.
However, educators should not be fearful of what, in the end, is a good thing: taking
full advantage of spaces in an effort to accommodate every learner and every learning
activity. What’s more, personalizing learning experiences for individual students is not a80

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

new idea. Many teachers may already have an intricate understanding of the nuances ofmanaging an active learning approach, and it turns out that many of the strategies that
apply to managing learning in the digital age also apply to managing active learning spaces.
Consider the following management ideas that may not seem all that new, and note how
they apply to managing an active learning space.

Give Students a VoiceThe learning space belongs just as much to students as it does to a teacher. Think about
how you can involve students in the design of the space. Also, give them a role in developing routines and guidelines that fit the environment. Involving students in these defining
steps can increase student buy-in and ownership over the space. Instead of feeling likesomething is being pushed on them, they will be co-creators: fully invested in making the
new space work.

Plan and Pre-teach Procedures and Skills
Underneath a seemingly free learning environment is often a carefully crafted structure governing how the space functions. With a new learning environment comes a needfor a whole new set of procedures. From the overarching questions (How will students
choose spaces appropriate to learning activities?) to the fine details (How will technology
be charged and ready for use?), any time spent planning how the new environment will
operate is useful.
Teaching and consistently reinforcing these routines and procedures is also essential.
While it may take more time than you’d like in the first weeks of school, it will pay off andsave time in the long run. In addition, consider that working efficiently in new spaces will
require new skills. For example, direct instruction in and assessment of characteristics ofskills such as effective collaboration and communication will improve the quality of learning in your room. Lagging skills are often untaught skills.

Set High Expectations
Many times, the only thing holding our learners back can be our expectations. When high,yet fair, expectations for student behavior in the learning environment are clearly defined,
students will often rise to meet them. When the expectations are not met, teachers must
hold students accountable. In Ms. Kennedy’s classroom at Lewis Elementary School, when
students make poor decisions about where to sit, they lose that privilege for a week. (Formore details, see the Case Study that concludes this chapter.) A similar system of naturalconsequences can go a long way toward ensuring positive behavior in your new space.
Likewise, set high expectations for student work. These expectations should be clear, reasonable, and individualized as much as possible. If students are supported through theContinued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success81

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom
Continued from previous page

process, high expectations for student learning will help students be more efficient in thelearning space.

Encourage Student Metacognition
Active learning spaces require students to make ongoing decisions about which spaces
match their specific needs and individual preferences. Given the right amount of support and practice in how to reflect and monitor their performance, students will graduallydevelop their self-management skills. Not only is this a benefit to your students personally, but as students take control of their own decisions, your space can actually begin to
manage itself.

Use Formative Assessments
Constant formative assessments—including, among others, audio, visual, and text observational notes; skill and project checklists; self-reflection and peer feedback; mini-conferences; and exit tickets—can help students stay focused on learning projects and goals.
With increased information on student progress, you’ll likely feel aware of individual student progress and needs, even though they are engaged in a wide variety of activities ina wide variety of spaces. Connecting these assessments to space as much as possible will
inform the decisions you and your students make about which spaces are best for whichlearners and activities.

Share Your Space
Inviting visitors into the room to observe your space and all of the great learning that
happens there can be a powerful way to convince others of the many benefits of active
learning spaces. It can also generate student pride in their space. With pride comes agreater sense of respect, a respect that will encourage students to maintain and care forthe space and those in it.
Active classrooms will have students all over the room while they engage in different activities. There is no way to monitor students without transitioning to a more mobile teachingstyle. Get up and move around. Listen in on collaborative sessions, glance at screens andcheck in with students during independent study. This type of passive supervision communicates a clear message that you take an interest in students and their learning, andyour students will appreciate your active engagement. In addition, student behavior may
improve just because they know you’re always up and about.
Flexibility has been and will continue to be mentioned throughout this book as a key
ingredient for successful active learning spaces. It should also be considered a key ingredient for managing an active learning space. Once created, your design should not be
considered set in stone. As problems arise—and they will—with either certain spaces or

82

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4certain procedures or guidelines, be flexible as you work with students to find creative
solutions in this learning space that you and your students maintain together.
Active learning itself can actually be an excellent tool for classroom management. Given
more control over their own learning and learning spaces, student engagement can
improve. With increased engagement, teachers can expect less behavior issues. Sure,
there will be bumps along the way. But don’t let fear get in the way of establishing anactive learning space.

A Place for Every Learner and Learning Activity
Meriwether Lewis Elementary: Room 17’s Learning Space
Upon walking into Room 17 of Meriwether Lewis Elementary in Portland, Oregon, it’s immediately obvious that the space has been purposefully designed forthe unique characteristics of each individual student and a wide variety of activities involved in the learning process. The third grade students are smiling, excitedabout their classroom and their learning. They are busy attending to instruction,
sharing and collaborating with peers, and working independently. They are monitoring their own learning, and making decisions about which spaces best fit theircurrent requirements.

Figure 4.2: Room 17’s variety of spaces accommodate all learners and learning activities.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success83

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

You’d think in a room with 25 students that a certain degree of messiness would
be a given. But Room 17 is shockingly organized and uncluttered. Every pencil issharpened, and all the supplies are ready for use in easily accessible communal
areas. Asus Chromebooks are either charging in their stations or in use by students. What’s more, the space appears to care for itself—as students leave at theend of a busy afternoon, everything is put back in place and made ready for the
next day.
Through it all, the classroom teacher, Pamela Kennedy, glides around the room.
She checks in with individuals and groups and engages students with her energy,
demeanor, and attention. She is clearly a guide. And everything in the room—from the spaces to the intricate routines and procedures—was intentionallydesigned by Ms. Kennedy to enhance the learning experience for each and every
student in her room.

At a Glance:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

School: Lewis Elementary
Location: Portland, Oregon
Teacher: Pamela Kennedy
Classroom grade: 3rd grade
Number of students: 25
Website: https://mskennedy17.wordpress.com
Twitter feed: @PamelaKennedy17

The Space
Ms. Kennedy was a pen-and-ink illustrator and stay-at-home mom. Her transition into teaching started with volunteering in her son’s classrooms. She thenbecame an educational assistant and para-educator with the opportunity toobserve teaching and learning in a variety of learning spaces. Upon becoming acertified teacher, she finally got the opportunity to design her own space. Ms.
Kennedy describes her current classroom, Room 17, as “a place where an optimistic person has the ability to instill a genuine love of learning.” To that end, sheprovides spaces that accommodate not only many different learning activities
but also the unique learning styles and needs of all the students.
“Creativity, comfort, and bold design are elements I now embrace in my classroom. Over the years, I just keep removing any physical and social barriers that
inhibit instruction, movement, and interaction. Students now have the flexibility84

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

to customize their environment, to meet their unique learning styles and personal preferences. Room 17 fluidly evolves and takes shape as needed for lessons
and activities of the moment.”

Hokki stools and Zuma chairs
Not one single traditional school chair exists in Room 17. Instead, when students
are sitting they sit in chairs that allow for a range of movement and learning
styles. Hokki stools provide a gentle rocking motion that lets students keep moving while sitting still. The cantilever Zuma chairs, ergonomically shaped, appeal tostudents who prefer a backrest. Both seating options are light enough to be easily moved around the classroom and can be lifted onto a table for easy cleaning.

Figure 4.3: Students at work sitting on Hokki stools

Node chairs
The attached work area, the sturdy casters,
and ability to swivel make the Node chair a
popular seating option in Room 17. The chairs’
mobility allows for all types of classroom learning. For group work, they can be arranged into
collaborative pods. During instructional time,they can be wheeled to face the front. And fortimes requiring independent focus, they canbe rotated to create private work areas.
Figure 4.4: A Node chairarranged to promote focus

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success85

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

High table
Sitting in any chair can be hard for extended periods of time. A high table provides students a little bit more freedom of movement to get their work done andcollaborate while standing up.

Low table
Students can choose to sit on carpet squares surrounding a low table covered with
IdeaPaint, which transforms the table top into a whiteboard. Dry erase markers in
hand, students are encouraged to collaborate and share their thinking. Ms. Kennedy can quickly “get a clear overview of students’ thought processes and work”
and “provide immediate feedback, [that is] so important in formative assessment.”

Podium
According to Ms. Kennedy, “It’s always a goodidea to have an individual standing workstation
designed for one learner.” During writing lessons, students really appreciate the locationof the podium because it provides a clear viewof a word wall.

Rug area
Most elementary classrooms include a community area for instruction, presentation, anddiscussion. Room 17 is no different. However,
Figure 4.5: The podium allows
students to focus on their work
what is impressive is how purposefully thewhile standing.
space was designed. A teacher workstation
with computer and document camera, the ceiling-mounted projector, the white board, and the neat, simple, accessible displays
make the gathering space particularly usable in Room 17. Students not only havea spot to gather as an entire class, they also have a spot that grants all students afront row seat to that day’s presentation.

Reading cubbies
Ms. Kennedy has moved the coat racks into the hallway where backpacks, coats,and lunches remain throughout the day. In the absence of all this clutter, theextra space allows for three simple, yet functional cubbies that can each fit two
students. Students can climb into the confined spaces to find that short moment
for reading a book or having a discussion with a friend.

Reading bleachers
A two-tiered bench constructed in the corner is a natural spot for students toread as a group, meet with a book group, or collaborate on work. Although it
86

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

takes up little actual floor space, the bleachers are a comfortable place for learners to gather.

Technology
When not in use, neatly arranged Chromebooks charge on a low counter in thecorner of the room. Much of the time, however, the Chromebooks are in thehands of students who leverage technology for learning in all areas of the room.

The Process
Ms. Kennedy insists that breaking away from a traditional classroom and establishing an environment suited to the personalized needs of each learner is notdifficult to do, it’s just the outcome of a deliberate process. She describes a classroom as “just your basic square. You just need to be thoughtful about what you
put in it.”
When Ms. Kennedy moved from teaching kindergarten to third grade, she inherited not only the classroom but also all of its contents. Her first task was toremove all the unnecessary items from the classroom. About all that met Ms.
Kennedy’s approval was the “bank of large, beautiful windows” looking out onto
the school garden. According to Ms. Kennedy (a self-described minimalist):“I removed everything from the room and conducted an inventory of what I
felt was necessary. For example, five file cabinets were whittled down to one.
Dozen-upon-dozens of random plastic containers were recycled. Mismatchedcircular tables and single desks were replaced with tables for six students.”
With a clean slate, Ms. Kennedy started the process of reinventing her classroom
from the ground up. Ms. Kennedy wanted the Room 17 learning space to “behighly structured, uncluttered, and organized—transformed from the institutional space it was in the fifties.”
Given the very finite resources available in a public school budget, Ms. Kennedy
had to be resourceful when setting up and furnishing Room 17. Many of thecontents of the room make it appear fresh but were actually gathered at little
or no cost. The stand-up table was donated, the low dry-erase table was picked
up on clearance, and a parent of a former student constructed the podium. Ms.
Kennedy’s handy husband, Craig, built the reading bleachers and cubbies, andmoved the coat racks into the hallway.
A redesign this thorough is hard to accomplish without at least some funding, but
Ms. Kennedy has been resourceful in this regard as well. Ms. Kennedy has foundsuccess with DonorsChoose.org, a website connecting public school teachers
and their projects with donations. Ms. Kennedy has figured out how to create

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

87

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

successful grant applications, and she focuses on specific regional grants andmatching donations from corporations to avoid taxing the financial resources ofher school and personal community. Now Ms. Kennedy is passing on her expertise in utilizing the DonorsChoose.org site to her colleagues and other educators.
The opportunities for funding are out there, it’s just a matter being creative infinding them.

Ms. Kennedy pays attention to the small details because highly organized spaces bring a pride of ownership and sense of communal care to
the environment. A local paint store matched the wood stain from theroom so the reading cubbies and the bleacher fit right in. And the wirebook baskets—acquired from the gym teacher—provide a consistentlook through the room.

The Routines
Ms. Kennedy has brought as much intentionality to the process of adopting routines and procedures for the active learning classroom as she has to designing thespaces. At first glance, given the amount of freedom that students have to move
about, class time might appear to be disordered or chaotic. However, supporting
this “busyness” is a clearly defined structure that the students respect and, more
importantly, appreciate.
Ms. Kennedy lays the foundation for a positive learning climate with the routinesthat begin the day and end it. She states, “Each morning . . . I kneel down in the
doorway of Room 17 and greet each student with a handshake or hug. It is my
way of expressing how happy I am to see them and how important it is that theycame to school. . . . In the afternoon, students are dismissed the same way, and I
thank them for a great day of learning and let them know I look forward to seeing
them the next school day.”The students who learn in Room 17 are required to “assume responsibility forgathering materials” and “know there is a place for everything.” Singing duringtransition and cleanup times energizes the classroom and keeps the learning
momentum moving into the next learning activity. Ms. Kennedy utilizes kindness, recognition, and redirection to manage students. When students needredirection during mini-lessons, she invites them to sit in her “zone of proximity,” allowing them to quickly refocus their attention on the learning at hand
without feeling disciplined.

88

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessRedesigning Your Classroom • Chapter 4

ISTE Essential Condition: Skilled Personnel“Educators, support staff, and other leaders skilled in the selection andeffective use of appropriate ICT resources.”
Just as schools likely have staff that already employ best instructional
practice with technology, schools likely have teachers who are redesigning classroom spaces to allow for student-centered learning. These
teachers can inspire others and effect school- or district-wide change(ISTE, 2015).

Ms. Kennedy believes each week is a new week. Accordingly, students start each
Monday in a new seat. She explains, “Each Friday, after our room cleaning andclass meeting, students are randomly selected to choose their spot for theupcoming week. Students opt for different work environments around the class.
They learn to ‘choose wisely’ or they will lose the privilege for the week.” Students in Room 17 take decisions about their learning seriously, oftentimes
choosing a seat based on their learning needs as opposed to where their friends
are sitting. Regardless, students are given so much choice about where and how
they work within any given learning activity that they do not feel limited by theirseat assignments.

Figure 4.6: Small details like individual name cards and pencil holders make Room 17 an
inviting place for students.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

89

Chapter 4 • Redesigning Your Classroom

In Room 17, the teacher and students are energized and engaged, moving freely
yet productively around the room while actively making smart choices about
how, where, and what they learn. The unique qualities of each student are identified while spaces and routines are designed with the best interests of students
in mind. When asked, students appreciate the variety of spaces in the room—butabove all—they appreciate Ms. Kennedy, the one who created the environmentthat makes their third grade experience engaging, fun, and focused on learning.

90

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

CH

AP

TER

5

Schools for the FutureS

pace is the blank canvas where anything can happen. Space is the third component,along with pedagogy and technology, of an active learning environment. Space isa clean slate (or not-so clean slate, depending) that awaits an educator’s uniquemark. Space can be the stage where dramatic acts of learning can occur. According to
the authors of the book Make Space, “Space is the body language of an organization, with
its own grammar that can be tweaked to bolster desirable habits” (Doorley & Witthoft,
2012).
Space can be most anything you want it to be. And that is both the challenge and theopportunity. Although the effectiveness of student learning in the classroom depends
primarily on the teacher, a school building can either facilitate or inhibit an active
learning pedagogy. Some learning spaces lend themselves to collaboration, creativity,and communication; others leave students feeling isolated and confine them to rotelearning with out-of-date content and materials. A well-designed physical space caninspire teachers to be creative and design learning experiences that take full advantage ofactive learning opportunities.

