SMART thinking!

While this is not the only great kinesthetically-attention-enhancing (is that a word?) furniture for schools, I appreciate that the Safco company has provided some links for funding and grant opportunities on their web page.  Below is a description and video about the stand up desks.  SMART thinking Safco!

“The stand up desk allows students to feel less confined and helps them stay focused in the classroom.  It offers improved body ergonomics, expends excess energy, allows for better oxygen flow to the brain, improves handwriting, and is being studied for increase in caloric expenditure which could help fight rising childhood obesity statistics.”

This submitted by Jim Brady of Americas Schoolhouse Council:

In a recent survey taken at an ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) conference, educators say they believe textbooks will soon be obsolete but few districts are prepared for the digital revolution.

Educators cite a lack of hardware and access to technology as the main roadblock to change.  In a recent article on www.mysanantonio.com, fifth grade teacher Debbie Dixon is quoted as saying

“The school would have to make it something so that all the kids have equal access,” …“When you have a textbook, it’s something that all kids have and can take home. When you have e-books, you run into the problem that you still have kids who don’t have computers and you can’t deny them.”

To read more click here…

We need some SMART thinking right now… pockets of school districts are incorporating ereaders and other digital tools..we need good examples!

Systems thinking is a way of teaching dynamic problem solving and applies to a broad range of global, technical and societal issues.  The Waters Foundation has great resources for teaching and understanding the Systems thinking model.

…”(S)ystems thinking considers the relationship between the parts of a system, and the “dynamics those relationships produce.” A system can be anything – a novel, a historical event, a culture, a scientific formula. All are made up of different pieces that form the “system.” In systems thinking, you look at the whole of something, the individual parts of that whole, how those parts make the “whole” what it is, and how one action to a piece of the system can affect the entire thing.” (from ASIA society).

Exploration of dynamic complexity is a highly motivating learning experience for students. Their learning is enhanced by the “real” nature of the problems that they explore and the sense that they are developing skills that will prove useful throughout their lives. The merging of system dynamics and the characteristics of effective instruction creates tremendous potential for engaging students in powerful learning experiences.

Research shows that instructional settings that optimize learning should be student-centered, experiential, holistic, and authentic. In addition, students should be provided opportunities to utilize many forms of expression, to reflect, to interact with other students, and to collaborate. Learning should be developmental and should involve the construction of ideas and systems. Effective applications of systems thinking/dynamic modeling include all of these characteristics. What appears to be most successful is an essential combination of the powerful concepts and tools of system dynamics with best practice in instructional strategies.

(Mary Scheetz, Panel Presentation – International Conference of the System dynamics Society, Bergen, Norway, 8/00)
Research Source: Best Practice – New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels, Arthur Hyde (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998)

Learn more about Systems Thinking at www.watersfoundation.org. SMART thinking!

This from The Centre for School Design:

A great short poem from students at Hamble College in Southampton.  I this this poem speaks for itself!

Click Title Slide to See the Presentation (hint log in to google docs for full access!)

Obviously, “form follows function” when designing highly-responsive school environments and understanding the key survival skills 21st century learners will need is one way to identify “function.” The 15 considerations that follow are key “survival skills … for careers, college, and citizenship in the 21st century” (Wagner), skills for a participatory culture, and key characteristics for the environments needed to support communities of learners, local and global (Jenkins.) 15 Skills to consider are:

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Collaboration and Leading by Influence
3. Agility and Adaptability
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurial-ism
5. Effective Oral & Written Communication
6. Accessing & Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity & Imagination
8. Engagement
9. Personalization
10. Global Competencies
11. Social Equity/ Responsibility
12. Community Focus
13. Arts Integration
14. Maintainability, Safety and Security
15. Sustainability

Read the whole article here….

Just visited New Orleans and toured the schools that are being rebuilt, modernized and replaced after the storm.  What a big job these folks are facing!  Our tour guide, Kenneth J Ducote, PhD, AICP, has been working with the Orleans Parrish School system for years and was a wealth of information.  I salute his passion and perserverence on behalf of the children – especially children of poverty and color.

Our tour took us by the Phyllis Wheatley School, built in 1954 for one of the oldest black neighborhoods in New Orleans as an attempt to build quality facilities for minority children of the area.

Today, the school is being considered for replacement by the Orleans Parrish School Board. Preservation architects have fought hard to have the school remodeled. Below is an excerpt from docomomo US.

