How Can Schools Better Equip Learning Spaces for Modern Career Skills?
May 14, 2019
By: Shawna De La Rosa
Source: Education Dive
Thanks to artificial intelligence, the days of assembly-line manufacturing jobs are coming to an end. Students will graduate into positions that require thought and collaboration. The cubicle office design is becoming extinct, which means straight lines of desks and chairs no longer meet the needs of students and teachers.
The best news is that this classroom rearrangement can be affordable. Incorporating features like color, soft light and comfortable spaces doesn’t have to be expensive. Using budget-friendly furniture manufacturers, such as Ikea, is one way to stretch the redesign budget as far as possible.
Meadowlark School in Colorado’s Boulder Valley District took this idea a step further, thanks to a 2014 bond issue. The media center is now a curiosity center, which children as young as pre-K go to different “learning studio” areas. And teachers now have collaboration space rather than desks.