Digital-Age School Architecture
If you are fortunate enough to be designing a new school or modifying an existing structure, you have the opportunity to think about the school space in creative ways such thatyou can maximize its impact on student learning, particularly the interactions among
students and between students and teachers.
Several features contribute to the overall atmosphere of a school. McCrea (Campus Technology, 2012) recommends an overall physical shell with high ceilings, controlled lighting,and open-room layouts. Light is an important component of a digital-age school. Students
and other school personnel spend a good portion of their time inside a school building,particularly in geographic regions with extreme weather conditions, and there is evidence
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

91

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Futurethat “there are direct connections between our physiological well-being as humans andthe amount of daylight we get” (Nair et al., 2013, p. 151). One of the most important
modifications that can be made to an existing school is the removal of walls and barriers,
and the addition of windows and doors to let in more light (p. 92).
Natural light isn’t always the best environment, however. Teachers, and even students,
need to be able to control the lighting. At times they might need bright lighting for boisterous activities, or they may need dim lighting for viewing media or for facilitating quiet
thinking in a private place.
Connections with the outdoors are also important in a learning environment. Students
of all ages need areas for vigorous play and socializing, and a well-designed school uses its
outdoor spaces whenever possible to enhance academic learning. “[O]utdoor areas such aslearning terraces, kitchen gardens, shaded reading areas, natural creeks and other waterfeatures, nature trails, and playfields” provide opportunities to apply content learning to thereal world. When weather permits, outdoor spaces can provide good options for learning
activities that are too big, too messy, or too noisy for indoors (Nair et al., 2013, p. 111).
Storage is another important consideration when designing learning spaces, particularly
where students by necessity move from room to room and do not stay in one space for mostof the day. Storage is also critical for providing students with the materials they need for
creative work. Doorley and Witthoft recommend allotting at least 30% of a school’s spacefor storage and suggest leasing off-site spaces
Researchers and designers of learning envifor seasonal items. Storage areas, according toronments are often at odds over whether thethese authors, should be transparent so thatlearner should adapt to the learning environstored items are visible and don’t fade fromment or whether the learning environment
people’s minds and go unused (2012).
should adapt to the learner. This is the wrong
question. Instead, a better question is: “Howdoes the environment shape the learner and, inturn, how does the learner influence the learning environment?” (Lippman, 2010)

Traditional secondary schools place lockers inhallways or areas separate from the classrooms.
This design can cause crowding and allow forbullying out of the sight of supervising adults.
To promote a safe school environment, individual storage, such as lockers, should beplaced in areas of passive supervision. In addition, Nair and his colleagues recommend
building lockers out of materials other than metal, which is noisy and easily bent (2013).
Another way in which the architecture of a school can contribute to student learning is byspecifically designing features of the school to support the academic curriculum. For
example, leaving architectural or engineering systems visible can give students a real life
illustration of concepts they are studying in their math or science classes, which helps
students see the practical applications of what they are learning in the abstract (Nair et al.,2013). Other possible uses of this strategy could be the identification of landscaping

92

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5elements, geometric designs, and historical artifacts. The well-designed or redesigned
school can serve as a 3D textbook that demonstrates the connections between the abstract
and the concrete—actual concrete, in some cases!
In most communities, schools are more thanjust places where students go to learn mathand history—they are centers of community
activity. Sports, music, and drama events
attract parents, former students, and othercommunity members. Educators use school
facilities to meet with community partners,
and many schools are used by community
organizations such as Scouts and 4H clubs
for meetings outside of regular school hours.
Making a school a warm and welcoming place
for the community can create a supportive
environment that pays off with parent support
for the classroom, not to mention voter
support for school bonds and levies.

ISTE Essential Condition:
Engaged Communities“Leaders and educators develop and maintainpartnerships and collaboration within the community to support and fund the use of ICT anddigital learning resources.”
ISTE holds that establishing community buy-in
is a prerequisite for successful technology integration. Establishing community support for atransition to active learning and the creation ofactive learning spaces is also essential. Dedicating on campus spaces for community members
to gather, such as welcoming entryways andcommunity rooms, can give community members a close-up view of the transformational
impact technology and learning spaces are having on student learning.

One way to welcome the community into
the school is by paying close attention to theschool’s entryway. The installation of seemingly minor features, such as a canopy orroof just outside the main entrance so that
visitors can get out of the weather for lastminute exchanges with their children or to
make preparations to go inside, demonstrates consideration for the patrons of the school.
Another suggestion is to designate a specific space near the entrance where community
members can store their belongings, have meetings, make phone calls, and access theinternet (Nair et al., 2013).
Because the entrance to a school is a visitor’s introduction to the school, its design should
communicate the school’s mission, culture, and values. Display areas for student work canhighlight the importance of academic achievement. Nair and his colleagues remind us,
however, that “The best display of student learning is active learning itself. On walking
into the school, the community is able to see the core business of the school: students
engaged in meaningful activities” (2013). If student work areas are not visible from theentryway, a wall-mounted flat screen TV can be used to cycle through important school
information and display images and videos of student learning in progress.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

93

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

Sketch or diagram your ideal entryway. Consider what you want students, staff,
and community members to be doing in the space. Think about the displays.
What types of information or artifacts will immediately communicate yourschool’s mission and values?

Technology Infrastructure
One of the greatest investments you can make when building a new school or rehabbing
an existing one is in technology infrastructure. Technology is as much a part of a digitalage learning environment as are the floors and ceilings. It is now so ubiquitous as to beunnoticeable. “Today’s learners want to connect and communicate constantly and want
an environment to support these connections (Taylor & Parsons, 2011).
As late as 2014, 70% of public elementary and secondary schools did not have enough broadband access to support widespread use of technology by students (Darling-Hammond,Zielezinski & Goldman, 2014). It is critical for a digital-age school to plan to provide
a stable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth; charging stations; technology
94

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

accessories, such as high-quality microphones, cameras, and 3D printers; and specialized
software to facilitate projects in media production, graphic design, and engineering.
A few principles can guide school designers when planning for effective technology integration:• Include student voices in the design and implementation of technology.
• Provide for long-term storage.
• Support the use of technology to connect students and faculty outside theclassroom.
• Embrace the innovation that technology brings, rather just allowing it.
• Use technology to communicate with and engage parents (Nair et al., 2013).

No technology integration process is without its challenges. In your experience,list the major obstacles to successful school-wide technology integration.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success95

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

Sustainability
Sustainability is not only “in,” it is becoming essential for the health of our planet andourselves. Related to sustainability is the notion of “high performance,” which is a buzzword in school design that refers to the performance of the building itself as well as tothose who use it. Sustainable architecture is one feature of high performance design. For
schools this translates into a design that:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Connects to and complements a site’s natural features.
Takes advantage of natural resources from the earth, wind, and sun.
Uses renewable, recycled, or repurposed materials.
Manages storm run-off or captures and uses rainwater.
Takes advantage of natural light.
Uses healthy paint and carpet materials.

Sustainable design is the perfect avenue for teaching architecture, engineering, construction, and environmental sciences. A project that ties these disciplines together is a school
garden project. Participating students can get hands-on work experience while they learn
about nutrition, botany, natural resources, geometry, and much more. Another way toengage students in living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is to encourage active transport options. Doing so can be as straightforward as providing secure, covered bike racks
and storage areas that encourage students to bicycle and skateboard to and from school.

Safety and Security
Student safety at school is always a concern for educators and parents, and some may
wonder if a learning environment with more open and flexible spaces could invite security breaches or become a breeding ground for student misbehaviors like vandalism andbullying. The term “open” doesn’t mean that anyone can come in to a school at any timeand do anything they like. Certainly, the usual basic security routines of a school, suchas having visitors check in at the office and asking them to wear some kind of identifying
badge or nametag, can be incorporated in a school with active learning spaces.
Most schools have designated entry points, often with guards, surveillance cameras, metal
detectors, or electronic locks. School designers can look for creative ways to include thesefeatures while still maintaining a warm and welcoming environment.
Of course, the best way to discourage bad student behavior is by engaging students inmeaningful learning and helping them develop the skills they need to be self-directed andmotivated. In an active learning environment, students have more options for personalizing their learning, more input into what and how they learn, and more opportunities forinteracting with peers and others. All these characteristics help students to stay involvedin constructive, positive learning activities, and so are less likely to look for ways to cause
problems.
96

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

Still, it would be naive to claim that designing a school with flexible learning spaces will
eliminate the need to consider the safety and security of everyone in the building. Thatsaid, bullying and harassment often happen in spaces where students are out of the eyes ofadults—closed off classrooms, unused nooks and crannies. A safer environment is created
when open spaces reduce the barriers that block negative behaviors from view. Thus, alearning environment with flexible spaces should be designed so that students areconstantly under the passive supervision of faculty and staff.
Another way of providing a safe school atmosphere is by creating a sense of community
among students and staff. Tim Lauer, theprincipal of Meriwether Lewis Elementaryin Portland Oregon, says that in his school
the students don’t “belong” to an individual
teacher: “Everyone, students and teachers
alike, has collective responsibility for eachother’s well being.”

Basically, Transparency and Passive Supervision
is the idea of developing a school with high levelsof visibility in both formal and informal learning areas. This creates a sense of openness yet
preserves acoustic separation, increases natural
daylight in the building, and provides the all-important “eyes on the street.” (Nair et al., 2013)

Arrange a tour of a local school that has recently been built or redesigned toincorporate active learning spaces. In addition to visiting classrooms, pay attention to the other school spaces both in and outside of the school. Also pay attention to how the school manages to maintain both security and open space.

Beyond the Classroom
If you’re lucky enough to be redesigning several spaces within a school, an entire school,or you are building a school from the ground up, then you should consider the otherspaces, or potential spaces, available to you. You’ll want to discover how these spaces
might support your vision and all the people involved in a school.
Imagine a gym that can be divided for large group or small group activities, with doorsthat lead to an outside area. Envision multi-use equipment that is both team-oriented andindividualized that also promotes wellness and health, is fun to use, and gets kids moving.
Consider offering activities like yoga, Pilates, juggling, or kickboxing, for example. Now
visualize a multipurpose room with a big stage, large screen, projector, and lunch tables. If
the lunch tables can be folded and moved to the side when not in use, then the room canalso be used for other activities like student performances, presentations, PTA meetings,
and other community events.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

97

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

The Arts
Schools typically departmentalize the arts by offering distinct art classes or even placing
the art classrooms in a separate wing of the school. The arts, however are a part of, and notseparate from, the other disciplines. Art is ingrained in all subject areas if you take a close
look. Technology allows even “non-artists” to make and share their own media creations, forexample. In any event, art can be integral to school design. Some ideas for doing so include:• Have students work with local artists to create art for the school.
• Provide prominent locations for displays of student art and rotate installations
frequently.
• Provide places throughout the school that are conducive to impromptu
performance.
• Play music on the school PA between classes; use music instead of bells to markclass periods.
• Take advantage of outdoor spaces; perhaps create an outdoor theater or distributebenches for an outdoor classroom.
• Create a soundproof recording studio.
Music is an often-overlooked way of establishing an appropriate mood. Low-level music
can be used in a number of ways. Relaxing music can calm students and encourage reflection. Upbeat music can stimulate creativity and enthusiasm. Music, when used artfully,
cannot only encourage appropriate emotions in a space, but help to maintain focus during
an activity.
But be careful: a Canadian study found conducted in 2004 found that people took up to
20% longer to perform physical and mental tasks to loud music. And if music tempo is above
60 beats per minute, listeners experience a faster heart rate and increased blood pressure,something that would further erode a student’s concentration (BBC News, 2004).

Picture all the other spaces for students to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Hallways can become learning spaces if they feature comfortable chairs, benches, andsome tables of varying sizes. The art room can be modified to include a maker lab forstudents to create things for their projects.
Envision a different library or media center too. By design it may be more open andemptier than current school libraries. It may include small rooms for students to workin, areas for collaboration and team-based work, and spaces for mentoring and tutoring
sessions. It may not include desktop computers, but instead may have a device cart withtablets or laptops that students can check out to do research projects, watch video lectures,and catch up on homework. Its collection of books and ebooks may be borrowed using

98

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

self-checkout systems. QR codes could define sections of the library and highlight student
book reviews.
Think about most school bathrooms and locker rooms. Too often these spaces are cramped,
dirty, vandalized, poorly maintained, potentially unhygienic, and provide opportunities
for bullying. When creating bathrooms in a new school, consider small bathrooms that are
distributed throughout the school. Each bathroom should be located next to a supervisedarea, ideally, and feature stall walls and doors that allow for privacy. Natural light, decorations, and cheerful paint colors can help to make school bathrooms more “homelike.”
If the entire school community has a sense that the school is theirs, they will likely takecare of it and respect it. Involving students in maintaining and cleaning the school also
facilitates a shared sense of ownership. Now, wouldn’t that be nice?

In the areas provided, write three words you would use to describe your ideal
vision for key places within most schools.
Space

Three Words

Gym
Cafeteria
Media Center
Library
Entryway
Outdoors
Art rooms
Music rooms
Makerspaces

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

99

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

Now, use the following workspace to sketch and brainstorm ideal school-wide
learning spaces.

1. Identify an outside area near a school you know well. How could it bebrought into the schools’ learning space?
2. Team teaching can facilitate passive supervision of students. How do you
feel about team teaching? Is it something you’d support? Why or why not?

100

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

Maker Education
Maker education combines problem solving, creativity, and engineering with an ethos ofsustainable reuse, playfulness, and social value. Some maker advocates link the makermovement to rediscovering value in shop class and regaining appreciation for tradecraft
and technical skills. Other maker advocates focus on its gender-neutral approach to technology-as-craft and its emphasis on production skills in a world that glorifies shopping
over creating. Regardless, there are serious pedagogical reasons to pay attention to the
maker movement. “Tinkering” epitomizes the “ill-defined” project so valued by constructivists, and of course student-directed and collaborative learning are a big part of the digital-age skill-set. As maker movement founder Dale Dougherty says in his introduction toCurt Gabrielson’s book Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff, “Tinkering is a process. It is
an attitude. It is the means to fix, make, change, modify, and customize the world (2013).”
The maker movement aligns closely with the principles of active learning spaces. The digital-age demands that learners productively interact with each other and the world aroundthem. Learners who only passively absorb content knowledge from a teacher lecturingfrom the front of the class run the danger of being left behind. At a time when relatively
few people actually understand how our ever more numerous and increasingly complex
electronics actually work, students who engage in the practical, real world skills of maker
experiences can earn truly valuable knowledge. In addition to these tangible, hands-on
skills, the added confidence and advanced thinking skills learned through maker education
can help prepare students for their futures, whatever paths they choose to take.

Getting Started with Maker
The maker movement is purposefully broad and undefined. However, one thing is clear:
the maker movement is about more than simply making. TechShop CEO and author Mark
Hatch identifies Make, Share, Give, Learn, Play, Participate, Support, and Change as thecore components of his Maker Manifesto (Hatch, 2013). Few students will be successful
makers without the right environment, background knowledge, resources, and community. By creating makerspaces in schools, educators can provide the necessary context for
creating student makers. Consider the following ways for teachers to get started:

Craft with Electronics
Maker education makes understanding electronics tangible and fun. A quick search on
the internet will identify circuit-building kits designed to provide the foundational skills
for students to start creating on their own. University of St. Thomas’s Squishy Circuits
Project gives students to the necessary knowledge and recipes to explore circuits using
basic electronics and conductive and insulating homemade play dough. Students can use
playdough to connect components to LEDs, sensors, switches, and more. Chibitronics™

Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success101

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future
Continued from previous pagecombines crafting with electronics with stick-on LEDs and conductive copper tape.
Makey Makey® kits can be used for a wide variety of inventions, and students can use it
to program playable bananas and computer games. Students can use kits with a circuitboard to turn everyday objects into computer touch-sensors that can activate a computer
application. Students can also learn soldering and electronics with a simple kit.

Build with Cardboard and Paper
In makerspaces, cardboard and paper scraps are transformed into building and prototyping tools that can be used to understand essential concepts of structural engineering.
Students apply their geometry skills by measuring, drawing, cutting, and building withcardboard and paper. Websites like Instructables.com provide ready-made plans to get
students started building. Once students are inspired and have mastered some basic
designs, more than likely they will want to take off with their own designs. They can build
a robot, design a bicycle, and more.

Design with an App
The maker movement is closely intertwined with the digital world. Numerous web andtablet applications let students design and construct digitally. Vector drawing apps help
users to create drawings that can be sent to a laser cutter for fabrication. Other apps help
students create designs for 3D printers. Still other tools give students a chance to test
their design ideas for things such as experimental circuits in a virtual environment before
prototyping.

Make Space for Makerspaces
Schools around the world are beginning to embrace maker education. Maker education
addresses STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) standards.
Maker education is particularly good for addressing engineering questions where problems are identified and solutions are created. From transforming libraries to building new
makerspaces, educators are finding ways to bring maker education into their curricula.
Schools with minimal budgets are building their own tables that are suitable for makerprojects, while others are purchasing adjustable sturdy tables. Consider carving out aspace for maker education in your school. You might be surprised at the ways that teachers and students take advantage of it. Consider the following real-world examples of what
other schools are doing.

