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Monday, April 27, 2015 – 8:30-10:00 am |
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Designing 21st Century Learning Environments for Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships |
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Speaker: Bill Daggett, Ed.D.
Room: Saratoga Ballroom
The skills, knowledge, and attitudes today's learners need to be successful in the technological, globally driven world in which they will live and work have changed dramatically. Unfortunately, most schools have not changed the curriculum or learning environments to facilitate 21st century learning. Dr. Daggett will describe how the design of education facilities plays a part in adequately preparing students for the ever-changing world.
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| Monday, April 27, 2015 – 10:15-11:30 am |
| Breakout Session 1A: Bringing Relevance to Education – Business Partnerships |
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Speakers: James R. King, AIA, Partner, King + King, Architects
Steven Haeslip, Siemens Corporation
Mary Margaret Small, Clarkson University
Room: Travers
This session will be a discussion panel with business, educators, and higher-education representatives on the current state of real-world relevance in education and the importance of developing and maintaining partnerships with businesses and universities.
At the completion of this presentation, attendees will have an understanding of what opportunities exist for businesses to engage in the education process through their time, talents, and treasure, and how crucial the partnership with public schools, businesses, and universities is to the creation of a sustainable workforce ready to be productive member of society.
Learning Objectives:
- Bringing relevance to education through business partnerships
- Providing real-world opportunities to students through internships
- Providing resources and talent to the classroom with business partners
- Bringing a global reality to the home district
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| Breakout Session 1B: Culture Shock – How culture informs learning environment planning and design |
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Speakers: Michael Corb, AIA, NCARB, Stantec
Rob Pillar, AIA, ALEP, Stantec
Joël Peinado, French-American School of New York
Room: Alabama
Learning environments continue to be shaped by influencers such as technology, security and pedagogy. But what happens when we infuse culture, language, and international curricula? This session will explore the design process response to these influencers to inspire teachers, engage students & embrace communities using The French American School of New York (FASNY) and other similar projects as case studies. FASNY is a unique project that seeks to provide flexible learning environments that respond to a dual language curriculum (French and English), the French Baccalaureate, the international baccalaureate, and enhanced collaboration. The project also responds to instruction provided by faculty native to France and the United States and the instructional differences inherent to each. We will also discuss the process of student, parent, faculty and administration engagement through discovery sessions that helped to shape the design team's understanding of "traditionally" accepted educational design influencers.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how the convergence of cultural instructional differences, multiple curricula, school culture, place, and language influence learning environment design.
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| Breakout Session 1C: Concrete Ideas: Re-Inventing Unloved Public Schools from the 1960s and 1970s Part 1 |
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Speakers: Alex Pitkin, AIA, Senior Vice President and Director of Institutional Practice Groups, SMMA
Philip Poinelli, FAIA, ALEP, Principal and Educational Planner in the K-12 Studio at SMMA
Room: City Center
The new reality and complexity of stricter codes for universal access, seismic hardening, and critically—energy efficiency, safety and security attitudes and measures—are all best explored by a multi-disciplinary team with deep specific knowledge working in proximity to quickly analyze and resolve subtle differences among options. Seven years ago SMMA began the exploration of designing in multi-disciplinary studio teams breaking down the traditional A/E structure of our discipline practices within our office – we realized our planning discussions with educators and administrators rang hollow if we ourselves were not a true example of cross disciplinary planning and learning.
Learning Objectives:
- Impacts of changing codes: Building Systems: Energy conservation and sustainable design and engineering systems on reuse analysis.
- Impacts of ageing infrastructure – building structure and envelope on educational plan organization models
- Evaluation tool – can a school, through transformation, serve today's complex 21st C. needs?
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| Breakout Session 1D: Engaged students and inspired teachers helping design schools that embrace their communities |
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Speakers: Steven King, Barak Obama Green Charter High School
Jeanne K. Perantoni, SSP Architectural Group, Inc.
