Modern Learning Environments

MODERN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - Distinction's connected classrooms.

Distinction offers a new 3D Layout Service and custom design for your bigger projects.

The vision of the New Zealand Curriculum wants young people who will be confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners.  The Key Competencies want children who can manage self and children who can relate to others.

Schools have researched and practiced the use of the Herrmann Brain model on how teachers teach and how children learn.  The results show that children learn in different ways and the teachers must instinctively teach from their preferred model.

Turning the model around requires a complete rethink on teachers teaching styles and breaking down the mental models of how kids learn.  Why then do we place children in desks, rows, tables when we know they learn in different ways?  If we value our learners we must value their learning styles and provide learning spaces that complement the learning.

The connected classroom is broken up into areas that acknowledge the needs of all aspects of the Herrmann model.  Part of the challenge of the connected classroom is to ensure that the furniture can work for the entire cross section of the class.

TEACHER FEEDBACK

I am loving the new furniture - the kids seem a lot more settled and focused when working independantly since having it.  It has been surprising to see how many of them know what learning style and learning environment they prefer in different situations.  It's also been great to see how they independantly move to a different furniture style depending on the task they are working on.  I'm definitely spending less time moving kids for being off task that I used to with the old furniture.  It is also fostering collaboration - the kids take ownership of moving it according to whether they are working individually or in groups.  I am LOVING the fact that there is near no classroom pack up at the end of the day.  It means we are getting in an extra 10 minutes of learning time each day.

SNIPPETS OF WHAT THE CHILDREN THINK

- "there are good options for when we need to sit tests or do quiet work - we can work where we want so we don't get distracted."

- "the wheely desks are awesome - you can move them round if we're working in groups or if you need to work by yourself you can take them somewhere quiet."

- "the high desks are good because you get to have a view of the whole classroom - you can see what the teacher is doing and what your classmates are doing - this helps us focus on what we should be doing."

- "it helps me learn faster because I am comfortable and I can listen better.