From Library to Makerspace
Library Media Specialist Leslie Preddy, an award-winning educator from Perry Meridian Middle School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, presented a webinar entitled Makerspaces:
The Now Revolution in School Libraries (edWeb, 2015). She believes that maker education

102

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

helps students develop a plethora of skills such as design, collaboration, inquiry, problem
solving, invention, and self-direction. She also sees maker education as an opportunity
for students to “play.” This is because we all learn through play, tinkering, and experimentation—activities that are often downplayed after the early years of school. Maker
education is “learning and doing with one’s mind,” she says. She has been convinced bystatements such as: “Students say they have very few opportunities to develop theirentrepreneurial energy,” and “Nearly half of America’s students say they want to start
their own business or invent something that changes the world” (Gallup, 2013). Preddy
would like to encourage and nurture these aspirations.
Preddy finds motivation in the views of America’s youth. In the webinar, she notes thediscrepancy between the number of students who want to “start their own business orinvent something that changes the world” and the number of opportunities students haveto develop their “entrepreneurial energy.” Preddy would like to encourage and nurturethese aspirations.
To that end, she decided to create “a space like no other in the school.” Since the school
library is accessible, available to all community members, and open for informal learning
after school, it made sense for it to become a makerspace. Preddy was determined tocreate an intentional space: She wanted people to walk into the space and know they werein a makerspace. Because librarians often see themselves as mentors she had no trouble
putting her project into effect. Bookshelves were moved to the peripheral of the space so
as to “build a niche into the library.” Some shelves were emptied of books and replaced
by tools and other maker materials. Old cafeteria tables, donated by the local community
center, were set up to offer places for students to engage in “guided makes” with a mentor. All of the furniture pieces are flexible in that they can be easily moved or removed.
Preddy is enthusiastic about this new endeavor and draws similarities between gaming
and making: “Students can take what they’ve learned and level up,” she explains (2015).

From Shop Room to Innovation Lab
If you attended a traditional public school, you may remember taking an elective shopclass. You probably went to a dark classroom that was cluttered with jigsaws, tools, piecesof cut wood, and examples of birdhouses. The floor might have been dusty and the class
was mostly comprised of boys because they were generally more drawn to the shop elective than girls. Whatever its qualities, shop class was not essential for academic successfor most students. Perhaps it’s no surprise that shop class fell out of favor with students,
parents, and education leaders.
Shop is making a comeback in the form of makerspaces. The Ann Richards School for
Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas, had two shop classrooms that were collecting
dust. Teacher Kat Sauter was convinced that maker education would benefit her girls. She

Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

103

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future
Continued from previous page

shared her work in the webinar Intel Teach Live: How Do We Empower and Inspire Young
Women? (Intel® Education, 2015).
Sauter had a vision and with the help of parents, students, and community members, thatvision was realized. The shop classrooms were transformed into “innovation labs.” Somewindows were removed and a garage door was installed to allow for natural light and fresh
air. The space now opens to another space—the outdoors—where students can also work.
Since the two rooms were becoming makerspaces, the doors were removed and windows
were installed between the classrooms. The wood from the doors was repurposed and used
to build the tables.
The lab has round tables, comfortable chairs, 3D printers, and laser engravers. Other
fun stuff includes littleBits™ kits, Raspberry Pi™ boards, Makey Makey® kits, and Tinker
cards. Laptops have Autodesk® 3D modeling software on them. The school participatesin Project Lead the Way, which focuses on engineering and STEAM. Sauter believes thatthrough maker education and design thinking, students learn important life, learning, and21st-century skills.

A Digital-Age School
Design39Campus: A New Way and Place to Learn
At Design39Campus (D39C) students have “superpowers,” learn in “Studios,
Makeries, and Collaboratories” with “Learning Experience Designers” (LEDs),
exercise in the “Fitness Center,” and lunch at the “Food Court.” It’s a college,
right? No! It’s a public school in Poway Unified District near San Diego, California. The school opened its doors to prekindergarten (PK) through sixth gradein August of 2014 and will eventually grow to include middle school and a totalof 1,400 lucky students. The student population, which is ethnically and economically diverse, has the opportunity to experience a brand new campus and adifferent approach to learning.

Getting ReadyIn 2012, the superintendent of Poway Unified tasked the entire district with“changing the way we do schools,” explains Megan Power, a Learning Experience Designer (LED) and one of the designers of Design39Campus. To support
this effort, the district removed a principal from one school, and for two years

104

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5challenged her to research and plan a brand new school. In the second planning
year, five teachers were brought in to help design and provide practical insights
and expertise. Their charge was to discover how to provide a different and better
learning environment for students! Using Design Thinking, they worked throughthe same processes that they would be expecting their students to use throughout their learning experiences.

Figure 5.1: Design39Campus in Poway, CA

Empathize: During the Empathy stage, the design team researched different
schools through virtual and face-to-face visitations of schools and businesses.
They traveled to the d.school at the Stanford University Institute of Design, tookd.school MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on designing new learning
environments, watched relevant Ted Talks, and read books.
The team conducted focus groups with community members to imagine what
the school should be like and the opportunities they would like students to have.
Interviewees used the following sentence stems to visualize the not-yet-built
school:••••Students could . . .
Teachers who . . .
Principals who . . .
Parents who . . .

Define: The design team explored three questions to document current educational practices that they were using and identify problems:• Why is it that we’re doing it this way?
• Why is it typically done this way?
• Is there a better way?
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

105

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future“We looked at anything you could imagine about schools, and asked ourselves: Is
it something we need or is it something we don’t need anymore? Is it somethingthat needs changing? If so, what do we need to change about it?” says Power.
“We had deep conversations about everything, including the types of furniture
conducive to our vision, the spaces we wanted, how the spaces would be used,
how students would learn, and the structure of leadership.”Ideate: During the ideation stage, the group worked with parents, community
members, and businesses to collect ideas for the new school. They also did a
two-week project with fourth and fifth graders using Design Thinking to brainstorm answers to questions such as: What are different ways we can do certain
things? How can we restructure a classroom, and a school? “We were pleasantly
surprised to hear that some of the students’ ideas were similar to ours and knew
we were on the right track,” expresses Power.
Prototyping and Testing: The team worked closely with the BakerNowicki architects and a school furniture company to put their ideas into a plan and startbuilding. “We are still prototyping and testing our ideas, constantly reevaluating
and changing things,” says Power. “We think of ourselves as a startup company,
and we will always be a startup company. It’s all about changing, getting back tothat empathy piece and research piece, prototyping, and asking ourselves, Is it
working? What do we need to change and adapt?” The designers look to theirstudents and ask them for help because they’re the experts—it’s their learningand education.

Figure 5.2: D39C Welcomes the community

106

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

A Campus Tour
Driving up to D39C, one can’t help but be impressed by the colored-glass edifice with a student-designed garden in front. A fully retractable front gate opens
to the school, where a windowed “Welcome Center” invites visitors and students
into the “campus” and establishes the tone of transparency, community, and theimportance of space.
The campus includes four buildings: The Showcase, The Welcome Center, andtwo classroom buildings. The principal, office staff, and “Welness Center” staff
share a design studio space in the Welcome Center. Sitting on a small hill acrossfrom the Welcome Center is the Showcase building, which houses a multipurpose space, cafeteria, and music room. Across from the Showcase are two
2-storey classroom buildings at different elevations, with a common promenade
between them and three bridges connecting them. Each building has “pods” ormulti-grade clusters of learning spaces.

The Welcome Center
The Principal, Vice-Principal and administrative staff share an open space, atypical of the more common school offices. The idea behind a shared space mirrors
the rest of the school design and philosophy; spaces that are accessible to all,flexible, collaborative, and communal. Not to mention that office equipment andsupplies are more readily accessible. The health center is also housed in the Welcome Center.

Figure 5.3: The Showcase, a multi-purpose room

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

107

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

The Showcase Building
Outside, the single-level Showcase building is flanked by outdoor tables, a covered pavilion for basketball and volleyball, and a landscaped tiered lawn. Beneaththe Showcase is an expansive open green space, with play structures, a track,
open fields, and pickle-ball courts. Inside is the “Showcase” (a multipurposeroom), the “Servery” (a school food court), the “Fitness Center” (gym), and asound-proofed music room. The names of the spaces, embossed on metal placards, send a strong message that this is no ordinary school.

The Showcase RoomCentral to the Showcase building is the Showcase itself, a multipurpose room. In
seconds, the room can be transformed to an indoor lunch space, an open spacefor whole school gatherings, an auditorium for performances, a presentation hall,and meeting room for large meetings. The room is a flexible space with modular
furniture that changes throughout the day depending on its use. Tables can bejoined together for picnic benches, pulled apart for watching presentation, andtransformed into stadium seating benches in a matter of minutes. The renewable
wooden-ceilinged room is naturally lit by the three glass garage doors that open.

The Fitness Studio
The indoor Fitness Studio, aside the Showcase space, separates into three rooms
when the room divider is used. Multipurpose equipment fills the room and garage
doors open to the outdoor fitness area called the Pavilion. This space has a rubberized floor, holes in the ground for nets, and a roof for sun or rain protection.
A redesigned Physical Education program called Minds in Motion happens here.
All students participate and exercise with offerings such as yoga, hula hooping,collaborative games, and dancing, to name just a few.

Figure 5.4: The Fitness Studio, a place for Minds in Motion

108

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

The Servery and Food Court
The Servery dishes out the typical school lunch, while in the other room, theFood court offers a menu-of-the-day with a variety of choices, such as Mexican, American, and Italian, and is broadcasted on a flat screen TV. Not only do
students have more choices but the choices are healthier than those typicallyfound in a school. Outdoor tables are scattered outside the Servery. Students,
however, are allowed to eat anywhere until music calls them in from lunch. That’s
right—music instead of bells sends the students dancing to class!

The Music Studio
A music and band room, down a hall from the Showcase room provides a spacefor singing and playing instruments, of course. But it is also a place used for musical theater or Minds in Motion dance. The room has soundproofing panels and anaudio recording studio is planned for the future.

Staff and Parent Spaces
Parents and community members are invited to use the spaces on campus. A
staff lunchroom in the Welcom Center, called Café 39, has small tables and decorations. The planning team took the time to visit businesses known for theirarchitectural designs. “We heard them talk about their eating spaces and how
important it is for relationship building, and not work,” Power says with excitement. “We didn’t want it to look like a typical staff room,” she adds. “To that end,
all parents, volunteers, and staff are welcome to a similar lunch with an open
door, where no work is done and students are not discussed.”

Figure 5.5: Cafe 39, an eatery for staff

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

109

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

A staff workroom exists but doesn’t see much use. Yes, they have a copy machine,
but since the school is BYOD and uses digital books, the copy machine isn’t
heavily used, which saves on paper and expensive maintenance and repair costs.
Glass-walled rooms near the workroom provide spaces for parents and staff tomeet. A parent hall area offers movable whiteboard panels, supplies such as letterhead, envelopes, and Post-Its®. D39C welcomes parents in any way they canbe involved in the school.

Classroom Buildings
Across from the Showcase Building sit a paired set of two-storied classroombuildings that sit face-to-face at slightly different elevations with connecting
bridges. The Promenade is an open space between the two buildings, with chalkboard walls, outdoor work spaces, and planters. Classroom doors lead out to thepromenade and the chalkboard-covered walls.

Figure 5.6: Promenade view of classroom buildings

Pods
Each of the buildings is for “Pods”. Pods are multi-grade groups within the schoolthat share common spaces, teachers, and resources. “Currently we have six pods:
two Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade pods, two second andthird grade pods, and two fourth, fifth, and sixth grade pods.” Pods include five to
six Learning Experience Designers (LEDs), including a resource LED. LEDs andstudents move around in the Pod, depending on what they are doing,” explains
Powers.

110

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

Unlike most schools, teachers at D39C, don’t have their own classrooms. But
they do have their own homerooms so that they can connect with a set group of
students. Each Pod includes classrooms, or Learning Studios, one of which is adouble classroom with a wall that can close or open easily.

Learning Studios
Entering one of the Learning Studios, you see a wide open space, with furniturethat can easily slide out of the way when students are doing something that
requires a lot of space. Within a few seconds, students can pull the wheeled
whiteboard-topped tables out and set up the room for any kind of learning
experience.
Personal belongings are stored in restaurant-style bus tub bins (they are the perfect size for backpacks and lunch boxes). Parents are told not to provide theirchildren with larger rolling bags because students do not lug around textbooks.
The shelves were built to hold the bus tubs and also double as standing workplaces.

Figure 5.7: A Learning Studio with mobile furniture and carts with bins along the wall

Within each Studio, whiteboards line several walls. Each of these walls can beused for projection, and students can easily note or sketch their work on a whiteboard. With multiple whiteboard walls, the “front” of the room goes away. A rolling cart holds a projector and supplies, and it can be easily moved anywhere.
Whiteboard-topped tables are mobile and multi-use. Recently, a balloon experiment failed outside on a windy day, so students went back inside and reset theroom to an open space for the experiment. “This would never have happened ina traditional room; there would have been tables, desks, and chairs in the way.
Space can change to what we need it for in an instant,” explains Power.
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success111

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

The Makery
Every Pod has a Makery, or maker space, for deconstructing and constructing
electronics, repurposing vacuums and computers, building catapults, exploringmechanical engineering, being artistic, and making a mess, for example. Manylearning experiences incorporate making. The high, industrial-strength and stationary Makery tables have stools that slide all the way underneath. Neatly organized movable storage bins on shelves line the back wall.

Figure 5.8: A Makery, a space for tinkering

The Collaboratory
Large Collaboratories are open spaces for each Pod that look more like lounges
than typical public school spaces. Each floor has three Collaboratories. Collaboratories offer space for just about anything, collaboration, individual work, andpresentations. Each Callaboratory is carpeted and has soft furniture, movable
tables and chairs, Hokki stools of different sizes, whiteboards, cameras, andcharging stations. The youngest Pod has an Imagination Station in addition to a
Collaboratory, another open space where students can play, discover, or engage
in simulations, such as transforming the space into a store to develop math skills.

112

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

Figure 5.9: A Collaboratory, a space for individual, small and large group work

The Loft
The Loft, aka library, is in one of the classroom buildings, open on one side asa loft. Like all other roms, it too is a flexible space that welcomes large groups,
small groups, and is open during lunch. Small and large meeting rooms allow fordifferent activities to go on at the same time. Books are checked out on thehonor system. Within the Loft is a computer lab, but it doesn’t have computers
because this is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) school and devices are used all
around the campus.

The Gallery
The Gallery lies below the loft, connected by an open staircase and is a campuswide common space where students usually give Ted Talk–style presentations.
It has tiered, built-in seating and three flat screen monitors on the walls forstudents to project their work. One of the screens can even be split into four
screens!

Pod Learning
A different kind of school building and student organization requires a different
kind of teacher and student planning and learning. To make the Pod structure
work, teachers within a Pod have a one-hour meeting every morning in the a“Design Studio”, a meeting room devoted to the LEDs of each Pod. Here, theyplan what they’re going to do, determine what they are going to offer students,

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

113

Chapter 5 • Schools for the Future

discuss how students are doing; and decide if they need to regroup in different
ways. They plan long-term learning experiences, similar to projects. They also
discuss “Deep Dives,” which are similar to electives, except that the area of study
is entirely based on the interests of the students.
The curriculum at D39C is designed around a continuum of ideas and skills
through which students progress at their own rate. Collaboration, creativity, andcritical thinking are emphasized in all subject areas. The curricular pathways provide a comprehensive and cohesive experience that builds upon fluencies andskills for each student as he or she progresses. Integration of subject matters is a
key ingredient to help students make connections in their learning.
As for the Common Core State Standards, “We believe that Common Core is
the floor, the jumping off point. It’s where we start at and then we jump off fromthere,” Power says. Design39 teachers are able to develop and design their own
curriculum by working with students and with each other. They use digital textbooks and other resources. “We want to be able to practice the art of teaching,where we’re working with students and each other to create learning experiences,” adds Power. “Since everyone has superpowers, teachers and students
can capitalize on those during learning experiences. At Design39, we’re about
growth mindset, not fixed mindset—it’s not about getting the grade, it’s about
growing. We want to show growth and progress in each of our students.”

