Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Some Very Welcome Changes

  • By Deb Moore
  • 10/01/09
I have been fortunate enough to sit on a number of architectural juries in the past few years. I have always enjoyed reviewing the projects and seeing what was new, but it wasn’t until the last year or so that I really began to see schools where the design was substantially different from the one that I remember attending in Pittsburgh as a child. (Keep in mind that my kids tell me that dinosaurs still roamed the earth when I graduated from high school.) No question, that in past years new spaces were added to accommodate the latest technologies, but for the most part, a classroom was still just a classroom, accommodating rows of students in rows of desks.

In the last few years, the acronym SLCs (smaller learning communities) started popping up everywhere in project descriptions. The SLC structure includes autonomous schools-within-a-school, freshman academies, multi-grade career or themed academies and other like programs. In 2009, a number of the award-winning project designs were career academies where students could focus on a particular skill-set such as nursing, gaining practical experience in a specific field and earning college credits while still in high school. To support the further development of SLCs, the Department of Education’s Smaller Learning Communities Program plans to announce a new grant competition sometime in 2010.

Another acronym that started popping up was the ELA (extended learning areas). Extended learning areas are flexible spaces designed to promote student engagement and contemporary educational delivery. You won’t find rows of desks in these areas, but rather flexible furniture, informal seating, storage and display areas. ELAs accommodate a wide variety of student activities including individual tutoring, small-group interaction, team-based projects and special events. For students they also provide a more intimate setting that inspires a strong sense of community and encourages relationships with teachers and students alike.

It’s not my classroom winning awards anymore — and I’m glad!

Featured

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.

  • blurry image capturing students navigating crowded hallways between classes

    How Human Behavior Data Is Reshaping Campus Facilities Management

    The ebb and flow of students, faculty, and administrators across a campus have a larger impact on maintenance, cleaning, and sustainability than many realize.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

Digital Edition