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Designing the Learning Environment for Mathematics and Literacy, K to 8 Imagine the ideal learning environment for today's learner. What would it look like? Think about how much the world has changed in the last three decades and how rapidly it will continue to change in the years to come. How do we ensure that the instruction we provide is responsive to the shifting demands of the 21 st century? Researchers and practitioners in a wide range of disciplines - early childhood and developmental education, psychology and cognitive science, school architecture and design - maintain that the key to learning in today's world is not just the physical space we provide for students but the social space as well(Fraser, 2012; Helm et al., 2007; OWP/P Architects et al., 2010). The learning environment, they suggest, is "the third teacher" that can either enhance the kind of learning that optimizes our students' potential to respond creatively and meaningfully to future challenges or detract from it. Susan Fraser, for example, writes: "A classroom that is functioning successfully as a third teacher will be responsive to the children's interests, provide opportunities for children to make their thinking visible and then fosterfurtherlearning and engagement." (2012, p. 67)

Is your school thinking about its learning spaces? A great resource.