“The Phillis Wheatley Elementary School is in danger of demolition by the School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish. The elevated school was designed by the architect Charles R. Colbert (1921-2007) in 1954. The cantilevered steel truss structure is solid and clearly did not flood after Hurricane Katrina. The building suffers only from neglect. It is one of the most innovative monuments of mid-century Modern architecture in New Orleans. The design was recognized by Progressive Architecture in 1955. Mr. Colbert received the Louisiana AIA Medal of Honor in 2006.”

While I am personally in support of saving historically and architecturally significant buildings, I believe that no building of historic significance should be placed above student learning or a community’s best interests.  After touring the site, it is clear that the Wheatley school has a number of issues that will significantly interfere with every student’s right to 21st Century learning.  Most notably:

• The site, at just 1/6th of the size recommended for a school of 800 is too small for play areas and fields needed for a quality physical education program;
• The elevated structure – built to keep the school from flooding – doesn’t work for Kindergarteners and 1st graders who can’t be located on the 2nd floor due to fire code regulations – so they are relegated to a ground floor portable building; which defeats the concept in the first place.
• The elevated structure was designed to provide playgrounds underneath but creates a wind tunnel effect in practice; further, the completely open ground floor means a fence must surround the site – adding to the prison-yard aesthetic.
• The original structure was completely transparent – great idea for natural light and views but a bad idea for glare on the the whiteboards and heat gain.  Sound daylighting principles are more appropriate for a learning environment.
• The small site precludes having a gymnasium, music rooms, performance spaces, science labs and a host of other spaces needed for a quality instructional program.

The resources that will need to be expended to remodel this facility are significant and the essential drawbacks of small site and elevation are not solved.  The OPSB must consider how to get the highest and best use of funds for student instruction…students are the history that must be most important to this great community.

The Treme/Lafitte neighborhood has not been supportive of  remodeling the school (click here for a NPR story), even though the building has been placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List.

Definitely, this is a building worth preserving – as a community center or other community resource, but it doesn’t meet the needs of a quality 21st Century Learning Environment.

Children's School in Stamford, CT photo credit: MaryAnn Thompson Architects

Spotted this project at SchoolDesigner.com…

From MaryAnn Thompson Architects:

“The program for the Children’s School, a school for 60 children 2-8, was given to us as a “one room schoolhouse”. The two age groups of the school are housed in two classroom “wings,” both joined and separated by the entry area in which quiet activities are located to calm the child upon arrival.

Roof planes subtly tilt against one another to let in light from above between their skewed forms, and they define the classroom spaces below them without the use of walls. The younger children occupy the east-facing wing as they are only in school in the morning; the older children occupy the west wing to take advantage of western light. The scheme has multiple relationships to the exterior play areas with doors out from every classroom.

The shifting plan allows for a fragmented reading of the building that reduces the scale of the mass to be more in keeping with the scale of the child. It also prioritizes the subjective. In order to fully understand it, the building must be occupied and its spaces engaged. The spatial sequence is one of hide and reveal. The building offers a sense of journey and moments of epiphany for the child in its unfolding layers.”

The school has won numerous design awards and is a champion for student’s individual learning styles.  For more pictures and the full story CLICK HERE.

SMART thinking!!

Amelia Wagner sits on a WittFitt chair while working at her desk; photo credit: Amy Correnti www.rrstar.com

This from Cathy Bayer at the Rockford Register Star:

Students at Spectrum School have had their standard chairs replaced with WittFitt chairs – a chair like an exercise or stability ball with feet.

The chairs help to increase students’ attention level and improve posture.  Each chair is fit to a students’ size and the cost is comparable to the old chairs – about $30.  Schools can buy about five different sizes and students can change seats as they grow.  Balls can also be inflated or deflated for comfort.

Teachers observe less wiggling and leaning forward.  The balls help to exercise the stomach and back muscles because one needs to concentrate to stay upright.

SMARTthinking Spectrum School!!

From YouTube:  This video was created by Tom Woodward of Henrico County schools in Virginia. Tom used the work of Karl Fisch from Colorado who created a PPT using various quotes and statistics from “flat world” thinking.

Now check out the 4.0 Version of Shift Happens

This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

From Schooldesigner.com:

“Chartwell is the 1st LEED platinum K-12 campus. It also has a goal of achieving net-zero electrical usage (grid neutral). This school has inspired the EPA to start a design for deconstruction competition and is a role model for the State of California´s ambitious initiative to mandate grid neutral schools by 2010. This school campus includes the best-known practices for energy efficiency and creating an optimal learning environment.”

