Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2016 | Page 9

in education; they should have a voice in how they are educated and how schools are designed. It used to be that educators could enter the profession and teach the same way in the same types of classrooms from the beginning of their careers until they retired 30 years later, but that era is gone. Now they must be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The days of mastery have been replaced by a career of constant adaptation to new expectations, new teaching styles — and new types of learning spaces for Gen Z. n EDspaces 2016 Speakers: MARK AND DWIGHT will be presenting What’s in Your Space? Combining Technology, Global Skills, and Learning Styles in a New Type of School on Wednesday, November 2 at 1:00 PM. DWIGHT CARTER AND MARK WHITE have worked together for over 15 years, first in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools in Gahanna, Ohio, where they were both administrators, and now as authors, speakers and consultants. Together they led the team of teachers, students, and community members in the design of Clark Hall, a high school building that was named the Best in Tech 2012 by Scholastic because of its innovative use of global skills, technology, and learning space to teach Generation Z. They recently coauthored (with Clark Hall architect Gary Sebach) What’s in Your Space? 5 Steps for Better School and Classroom Design, which is published by Corwin Press. FROM IDEA TO EXECUTION Some quick, cheap fixes include: • adding some bright paint to walls • putting a few soft chairs or exercise balls in one corner of a classroom • converting part of a hallway or cafeteria to a new type of space by adding new paint, furniture, rugs, or carpet squares • turning a large storage room into a collaborative learning space • shifting the school library, or one part of it, into a 21st century environment by adding bright, comfortable chairs When wondering how to begin, educators can ask the ultimate authority: their students. Great starter questions are: “Which furniture is most comfortable for you? What colors do you like? What ideas do you have for how to use the space? Do you see any other things we can do to make the space more fun and to help you learn?” Students are the new partners Connect with and convert more educators EMAIL | DIRECT MAIL | TELEMARKETING | DIGITAL ADVERTISING Early Childhood • K-12 • Higher Ed www.agile-ed.com essentials | www.edmarket.org 9