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Two Big Takeaways from Innovate 2015 Conference

By Joseph Koss
20-May-15
Two Big Takeaways from Innovate 2015 Conference


I just got back from attending and presenting at Innovate 2015: Re-imagining School at Graded School, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Innovate celebrates Graded’s "commitment to re-imagine the school that best serves and inspires students for tomorrow." For four days teachers, students, educators, and experts participated in seminars, workshops, and round-table discussions, all designed to inspire and re-imagine schools. After getting a chance to think and reflect, I had two big takeaways about conceptual shifts “school” was undergoing, one concerning space, the other concerning structure.
Takeaway #1: Space—the most innovative schools are re-imagining their learning environments
The "best schools" are re-imagining and re-defining their learning spaces to meet the needs of 21st century learning objectives. These schools are not building more walls and halls. Traditional, 20th-century, factory-model schooling is based on this model.
The best schools are looking at the learning environment—the physical architecture—and seeing it as an integral and necessary component in 21st-century teaching and learning. They start with the idea that their new spaces should support their learning goals. When they figure out that the old school architecture of opaque walls, hallways, and learning silos do not support where they wanted to go, they begin re-imagining their spaces. These innovative schools are creating collaborative, flexible, adaptable, movable, visible, and multi-use spaces for students and teachers.
The two best examples of this at Innovate 2015 were the International School of Brussels, which redesigned an old building and designed a brand new high school building and learning environment, and the American School of Brasilia, which redesigned old learning spaces to meet new realities. Both began with the question of what does a 21st-century learning environment look like, and what does current learning research support?
Felim Bolster described ISB's thinking in a recent interview:
“There were several requirements of the design outlined at the beginning of the process: Community, making learning visible, collaboration and flexibility to teach to a variety of group sizes. I think that in most cases the newly renovated building has enabled us to achieve these requirements.”
The American School of Brasilia re-designed and re-imagined their current spaces with the same goals. They re-imagined their library environment into flexible iCommons learning spaces. They also re-designed their elementary classrooms and their secondary science classrooms by incorporating new flexible, movable, multi-functional furniture and learning space elements.
These examples highlight some of the successes the most innovative schools are having by re-imagining their learning spaces.
Takeaway #2: Structure—the most innovative schools are structuring the school day to facilitate student innovation, creation, and exploration.
From creating Maker Spaces to emphasizing project-based learning, from dedicating flex time within the school day to creating new schools within schools, the best schools are re-imagining and re-designing their school structure to meet the needs of tomorrow's innovators, creators, and explorers.
Creating Maker Spaces within schools is becoming the new big thing. With a little bit of funding and planning, these spaces are opening up possibilities for students to create and explore on their own. Other schools are offering new classes on coding, programming, start-ups...the list goes on.
The most innovative schools are pushing for a more project-based, inquiry-based learning approach, from kindergarten up through high school. With PBL, students try to find real answers to real problems, adding meaning and value to their learning.
Schools are also finding ways to re-design the structure of the school day. Learning no longer has to go on inside the cells of a timetable. The International School of Brussels incorporates a 45-minute flex period into their block schedule, allowing students to pursue independent and collaborative projects outside of their normal classes. Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt developed the Roosevelt Innovation Academy, a quasi school-within-a-school model for students not being served by the IB Diploma track. Their re-designed interdisciplinary, project-based learning academy is an exciting example of innovating school learning structures.
Re-imagining school is a daunting title for any conference. We can all learn a few things from the schools doing better than others. The possibilities are numerous and the hard work is in the implementation, but the successes will be real and long-lasting.
Joseph Koss is a secondary social studies teacher at the Uruguayan American School currently teaching middle school World Geography, high school World History, and IB Theory of Knowledge.




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