EHDD Architects; Photos Michael David Rose.

Click here for the full story on SchoolDesigner.com.

SMARTthinking!

Just had the privilege of seeing Jonathan Kozol speak at the Mid-Year CEFPI Conference. If you haven’t ever read Savage Inequalities or Shame of a Nation, you need to.  Posting a link of his 2005 speech at CSU Sonoma. Kozol starts speaking at about 9:24 into the video.  It’s about an hour long speech, but MAN is it worth it…he makes a passionate and compassionate statement for underprivileged students in America.  And as a facility planner I have visited some of these environments he speaks of….we need more people to carry Kozol’s torch.  Enjoy.

“Pick battles big enough to matter;
small enough to win.”

From Online Universities.com:

“Whether you want to be a teacher, principal or even an educational policy-maker, learning all you can about the field and how to be a more powerful leader while you’re still in college is essential. These blogs will fill you in on the latest news, provide inspiration, and ensure that you are up-to-date with the latest educational technologies so you can be the best education leader you can be.”

Check out these blogs for the latest updates in education, subject specific blogs (language arts, math, science, etc.), new ideas in technology, policy, and much more.

One of my favorites is the Box of Tricks Blog.  SMART resource! Thanks Online Education…

From Huffington Post: Residents look on as rescue workers search for victims at the 'La Promesse' school after it collapsed in Petionville, Haiti, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008. The school, where roughly 500 students crowded into several floors, collapsed Friday during classes killing at least 75 people and injuring many more. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International and Schools for Children of the World are creating a task force to assess and eventually help repair Haiti Schools. The following is a description of volunteer services needed from the SCW website:

Initial Assessment:

o Structural engineers  with seismic expertise to assess the safety of remaining school facilities

o Volunteers to assist with the clean-up efforts

· Schools that can be repaired will need:

o Project Managers to manage project funds and provide project oversight

o Architects and Engineers to provide design solutions

o Contractors to make the needed repairs

o Fund raisers to identify and secure resources

· Facilities that cannot be repaired will need:

o Project Managers to manage the project funds and provide project oversight

o Contractors to help with the demolition and cleanup

o Educational Facility Planners, Architects, and Engineers with seismic experience to plan and design replacement facilities

o Fund raisers to identify and secure resources

Click here to find out how to donate or sign up to travel to Haiti and help out.

From District Administration:  “ARAMARK recently  launched Cool*Caf a new elementary school dining environment that incorporates the company’s newly designed wellness menus that exceed U.S. Department of Agriculture and state-level nutrition guidelines. Cool*Caf uses animation and student-inspired themes and messages on walls that promote good health.”

According to a USA Today article about Cool*Caf, the concepts include:

•Hefty selections. Fresh fruit and veggie “bars” are being installed with five or more fresh selections in each. Kids can take as many fruits and veggies as they want as part of their meal.

•Splashy décor. Cafeteria serving areas are being redecorated in bright colors with kid-friendly characters and signage.

•Shorter lines. Express lanes are being added so kids who bring lunch don’t wait in long lines for fruit, veggies or milk.

Another healthy trend in schools is the use of local farms and even school grown gardens.  According to District Administration,”many districts have also begun sourcing some of their produce from local farmers—a win-win for both parties. The national Farm to School programs connect schools with local farms to improve student nutrition, provide health and nutrition education opportunities, and support local small farmers.”  School districts such as LA Unified have encouraged schools to plant their own gardens and create a composting program. Very SMART thinking!

There seems to be a lot of interest out there around this topic with our facilities friends in schools so I thought I’d post another story from NPR about the Urinal Fly.   It seems that reducing “spillage” can be fun.  Click here to see the full story at NPR….

Okay this blog is all about SMART thinking…but Diesel has a point! Most brilliant ideas started out sounding stupid!  As visionaries, we need to go out on a limb sometimes.  So go out and think stupid folks….dreaming is what moves us forward.

Be Stupid

ipods and other handheld devices will become integral to learning

These top trends from THE (transforming education through technology) -

#1:  eBook readers will continue to proliferate. No chance of replacing textbooks immediately..but the day will probably come.

#2: Netbooks functionality “Priced at $200 to $300, these small, inexpensive computers are helping to bridge the technology divide that exists at those schools where individual students don’t have access to their own laptops.” (THE)

#3: Teachers will expand the use of interactive whiteboards or similar (less expensive) technology being developed.