John Sole, Guerilla Educators, LLC
Room: Saratoga 1
Our session looks at the relevant question of this conference from the exact opposite perspective, i.e. from what takes place inside the school with teachers and students, pushing out to the physical facility. In fact, we developed just such a Project at an inner city school in Plainfield, New Jersey. "Imagine" was advanced during the Spring Semester 2014 and brought in professional partners to assist with the educational planning and design charrette portions of the Project that included presentations from regional CEFPI members as well as other design professionals from across the country and as far away as Scotland to help mentor the students in real-time, online, through the basics of school planning, architectural design, city zoning requirements, construction codes, measuring and field verification of existing structure, CAD software to record and document design information and 3D representation software to help model and communicate design ideas. The Barack Obama Green Charter High School is situated in a storefront in Downtown Plainfield and is, arguably, in a building that is least conducive to best practices and academic and civic success. Yet, out of this storefront came one 2014's best Projects anywhere in the world that uses the built environment, the school itself, to develop one of the finest examples of how educational facilities planners help facilitate educational success. After much debate, the students wanted to sustainably renovate an abandoned industrial Downtown building, from which there are many to choose in Plainfield, as the next physical iteration of their school. To say the students came to own the Project would be an understatement. What took place was remarkable and worthwhile for any edfac professional to experience.
Learning Objectives:
- The primary importance of including stakeholders and end users in programming and schematic design.
- Highest possible integration of curriculum into school design via student participation
- Strategizing for reuse of existing school structures for efficiency as 21st century leaning space is programmed into older facilities
- Opportunities for high performance, energy efficient and – wherever possible – "living textbook" green design features.
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| Breakout Session 1E: Developing a new International Baccalaureate School that embraces the neighborhood and community, and supports 21st century learning |
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Speakers: Thomas Moore, West Hartford Public Schools
Joseph G. Costa, Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC
Mark McCarthy, Perkins Eastman Architects, DPC
Room: Saratoga 2
Provide insight and lessons learned on how school districts and design teams can work collaboratively to design 21st century schools that work for the community. Content: The speakers will present the design process from inception through completion. How educators, students, families, and the community were engaged during every phase of the process, and how this positively impacted the design and fostered support of the new school.
Learning Objectives:
- Program participants will be able to identify design goals for neighborhood schools
- Ability to organize school user group meetings using presented materials.
- Gain understanding in the importance of community support in the design of new public schools.
- Ability to use presented material to plan large group spaces within an elementary school.
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| Breakout Session 1F: The replacement of Frederick High School – Embracing Partnerships and the Community |
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Speakers: Paul L. Hume, AIA, LEED AP, GWWO Inc. / Architects
Dr. Ann Bonitatibus, Frederick County Public Schools
Elizabeth Pasierb, Frederick County Public Schools
Room: Saratoga 3
Building on Frederick County Public Schools of Maryland existing community outreach partnerships, FCPS recently completed an extensive and successful community outreach program during the development of both the feasibility study and the creation of the Educational Specification for the replacement of Frederick High School. Outreach partners included institutions of higher education, community groups, local business and other stakeholders who have a vested interest in partnering with FCPS and using the new building in new and innovative ways. This outreach effort included both traditional and newer, innovative means of communicating with and engaging the community partnerships and other stakeholders, which resulted in achieving consensus and agreement by all parties. Representatives of FCPS and GWWO Inc./Architects will discuss why community involvement was critical to the success of the project, as well as examine the process, tools and techniques used to achieve this success. Factors covered in this session will include: types of engagement, process, graphics and media, deliverables and how to educate stakeholders in 21st century learning techniques.
