Narnia

Approximately two years ago, the principal at one of my schools said to me, "I want to create a space in this building that looks like no other place we have here - a learning space that belongs in this century. Can you do that for me?" I gladly accepted the challenge and set out with my Rocketbook and ruler to scope out and sketch out a room for our awesome new space. I'll spare you the intricacies of a purchasing and approval system under supervision by the state, but I will say that the process took almost two years to get most things in place.
We now have a freshly painted classroom with a variety of student seating and collaborative grouping options. 3D and regular printers, shared monitors for each work group, whiteboard space, and three interactive LCD SMART Boards for student collaboration. All that remains is the mounting of the SMART Boards.

When students and teachers get a sneak peek at the room, everyone realizes how energizing a space can be. Students want to learn in spaces that show that we respect them as humans and learners. Student-centered spaces such as these allow for flexible grouping, choice in type of work space, and the ability to access both modern and traditional learning tools. This room intentionally lacks a teacher desk or work space. The student is the center of learning in this work space. We hope that one day, every student will have the opportunity to learn in a space such as this one. All students deserve that type of experience regardless of socioeconomic status.

A work in progress.