#4: Student’s Personal Devices will become ubiquitous and integral to the teaching process.

#5: Personalized Student Assessment Tools are becoming easier, cheaper and faster.  Students, teachers and parents will be able to evaluate and track students’ progress in order to make timely course corrections.

To see the orginal article click here.

SMART thinking indeed!

This from Huffington Post:

“Today’s schools are an anachronism. They resemble the assembly lines of the industrial era, when they were conceived. Groups of 25 to 30 children, beginning at age five, are moved through 13 years of schooling, attending 180 days each year, and taking five major subjects daily for lengths of time specified by the Carnegie Foundation in 1910. These schools are time-based — all children are expected to master the same studies at the same rate over the same period of time. They focus on teaching — how long students are exposed to instruction, not how much they have learned. They are rooted in the belief that one size fits all — all students can benefit equally from the same curriculum and methods of instruction.

We have learned much about education since today’s schools were created. We know now that what students learn and what they are taught are different, and that learning is what matters. We know that children learn different subjects at different rates, some slower and some faster. We know that children have different learning styles, which make different methods of instruction more or less effective for them. We also know that today’s new technologies offer the prospect of individualizing education for each child and gearing instruction to the student’s particular learning style and most effective means of instruction.” (Levine)

Through an innovative iniative led by the New York City Public Schools, the School of One will focus on the needs of learning versus those of teaching; turning traditional schools inside out by allowing students to focus on their individual learning and setting their own pace for doing so.

Photo Credit:  American Architectural Foundation/
Dull Olson Weekes Architects and Cuningham Group Architect

Focusing on the physical environment of a School of one, the New York City Department of Education’s School of One faculty and staff gathered with architects John Weekes, AIA, of Dull Olson Weekes Architects; John Pflueger, AIA, of Cuningham Group Architects; and educational planner Susan Wolff, director of Wolff Designs. The occasion was a charrette put on last May by the American Architecture Foundation and sponsored by Target.

If you have teenagers, you know that long and complicated conversations happen all day long through texting, facebook, and other forms of electronic communication. Frequently, I have been in planning sessions where people ask “why don’t we use these forms of communication to help us teach?”

Here’s an example, from the Free Technology for Teachers Blog about back-channeling.  Back-channeling is utilizing a “microblog” (or private blog site) to have an on-going conversation.  Mr. Byrne at www.free4teachers.com relates how he set up a back-channel during a movie, related questions during the movie via the microblog, and allowed discussion via the micro-blog.  He relates how it enhanced communication and attentiveness in class as well as giving less outspoken students a forum for discussion.

In his recent article, he recommends five platforms (free) for back-channeling: Chatzy, TodaysMeet, edmodo, present.ly, and the soon to be released Google wave.  Back-channeling: the future is now. Do it!!

This from Edutopia:  “Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) is a student-achievement program that uses music, dance, and visual arts to teach skills used in reading, writing, math, science, and other subjects. The curriculum, based on brain-development research, is designed to engage specific skills targeted to each grade level. Independent research demonstrates that OMA has dramatically improved test scores and teacher effectiveness. Launched as a pilot program in 2000, OMA now thrives in more than 40 Tucson, Arizona, public elementary schools.”

thinkSMART planning has had the great pleasure of working to implement visual and performing arts facilities at TUSD and we can definitely say this is very SMART thinking!

This from PopTech – If this doesn’t encourage us to build STEM labs for youngsters, I don’t know what will…Dan Nocera’s video on personalized energy is very SMART thinking!

Dan Nocera: Personalized Energy from PopTech on Vimeo.

Arizona State University and Scottsdale Unified School District are leading the way for other schools in the field of energy sustainability.  Bonny Bentzin, Director of University Sustainability Practice at the ASU Global Institute of Sustainability and Dr. David Peterson, Asst. Superintendent for Facilities at SUSD are taking advantage of some new Solar Initiatives that are adding up to big savings and a lower carbon footprint for the schools.

The ASU projects are the largest solar installation at a US University and the power generated is the equivalent of that needed to power 275 homes or taking 420 cars off the road! The project cost NO UPFRONT $$ for the University through a Photovoltaic System Services Management Agreement between ASU and Sun Devil Solar, LLC. The systems were supplied by SolEquity under a lease purchase agreement.

