New Designs for School

Next Generation Learning Spaces to Improve Learning in Schools

How Has the History of School Planning Affected the Learning Environment?

I helped Robin Accetta Riley when she was working on her dissertation at Virginia Tech on high school design changes since the implementation of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. In her dissertation, Riley wrote,

“During the first half of the 19th-century, education reformer Horace Mann introduced the concept of the common school, designed to produce individuals capable of replicating results quickly and following directions, much like workers on assembly lines for factories (French et al., 2022). These schools consisted of standard rows of desks,” facing the front maker board, “with windows on two sides, a utilitarian design that maximized the number of students within a single space (Baker, 2012).

This traditional teaching style used in common schools provided a prescribed package of knowledge and encouraged the teacher to act as the primary source of this knowledge, essentially “lecturing” from the front of the classroom (“Sage on Stage”), transmitting information to students who passively absorb it, often by taking notes and memorizing facts; this is considered a more traditional, one-size-fits-all, teacher-centered approach to learning that is one-dimensional pedagogy and organized by departmental academic subject matter.

The design of common schools incorporated the “cells and bells” model of space planning, “where students start the school day in a cell (classroom) and move between classrooms when the bell goes off,” explained Riley. She continued:

“[It] is a relic of the Industrial Revolution. It represents the idea that education can be mass-produced in a factory-like setting to churn out ‘educated’ students ready to tackle college and careers (Nair et al., 2019).... Despite the various trends in pedagogy and school design that emerged during the 20th-century, the ‘cells and bells’ model of the schoolhouse continues to dominate school architecture worldwide, which is widely considered to be ill equipped to educate students in the 21st century (Nair, 2014).”

Since then, not much has changed. Riley notes that:

“School building design trends have long been shaped by political and social movements, advances in technologies, shifts in educational philosophy, and a growing awareness of what is required to support meaningful student learning (Baker, 2012). The changes in school design across the 19th and 20th-centuries illustrate the strong connection between pedagogy and architectural design (Darian-Smith & Willis, 2017).... However, educational researcher Glen Earthman (2019) stated that despite innovations in teaching strategies, these have had little impact on changes in modern school architecture.

“Many school buildings have remained largely unchanged for a century or more (Snyder, 2020).... and many newer schools resemble older schools [from Earthman, 2019]....Most contemporary school designs today prioritize functional efficiencies, such as the ability to accommodate large numbers of students, or quickly moving students through spaces like cafeterias, over prioritizing the needs of 21st-century learners (Nair, 2014).”

Is the Classroom Obsolete? Is It Time for Something New?

As a relic of the Industrial Revolution, classrooms worked when industry relied on schools to “produce” young people with core knowledge and the basic skills necessary to enter the industrial workforce. Today, the classroom is where nearly all learning happens for most students, but today’s economy requires employees to have more complex skills that are more challenging to learn in a traditional classroom setting. As Prakash Nair, a school planner and designer, wrote in EdWeek back in 2011:

“Almost without exception, the reform efforts under way will preserve the classroom as our children’s primary place of learning deep into the 21st century. This is profoundly disturbing because staying with classroom-based schools could permanently sink our chances of rebuilding our economy and restoring our shrinking middle class to its glory days.

Classroom-based education lags far behind when measured against its ability to deliver the creative and agile workforce that the 21st century demands. This is already evidenced by our nation’s shortage of high-tech and other skilled workers—a trend that is projected to grow in coming years.

As the primary place for student learning, the classroom does not withstand the scrutiny of scientific research. Each student ‘constructs’ knowledge based on his or her own past experiences. Because of this, the research demands a personalized education model to maximize individual student achievement. Classrooms, on the other hand, are based on the erroneous assumption that efficient delivery of content is the same as effective learning.

Environmental scientists have published dozens of studies that show a close correlation between human productivity and space design. This research clearly demonstrates that students and teachers do better when they have variety, flexibility, and comfort in their environment—the very qualities that classrooms lack.”

Does this mean that effective education is impossible in schools with classrooms? Of course not. Good teachers work hard to overcome the limitations of classroom-based schools, and many succeed in spite of the odds. So where does this leave us? Fortunately, as Nair explained in that EdWeek article,

“There is evidence that even the most rigidly ‘old paradigm’ school facilities can be converted with modest investments of funds into effective places for teaching and learning.

These initiatives would not necessarily get rid of classrooms, but instead redesign and refurbish them to operate as ‘learning studios’ and ‘learning suites’ alongside common areas reclaimed from hallways that vastly expand available space and allow better teaching and learning. In many parts of the country, limited classroom space can be significantly expanded by utilizing adjacent open areas while simultaneously improving daylight, access to fresh air, and connections to nature.”

These “learning studios” can be made with incredible flexibility, not just through the thoughtful use of furniture but with the room’s walls themselves. Safe, transparent, and moveable walls can expand spaces or connect them to other studios, collaboration zones, or even exterior spaces, in support of large, interdisciplinary, project-based learning. The walls and casework can all be done with writeable surfaces to provide unlimited possibilities and support for student group work and brainstorming. Filled with abundant yet controlled natural daylighting, these spaces can evolve from the “cells and bells” rooms they were originally designed to be to rooms which support not just today’s learners but are flexible enough to serve future educational needs as well.

How to Create Next Generation Spaces for Next Generation Learning

“Although there have been changes in educational pedagogy to support a more student-centered approach to learning, many school buildings, regardless of their architectural era,” Riley noted, have not kept pace with these changes. They “continue to impose limitations” on next generation learning with teaching for a 21st-century global workforce and society. We need buildings and spaces that can foster collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication, citizenship, and wellness skills (5CW) as essential components of 21st-century teaching and learning. Next generation learning spaces can help reform the status quo of an obsolete, struggling, traditional American public educational system in a rapidly evolving learning landscape. As Riley explained,

“The design importance of 21st-century school spaces goes beyond mere functionality; they must offer versatile, welcoming spaces that support a variety of learning activities and foster positive behavior (Nair, 2014). Moreover, 21st-century schools must also be able to accommodate different teaching styles, such as collaborative group work, independent study, and hands-on authentic learning (Nair et al., 2014).”

The first consideration in any learning space design must be the students you are serving, who they are, how they work, and the things they need to ensure their success. For the students of the future this means a shift away from more traditional educational approaches and the design of spaces that support them. For several decades research has shown the value of student-centered, hands-on learning and school design has responded with large flexible spaces, robust technology, and a focus on learning versus teaching. But the future of education requires a deeper dive into what this means and a reinterpretation of these goals to meet the learners of today and tomorrow.

Take a look at the photos below and see how the spaces differ from the traditional classroom. In future posts, I will describe how physical spaces like these, designed specifically for next generation learning, impact the learning experience for students and their teachers. If you have the opportunity to design a new school building or renovate an existing building, or if you are interested in using space better in your school, this series can guide you to ensure that the physical spaces in your building promote the skills students need to thrive and contribute to an ever-changing global society.

References

Nair, P. (2011, July 29). The classroom is obsolete: It’s time for something new. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-the-classroom-is-obsolete-its-time-for-something-new/2011/07

Riley, R. (2024). Perceptions of public high school design changes in Virginia since the implementation of a profile of a Virginia graduate – Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree of Doctor of Education. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/cdffb121-2ee1-4bdc-91a5-409de0251ba5/content

Image at top: Architect’s rendering of the e3 Civic High School’s Village Commons space, courtesy of e3 Civic High.