Learning Objectives:
- How to engage and embrace the community
- What tools are available and how they can best be used to build consensus
- What techniques for consensus building were successfully used for this project
- How to be successful in your engagement utilizing lessons learned from this process
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Monday, April 27, 2015 – 1:15-2:30 pm |
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Breakout Session 2A: Building S.T.E.A.M – "easy" as 1-2-3
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Speakers: Dr. Donna DeSiato, Superintendent of Schools, East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District
Douglas Mohorter, Principal of Pine Grove Middle School
Jason Fahy, Teacher, Pine Grove STEAM Team
James R. King, AIA, Partner, King + King, Architects
Jason Benedict, AIA, Partner, Project Manager, King + King, Architects
Amanada Thomas, Project Architect, King + King, Architects
Room: Travers
This proposed session focuses on the development of delivering project/problem based education from District/Community vision to fruition at East Syracuse – Minoa Central School District in Central NY.
The History of the District's STEM/STEAM initiatives over the span of 8-years will be presented from early visioning and rebranding of the district through the growing pains of delivery approaches, to their current status as one of the leading national models of relevant 21st Century Education.
This presentation will discuss three (3) key elements defining, for this District, what a 21st Century Education looks like.
The first element is the development of a District-wide vision that foundationally guides the decision making process at every level throughout the District.
The second element focuses on the implementation of the vision through the 7-8 grade STEAM team. From the District's website:
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The concept of 21st century learning includes keeping students engaged with hands-on lessons, integrating subject areas and better preparing students for their post high school lives. To this end, traditional classroom settings and lessons are being redesigned, especially at Pine Grove Middle School.
Pine Grove students and staff are divided into grade-level educational teams. Called trans-disciplinary STEAM teams, in addition to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), an "A" for arts is included to represent both English language arts (ELA) as well as visual and performing arts.
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This session will continue the discussion of vision from the teacher's perspective in the development of the STEAM program. This program discusses the transition from "Sage-on-the-Stage" to the "Guide-on-the-Side". Implementation of real world projects, morning meetings, presentations, problem solving, project based approaches, and the importance of administration and community support to give the teachers/guides the freedom to deliver program, fail, learn, and improve for the benefit of the students.
Finally, the third element will show, through the Greener Greater Grove project, how space will be used to enhance the delivery of education through collaborative spaces, flexibility, and access to technology. The team will discuss the program development phase where community, staff, and students were key stakeholders in the development of the design – through the early stages of construction.
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The "Greener, Greater Grove" project proposes that approximately 118,000 square feet of Pine Grove Middle School will be renovated and another 12,000 square feet will be added. Improvements include specially designed classroom space that will support engagement in rigorous, relevant learning. Another major component to the project is the addition of a Community Café Performing Arts Center, which will showcase student talent and accommodate school-wide events and activities. The existing building infrastructure will be replaced, among other improvements. All renovations will follow LEED criteria, meaning that they will adhere to "green" standards.
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At the completion of this presentation, attendees will have an understanding of the birth of a vision, the path to its implementation, and its remarkable results. It is intended to be an interactive and engaging conversation with the key stakeholders so that best practices can be formed for District's looking to change their approach to delivery with a sound foundation of proven experience.
Learning Objectives:
- Learning the importance of guiding Vision for a School District
- Measuring and tracking process for vision/mission implementation
- Importance of community and student involvement
- Transition from Teacher to Guide/Mentor
- Example of Top-Down support – eliminate the fear
- Igniting student passions while re-igniting teaching passions
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Breakout Session 2B: Evolution of the Learning Commons: Creating a continuum of learning and social spaces
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Speakers: Julia Nugent,
HMFH Architects, Inc.
Room: Alabama
Active learning and collaboration are central to the 21st Century Learning Commons, but are these settings addressing the full spectrum of learning modes? As we remove the stacks and no-talking rules of the traditional library, have we lost the one quiet sanctuary for students to read, write, and reflect? Learning Commons needs to accommodate the full cycle of learning, from acquiring knowledge to processing ideas, creating content, and celebrating discoveries. Sometimes these activities are social and loud, sometimes they require contemplation and concentration. This presentation explores how the Learning Commons is evolving to offer a continuum of spaces from silent to noisy, private to highly social, and digital to hands-on. The session will the explore some of the educational and developmental theories underpinning these ideas. Additionally, we will provide the audience with practical advice on how acoustics, lighting, materials, and furnishing are used to create an effective range of learning environments. The presentation will focus on K-12 environments, but many of the ideas are applicable for other educational settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Review educational and developmental theories as they relate to Learning Commons.