At SUSD, Dr. Peterson worked hard to change legislation in AZ to allow school districts to enter into long-term lease purchase agreements in order to fund the installation of solar panels on K-12 Campuses.  With the passage of ARS 15-213.01, “a school district may contract for the procurement of a guaranteed energy cost savings contract with a qualified provider through a competitive sealed proposal process as provided by the procurement practices adopted by the state board of education.”  By making use of third party owner-operator agreements, the schools are able to take advantage of up to 70% savings on the initial equipment installation through local and federal grant programs, thereby lowering payback time dramatically .

Thanks to Neil Gaimon for this lovely tweet , and Christian Long for bringing it to our attention at think:lab.  Lovely…

Great recommendation from the Ed-Tech Blog by Fred Sharpsteen:  “The purpose of this course is to provide ”Just in Time” training through an online interface for K-12 educators based on the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). These standards are the basic technology skills every educator should possess. In the process, educators will develop their own skills and discover what students need in order to meet the NETS for Students, as well as the new MMC Online Experience requirement. ”

This awesome website has 21 skills educators can learn in a just-in-time fashion such as blogging, collaboration tools, assessment tools, online surveys, content area tools, digital citizenship, digital images, podcasting, etc. etc.  Each link has FREE resources online for you to use and a quick exercise to do. SMART thinking ! Check it out.

Thanks to the folks at Adolfson & Peterson Construction for this information: This free K-12 toolkit for schools that want to go green. The Green Existing Schools Toolkit and accompanying training resources will help schools and school districts green their existing portfolio of facilities and achieve LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification.  Included in the toolkit are a Green Existing Schools Project Management Guide (PDF) and a Green Existing Schools Implementation Workbook (PDF). These resources provide guidance, best practices, policy, and planning templates to assist school officials in seeking LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M certification, and are designed to be used in concert with additional resources contained in the Green Existing Schools Toolkit.

The BackPack Concept

The BackPack Program concept was developed at the Arkansas Rice Depot, after a school nurse asked for help because hungry students were coming to her with stomachaches and dizziness. The local food bank began to provide the school children with groceries in non-descript backpacks to carry home.

About the BackPack Program

• Backpacks filled with food that children take home on weekends
• Food is child-friendly, nonperishable and easily consumed.
• Backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation

You can help kids who are hungry during off school vacations and weekends by contributing to Feed America directly on their website. What a great way to help a  child in these tough economic times.   This is truly  SMART thinking!

Boardwalk and Viewing platform over the tidal marsh at Tabor Marine Science Center by NCA Architects

This link spotted by Christopher Grimes, Director of Facilities Development at Roseville Joint Union High School District.  The Tabor Marine Center for Marine and Nautical Sciences is a 7,500 square foot facility that provides Tabor students direct access to the study of marine life in the Sippican Harbor for 9-12 students. The project is designed by NCA architects. Students have hands on access to marine life which is studied in the large wet lab and then returned to the sea.

Thanks to Schooldesigner.com for providing information on their 2nd Annual Collabetition Winners!

Elementary Students at Deer Hill study science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interactive, hands-on setting

STEM allows students to learn about the scientific method and science phenomenon in a hands-on setting.  Where better to introduce the love of these than elementary school?  Students at this Massachusetts school have the opportunity to study complex systems through exploration and experience.  The lab, created through a $35,000 grant,  serves students in grade three though five (about 350 students) at Deer Hill and covers the areas of earth science, life science, technology/engineering, data gathering and analysis.  STEM has been promoted by the White House as a model that American schools should follow; starting in elementary school is SMART thinking!

TEC emphasizes rigor, relationships and relevance through collaboration

The Truman Education Complex is just one of multiple small school solutions highlighted in the Architects of Achievement article 12 Strategies for “Going Small.” Among the 12 strategies are building new, building within an existing facility, within a campus of schools, and others.  The article highlights the fact that small school experiences work, and one solution doesn’t fit all.  Each strategy highlights real-world examples which are great for sharing with planning groups and faculty.  Thanks A of A!

Library Seating Can Be Fun and Comfortable

The Robinhood Foundation targets poverty in New York City by investing in great projects and programs. One program is the L!brary Initiative which is “a partnership of the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York City Department of Education, with support from the Mayor, corporate donors, and a team of architects, seeks to reverse these patterns of low literacy skills and underachievement by working with community school districts and public elementary schools to design, build, equip, and staff new elementary school libraries.”   The foundation works with local architects to renovate and rejuvenate places of learning for kids of poverty.

Instead of creating spaces that are overly ornate or intimidating, the project centers on creating exciting, kid-oriented learning spaces through unique design, interior colors, lighting and furnishings.

Kudos to all involved!