Design39Campus opened in August 2014 as a brand-new school. As
the last and 39th school in Poway Unified School District, the school isbased on Design Thinking for learning experiences within active learningspaces, and all of the spaces reflect that mission.
Student population: More than 800 (2015); 1,400 in 2017 (proposed)
Enrollment: Optional enrollment, through a lottery, for participating
Mello-Roos districts within the Poway Unified School District
Construction funding: Community Facilities Districts special taxes
Architect: BakerNowicki

Who’s In Charge?
“In reimagining a school, we wanted to change everything, especially how wenamed the people and spaces within a school so that everyone would know that
this is a different kind of school,” explains Power, “Naming teachers as Learning
Experience Designers defies the image that people have of who teachers are and114

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessSchools for the Future • Chapter 5

what they do. At our campus, everyone is a teacher!” In fact, students are also
LEDs because they, too, are learning to design their experiences. As students
and teachers learn together at Design39, each person is recognized with theirown “superpower,” meaning special skills that they can share with others to create learning experiences. Superpowers can be skills such as filming, video editing,reading aloud, writing poetry, performing, or mentoring. The intent is to break
down the roles of teacher and student; to flatten the hierarchy and elevate thestudent’s role.
“We believe in flat leadership. We do have a principal and vice principal, butthey’re not the decision-makers on campus. We all have the power to make decisions. For Pod decisions, whatever we need or changes we want to make, we
don’t have to ask permission. We have that trust,” explains Power. “When decisions are made, they’re made by those people who have superpowers, or who are
passionate in those areas. Ideally, the principal will be more like a CEO of theschool who is making connections, helping Design39 to connect with businesses,
gets funding, and who does ‘a ton of design thinking.’”

ISTE Essential Condition: Empowered Leaders“Stakeholders at every level empowered to be leaders in effecting consistent system-wide change.”
While leadership can be assumed to come from administrators, a shift
to a more cooperative model of decision making capitalizes on individual
strengths and expertise and creates a more invested community. The
elevated role of teachers in decision making at Design39 exemplifies
this critical element of both successful technology integrations andschool design projects.

What the Future Holds
The architects of Design39 designed a campus with open possibilities and areproud to see the spaces that they have established haven’t reverted back to
a traditional way of schooling. Keep an eye on Design39 to follow along with
their dreams. Megan Power and others in the school have an ambitious goal—
they want to change education for students all over the world! They welcome
visitors to see the campus and to talk with the staff and students. By sharing
what’s happening at D39C, they want to continue to grow, learn, and change
how students learn, and the spaces in which they learn, in communities all overthe globe. Learn more about Design39Campus at https://sites.google.com/site/
design39campus/.
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

115

CH

AP

TER

6

Digital Spaces for Learning
By David Jakes, ed tech leader and bloggerT

he space where learning occurs is sometimes referred to as the “third teacher,” alongwith the influences of adults and peers (Cannon Design, 2011). Undoubtedly, howlearners engage with each other, with ideas, and with the resources associated withlearning is shaped and influenced by the environment in which those interactions occur.
The emergence and availability of digital tools and the environments that employ theconnective and creative potential of technology are fundamentally reshaping what
constitutes an educational experience, as well as where it occurs, and what it means tobe well-educated. Concepts such as “Digital-age learning” and “next generation learningspaces” represent a potential ecology of skills, habits, and dispositions that are acquired
through a variety of interactions shaped by new types of learning environments, including
dedicated digital spaces for learning.

Many schools are now providing digital tools for learning through 1:1 technology programs
or by leveraging the capacity of student-owned technology to support learning. This
increased access to technology for students is a disruptive influence on the status quo of
education, and is directly challenging what learning can look like in schools. Given that, it
is essential that schools begin widening the conversation around technology to incorporatea discussion of the creation of digital spaces for learning. These spaces can create a more
expansive condition for where and how learning can occur and start a dialogue regarding
what schools want to accomplish educationally beyond simply acquiring devices. Whatthese devices connect to—and how they serve learning—should be fundamental questions that all schools address.
The opportunity to create a larger landscape for learning that supports new and engaging
learning experiences is a compelling proposition. The combination of physical and digitallearning spaces has the opportunity to create a new ecology for learning, one that focuseson the needs of today’s learners and is designed to support the development of a learning
community across a wide range of interactions and spaces (Hilton, 2013).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

117

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

Exploring the creation of digital learning spaces for learning involves a thoughtful consideration of the questions that inform the process of establishing, implementing, using, andevaluating such spaces. Specifically, these questions are:
• Is the concept of “classroom” defined only by a physical space still relevant?
• How do the expectations for a student learning experience shape the development of an ecology of learning spaces?
• What are the characteristics of a digital space that is part of this ecology?
• What constitutes a “next generation” ecology of learning spaces?
• What are the potential shifts in the educational experience that occur by realizing a more expansive condition of space where learning can occur?

Choose one or more of the above questions to answer in the space below andbegin exploring the creation of digital learning spaces.

118

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

The Concept of “Classroom”
While the classroom may have been considered the primary location of learning inschools, the same spaces that have served learners for decades are in need of rethinking
in this age of technology and global connectedness. Traditional classroom designs limit
opportunities to reshape the space to support the range of learning interactions required
to develop the dispositions that favor success in a networked world in perpetual “beta.”
Accomplishing this means discarding the traditional notion of what a “classroom” is.
Such a mindset promotes the conditions necessary for the development of a new type ofcontemporary learning space, one no longer constrained by the historical configuration of
the schoolhouse classroom.
Beyond rethinking and reshaping the physical space to become more flexible, agile, andadaptive, ubiquitous technology creates an opportunity to add a new dimension to theconcept of where and how students learn. Because of this technology, the addition ofa digital space for learning can transform the “classroom” into a broader concept, onethat presents expansive and boundless conditions for learning. Creating these conditions
moves the construct of classroom from an isolated relic of the past into a space thatmerges a centering location for learning (physical space) with a digital space that is always
on, accessible 24-7 from a variety of devices, and supports connective and networked
interactions that create new opportunities for learning that extend beyond the brick andmortar school.

The Student Learning Experience as Design Driver
Learning spaces, whether they are physical or digital, should be designed to support thelearning experience for students. Too often spaces are created by focusing on “things”(furniture, interactive whiteboards, and so forth) and not on the expectations for what
students will do as learners (collaborate, create). Schools should begin with learning
behaviors, and build learning spaces that have the capacity to support the development ofthese behaviors. Doing this requires focusing on the skills and habits that students needto learn, the dispositions that they need to exhibit, and how they will demonstrate andmake visible their understanding. It is also critical to consider how spaces will support
student agency and choice, and how they will support participation and contribution. The
addition of digital spaces for learning provides an additional context for the learning experience, and requires the same consideration of how they will be constructed to support andextend the student learning experience.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

119Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

Characteristics of a Digital Learning SpaceWith the variety of tools that are available to schools, what are the characteristics of acomprehensive digital space? In answering this question, schools should consider creatinga digital ecology that features spaces that they themselves create and provide (just likeformal physical classrooms), while honoring student agency in shaping their digital experience with the tools that they choose to employ. Consider the types of spaces wherelearning occurs and how they can be adapted to support digital-age learning.

School-Owned Spaces
Schools have the opportunity to create digital spaces for teachers and students. These
spaces, along with the physical classrooms of the school, create a foundation for building alearning environment that is scalable and that provides systemic and guaranteed tools for
digital learning. These are:• Spaces for Educators: create spaces that enable educators to have an online
presence that provides students with 24-7 access to the resources and school
connections that they need to be successful. These spaces should support communication, curation, discussion forums, chats, online assessments, and enable
third party apps, tools, and resources to be added to increase functionality andcapacity.
• Spaces for Students: students should have access to a digital space that supports a wide range of interactions and capabilities, and that is reconfigurable
and adaptable. Students should have choice on how they use this space. Thatis, they should have a sense of ownership even though the school provides thespace. Such a space should provide a unique personal space for digital learning
as well as an interface for collaboration and creation.

Student-Owned Spaces
Schools must realize that their students have used technology, in some capacity, for the
majority of their lives. Recognizing that they use online tools to self-organize their needs
for learning is essential. For example, tools such as Twitter and Facebook (as well as manyothers) provide a social platform for learning that should be accepted and embraced. If
necessary, and as age appropriate, these tools should be available during the school day.
These types of spaces add depth and dimension to the spaces owned by schools, andthe inclusion and acceptance of such spaces creates a layer of choice for students thatempowers engagement and recognizes the social and personal nature of learning.

Design Considerations
There are three key design considerations for the types of digital spaces that support
learning. These are:120

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6• Mobile: Digital learning spaces should be accessible anywhere and at anytime
across a range of device types.
• Responsive design: Digital learning spaces should provide a universal experience across the different devices that students may use (desktop, laptop, tablet,and smartphone). This is especially true in schools that focus their efforts on
a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) environment where students have avariety of devices.
• Personalized: Digital learning spaces
should be designed to offer a range of
ISTE Essential Condition:
services, tools, and capacities that can
Equitable Accessbe chosen by the user to create an individual experience. Spaces should be“All students, teachers, staff and school leadersdesigned as a “canvas” or “palette” thathave robust and reliable connectivity and accesssupports choice and enables students
to current and emerging technologies and digto self-select the tools that they willital resources.”use, while allowing them to add theirModern learning spaces need to provide equiown tools.

Tools for Digital Space Creationtable access to technological devices to support
digital learning for all students, including thosetraditionally underserved or with special needs.
This includes not only appropriate numbersof devices and levels of connectivity but alsoteachers who understand how to leverage technology for the most disadvantaged students.

New tools that support the creation of digitallearning spaces are emerging each day. It is alandscape that features traditional tools suchas learning management systems that support
teaching and learning, to course platforms
that provide students with a fully integrated course experience. Massive open online
courses (MOOCs) may have thousands enrolled, and they create educational experiencesthat are connected and distributed across the networks of the internet.

Given the availability and capacity of digital tools, how these tools are specifically employed
to create a digital learning space platform is dependent upon the school’s organizational
readiness for change, its capacity to support and maintain technology, the cost of thetools, and the school’s vision of the desired student learning experience.

Learning Management Systems
Employing a learning management system, such as Canvas, Haiku, Blackboard, Moodle,or Edmodo, is an approach that many learning institutions follow. These tools are scalable, or generally easy to use. As well, they deliver a consistent landscape for educators andstudents, and provide interoperability across devices. Many of these platforms now allow
for the integration of third-party elements that extend the platform’s capability to support
learning. Such a tool provides an acceptable solution for creating the digital spaces for

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

121

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

educators, as described earlier. Other similar platforms include Edmodo, Pearson’s OpenClass, and Google Classroom.

Tool Suites
Tools such as Google Apps for Education and Microsoft’s Office 365 provide a comprehensive suite of tools that enable schools to create flexible and agile spaces for students.
For example, Google Apps provides access to Google Drive with its apps and storage
capacity, Hangouts (the Google Plus social platform),YouTube, Sites, Blogger, Gmail, andCalendar. Additionally, Google Apps provides seamless integration with Chromebooks,
Google Play Tablets, and Google Classroom. Office 365 provides online access to widely
recognized software that includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Both platforms provide students with communication and content-creation tools that give them theflexibility to engage as digital learners in a variety of capacities.

Apps Ecosystems
A wide variety of applications that are readily accessible across platforms are available
to learners today. Apps that are available on smartphones and tablets enable students tocreate additional capacity for learning. Online software such as WeVideo (video creation)
and Evernote (content curation) are examples of software hosted in “the cloud.” Even
internet browsers, such as Google Drive, can host applications and browser extensions
that support learning.

Social Media
Simply put, social media tools connect people. Tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, among others, provide schools with the capacity to connect withstakeholders and learners through a variety of media interfaces. These types of tools havebecome embedded in our culture, and they must be considered as an element of any digitallearning space. How these are leveraged specifically to support and enhance learning stillneeds to be addressed more fully, but there is no doubt that these tools can be used toeffectively distribute content and ideas.
There are very few limits to the digital learning space that can’t be overcome with today’s
technology tools. Because of the flexibility and enormous number of tools, digital learningspaces are inherently agile and can be configured in different arrangements, either by thestudent, the school, or by both.

122 Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

Think about different categories of digital tools. Use the following table to document how you are currently using digital tools to create digital spaces for learningin your classroom, school, or district. Then, spend time brainstorming additional
uses for these tools.
Tools for Digital Space Creation

Current Uses

Potential Uses

Learning Management Systems

Tool Suites

Apps Ecosystems

Social Media

Toward a Next Generation Ecology of Spaces
The combination of physical and digital space represents a larger ecology of space forlearning. These spaces are linked together and support the learning experience equally
because learning in one space informs learning in the other. The two spaces, considered
together, can be said to form a multidimensional learning space (Bretag, 2011).
A multidimensional space supports academic activities in both physical and digitaldomains ranging from individual learning experiences to collaborative opportunities.
Because of this, it is important to consider that the skills (such as collaboration) and habits(such as thinking interdependently) of learners must be developed in two types of learning
conditions. For example, it is reasonable to expect all students to master collaboration

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

123

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

skills, but in today’s reality that means learning how to collaborate face-to-face as well as
online. It also means learning how to collaborate synchronously in real time with peers aswell as asynchronously as a “give and take” experience. A multidimensional space provides
schools with the environment to help students develop this skill duality and helps support
the development of dispositions that serve students in either type of learning space.

Spatial Insights
To explore the spatial implications of technology-empowered learning, the Steelcase
Education team completed a design research study in 2014 that involved 16 schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States. The team also interviewed educators, administrators, technologists, and students at the primary, secondary, and higher
education levels.
One of the study’s “Six Spatial Insights” was that learning spaces must be designed toboth capture and stream information. These spaces must support audio and lighting needs
for creating video content (Steelcase Education, 2014).
Instructors’ offices are being adapted to become “recording studios” for creating online
content, and webcams are being added to classrooms to capture class activities. Educators
are increasingly using videoconferencing to connect with subject matter experts aroundthe world while students use the technology for team assignments and study groups.
Teachers are even employing video as an evaluation tool for student-presented content
or to demonstrate practical skills. By videorecording presentations of practical skills, students can assess their own performance in addition to getting feedback from peers andthe teacher.
Investments in both space and appropriate technology can ensure an optimum learning
environment regardless of the physical location of educator or students.

Schools should also consider adding a digital knowledge commons to the multidimensional space for exchanging and accessing collectively owned information and content.
This space allows members of the school community to share their expertise and passions
around learning. A digital knowledge commons allows students to add their expertise to acommunity pool of knowledge and connect with other individuals with similar interests.
The addition of this type of space adds an informal and more social context for learning,and develops connections among learners that might not otherwise occur. Such a space
breaks down barriers and engages individuals and groups across the typical boundaries
associated with schools.

124

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

The Impact of Active Digital-Age Learning Spaces
Creating new conditions for learning can begin by creating new spaces for learning. Establishing a digital learning space and linking it intentionally with the physical spaces of schools
can promote a variety of shifts in the educational experience of school. These can include:
1. A shift in the school’s ability to prepare students for an increasingly
digital life. Successfully negotiating the digital spaces that are available tostudents today requires guidance and support from more experienced users.
Creating digital school spaces for students provides a location for learners
where they can be mentored and grow as digital learners in preparation for amore connected learning experience.
2. A shift from an isolated to a connected experience. Adding digital school
spaces provides an interface between the school and larger digital world, andincreases learners’ capacity to network and receive a more enriched experience.
Such a shift recognizes that schools today are a single node in a distributed
ecology of spaces where students can learn, and that these additional locations
add value to the educational lives of students by connecting them to ideas,
resources, conversations, and other learners.
3. A shift in how, when, and where learning occurs. Digital spaces enable
schools to add additional types of learning experiences, including blended or
online courses that they develop. Adding these types of courses requires that
schools rethink where students learn, how school days could potentially be
restructured, and how physical spaces can be re-created to support a moredigital learning experience. This also includes developing new pedagogies thatspecifically leverage the affordances of digital technologies (Sköld, 2012).
4. A shift in the resources available to learners and educators. There is anenormous repository of resources online that are available for learning, often
available for no charge. These range from a variety of media that supports
learning (imagery, audio, video, simulations, and animations), to open educational resources (OER), to freely available courses from major universities.
Having digital spaces for learning enables schools to assemble these resourcesin purposeful ways and connect their learners to unique digital opportunities
for learning (Vander Ark, 2015).
5. A shift in the ability of the school to be innovative. The overlap between
physical and digital spaces, as well as between school and the world, createsan “edge” experience. These spaces, where communities overlap, provide morediverse conditions for the emergence and development of innovative thoughts,
conversations, and ideas that can transform learning. Innovative institutions
seek to create edges as a technique that can fuel innovation (Hagel, Brown& Davison, 2010).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

125Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

6. A shift in how students interact with their world. Digital learning environments impact how students participate and contribute as a learner. Students
can create and publish to either a school or worldwide audience with a click
or a tap. Such spaces grant students agency to act on their own as a learner,and give them a choice in how they participate in a learning path that can be
individualized so as to create a personal learning experience.
The addition of digital learning spaces increases the capacity of schools to engage theirlearners in meaningful and compelling experiences. These spaces support an enhanced
richness of experience, permitting students to make choices in how, when, why, and where
they learn, as well as who they learn with.
The essence of learning in these spaces is that they empower learners to network, process
information, repurpose it, and create and share, while having their ideas challenged byother learners, without the limitations of place, space, and time.

