Continuing from the first article in this series (January 2013) in the exploration of the C’s of 21st-century education: Competence, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Choice, the next several articles will explore definitions and designs that support 21st-century education.
It has been established that “choice” is a cultural expectation that has pushed educational program delivery toward the purposeful development of the skills of competence, communication, collaboration and creativity for learners. In this article, it becomes clear that “Competence” and “Communication” should be important design considerations, and spaces should support and promote these skills.
Competence is the mastery of basic skills needed to succeed in life. It is more than assimilating facts (or content) and manipulating figures. If you are reading this column, you are a competent reader (at least competent within your field of expertise and/or interest). However, if an advanced biomedical engineering book were placed in front of you with a test at the end, you’d likely fail the exam; not because you can’t read, but because the content is outside your area of expertise. Competence is more than learning basic skills or memorizing facts. It is the continuous exploration within an area of interest; a journey through information and data supported by reallife experiences and direct interaction with the subject matter.
To fully support the development of competence for each student, school designs must support a variety of learning styles and experiential learning. Twenty-first-century school curriculum and learning is transforming toward small-group discussions (real/virtual), and technology-driven blended learning and hands-on learning activities. This requires school designs to incorporate a variety of shapes and sizes in learning space layouts as well as in furnishings that complement those spaces.
Student learning is supported through the use of furniture, such as movable, varied-height tables; soft, circular sitting areas; and spaces for “deconstruction and construction.” All of these promote student competence through a variety of learning experiences. Acoustically designed spaces offer students the ability to engage anywhere in the classroom or become absorbed in “solitude study,” even in the most open classroom designs. Importantly, classrooms with an abundance of natural diffused light and indoor air quality are essential for the development of student competence.
The next C, Communication, typically has been defined to be the skill of expression through either the oral or written format. Modern communication extends beyond this definition, requiring the learner to express thoughts and ideas through a variety of delivery platforms, including performance and the creative arts. Mastering a variety of “tools of expression will be an essential ingredient to student success for the future.
To fully support the development of communication skills, school designs must reinvent the traditional performing-arts center—finding ways to create student performance areas throughout the building, not just in a theater that is used only occasionally during the year.
In 21st-century school design, auditoriums and stages should be complemented by presentation platforms in classrooms, hallways, common areas and other gathering spaces. Expansive display areas, art gallery space and assorted video-boards should be ubiquitous in the school design, and used to communicate and showcase students’ competencies. Decentralized multimedia studios, wireless technology points and podcasting spaces will be integral design elements in facilities that will “bring the world to the learner” and “take the learner to the world.”
What does 21st-century school design really look like? Essentially, for the skills of competence and communication, form follows function.
Tapper is senior educational planner for ATS&R Planners/Architects/Engineers, Minneapolis. He has more than 40 years of experience in public schools.