- Explore the programmatic and architectural differences between traditional libraries with learning commons.
- Understand how acoustics, lighting, materials, and furnishing can be used to create an effective range of learning environments.
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Breakout Session 2C: Concrete Ideas: Re-Inventing Unloved Public Schools from the 1960s and 1970s Part 2
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Speakers: Alex Pitkin, AIA, Senior Vice President and Director of Institutional Practice Groups, SMMA
Philip Poinelli, FAIA, ALEP, Principal and Educational Planner in the K-12 Studio at SMMA
Room: City Center
Session II:
Scarce physical resources, limited land options, skyrocketing new building costs and taxpayer fatigue all influence and contribute to the challenge of re-using existing public school structures, especially those designed in the modernist era of the 1960s and 1970s. Can unloved buildings from this era—a very particular and rather awkward moment in design history—be re-imagined to cultivate 21st Century educational skills? Through intensive alternatives planning involving educators, and SMMA's multi-disciplinary in-house design team, we illustrate the cost effective re-programming, design and engineering of three 1960s vintage schools. More importantly, we show how we have transformed the way 21st Century educational skills manifest themselves within each project. During the depths of the Great Recession, SMMA was awarded three complicated school projects in three very diverse communities to evaluate for reuse. Our integrated team of designers included not only educational Planners and Architects but also the full range of in-house engineering disciplines, allowing for a process of exploring multiple alternatives to achieve consensus and clarity when answering the question of "when to save" a building.
Session II: Mini Workshop Learning Objectives:
- Educational Planning: Layering 21st Century skills over core academics requires different learning environments from those original to the older existing buildings, requiring reinvention and transformation.
- Design: Planning alternatives – using an approach that seeks multiple options for a client, from code-only solutions to tear-down and rebuild scenarios, we must be comprehensive and accurate, very early in the
feasibility study process.
- Evaluation tool – Building of Session I can a school, through transformation, serve today's complex 21st C. needs?
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Breakout Session 2D: Building a new model for Urban Career Education
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Speakers: Peter Winebrenner, AIA, LEED AP, REFP, Hord Coplan Macht
Daniel Shochor, PHD, Green Street Academy
Casey Smith, AIA, LEED AP, Hord Coplan Macht
Room: Saratoga 1
Explore the scale of sustainability employed during the redevelopment of a 1926 Gothic Revival style school building into a transformative presence in Southwest Baltimore. Green Street Academy (GSA) was founded to inspire students to imagine their careers through the prism of sustainability and to prepare them with marketable skills for their future work life and extended education. Informed by decades of declining high school and college graduation rates in Baltimore City and the changing needs for trained workers, the GSA team is redefining the traditional career education model by combining rigorous academics and a STEM focus with hands-on experiences in the classroom, throughout the school, and the natural world. A move from the school's current location to the redeveloped building will enable GSA to fully realize its vision of integrating student learning and community impact by providing state-of-the-art technology, science labs, and greenspace for hands-on environmental studies including the integration of the school's current vegetable and tilapia fish farms into a symbiotic aquaponic system. Its sustainability-infused, workforce-oriented, project-based learning curriculum supports sustainable thinking, healthy practices, school-based enterprise and integrates the future employment needs of local employers.
