Student-Led Innovation

Here are three ways for students to help reinvent learning through participation in the design process.

Design with Students:
For high school students, create a project-based experience that will impact the final design of the school. At the British International School of Houston, older students designed goat pens that are still used as part of the school’s focus on outdoor learning and exploration.

Build Soft Skills:
Students are some of the most eloquent and passionate advocates for reinventing learning. Involve students in the design process and let them take ownership. During the design of the new Booker T. Washington High School for the Engineering Professions in Houston, students made presentations on design concepts to teachers, community members, and their peers.

Think Small:
For elementary school students, art projects are a great way to put their mark on a building. At the new West Muskingum Elementary School in Zanesville, Ohio, elementary school students designed wall tiles that went into the restrooms.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.