1. What is the relationship between the physical classroom and digital space in
active learning?
2. How can you, your school, or your district leverage social media for learningand telling your school’s story?
3. In your opinion, why is the establishment of digital learning spaces essential
for the digital age?

126

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

Plymouth Rocks Learning Spaces
Inside Indiana’s Weidner School of Inquiry

Figure 6.1: An open classroom featuring flexible furniture solutions to promote collaboration and group study

The Weidner School of Inquiry in Plymouth, Indiana, is more than just a school:
It’s a school inside of a school. Located inside of Plymouth High School (which
has a student body of approximately 1,200), the Weidner School of Inquiry is anambitious and highly successful project-based program—not a charter school—that gives its students a hand-on approach to learning. It is an alternative learning environment that allows students to explore and make connections with theworld around them.
The school was founded in 2012 and occupies a brand new space that was formerly a second floor swimming pool. The Weidner School of Inquiry is a small
learning environment with its own staff and administration. It was started as a
choice for Plymouth High School students who wanted to experience projectbased learning. The students take approximately half to two-thirds of their total
coursework each year in the Weidner’s learning environment, utilizing projectbased learning as the instructional pedagogy.
As part of the New Tech Network (NTN)—a nonprofit organization that takes
a project-based learning approach to engaging students with dynamic, rigorous
curriculum—the school’s mission is to prepare students not only for college but
also for life beyond the classroom. It does so by utilizing the 4Cs—Creativity,
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success127

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking—to build a foundation ofskills that will support students as they enter the working world. This approach—according to Jennifer Felke, co-director at Weidner School of Inquiry—is adirect response to the traditional school model (based on the transfer and memorization of specific learning content from teacher to student), which she feels
doesn’t adequately prepare students for adult life.

Figure 6.2: A classroom featuring hanging writeboards to present the work of students andgroups to the entire class“The days of the ‘sage on the stage’ are numbered,” Felke says. “We need tocontinue to do a better job of emphasizing 21st-century skill development inaddition to providing engaging survey courses that spark passions and potential
career path exploration; cultivating the skill-sets students will need for 21st-century jobs. Especially at the high school-level, we need to reimagine what thelearning process is all about.”
A huge part of this “reimagining” effort centers on the physical space in which
this new style of learning is set. Logically, in the school’s quest to develop digitalage skills, the school itself mimics, in many ways, a modern workplace.
The renovated facility houses six double classrooms meant to accommodate 50
students each, along with three single classrooms and three small technologyinfused collaboration rooms. All classrooms have projectors and screens, withdouble classrooms having between three to five screens in the room and a microphone system. The school’s large “Navy Room” has a large center screen in addition to four corner screens for projection, and also features a bleacher seatingarea that can easily accommodate 100 people.
The first floor has three distinct flex spaces with two more flex zones on the128

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

second floor of the open loft-style main commons. These spaces are filled with
comfortable, moveable furniture that encourages active learning and promotes
easy collaboration on student-led projects. The classrooms themselves are furnished with tables that seat eight students. There is no formal front of the classroom, which ensures that, during whole group instruction, no student has a badseat, and that there is always the opportunity for full-engagement.
Additionally, these spaces act as practice areas for formalized clubs such as BPA(Business Professionals of America) and speech class. In addition, the school
boasts a makerspace that promotes hands-on learning. It is used mainly by science
courses for classes like Bio-Art, Chem-Food Science, and Physics-Sustainable
Energy. All rooms utilize a “room wizard,” which is an electronic scheduler that is
located outside each door. There is also a courtyard area outside of the school’s
first floor annex where a community garden or an outside collaboration area maysoon be developed.
“The aesthetics of a learning space impacts our students from the moment theywalk into a facility,” explains Weidner School of Inquiry co-director Michael
Delp. “Is the space open and inviting? Does it encourage collaboration and connection? Is the design and color engaging to those working in the space? Does
it promote openness and opportunities to be creative? These are the questions
we must ask ourselves when thinking about learning spaces. And we have seen
firsthand that active learning spaces can promote student engagement.”

Success by Design

Figure 6.3: The first-floor of the Weidner School of Inquiry features flexible areas for study
and collaboration. ©Susan Fleck Photography, 2013

In May of 2014, the Weidner School of Inquiry was named New Tech Network’s
first Demonstration Site for the 2014–15 school year. This distinction was due tothe school’s emerging structures and practices that align with the NTN Learning
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

129

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning

Organization Framework; its instructional alignment with college and career
readiness; its sustained instructional quality; and its cultural alignment with college and career readiness.
In addition, Weidner was named a P21 Exemplary School—one of only 15 in the
country—in December of that same year. During a site visit, P21 evaluated theschool on the following indicators:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Evidence of commitment to college, career, and life readiness
Educational support systems and sustainable design
Engaged learning approaches
Equitable student access to digital-age learning
Evidence of student acquisition of digital-age knowledge and skills
Partnerships for sustainable success

The Weidner School of Inquiry
At a Glance• Codirectors: Michael Delp and Jennifer Felke• Start Year: 2012
• Grade levels: 9–12
• Number of students: Approximately
300 (will cap at 400)
• Staff: Seventeen• Location: Plymouth High School,
Plymouth, Indiana

Felke notes that the school’s success is due,in part, to the space’s encouragement of
movement while accommodating different
groupings of students from pairs to multi-student teams. This movement and engagement
affects how students interact with one
another. It also affects how they work with
their facilitators and any community member
or subject matter expert who happens to participate in a given learning session.

Weidner collaborated with the Fort Wayne,
Indiana, architectural firm Barton-Coe-Vilamaa on the school’s design, with the staff
traveling to Steelcase, Inc. in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, to learn more about how the designand components of a learning environment can affect students. The superintendent and staff later researched best practices to establish a learning space thatwould facilitate the development of digital-age skills with a focus on creativity,
collaboration, and communication. The school wrote several grants and partnered with community businesses to support a fundraising effort that reachednearly $750,000. In the fall of 2014, Barton-Coe-Vilamaa won an AIA DesignAward for their work on the Weidner School of Inquiry.
Felke and Delp assumed the oversight of the school in 2014. Both had previously
served as teachers during the school’s first year. The first year of the program was
led by Kenneth Olson as the sole director. Olson has since returned to his former
position as dean of students at Plymouth High School. Felke previously taught at
Oregon-Davis Junior/Senior High School; while Delp served as Plymouth High130

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessDigital Spaces for Learning • Chapter 6

School’s tennis, basketball, and golf coach and also led several initiatives, including Flipped Instruction.
In their co-director roles—the only co-leadership team in the New Tech Network—Felke and Delp have the unique opportunity to fulfill the school’s mission to help students identify and pursue their passions in a positive culture andengaging environment through project-based learning. They understand thatphysical spaces are critical to the project-based curriculum and help to set thetone for learning. “The professional appearance of the space, combined with frequent involvement from community professionals, has played a transformativerole in helping our learners change their mindsets about school,” Felke says. “Weoften see this professionalism appear in our students during presentation days
when a majority of the students will choose to dress up.”

Facility Overview
The Weidner School of Inquiry is a small, newly renovated learning
community inside Plymouth High School, featuring:••••

Six double classrooms meant to accommodate 50 students each.
Three single classrooms.
Three small technology infused collaboration rooms.
Multiple flex spaces (5) with comfortable, moveable furniture topromote collaboration.
• A makerspace that promotes hands-on learning, used by science
courses for classes Bio-Art, Chem-Food Science, and PhysicsSustainable Energy.
• Courtyard area located outside first floor annex (a permanent
space with a flex area and 3 single classrooms); may be developed
as a community garden or an outside collaboration area.

Teaching with Purpose
The Weidner School of Inquiry encourages educators to be more creative intheir teaching through hands-on experimentation. They do so by facilitating
collaboration among students, embracing the ideas of all students, personalizing
instruction based on student needs, communicating expectations while allowing
flexibility, and utilizing the strategies that best suit student success both academically and socially. The curriculum’s relevance gives students a real-life connection to core subjects that, in turn, create authentic learning experiences thatgive meaning and purpose to what the students are learning.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success131

Chapter 6 • Digital Spaces for Learning“One of the most inspiring uses of our spaces was last fall during our sophomore’s
American Perspectives World War II project,” Delp says. “They completed
numerous interviews of WW II veterans that were videotaped and archived topreserve history. This experience was enriched by our flexible and inviting learning spaces. For other projects, we have a 3D printer in one of our three collaboration rooms where students who have expressed an interest in 3D printing use a
3D scanner to create models of manufacturer-requested prototypes.”
Technology is, of course, an important aspect of building digital-age skills. The
Weidner School of Inquiry uses technology as a tool to enhance the development of the skills necessary to prepare learners for meeting the demands of theworkforce. Students manage their coursework with their own laptops, and theschool’s flex spaces include wall-mounted TV screens that students can plug into
at anytime. These tools help to promote collaboration and provide opportunities
for students to connect with the digital work of others.
“Transforming a learning space is about more than just furniture, but learning how
the space can enhance and support the curriculum, targeted learning outcomes,or teaching methods,” Felke explains. “At the Weidner School of Inquiry, thefoundation has been laid for an amazing way to educate young people. We havean unparalleled learning space. We have a great mix of talented and dedicatedfacilitators who care very deeply for young people and their education. With
hard work, purposeful collaboration, and constant communication, we hope that
our small learning community will become a special place for the community, ourstaff, our facilitators, and most of all our learners, to all learn and grow together.”

Digital-Age Skills Supported• Critical Thinking and Problems Solving: Students are given theopportunity to learn through experimentation and exploration.
• Communication and Collaboration: Students collaborate with
one another in groups and communicate with community leaders
to discuss research.
• Technology Skills: All students have access to laptop computers,
and can use digital screens and multimedia tools to collaborate
with other students on projects.
Once fully implemented, one-third of the Plymouth High School
population will receive their instruction of core classes (science, math,
English, and social studies) in the Weidner School of Inquiry. Some ofthese courses are integrated with elective courses.

132

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

CH

AP

TER

7

Planning for Active Learning SpacesIf you’ve read this far in the book, you’re probably already convinced that redesigned
learning spaces benefit students and teachers. You’ve also probably generated someideas for your own classroom or school, some that are pie in the sky and some moregrounded in reality. Now it’s time to think
about the steps you can take to transform
Room 17
your learning environment into one that
effectively uses space to engage students andWhen Pamela Kennedy decided to design aenhance learning.

A solitary teacher with some ideas about how
to reform one classroom to meet the needsof the digital age has the opportunity, withadministrative support, to make significant
changes in one small learning space. This may
involve raising money for more flexible furniture, writing a grant to acquire technology,
or just rethinking the classroom design. In
many cases a small step, like the rethinking
of one classroom space, can be an excellent
strategy for moving a whole school forward.
One redesigned classroom can be an example
that inspires other teachers. It can also help
a faculty work out the design kinks to facilitate a more widespread application of active
learning spaces. Even if only one classroom isredesigned, it can at least improve the learning
experiences of the students in that classroom.

flexible classroom environment that met theneeds of her students, she explored a variety offunding options in order to purchase the special
furniture and equipment she needed.
Ms. Kennedy has found success with DonorsChoose.org, a website that connects publicschool teachers and their projects with donors.
Ms. Kennedy figured out how to ensure successful grant applications, and she focuses on
specific regional grants and matching donations
from corporations. She does this so as to avoid
overburdening the financial resources of her
school and local community. Now Ms. Kennedy
is passing on her expertise in navigating theDonorsChoose.org site to her colleagues andother educators.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

133

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

ISTE Standards for Administrators
Effective adoption of teaching and learning best practices for both technology integration and a pedagogical shift to active learning requires knowledgeable, skillful, and inspiring administrators. The following ISTE Standards for Administrators (ISTE Standards•A)
define the various roles administrators play in seizing opportunities to transform schools
to fit the educational requirements of the digital age:
1. Visionary leadership
Educational Administrators inspire and lead development and implementation ofa shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformation throughout the organization.
2. Digital age learning culture
Educational Administrators create, promote, and sustain a dynamic, digital-age
learning culture that provides a rigorous, relevant, and engaging education for all
students.
3. Excellence in professional practice
Educational Administrators promote an environment of professional learningand innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning throughthe infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources.
4. Systemic improvement
Educational Administrators provide digital age leadership and management tocontinuously improve the organization through the effective use of informationand technology resources.
5. Digital citizenship
Educational Administrators model and facilitate understanding of social, ethicaland legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture.
Visit www.iste.org/standards for additional resources and information about the ISTE
Standards•A.

School leaders and administrators have the authority to take on bigger challenges, such as
the building of a new school or significantly revamping an existing school to take advantage of what we know about how spaces can affect student learning. Making this dream a
reality is a huge undertaking but is well worth the effort.
Before attempting the actual process of creating a redesigned learning environment, theschool and community must be ready to make the most of the kinds of flexible learningspaces that support active learning. The most important component of readiness is the134

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

education and buy-in of teachers. They must be prepared to engage in student-centeredapproaches to instruction that seamlessly integrate technology into the learning process.

Engage and Educate Teachers
Active learning spaces only deliver on their educational promise when instruction moves
toward student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. If there is no desire fora more collaborative and personalized pedagogy, then even the best designed physicalenvironment will degenerate into a modern replica of the industrial age school. It will
be a more attractive space but will not make much of a difference for students. Althoughsometimes a revolutionary physical environment can inspire teachers to make changes intheir teaching methods, the opposite can also happen: Teachers arrange their moveable
furniture in rows facing the “front” of a flexible space and leave it there; students accesstechnology only to complete tests and worksheets; and exciting new digital and analog
resources gather dust in storage rooms. The school may look different, but, fundamentally,
nothing has really changed. And this would be a tragedy for all concerned, not to mention
a huge waste of time and money!
Consequently, the biggest consideration when planning for redesigned learning spaces is
professional development for teachers. Helping teachers think about learning differently is
the right place to begin thinking about improving student learning, even before making acommitment to redesigned learning spaces. Student-centered instruction is a good thing,regardless of the learning environment, and transforming classroom pedagogy can benefit
students even in traditional learning spaces. You lose nothing by focusing on helping
teachers create more active learning experiences for students, and everyone benefits.
Teachers who are proficient at student-centered instruction have much to offer an educational community that is considering a redesigned school. Due to their experience, they
will be invaluable resources for choosing plans and for adapting them to the specific needsof a school. Because they are also aware of the shortcomings of an existing environment,
they will have creative ideas on how best to meet learning goals with the available spaces.
By working with architects as well as other stakeholders in the planning process, experienced student-centered teachers can make sure that the final building will meet theunique needs of their school and community. They can easily transition into the newenvironment since they already use teaching practices that incorporate different physicalarrangements. Finally, these expert teachers can also serve as ambassadors to teachers andother colleagues who are interested but apprehensive.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

135

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

Make a list of inspiring teachers in your school.
How might they each be able to contribute in preparing other teachers for the
instructional shift to student-centered learning or in planning a school redesign
project?

Researchers have been studying the types and effects of teacher learning experiences onteacher behaviors and student learning for many years. This research has identified several
characteristics of high-quality professional development:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

136

It is focused on content.
It is designed around how students learn.
It provides in-depth, active learning opportunities.
It links to high academic standards.
It offers teachers opportunities to participate in leadership roles.
It is of an extended duration.
It encourages collaboration among groups of teachers (Desimone et al., 2002).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

The effective use of technology is an important component of professional developmentthat promotes active learning experiences that are supported by flexible digital-age school
design. In a digital-age learning environment, students use technology to manage andpersonalize their learning. While technology is an important component of a digital-age
learning environment, it only plays a role when it supports active learning.
Teachers who teach from a student-centeredperspective can benefit from professional
development that focuses on technology skills
and practical teaching ideas. These teachers
will take immediate advantage of learningspaces that support student-centered learningwith technology. Less proficient teachers who
are reluctant to implement active learning
approaches to learning will need professional
development that focuses as much on pedagogy as on technology.
Clearly, implementation of professional development that meets these criteria is a far cry
from the hiring of an outside expert to talkto teachers about student-centered instruction
or flexible learning spaces for an afternoon.
Professional development requires considerable planning, funds, and effort. While
professional development to help teachers learn
how to develop active learning experiences forstudents can take place early in the process ofa redesign project, additional teacher learning
activities will have to be provided once thebuilding is complete. Even teachers with experience in an active learning environment willneed support to take full advantage of the newenvironment.
Still, the key to the success of a school designthat supports flexibility and active, personalized learning lies in a commitment toeducating teachers in ways that transform
traditional industrial-based learning environments into places that prepare students for thedigital-age world.