Learning Objectives:
- Apply design strategies to achieve community impact
- Detail elements of a LEED project case study
- Discuss best practices for improving student engagement
- Identify categories of learning spaces
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Breakout Session 2E: Open
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Room: Saratoga 2
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Breakout Session 3F: Engaging the Community for a successful school Project – a perspective from public and charter schools in Washington DC
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Speakers: Hakim Chambers, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
Ann Drummie, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
Michael Quadrino, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
Room: Saratoga 2
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) have developed a School Improvement Team (SIT) approach as part of the modernization of facilities for the past five years to effectively engage stakeholders in the programming, design, and construction processes. This group of 10-15 individuals including teachers, neighbors, neighborhood associations, city agencies, students, alumni, and members of the design and construction teams is a recommending body, representing the end users of the project, and contributing to the decision-making process throughout the project. That future stakeholders for upcoming projects can rely on there being a SIT is also in itself a great value to the District. With a more decentralized structure, the DC Public Charter Schools have been applying more customized and nimble outreach approaches as they have embarked on facility projects in existing as well as new neighborhoods. Developing a communication strategy while still identifying stakeholders, and in some cases still defining the institution, can have its challenges. This session will share lessons learned and highlight similarities and differences of how both DCPS and DCPCS projects involve the greater community toward enhancing the same City.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify potential members of an equivalent SIT for your community.
- Respect the expectations and limits of greater community involvement in facility projects.
- List multiple tools to consider for outreach and when they are most effective.
- Recognize common practices as well as the value of customized efforts.
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| Monday, April 27, 2015 – 2:45-4:00 pm |
| Breakout Session 3A: Mergers & Acquisitions |
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Speakers: Dr. Richard Hughes, Superintendent of Schools, Central Valley Central School District
James R. King, AIA, Partner, King + King, Architects
Kerry Tarolli, AIA, Partner, Project Manager, King + King, Architects
Room: Travers
This session will overview the successful merger of Ilion and Mohawk Central Schools into the new Central Valley Central School District, the engagement of the two communities, lessons learned from the process, and how the merger is leveraging educational change in the district. At the completion of this presentation, attendees will have an understanding of the merger process in New York State, stakeholder involvement in the process, and how a merger can leverage changes in educational delivery.
Learning Objectives:
- Learning the importance of a guiding vision for a school district
- District-wide master planning in a merged district
- Importance of community and student involvement/engagement
- Educational pathways – what are they and how do you leverage them?
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| Breakout Session 3B: Lessons learned when design a STEM ecology |
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Speakers: Mark Laurrie, Niagara Falls City School District
Lynne Tompkins, Niagara Falls City School District
Kimberly Navarroli, Assoc. AIA, CDT, CannonDesign
Room: Alabama
Unique. That was how the Niagara Falls City School District described their goals for a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum. A foundation based on solid results and inspired teachers from a prior math and science grant created a passion for elevating the district's curriculum – to a STEM-based program that would exceed the school walls. But the district knew if they wanted to be unique and support students beyond their school years, they'd need to engage the community both financially and with work-force development. But how? As pioneers in the in-demand STEM curriculum, the Niagara Falls City School District set a New York State prescient for STEM teaching. As the academic home of 7,100 students, NFCSD is the first known school district to construct dedicated STEM classrooms in every school building – from a stakeholder belief that providing students with STEM education from pre-kindergarten through high school encourages collaborative problem solving and multifaceted exploration to be a natural part of students’ thought process. Today, ongoing partnerships with local universities, hospitals and utility companies ensure ongoing real-world relevancy and incremental improvements to the STEM spaces as these fields evolve. This session will share NFCSD's lessons-learns in their STEM journey: from the initial programming decisions, to collaboration agreements with local enterprises, to creating the agile teaching spaces, to today's evolution of teacher's eagerly expanding STEM philosophies to the arts and physical education programs. The final result is a physical building environment that reinforces the in-demand curriculum that encourages student curiosity and creativity through hands-on learning, creative problem-solving and a high level of student, teacher and peer engagement.
Learning Objectives:
- Our panel will illustrate how the district engaged local healthcare, utilities, colleges and industries in their STEM curriculum plans.
- Our panel will demonstrate how they worked with the state education department and their decision-making community to fund the STEM program.
- Our panel will report lessons-learned in creating spaces that properly function for the lessons taught, in form and function, and how "teaching the teachers" transpired for this new educational approach.
