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Technology Is Changing the Way Kids Learn
… And the Classrooms in Which They Do It.

Advertising supplement provided by Paxton / Patterson
By Stephen H. Daniels

Architect's Comments

To help inform this study, the views of architects were obtained through a mail survey. The 62 architects who were sent the survey were selected based on:

1. recent participation in the design of high school science, math, and / or technology education facilities;
2. awards received for the design of high school facilities;
3. recommendations from various parties involved in this study.

The survey asked architects the following three questions:

1. How will the teaching spaces for science, math, computer science, and technology education be different in the next decade?
2. How can the architectural design ensure flexibility for future programmatic change?
3. Is there a preferred or ideal process for interacting with school representatives to ensure that the design and resulting facility will support current and future programs and pedagogy?

Below are selected responses from the survey. We would like to thank all of those firms who chose to respond.

1. How will the teaching spaces for science, math, computer science, and technology education be different in the next decade?

We are experiencing more interdisciplinary activities between subject areas, which results in a non-departmental clustering of classrooms. A variety of breakout spaces for various size groups need to be provided with appropriate technology for teaming and project work. More independent study opportunities affect the type and availability of technology. Laptop computers availability to staff and students has changed the make-up and usage of the traditional "computer labs".

We will be seeing more and more industrial technology shops converting to clean technology labs, reducing the need for large machinery and the traditional shop setting. There is a trend towards multi-purpose labs especially at the middle school level. Technology allows science and subjects like art to be compatible in the same space. These multi-purpose labs are integrated into the classroom cluster for interdisciplinary teaming.

ATS&R - Armstrong Torseth Skold & Rydeen, Inc.

We're starting to see a shift in schools and teaching. In the past schools were designed as spaces that housed students as passive learners. Schools have to change to meet new demands the world is placing on the educational system, and spaces need to respond to the changing organization of schools and student

• Learning spaces must support a wide variety of learning activities and environments. Students need to have a place to learn how to learn, to create and expand what there is to be known, to gather and assess knowledge, and demonstrate the synthesis of their skills. As a group students can look at scientific issues, perform experiments and develop a summary such as a web page to communicate what they have learned. Wisdom Hall is a new resource room at Antioch High School for students who need help with study skills. When you enter this room it is difficult to distinguish between students and teachers because of the interaction. We designed this to accommodate the latest technology and learning spaces, and support a variety of activities at the same time, from quiet learning, to group learning in large spaces, and one-on-one work. A large portion of the space is defined simply by furniture. Walls or building elements provide anchors for activities or visual and audio separation, and also a place to run wires. This type of design could work effectively for many different subjects.
• All of the schools we have been working with are using classrooms in different ways. Classrooms are being used to encourage students to work in small groups, and studies show that they are retaining more information by this new model, more active than passive. When we ask teachers "Where is the front of your classroom?" the answer is that there really isn't one anymore.
• Interdisciplinary teaching is becoming more prevalent, with joined efforts of related disciplines such as math/science/technology/computer science. Teams of three teachers often work together to plan how to each their 75 students.
• Flexibility is another key to effective learning spaces for science, math and technology. At Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (MSA) we were recently commissioned to design an "infinitely" flexible inquiry lab for students who undertake independent study projects in collaboration with industry leaders. From year to year the school doesn't know the nature of the projects the students will be conducting, yet the lab is being planned to accommodate any experiment the students can possibly imagine, limited only by safety issues, while allowing them to gain skills and demonstrate their knowledge. Although contained within a small 1,500 square foot space, this flexible new lab may represent the basic science classroom of the future.
• Wireless data connections will increase flexibility of equipment placement.
• Computers are becoming more prevalent in lab settings for data collection and analysis. This will require additional space and less traditional millwork configurations. Computer hardware/software needs physical isolation from moisture, chemicals and heat, and at the same time requires proximity to connect probes to experiments.
• Computer technology in labs will supplement hand-on experiments. Although we believe science and technology students will continue to conduct hands-on experiments in labs, computer simulation offers students the opportunity to perform dangerous experiments that otherwise might be prohibited due to safety concerns.

O'Donnell Wicklund Pigozzi and Peterson Architects Incorporated