Puentedura’s Stages of Technology
Integration
Puentedura’s model of technology integration
describes a way of thinking about technology
in the context of how it contributes to student
learning. This model focuses on Substitution,
Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition(SAMR). Teacher professional development in
SAMR can provide a framework and common
vocabulary for how technology is used in theclassroom, guiding teachers towards meaningful and impactful technology integrations.
• Substitution: Students use technology
to complete traditional teacher-directedtasks, such as quizzes and worksheets.
• Augmentation: Students are stillengaged in traditional teacher-centeredlearning activities, but the experience issomewhat enhanced through technology.
For example, students may take a quiz
online in order to progress to a new skill.
• Modification: Students use technology to complete tasks that they would
normally have completed in anotherway, such as making a video instead of
performing a live scene from a play.
• Redefinition: Technology opens up
entirely new avenues for learning by
allowing students to create and consume
in ways impossible without technology(Puentedura, 2010).

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success137

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

ISTE Essential Condition: Ongoing Professional Learning“Educators have ongoing access to technology-related professional learning plans andopportunities as well as dedicated time to practice and share ideas.”
ISTE identifies professional learning that is continually implemented, up-to-date, andindividualized as imperative to leveraging technology. This ongoing learning should include
pedagogical best practices in active learning spaces as well.

Rank professional development experiences you have planned or participated inby placing them on the line from least to most effective.

least effective

most effective

What has and hasn’t worked in your experience?
What do you believe are the most important characteristics of effective professional development?

138

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

Steps to School Redesign
You must recognize that by proposing the construction of an active learning space you
are proposing a radical change to the status quo. Your redesign will likely be a cause ofconcern for many, if not most, stakeholders. Before you begin thinking about construction, designs, furniture, and technology, you must first build a coalition of like-mindedpeople to help move the vision forward. One person can make a difference, but a groupof people can make more of a difference. Moreover, a support group can keep you goingstrong when challenges arise.
Leadership can begin anywhere, but the expense involved in building or redesigning aschool means that district and school administrators have to be on board with the active
learning spaces project. And their leadership has to go beyond allowing the vision tomove forward. They must reflect the kind of revolution that active learning spaces bring,and become active collaborators who champion an inclusive process that systematicallyconsiders all options and decisions.

Form a Planning Committee
Any kind of school construction, whether it is building a brand-new school or updating an
existing one, is an endeavor that requires significant community support. In most cases,
such projects are subject to voter approval and, consequently, require community input
throughout the planning and building process. But community participation isn’t just a
fiscal requirement when it comes to creating active learning spaces; it’s a cultural, political,
and social requirement as well. Well-designed spaces form a bridge between the school
and the community, bringing community members into the school to play importantroles in the learning process.
Individuals involved in planning for new or updated school construction may hold priorbeliefs that restrict the ways they look at teaching and learning. These beliefs are often
difficult to challenge and overcome, even with credible arguments:• Stakeholders have tacit, deeply held beliefs about what schools are and what theyshould do.
• Parents, administrators, and many teachers have a bias toward traditional
approaches to schooling, similar to the Ford model, and the ones they grew up
with.
• Community members see the school as the main force in passing on culturalbeliefs and norms (Building Futures, 2004).
Therefore, forming a committee where all these beliefs can be aired and addressed is
critical for the success of creating a digital-age learning environment. The 21st Century
School Fund recommends that a planning committee consisting of “parents, teachers,
administrators, other school staff, including custodians or building specialists, students,
representatives of local school management teams, neighborhood residents without school-

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success139

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

aged children, representatives of community associations, and local business leaders”(2004, p. 22). Parents of students from student-centered classrooms can be excellent
resources and can have a big impact on helping skeptical community members overcome
their concerns.
Community member who serve on school committees, such as those that focus on facilities planning, generally spend hours of thankless work on projects that can sometimes beless than stimulating. It’s tempting for school leaders to ask for volunteers and then settle
for whoever shows up, or call upon the “usual suspects” who seem to play a role in allcommunity-school interactions. For the kind of change implied by redesigning for active
learning spaces, however, school leaders should be advised to go out of their way to recruitand maintain a diverse population of participants.
Most important, this planning committee is the school’s link to the community at large.
The individuals on this committee have more opportunities to communicate the excitement
about how new learning spaces could transform learning for students to their constituent
groups than do educators. When challenges arise during the process, as they undoubtedly
will, the groundwork done in forming this committee can help overcome them.

Make a list of possible members for a school design process. Include any leaders
or practitioners at all levels, formal and informal, from the school or community.

140

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

Conduct Research
Before the planning committee begins to
discuss concrete ideas about what a school
should look like, they need to take the time tocollect some data that can help them make theright decisions about the school. Time is often
a constraint here, so the committee needs tobe systematic and organized about getting
the information they need. One area of investigation would necessarily be the collectionof information about the current state of theschool that is being redesigned. In entirely new
construction projects, information should be
gleaned from existing or comparable schools
to inform decision-making.

Design Thinking and
Active Learning Spaces
You may remember the concept of Design
Thinking from Chapter 4: Redesigning YourClassroom. Reviewing the stages of Design
Thinking may be useful when considering theprocess of planning a new or remodeled school.
•
•
•
•
•

Empathize
DefineIdeatePrototype
Test(Stanford University Institute of Design, n.d.)Longitudinal quantitative data on topics suchas enrollment, class size, school demographics,
graduation rates, and attendance can help
focus the areas to be addressed in the process for redesigning existing structures anddesigning new schools.
Survey data from stakeholders that include teachers, school staff, parents, and students
can reveal general perceptions and trends. A well-designed survey gets input from people
who don’t have the time or inclination to participate in face-to-face meetings. Digitalsurvey tools make this kind of information easy to collect, compile, and analyze.
Observations allow committee members to see how a school actually works, although theyshould certainly keep in mind that an observation on a specific day may not necessarily
be typical. Because some people may tend to focus on particular behaviors, observing inteams can generate more reliable and unbiased findings.
Interviews with stakeholders can uncover the kind of in-depth information about attitudes and impressions that can’t be learned from surveys or discussions. Using other kindsof data to help form questions can help to fill in knowledge gaps that, in turn, are needed
to make good decisions. In addition, the ability to ask for further clarification about astatement and probing interesting comments for further elaboration can lead to a newlevel of understanding of the perspectives of people who play various roles in the school
redesign process. Committee members must remember, however, not to overgeneralize
from the comments of one or two interviewees. Rather, they must consider each idea inthe context of all the data they have collected.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success141

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

Brainstorm ideas for survey questions to send out to your community. Even
though you may not yet be in a position to send out a survey, think about whattypes of information will be needed. What are the specific needs of your community, and what insights can best guide a committee in its decision-making?

142

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

The goal of analyzing all this information isto learn as much as possible about the people
who will be occupying the new space, what
they need, and what they want. Althoughpeople often enjoy being interviewed and evenobserved, those collecting this kind of data
must be careful to make sure that their role isclear—that they are just collecting information and that they are not evaluating teachers,
students, or administrators. If responders don’t
feel comfortable being honest, then all theeffort put into this kind of research is a wasteof time, and any conclusions drawn from thework will not provide useful guidance for thecreation of active learning spaces.

Researching Learning Spaces
for Design39Campus
Design39Campus took research very seriously
when designing their new school. The school
district leadership took the principal out of
the school two years to do research on school
design before building the school. Five teachers
were also given a year to network and conduct
research about how space could have an impact
on learning. They had thoughtful discussions
about questions such as the following:• Why is it that we’re doing it this way?
• Why is it typically done this way?
• Is there a better way?

Many stakeholders have vested interests
in maintaining the status quo, and others
Community members and educators did addisimply assume without reflection that a newtional research that included watching Ted Talks,or redesigned school will maintain the same
reading books, and taking MOOC courses.
approach to teaching and learning that they
Stakeholders considered all of this information
have always experienced. Because many of thewhen planning their new school.
members of the planning committee may haverelatively little experience. with revolutionary
learning spaces, conducting research can be a
subtle way to introduce people to a new way of thinking about learning spaces. In addition, reading a book, as a committee, such as David Thornburg’s From the Campfire to
the Holodeck, or relevant articles or websites, the planning committee could initiate some
important discussions about why we do school the way we do and what might we dodifferently. The References section of this book can point you to some valuable resources.
If possible, committee members should also visit schools where spaces are used in creative
ways to enhance student learning. Before setting up a site visit, however, make surethat learning spaces are redesigned in more than superficial ways—that instruction is
student-centered, and that students are doing creative and content-rich work. If students
end up using collaborative groupings to memorize vocabulary words or accessing technology for drill and practice, fundamental assumptions about teaching and learning will
not be challenged, and any new learning spaces will not bring about the changes in student
engagement and learning that make this project worth the time, money, and effort.
As committee members participate in conducting research, collecting data, and sharing
perspectives in open dialogue, they become educated to the reasons for the proposedchanges to the learning environment. People will have a chance to air their concerns and

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

143

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

objections, and the proponents of the changes will have the opportunity to refine andclarify their arguments for presentation to outside groups of stakeholders.

Check the References section for possible resources to share with members of acommittee. If time allows, create a presentation or summary of information you
have discovered through your own research for committee members.

Create a Vision
The development of a shared vision for a school with learning spaces that meet digital-age
needs has two purposes. First, the process of developing the vision is a bonding and focusing
exercise for the planning committee. Although, at times, the haggling over wording andeven over punctuation can be tedious and frustrating; eventually, the process should
produce a clearly articulated statement that reflects the beliefs, goals, and compromises of adiverse committee—itself an important step in creating a revolutionary new school design.
Second, a well-written vision statement serves as a vehicle for communicating with groups
and individuals outside of the planning committee. Through formal and informal interactions with parent groups, teacher unions, local business associations, and architects andconstruction managers, committee members can use the vision statement to frame theircomments and present a consistent view to all
stakeholder groups and individuals.

ISTE Essential Condition:
Shared Vision“Proactive leadership develops a shared vision
for educational technology among all education stakeholders, including teachers and support staff, school and district administrators,
teacher educators, students, parents, and thecommunity.”
ISTE recognizes the importance of a communitywide vision in successful technology implementations. Establishing a shared vision about active
learning spaces can similarly guide a school
design process.

144

Plan
The actual planning of a school is a timeconsuming process, particularly when thecommittee is working with revolutionary new
concepts such as active learning spaces. At thispoint the process often seems overwhelming
and can get rushed. Educators experienced
at designing schools are often tempted to
exclude input from the public in a desire to
get the school built and meet deadlines (21stCentury School Fund, 2004). But this is a big
mistake, especially with a redesigned schoolthat connects much more naturally with thecommunity than does a traditional school. A

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

school does more than affect student learning; it can also have an impact on a wholecommunity. Glossing over concerns and issues at this stage diminishes the prospect thatcritical stakeholders will buy in to the whole redesigned learning spaces concept. And ifthat happens, you will end up with a beautiful building with the potential to transform
learning that still processes students in a traditional cells-and-bells educational model.
Tools such as the construction of user scenarios or profiles can help committee members
move their ideas forward. By taking on the role of a student, teacher, or other stakeholder,members of the planning committee can better anticipate needs and challenges. They canalso consider the impact of various decisions on the people who will use the new space.

Adopt roles of stakeholders in your community. Fill in the table while anticipating
the perspectives that these stakeholders might have on a school design project.
Role of Stakeholder

Vision for Project

Needs

Challenges

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

145

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

Interview with an Architect
Carrie Perrone on Working with Schools to
Design Active Learning Spaces
Carrie Perrone is a registered architect with SmithGroupJJR. Perrone, who serves as
the firm’s learning environments specialist, focuses on the planning and design of robust
spaces for higher education, working with colleges and universities nationwide. As a member of SmithGroupJJR’s Learning Practice Leadership, Perrone aims to bring the latest
trends in design for engaged learning to today’s academic institutions.
SmithGroupJJR has a long tradition of providing an integrated set of planning and design
services that include campus master planning as well as programming and design for classrooms, laboratories, student-life facilities, libraries, professional schools, and specialized
facilities. By taking the long view and designing for the whole campus, architects like Perrone have come to understand how space design affects an institution at room, building,neighborhood, and campus scales.

Setting the Stage for Active Learning
Perrone typically works with clients in the early phases of a project—pre-planning, programming, developing both building and “space” visions—then assigns the space list: thevarious components of a project. At the onset of a project, Perrone and her colleagues
leverage benchmarking, past experiences, industry trends and data, relevant furniture
solutions, tours, and impressions of peer facilities to help inform the project vision.
Through the visual listening process, Perrone guides discussions of a client’s internal processes, organizes focus groups, and conducts discussion-based visioning exercises. “We
begin a project by sitting with our clients and stakeholders, envisioning and listening: truly
understanding how they do things, and getting a clear snapshot of a ‘day in the life’ offaculty, students, staff, and instructors,” Perrone says. “We’ll look at how and why they’re
doing things and work with them to design the right space for how the client needs tofunction.” The outcome of this process is a client-specific vision that can be applied tothe project at a programmatic level and carried through the design and completion of a
new facility.
Learning styles and pedagogies become a primary focus when looking at formal learningspaces like classrooms or labs. They also factor into a study of informal learning spaces
like study rooms or learning centers. It takes group input to understand what is needed ineach type of space. From engaging technology and furniture consultants to working withfaculty, administrators, and students to garner input, this process is critical to setting aframework for a successful active learning space.

146

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

Best Practices for a Successful Active Learning Spaces ProjectOver the years, Perrone has developed a series of best practices for designing successful
active learning spaces. These best practices help to ensure that new learning spaces are
not just designed with custom furniture and technology but that the customization is
specific to the larger goals of the institution.

Assign roles and seek out those invaluable project champions
Institutional leadership must be involved in the project in order for it to be successful.
Engaging leadership that has a vision who can see that concept through implementationis critical. It is also extremely important to assemble the right steering committee to push
the project goals forward.
“Success is about having the right people in mix,” Perrone says. “If you have a naysayer,
it’s hard to get the ball moving forward. With active learning a steering committee needs
to buy into the vision and really own that vision. A project’s success is dependent on thesestrong voices and good decision-making. The architect’s role is important, as we can provide guidance, leverage our expertise, and apply innovative design solutions. However, an
engaged and empowered committee will make the project much more successful.”

Get involved with the project. Have a voice.
The involvement of an organization’s faculty, staff, students, technology consultants, andinstructional experts is very important when designing active learning spaces.
“It’s important to have conversations with all of the constituents,” Perrone says. “Weengage focus groups and talk to them about how they want to teach in the future andlearn what their desired student outcomes are.”Understanding higher-level goals that the institution might have for curricula, research,and engagement enables SmithGroupJJR’s planners to develop spaces that respond to
specific goals set forth by the institution.

Research and benchmarking
Benchmarking gives clients valuable insight into industry trends, performance and size
standards, and cost parameters associated with their project. Although every institution
and facility is unique, benchmarking an educational facility in the context of similar peer
facilities is a highly effective tool that allows for more informed decision-making.
Occasionally clients will do some benchmarking on their own, which can be extremely
helpful. “When starting a project, it’s really nice if the client has done some preliminary research. One client, for example, as the design process was starting, conducted

Continued on next page

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

147

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces
Continued from previous page

significant internal research looking at peer institutions, research on student outcomes,
and external factors relating to their specific programs. They considered questions like:
What are employers looking for? What is affecting knowledge retention? And, what regulations and accreditation issues are changing that may impact curriculum material?”
In addition to an institution’s own research, SmithGroupJJR has performed dozens ofbenchmarking studies on behalf of these clients in order to help them understand factors affecting their facility design. “We have databases and tools that allow us to provide
space comparisons, pull room types from graphic libraries, and understand costs. Routine
post-occupancy evaluations of our projects allow us to continuously refine and test thedata against performance metrics and industry best practices,” Perrone says. “In addition
to our own projects, we tap into a wide range of publicly available benchmark information
as well as site visits of projects completed by others.”

Understand the goal of the space
SmithGroupJJR’s active learning spaces typically vary from classroom and presentation
spaces to collaborative areas, specialized labs, meeting rooms, and even lounges withcouches and high-top café tables. Some spaces feature a variety of furniture types whileothers may have a more consistent selection of flexible furniture. Regardless, most every
space SmithGroupJJR designs is flexible enough to support multiple pedagogies. The bottom line is this: One space does not fit all. Understanding the goals for the learning outcomes in the space helps dictate what type of active learning design is most appropriate.
“We like when a space can be flexible or adaptable to function at least three ways; however, determining the priority function is a must. A space may function one way best
but adapt to two different functions well,” Perrone says. “You must consider more than
the furniture—a space is supported by its infrastructure including mechanical systems,lighting systems (artificial and natural), IT and audiovisual systems. The controllability andflexibility of these systems become constraints unless the budget is endless, and we allknow that is never the case.”