- Our panel will explain how their community partnerships are working beyond financial support: "STEM in action."
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| Breakout Session 3C: Concrete Ideas: Re-Inventing Unloved Public Schools from the 1960s and 1970s Part 3 |
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Speakers: Brian Postlewaite, PE, Civil Engineer at SMMA and A.C.E. Boston Board member
Kate Jessup, SMMA Intern Architect
Alex Pitkin, AIA, Senior Vice President and Director of Institutional Practice Groups, SMMA
Philip Poinelli, FAIA, ALEP, Principal and Educational Planner in the K-12 Studio at SMMA
Room: City Center
Session III:
Each renovation project is an opportunity to reach students with a real life "laboratory" for learning and SMMA's team has reached out wherever possible to the administrators and educators of each school project to explore curricular connections through in-class lecturing and/or field observations. The possibility of turning a negative (noisy, dirty) experience into a positive—perhaps even career-path altering—educational moment is profound. As just one example of bringing students themselves into the design conversation, today SMMA's professionals run an in-house intensive 12 week A.C.E. (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) program for a local charter high school exploring a building design problem as a model for career exploration.
Session III Learning Objectives:
- Student Mentoring: SMMA's office is the Boston A.C.E. (a national organization and mentoring program for select high schools and administered by Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston) home base for exploring the design process and exposing and facilitating students through the various career disciplines – uniquely housed under one firm's roof.
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| Breakout Session 3D: Envisioning Integrated Education: Where Career Technical Education, Academics and Community Meet |
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Speakers: Ron Lamarre AIA, ALEP, ALA, LEED AP BD+C, Lavallee Brensinger Architects
Room: Saratoga 1
The needs and processes of the working world have changed, and they have changed for good. Businesses no longer look to hire an individual that has been "taught a skill" or "taught to pass a test"; primed to get a "grade" without challenging "why", "how", or "what if". Rather, industry looks for creative thinkers, who are inspired to critically evaluate information and innovate; who work well in teams comprised of diversified skill sets; who are willing to communicate with others outside of their comfort zone; and who will be resourceful. In sum, they must not only "get it done": they must challenge how to get it done ... better. School Districts throughout the country are adapting to this overwhelming demand, resulting in the redefinition of "traditional" education pathways. Career Technical Education (CTE), college preparatory education, higher-education, and adult education are integrating within high school environments. Multiple learning opportunities engage and inspire administrators, faculty, students and civic leaders; inviting participation throughout the entire community; from elementary through adult education. Internships, Co-Op opportunities, and hands-on research efforts are taking place within the community as an extension of the school. A symbiosis develops between the CTE, High School, and higher-ed curricula; as well as the local industry skills and community needs they serve – teacher becomes student, student becomes teacher, learning becomes more relevant, and collective accomplishment becomes the measure of success. Envisioning a school that embodies far reaching community connections encourages community members of all ages to participate in the fun and value that integrated education provides. The challenge of breaking tradition and integrating the education of elementary, secondary, higher-ed, adult and industry students is where to begin and how to successfully bridge school with community. Schools today must be planned to support and encourage learning for decades to come, and embody the ability to transform alongside ever-evolving technologies and innovations. Sustainably planned schools will inspire and encourage the "whole learner community" to engage in dynamic thinking and learning activities that result in deeper understanding and higher levels of success. Join us in an interactive workshop that considers the Visioning strategies that engaged 19 communities and 8 school districts that share regional Career Technical Education at Mid-Coast School of Technology; and who envision a new solution to life-long learning through partnerships with local businesses and higher education.
Learning Objectives:
- Compare traditional methodologies of career technical education with current community-centered delivery.
- Identify the necessary components to successfully integrate Career Technical Education with middle school, high school, higher-education, and industry.
- Recognize and align differing opinions and priorities; while overcoming obstacles to achieve harmony and respect.
- Evaluate strategies to increase student awareness from the individual, to the local community, through the global economy.
