“Learning theorists and researchers have come to understand that we don’t so much teach as we create an environment where people can learn. Learning facilitators design experiences and activities, allowing people to grasp new concepts, learn required knowledge, and gain needed skills. The foundational framework to the many facets of classroom design, supporting the most significant level of actual learning, is that schools must be student-centered rather than teacher- or technology-centered.
Building on the framework of student-centred learning environments, trusted school leaders exercise the following 7 Disciplines of Classroom Design:
- Supporting and fostering healthy relational connections between students and teachers[15]
- Facilitating opportunities for frequent practice and active learning (i.e. students engaged in learning activities as opposed to passive instruction)[16]
- Supporting both project-based and problem-based learning, where students directly apply their learning to real life[17]
- Supporting self-regulated learning that recognizes students as individuals developing at varying paces[18]
- Encouraging and developing learning communities where students support each other.
- Inviting and attractive entrance and exit areas, fluid circulation, lighting and colour [20]
- Seating that is age-appropriate and supports learning activities and engagement[21]