Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2017 | Page 31

Flexible Classrooms
strong desire for standing height desks.
Sitting is the new smoking.”
The benefits of flexibility and mo-
bility in the classroom are well docu-
mented, placing teachers in a better
position to inspire students and create
an environment conducive to achieving
excellence.
“Good teachers know that however
much they have learned in the past,
today is a different day and you cannot
ride yesterday’s horse,” commented
Sir Ken Robinson, New York Times
bestselling author, TED speaker,
education and creativity expert. “This
sort of responsiveness can rarely be
achieved by standing in front of a room
talking at a group of 25 or 30 kids for
lesson after lesson…Such an approach
to teaching by its very nature limits
the possibility of connecting with each
student individually.”
Another trend shaping the modern
classroom takes its cue from those sta-
ple features of daily American life —
the main street and the mall. Collab-
orative design is on the rise — library
and cafeteria layouts are blending
together and common areas like cafete-
rias are becoming the new study areas.
This trend reflects an understanding
that students learn well from other
students. “It’s funny we’re catching on
so slowly to this,” observes Rheault.
“If you’re a parent trying to teach your
child something, you see that as soon
as they watch another kid do it they
learn immediately. The question is how
do you support that behavior?”
Supporting peer-to-peer learning
by increasing flexibility in classrooms
and study areas is one in a series of
innovations already gaining traction.
An increase in the flipped classroom —
one that focuses on learning and study
at home, followed with homework and
collaborative projects at school — is
changing the educational dynamic, as
well.
“In the flipped classroom, rather
than having a teacher stand in front
of a group of students and lecture on
a topic, the students get online in-
struction at home,” explained Sir Ken
Robinson. “The class time is then used
by the teacher for peer instruction to
help students individually if they are
having trouble, to engage students in
conversation about the topic, and to
challenge students who are already
showing mastery.”
An increase in project-based
learning is also blending disciplines
together, creating a new climate that
demands maximum flexibility in class-
room design. Cabinet manufacturer
Whitney Bros of Keene, NH, is re-
sponding to the trend. “Mobility trends
are very popular and all the cabinets
we’re making now are mobile,” says
owner David Stabler. “Putting cabinets
and storage on casters and organizing
classrooms so you can put things away
easily and change learning disciplines
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