Develop feedback loops
As a project kicks off, SmithGroupJJR leverages different formats to capture feedback
from various stakeholders—everything from social media to student focus groups. Feedback loops start at the beginning of a project where stakeholders are given the opportunity
to express ideas in real time. The loops continue throughout the project until completion,
at which time SmithGroupJJR performs a post-occupancy evaluation. SmithGroupJJR
uses both qualitative and quantitative measures for these analyses and leverages post-occupancy information for benchmarking in future projects.

148

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7

More about SmithGroupJJR
SmithGroupJJR (www.smithgroupjjr.com) is a recognized integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm ranked Top 10 in the United States by Building Design + Construction magazine. Notable projects recently completed include the $95 million Electricaland Computer Engineering Building for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
the $44.5 million Centennial Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, andthe $24 million Central Arizona Campus Master Plan and Student Services/Academic
Building. A national leader in sustainable design, SmithGroupJJR has 353 LEED professionals and 107 LEED certified projects. Its staff numbers 900 employees in nine U.S.
offices located in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Madison, Phoenix,
San Francisco, and Washington, DC, now joined by a new office in Shanghai, China.

Develop
It is at this stage that, according to the 21st Century School Fund (2004), all the effort
put into community involvement pays off. Building schools takes more than vision, time,and commitment—it takes money. The financing of a new building, furnishings, andtechnology always require the support and participation of taxpayers. Nonprofit, philanthropic, and community organizations can also be in a position to contribute financiallyto a plan that helps meet their needs in an educational setting.
Additional research may be necessary at thisstage, along with conversations with teachersand students. Committee members and key
stakeholders should also meet with architects
and investigate their past work on schools,
if possible, to determine if they actually
understand the kind of learning environment you want to create. You will also wantto learn about equipment and furniture thatwill make the learning spaces flexible andpromote active learning. Companies that theschool has worked with in the past may notprovide the resources that will help teachers
take advantage of the flexible spaces, meaningthat new venders must be contacted and theirproducts evaluated.

ISTE Essential Condition: Consistentand Adequate Funding“Ongoing funding supports technology infrastructure, personnel, digital resources and staff
development.”
Proper funding of technology initiatives andredesigned learning spaces requires adequate
funding beyond the initial money spent on infrastructure. Funding should provide for ongoingsupport of new programs including professional
learning for staff.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

149

Chapter 7 • Planning for Active Learning Spaces

School finance is a highly specialized area of expertise, and there are likely only a few
people in a district with a deep understanding of the various ins and outs of putting
together the money necessary for financing a new school or redesigning an existing school.
However, as always, taking the time to appropriately educate committee members canmake the implementation of the plan much easier.

Implement
When the actual construction of a school building begins, the role of the planningcommittee naturally changes. They will be less involved in the process as it progresses
to interactions with architects and contractors. Still, committee members need to stayconnected to the process in case major changes need to be made. Their role may be toreconfirm the vision for the school, to investigate additional forms of financing, or to get
more feedback from those who will be using the school. They should also be responsible
for planning a celebration when all the work pays off in a beautiful new or redesigned
school with learning spaces that help the students of today and tomorrow reach their fullpotential!
Beginning before the school is occupied and for several months into the school year,
teachers and other school staff will need continuing professional development in order totake full advantage of all the benefits of the new learning space. Building strong networks
among educators, with collaborative planning time so that they can discuss issues andvisit each other’s classrooms if they like, will help them address challenges and create newroutines and policies to help everyone get the most out of the new learning environment.

An Iterative Process
Clearly, in a task as complex as designing a school, the steps and stages occur over and over,alternating between the general (such as the whole-school architecture) and the specific(where to store the lunchroom furniture when lunch is over). A specific piece of the puzzle
may also be addressed through multiple iterations of the process as new information is
discovered, prototypes are developed, and feedback is solicited. The process doesn’t end
after the new school is built or the redesign project is completed. With a shared vision ofwhat they want learning to look like in their school, all stakeholders, including students,
educators, administrators, and parents, are responsible for continuing to identify problems
and design solutions to fine tune and enhance their learning space.
The creation of digital-age learning spaces is a long-term commitment to today’s young
people and their future. Although technology and the workplace will doubtless continue
to undergo rapid change that will require educators to continue to grow in skills andknowledge, the basic components of learning and teaching remain the same. Students
must be given meaningful work that focuses on important content and digital-age skills

150

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessPlanning for Active Learning Spaces • Chapter 7in an environment that supports that work with relevant resources and flexible learningspaces that meet their individual and collaborative needs.

1. What is your role in accessing or creating effective professional development for yourself, for your school, or for district staff?
2. Recruiting committee members from diverse populations throughout thecommunity can be a difficult task. How can you convince potential members about the importance of their participation?
3. Imagining a digital-age school with active learning spaces is pure fun, butseeing an actual project through from start to finish can be a long process.
What challenges do you anticipate encountering? How might these obstacles be overcome?

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success151

Conclusion

The End . . . Or Just the Beginning?
Veteran educators and administrators across the country have been talking about integrating technology into the classroom since the 1980’s. But as society continues to evolvewith the use of technology for efficiency and productivity, our school districts—sadly—
often continue to struggle with this evolution. Education is the greatest advantage any
individual can have in which to meet society head-on as a well-prepared and productive
citizen. But when education doesn’t include access to technology, can students truly feel
prepared for college and career? If education happens within the four-walled confines of a
traditional classroom environment—with its students lined up in rows and its teachers at
the front of the class lecturing—is this adequately preparing students for lives and professions that will require creativity, collaboration and critical thinking skills?
Learning needs to get active!
Today’s learners come to school more in tuned with technology than ever before, but theiruse of this technology is often personal and not typically used for the acquiring of newacademic knowledge. They also realize that learning and working with peers can happen
in any place and at any time. Classrooms of today should seize the opportunity to engage
these digital natives and meet them where they are in their use of technology. These classrooms should also be flexible, physical spaces devoted to embracing the digital world whileaccommodating the many, unique ways that individual students truly learn. Teachers
should use technology and space to amplify their ability to personalize learning for theirstudents. It is incumbent upon us as educators to embrace this innovative way to design
instruction and physical classroom spaces in order for our students to thrive and become
better prepared for their world beyond school. The stakes are too high not to.
In each chapter of this book, you’ve read about the many ways educators and administrators
just like you are designing dynamic learning environments that merge modern techniquessuch as blended, flipped, and personalized learning with active learning concepts. These
engaging, real-world examples were designed to help you lead the charge for adopting
active learning principles in your school or district. Hopefully you feel motivated and
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success153

Conclusion

inspired to do just that! This book also incorporates the ISTE standards—standards
developed by the International Society for Technology in Education that guide instructional practices in instructional technology around the world— to make the connection
between the standard and the practice in each chapter.
If you think your district, school, classroom or teaching practice needs an active learning
makeover, then hopefully Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success has
given you the goods to do great things.
Let the active learning spaces revolution begin!
—Kecia Ray, Ed. D.
Executive Director, Center for Digital Learning
Chair, ISTE Board of Directors 2012-2015

154

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessAppendix A
ISTE Standards

ISTE Standards for Students (Standards•S)
All K-12 students should be prepared to meet the following standards and performanceindicators.
1.

Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

2.

apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, orprocesses
create original works as a means of personal or group expression
use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
identify trends and forecast possibilities

Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to
the learning of others. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media
communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging
with learners of other culturescontribute to project teams to produce original works or solve
problems

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

155

Appendix A: ISTE Standards

3.

Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

4.

plan strategies to guide inquiry
locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use
information from a variety of sources and media
evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on
the appropriateness to specific tasks
process data and report results

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical-thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools
and resources. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

5.

identify and define authentic problems and significant questions
for investigation
plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project
collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed
decisionsuse multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions

Digital CitizenshipStudents understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology
and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

6.

advocate and practice the safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports
collaboration, learning, and productivity
demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
exhibit leadership for digital citizenshipTechnology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems,
and operations. Students:
a.
b.
c.
d.

understand and use technology systems
select and use applications effectively and productively
troubleshoot systems and applicationstransfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies© 2007 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), www.iste.org. All rights reserved.
156

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessAppendix A: ISTE Standards

ISTE Standards for Teachers (Standards•T)
All classroom teachers should be prepared to meet the following standards and performance indicators.
1.

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, andinnovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
a.
b.
c.

d.

2.

promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking andinventivenessengage students in exploring real-world issues and solving
authentic problems using digital tools and resources
promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal andclarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processesmodel collaborative knowledge construction by engaging inlearning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face andvirtual environments

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content
learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified
in the ISTE Standards•S. Teachers:
a.

b.

c.

d.

design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate
digital tools and resources to promote student learning andcreativity
develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all
students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active
participants in setting their own educational goals, managing theirown learning, and assessing their own progresscustomize and personalize learning activities to address students’
diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using
digital tools and resources
provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards
and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success157

Appendix A: ISTE Standards

3.

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
a.
b.

c.

d.

4.

demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer ofcurrent knowledge to new technologies and situations
collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members
using digital tools and resources to support student success andinnovation
communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to
students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media
and formats
model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital
tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources tosupport research and learning

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an
evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional
practices. Teachers:
a.

b.

c.
d.

5.

advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital
information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centeredstrategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools
and resources
promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information
develop and model cultural understanding and global awarenessby engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using
digital-age communication and collaboration tools

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning,and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting
and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
a.
b.

158

participate in local and global learning communities to explore
creative applications of technology to improve student learning
exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community
building, and developing the leadership and technology skills ofothersGet Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessAppendix A: ISTE Standardsc.

d.

evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practiceon a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging
digital tools and resources in support of student learning
contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of theteaching profession and of their school and community© 2008 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), www.iste.org. All rights reserved.
Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

159

Appendix A: ISTE Standards

ISTE Standards for Administrators (Standards•A)
All school administrators should be prepared to meet the following standards and performance indicators.
1.

Visionary Leadership
Educational Administrators inspire and lead development and implementation ofa shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellenceand support transformation throughout the organization.
Educational Administrators:
a.

b.

c.

2.

inspire and facilitate among all stakeholders a shared vision of
purposeful change that maximizes use of digital-age resources tomeet and exceed learning goals, support effective instructional
practice, and maximize performance of district and school leaders
engage in an ongoing process to develop, implement, and communicate technology-infused strategic plans aligned with a sharedvisionadvocate on local, state, and national levels for policies, programs,
and funding to support implementation of a technology-infusedvision and strategic plan

Digital-Age Learning Culture
Educational Administrators create, promote, and sustain a dynamic, digital-age
learning culture that provides a rigorous, relevant, and engaging education for all
students. Educational Administrators:
a.
b.
c.

d.
e.

160

ensure instructional innovation focused on continuous improvement of digital-age learningmodel and promote the frequent and effective use of technology
for learning
provide learner-centered environments equipped with technology
and learning resources to meet the individual, diverse needs of alllearners
ensure effective practice in the study of technology and its infusion
across the curriculum
promote and participate in local, national, and global learning
communities that stimulate innovation, creativity, and digital-age
collaboration

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessAppendix A: ISTE Standards

3.

Excellence in Professional Practice
Educational Administrators promote an environment of professional learningand innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning throughthe infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources. Educational
Administrators:
a.
b.

c.
d.

4.

allocate time, resources, and access to ensure ongoing professional
growth in technology fluency and integration
facilitate and participate in learning communities that stimulate,nurture, and support administrators, faculty, and staff in the study
and use of technology
promote and model effective communication and collaboration
among stakeholders using digital-age tools
stay abreast of educational research and emerging trends regarding
effective use of technology and encourage evaluation of new technologies for their potential to improve student learning

Systemic Improvement
Educational Administrators provide digital-age leadership and management tocontinuously improve the organization through the effective use of informationand technology resources. Educational Administrators:
a.

b.

c.

d.
e.

lead purposeful change to maximize the achievement of learning
goals through the appropriate use of technology and media-richresources
collaborate to establish metrics, collect and analyze data, interpret results, and share findings to improve staff performance andstudent learning
recruit and retain highly competent personnel who use technology
creatively and proficiently to advance academic and operationalgoals
establish and leverage strategic partnerships to support systemic
improvement
establish and maintain a robust infrastructure for technology
including integrated, interoperable technology systems to support
management, operations, teaching, and learning

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success161

Appendix A: ISTE Standards

5.

Digital Citizenship
Educational Administrators model and facilitate understanding of social, ethical,
and legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture. Educational Administrators:
a.
b.
c.
d.

ensure equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources tomeet the needs of all learners
promote, model, and establish policies for safe, legal, and ethicaluse of digital information and technology
promote and model responsible social interactions related to theuse of technology and information
model and facilitate the development of a shared cultural understanding and involvement in global issues through the use ofcontemporary communication and collaboration tools© 2009 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), www.iste.org. All rights reserved.
162

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReferences

21st Century School Fund. (2004). For generations to come. Retrieved from www.21csf​.org/csf-home/documents/organizing_manual.pdf
Barron, B. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Teaching for meaningful learning.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from www.edutopia.org/pdfs/
edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdfhttp://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/
edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf
Benden, M.E., Zhao, H., Jeffrey, C., Wendel, M., & Blake, J. (2014). The evaluation of
the impact of a stand-biased desk on energy expenditures and physical activity forelementary school students. International Journal of Environmental Research andPublic Health, vol. 11.
Bill, D. (2013, August 6). 8 tips and tricks to redesign your classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved
from www.edutopia.org/blog/8-tips-and-tricks-redesign-your-classroom
Bretag, R. (2011, July 2). Evolution of the multidimensional learning space vision. [Weblog post] Retrieved from http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/2011/07/evolution-of-the​-multi​dimensional-learning-space-vision/
Buck Institute of Education. (2010). What is project-based learning (PBL)? Retrieved
from bie.org/about/what_pbl
Building Futures. (2004). 21st century schools. Retrieved from www.dqionline.com/
downloads/cabe_21st_century_schools.pdf
Cannon Design. (2011). The third teacher+. Retrieved from www.thethirdteacherplus.com
Chua, J. (2007). Natural light gives you smartypants. Treehugger. Retrieved from www.
treehugger​.com/culture/natural-light-gives-you-smartypants.html
Darling-Hammond, L., Zielezinski, M. B., & Goldman, S. (2014). Using technology tosupport at-risk students’ learning. Retrieved from edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/
files/scope-pub-using-technology-report.pdf

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

163

References

Desimone, L., Porter, A., Garet, M., Yoon, K., & Birman, B. (2002). Effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal
study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 81–112.
Doorley, S. & Witthoft, S. (2012). Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: John Wily & Sons.
Drivers warned about loud muic. (2004, April 14). BBC News. Retrieved from http://
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3623237.stm
Dunleavy, J. & Milton, P. (2009). What did you do in school today? Canadian Education Association. Retrieved from www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/cea-2009​-wdydist-concept.pdf
edWeb. (Producer). (2015, February 25). Designing Agile Learning Spaces [Video
webinar]. Retrieved from home.edweb.net/designing-agile-learning-spaces
edWeb. (Producer). (2015, February 17). Makerspaces: The now revolution in school
libraries [Video webinar]. Retrieved from: http//home.edweb.net/makerspaces​-now-revolution-school-libraries/
Gabrielson, C. (2013). Tinkering: Kids learn by making stuff. Sebastopol, CA: Maker Media.
Gallup, Inc. (2013). 21st century skills and the workplace. Retrieved from www.ferris​.edu/HTMLS/administration/academicaffairs/extendedinternational/ccleadership/alliance/documents/Resources/21stCenturySkills.pdf
Hagel, J., Brown, J. S., & Davison, L. (2010, March 22). Three ways to distinguish anedge from a fringe. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: hbr.org/2010/03/three​-ways-to-distinguish-an-e.html
Harris Poll. (2014). Pearson student mobile device survey 2014. Retrieved from www.
pearsoned.com/wp-content/uploads/Pearson-K12-Student-Mobile-Device-Survey​-050914-PUBLIC-Report.pdf
Hansraj, K. K. (2014). Assessment of stresses in the cervical spine caused by posture andposition of the head. Surgical Technology International, 25, 277-9. Retrieved fromhttps://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/spine-study.pdf
Hatch, Mark. (2013) The maker movement manifesto: Rules for innovation in the newworld of crafters, hackers, and tinkerers. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Excerpted from Agency By Design. Retrieved from http://makingthinkinghappen​.wordpress.com/what-were-reading/
Heppell, S. (2013, June 24). Rooms within rooms. Retrieved from rubble.heppell.net/
rooms_in_rooms