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| Breakout Session 3E: Not Your Daddy's Shop Class: How Career Technical Education engages students and contributes to college and career readiness |
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Speakers: Rob Pillar, Stantec
Derk Jeffrey, Stantec
Jean-Claude Brizard, Upspring Education Group
Room: Saratoga 2
In response to the accelerated change and evolution occurring in both education and economic sectors, preparing our students to succeed in life means we must help them to also understand the relevance of their learning. Career Technical Education programs do this, as they bridge core academics to the rigor of real-world applications. The educational goals of today's CTE programs are much different from those of the traditional shop class. Successful integration of a CTE program requires a champion of applied learning at the administrative level as well as re-thinking of the educational environment. This presentation will explore the forces reshaping CTE learning experiences and their influence on the planning and design considerations from the perspective of educators and design professionals that have successfully implemented and planned for CTE programs. We will highlight the planning considerations that allow CTE programs to evolve without significant investment in facility modifications through examples of completed projects and others currently in design.
Learning Objectives:
- Brief history of policy and practice initiatives that have shaped technical education in the U.S.
- Summarize global imperatives driving change in education
- Crucial components of successful CTE programs
- Trends in CTE facility planning and design
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Breakout Session 3F: Designing for Optimal Student Health and Performance:
The Case of an Urban High School |
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Speakers: Tina Mesiti-Céas AIA LEED Green Assoc., CSArch
Richard L. Peckham AIA, CSArch
Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D. City School District of Albany
Room: Saratoga 3
This session will present the case of the Albany High School redesign as an on-going project that examines the relationship between design and student health and performance. The redesign of the City School District of Albany's high school will support the six core student experiences as defined by the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation: Seeing; hearing; breathing; feeling; moving; and thinking and learning. Studies dating back to the 1970's show a correlation between these experiences and student success. Schools that fail to promote and strengthen these experiences often attribute to low student performance and graduation rates. The new design corrects physical inefficiencies such as windowless classrooms, antiquated systems, inadequate acoustical separation, undersized classrooms, and deficient furniture; and it improves psychological inadequacies like a lack of community and student engagement, pride, motivation, commitment, and hope. This project has drawn attention to the vast accumulation of research surrounding the design of learning environments and its impact on students. By sharing the latest research, this session will create a discourse around outdated school design and the psychological and physical responses. Through a collaborative discussion, session participants will leave with fresh solutions to address common school design problems prevalent in urban districts. Participants will leave with skills and applicable ways to successfully communicate the significance of school design to community members.
Learning Objectives:
- Distinguish a clear link between school design and student performance.
- Understand the six types of student experiences and how design can impact cognitive fatigue, distraction, lack of motivation and detachment
- Provide fundamental design solutions that increase the rate of positive student performance and teacher engagement.
- How to educate communities and key stakeholders about why design matters.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2015 – 8:00-9:45 am |
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Student Engagement and School Building Quality |
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Speaker: Lorraine E. Maxwell, Cornell University
Room: Saratoga Ballroom
This session will review social science research related to school building design, building quality and student outcomes. The session is directly related to the conference theme, "Designing schools that inspire teachers, engage students, and embrace communities". The session specifically deals with the ways in which school building design and quality support student engagement. Student engagement includes both behavioral and emotional engagement. Behavioral engagement includes paying attention in class, not participating in disruptive behaviors, doing one's work, and exhibiting effort and persistence. Emotional engagement is the affective response to school and the learning process. Research on this type of engagement is concerned with students' responses to school, the teacher, or classroom activities. Emotional engagement can also be described as identification with the school or a sense of belonging. School building design and the overall quality of the school facilities can play a significant role in supporting both types of engagement. This session will provide participants with specific findings from current research that demonstrate how the physical environment and student engagement are interrelated.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn about specific school design attributes that encourage student engagement.
- Students will learn ways in which school building quality relates to school attendance
- Students will learn about ways in which school building quality supports academic competence
- Students will learn how building design can support independent learning
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