164 Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReferences

Hilton, J. T. (2013). Digital critical dialogue: A process for implementing transformative
discussion practices within online courses in higher education. Journal of Online
Learning and Teaching, 9 (4). Retrieved from jolt.merlot.org/vol9no4/hilton_1213.pdf
Horn, M., & Staker, H. (2011). The rise of K–12 blended learning: Profiles of emerging
models. San Mateo, CA: Innosight Institute. Retrieved from www.christensen​
institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-rise-of-K-12-blended-learning​.emerging-models.pdf
Intel Education. (Producer). (2015, February). Intel teach live: How do we empower
and inspire young women? [Video webinar]. Retrieved from engage.intel.com/
thread/23112
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2009). ISTE essential conditions. Retrieved from www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2015). ISTE standards.
Retrieved from www.iste.org/standards
Jankowska, M. (2007). Use of creative space in enhancing students’ engagement.
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45 (3), 271–79. Retrieved fromwww.beds.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/11818/useofcreativelearningspaces.pdf
Khan, M. A. (2014, March 24). Teaching 21st century skills to ready students for theworld of work. World Bank [Web log post]. Retrieved from blogs.worldbank.org/
education/teaching-21st-century-skills-ready-students-world-work
Lai, E. (2011). Collaboration: A literature review. Pearson. Retrieved from images.pearson​
assessments.com/images/tmrs/Collaboration-Review.pdf
Lanier, J. (2014, November 12). The creation of SPMS Creative Commons [Web log
post]. Retrieved from spmscreativecommons.blogspot.com
Lenhart, A. & Page, D. (2015). Teens, social media and technology overview 2015. Pew
Research Center. Retrieved from www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/04/PI_Teensand​
Tech_Update2015_0409151.pdf
Lippman, P. C. (2010). Can the physical environment have an impact on the learning
environment? JCJ Architecture, New York. Retrieved from www.oecd.org/education/​
innovation-education/centreforeffectivelearningenvironmentscele/46413458.pdf
Mahnke, F. (1996). Color, environment, and human response: An interdisciplinary understanding of color and its use as a beneficial element in the design of the architecturalenvironment. New York, NY: Wiley.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

165

References

McCrea, B. (2012). 6 ingredients for the 21st century classroom. Campus Technology.
Retrieved from campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/11/6-ingredients-for-the​-21st-century-classroom.aspx
McCrea, B. (2012). Designing the 21st century classroom. THE Journal. Retrieved fromthejournal.com/Articles/2012/01/18/Designing-the-21st-Century-K12-Classroom​.aspx?Page=2
Mott, M., Robinson, D., Walden, A., Burnette, J., & Rutherford, A. (2012). Illuminating the effects of dynamic lighting on student learning. Sage Open. Retrieved
from sgo.sagepub.com/content/2/2/2158244012445585
Nair, P., Fielding, R., & Lackney, J. (2013). The language of school design: Design patterns
for 21st century schools. USA: DesignShare.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School
Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards for mathematics. Retrieved fromwww.corestandards.org/Math
Notosh. (2015). Design thinking: Ideation 1. Retrieved from notosh.com/lab/come-up​-with-great-ideas
O’Malley, C. (Producer). Creadon, P. (Director). (2013). If you build it [Documentary].
USA: O’Malley Creadon Productions.
P21. (n.d.). 21st century learning environments. Slate. Retrieved from www.p21.org/
storage/documents/le_white_paper-1.pdf
Paul, A. M. (2013). You’ll never learn! Retrieved from www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/multitasking_while_studying_divided_attention_​
and_technological_gadgets.html
Project Tomorrow. (2010). Unleashing the future: Educators “speak up” about the useof emerging technologies for learning. Retrieved from www.tomorrow.org/speakup/
pdfs/SU09Unleashingthefuture.pdf
Projects at High Tech High. (n. d.). The case of the cooties. Retrieved from http://
www.hightechhigh.org/projects/?name=Case%20of%20the%20Cooties&uid=fb​
b7713a028ce5ca4e2c8bd8b5b674bb
Puentedura, R. (2010). SAMR and TPCK: Intro to advanced practice. Retrieved fromhippasus.com/resources/sweden2010/SAMR_TPCK_IntroToAdvancedPractice.pdf
Quinn, H., Schwengruber, H., & Keller, T. (2012). A framework for K–12 science education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Roshan, S. (2012, May 25). The flipped class: Students talk. Retrieved from www.
thedailyriff.com/articles/students-talk-about-the-flipped-class-survey-results-933.php
166

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student SuccessReferences

Sköld, O. (2012). The effects of virtual space on learning: A literature review. First
Monday 17(1/2). Retrieved from firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/
view/3496/3133
Sousa, D. (2012). How the brain learns. Newbury Park, CA: Corwin.
Stanford University Institute of Design. (2015). Retrieved from dschool.stanford.edu
Steelcase Education. (2013). Active learning spaces. Retrieved from www.k12blueprint​.com/sites/default/files/active_learning_spaces_0.pdf
Steelcase Education. (2014). How classroom design affects student engagement.
Retrieved from www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/Post%20
Occupancy%20Whitepaper%20FINAL.pdf
Steelcase Education. (2014). Technology-empowered learning: Six spatial insights.
Retrieved from www.steelcase.com/content/uploads/2015/02/Blended-Learning​-Whitepaper.pdf
Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving student engagement. Current Issues in
Education, 14(1). Retrieved from cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view​
File/745/162
Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. Retrieved fromwww.bobpearlman.org/BestPractices/PBL_Research.pdf
Thornburg, D. (2014). From the campfire to the holodeck. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Vander Ark, T. (2015, February 21). Beyond the LMS: What next-gen learning platforms should do. Gettingsmart.com. Retrieved from gettingsmart.com/2015/02/
beyond-lms-next-gen-learning-platforms
Warschauer, M. & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds:
Analyzing evidence of equity in access, use, and outcomes. Review of Research in
Education, 34(1), 179–225.

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success167IndexA
academic achievement, 40–42
The Academy, ix, 43–48
access, equitable, 121
accessorizing, 60–64
active learning
about, 1
learning spaces for, 26–30
passive learning versus, 26–27
setting stage for, 146–148
Active Learning Post-Occupancy Evaluation (ALPOE), 41
active learning spaces. See also planning for active
learning spaces; specific topics
about, x, 1
components of, 34–36
managing, 80–83
administrators
buy-in from, 75, 77
ISTE Standards, 134, 158–159
Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders,
103–104
Apollo Middle School, 22apps, 102, 122architect, interview with an, 146–147
architecture, digital-age school, 91–94
arts, 98
assessments, formative, 82
Bbathrooms, 99
benchmarking, 147
blended learning, 21, 31–32
brainstorming, 73
Buck Institute of Education, 32–33
Buena Vista Elementary Enhanced Option school,
20–21
Bullis School, 31
Ccampfire (learning space), 30, 54
cardboard, building with, 102case studies
The Academy, 43–48
Design39Campus, 104–115
Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, 83–90
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, 18–23
Weidner School of Inquiry, 126–132
cave (learning space), 30
cells-and-bells approach to education, 11
chairs, 45, 47, 58, 85
classroom
concept of, 119
spaces beyond the, 97–100
collaboration, 36–37, 42, 44, 112, 113
color, 61
comfort, 56
Common Core State Standards, 114
communication skills, 36, 37
community, 93, 140
creativity skills, 37–38
curriculum, 92–93
Ddata, 141
Define stage (Design Thinking), 72, 105
Delp, Michael, 129, 130–131, 131–132
Design Thinking
about, 69–70, 141
Define stage, 72, 105
Empathize stage, 70, 105
Ideate stage, 73, 105–106
Prototype stage, 74, 106
Test stage, 75, 106
Design39Campus
about, ix, 104
campus tour, 106–113
classroom buildings, 110–113
Design Thinking applied to, 105–106
furniture, 58
future, 115
leadership, 114–115
researching learning spaces for, 143
Showcase Building, 107–109

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

169

Indexdevelopment stage, 148–149
digital knowledge commons, 124digital learning spaces
about, 117–118
characteristics of, 120–121
classroom, concept of, 119
impact of, 125–126
multidimensional, 123–124
student learning experience as design driver, 119
tools for creating, 121–123
display space, 61, 93
distance learning, 32
Dohmen, Ilsa, 65
DonorsChoose.org, 87–88, 133
Dougherty, Dale, 101
durability, of furniture, 57
Eelectronics, crafting with, 101–102
Empathize stage (Design Thinking), 70, 105
entryways, 93
ergonomics, 51, 56
Essential Conditions. See ISTE Essential Conditions
expectations, high, 81–82
Ffear, 78, 80
feedback loops, 148
Felke, Jennifer, 127, 130–131
flexibility, 56–57, 82–83
flipped learning, 31–32
Ford model of education, 11
formative assessments, 82
From the Campfire to the Holodeck (Thornburg), 30
funding, 87–88, 133, 149
furniture, 45, 46–47, 56–59, 76–77. See also specifictypes
future, schools for thearchitecture, digital-age school, 91–94
case study, 104–115
classrooms, spaces beyond, 97–100
maker education, 101–104
safety and security, 96–97
sustainability, 96
technology infrastructure, 94–95
G
Google Apps for Education, 75, 122
group work, 53–54
gyms, 97, 108
H
Hatch, Mark, 101
Heppell, Stephen, 53
High Tech High, 33–34
Hillbrook School, 65–66
Hillwood High School, 19
Hokki stools, 65, 85

170 Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successhome work spaces, 51
Hume Fogg Magnet High School, 18–19
I
Idea Labs (iLabs), 65
Ideate stage (Design Thinking), 73, 105–106
implementation, 74–75, 149innovation labs, 103–104
internet cafés, 19interviews with stakeholders, 141
ISTE Essential Conditions
Consistent and Adequate Funding, 149
Empowered Leaders, 115
Engaged Communities, 93
Equitable Access, 121
Ongoing Professional Learning, 138
Shared Vision, 144
Skilled Personnel, 89
ISTE Standards for Administrators (Standards•A),
134, 158–159
ISTE Standards for Students (Standards•S), 13, 153–154
ISTE Standards for Teachers (Standards•T), 76,
155–157
iterating, 75
J
Jackson, Sandi, 47
K
Kelly Mill Middle School, 75
Kennedy, Pamela, ix, 81, 84, 86, 87–89, 90
Llarge group work, 54
large-scale prototyping, 74
Larmer, John, 32–33
Lauer, Tim, 97
LCD display, 61leadership, 114–115. See also administrators
learning. See also active learning
blended, 21, 31–32
distance, 32
flipped, 31–32
passive, 26–27
problem-based, 32–34
project-based, 32–34
student-centered, 34
learning management systems, 121–122
learning spaces. See also active learning spaces; digitallearning spaces; specific topics
academic achievement and, 40–42
characteristics of effective, 52
collaboration and, 42
for digital-age learners, 14, 16
for digital-age learning models, 25–34
for digital-age skills, 36–38
goals of, 149–150
impact of effective, 49–50

Index
metaphors for, 30
multidimensional, 123–124
for optimal learning experiences, 53–54
sharing, 82
spaces within, 52
student choice of, 65
student engagement and, 41–42
teacher research on, 65–66
types of, 30
libraries/media centers, 21–22, 98–99, 103, 112
life (learning space), 30
lighting, 61–62, 91–92
locker rooms, 99
lockers, 92
longitudinal quantitative data, 141
lunchrooms, 97, 108, 109
M
maker education, 101–104, 111–112
McGavock High School, 19
media centers, 21–22, 98–99, 103, 112
Mergendoller, John R., 32–33
Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, 81, 83–90, 97
metacognition, 82
metaphors for learning spaces, 30
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, 18–23
Microsoft Office 365, 122mobile chairs, 45, 47, 58, 85
mobility, 57
multidimensional learning spaces, 123–124
music, 98, 109
N
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 38
New Tech Network (NTN), 46, 127, 129. See also
Weidner School of Inquiry
Node chairs, 45, 47, 85Oobservations, 141
Olson, Kenneth, 130
100 Ideas in 10 Minutes, 73
Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 47–48
outdoor spaces, 92
PP21, 16, 129–130
paper, building with, 102
parents, 78, 109
passive learning, 26–27
Perrone, Carrie, 146, 147, 148
Perry Meridian Middle School, 102, 103
personal supplies storage, 60
planning committees, 139–140
planning for active learning spaces
about, 133–135
development stage, 148–149
implementation stage, 149

as iterative process, 149–150
planning committee, forming, 139–140
research, conducting, 141–144
school redesign, steps to, 139–145
setting stage for active learning, 146–148
teachers, engaging and educating, 135–138
vision, creating, 144
planning guides, 79
Plymouth High School, 126, 127, 131, 132. See also
Weidner School of Inquiry
podiums, 86
Poway Unified District, 104, 105. See also
Design39Campus
Power, Megan, 105, 106, 109, 114, 115
Preddy, Leslie, 102–103
preindustrial era schools, 10–11
presentation stations, 60–61
private/alone space, 30
private/together space, 30, 53–54
problem-based learning, 32–34
procedures/skills, planning and pre-teaching, 81
professional development, 135–138
project champions, 146
Project Tomorrow, 39
project-based learning, 32–34
Prototype stage (Design Thinking), 74, 106
public/alone space, 30
public/together space, 30
Puentedura’s stages of technology integration, 137
Q
quiet work, 53
R
rapid prototyping, 74
Ray, Kecia, 19–20, 20–21, 23
reading areas, 53, 86–87
redesigning your classroom. See also Design Thinking
challenges, overcoming, 77–78
furniture, repurposing, 76–77
leadership, buy-in from, 75, 77
planning guide, 79
process for, 69–75, 87–88
steps to, 139–145
student involvement in, 69, 75, 81
research, conducting, 141–144
Richland School District Two, 74, 75, 77
rituals, daily, 64, 88–90
roles, assigning, 146
Room 17, ix, 81, 83–90, 97
Roshan, Stacey, ix, 31
routines, 64, 88–90
rug area, 86
S
Saba, Anthony, ix, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48
safety and security, 96–97
SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification,

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Success

171Indexand Redefinition), 137
Samueli, Susan, 47
Sauter, Kat, 103–104
school entrances, 93
seats, 45, 47, 58–59, 85
Selak, Bill, 65
shop classrooms, 103–104
small group work, 53–54
SmithGroupJJR, 147–148
social media, 122
spatial insights, 124
Spimak, Brent, 34
Squishy Circuits Project, 101–102
stakeholders, interviews with, 141
Steelcase Education Solutions, 39–40, 41, 58, 124
storage, 60, 92
Stratford’s Stem Magnet High School’s Academy of
Science and Engineering, 20
students. See also specific topics
daily activities and, 13
digital learning spaces and, 119
engaging, 41–42
expectations for, 81–82
involvement in classroom redesign, 69, 75, 81
ISTE Standards, 13, 153–154
learning centered around, 34
learning spaces, choice of, 65
learning spaces, designing for, 14, 16
metacognition, encouraging, 82
scenario, 7–8, 9technology and, 12–13
world, interaction with, 126
Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, andRedefinition (SAMR), 137
Summit Parkway Middle School, 77
supplies, 60
survey data, 141
sustainability, 96
Ttables, 58, 86

172

Get Active: Reimagining Learning Spaces for Student Successteachers. See also specific topics
engaging and educating, 135–138
ISTE Standards, 76, 155–157
research on learning spaces, 65–66
teacher’s stations, 60–61
technology
digital-age learners and, 12–13
infrastructure for, 94–95
integration of, 38–40, 137
physical effects of working with, 51
spatial implications of, 39–40
Test stage (Design Thinking), 75, 106
testing, 74–75
Thornburg, David, 30
time, as challenge, 77–78
tool suites, 122
U
University of St. Thomas’s Squishy Circuits Project,
101–102V
Verb tables, 45, 46
videoconferencing, 124
vision, 144Wwatering hole (learning space), 30, 53–54
Weidner School of Inquiry, 126–132
Westwood High School, 74
workplace, 1, 8–9, 11–12
writable surfaces, 60
Z
Zuma chairs, 85