While listening to the teachers' presentation at my twins' school, I had a moment of clarity: The kindergarten classroom is the design studio.
The kindergarten classroom is the design studio. All of the learning activities that take place inside the kindergarten classroom are freakishly similar to the everyday environment of my design studio in the "real world."
Like the design studio, the kindergarten environment places human interaction above all else.
In a kindergarten classroom, while
there are walls with white boards or smart boards, the "front" of the
room is indistinguishable. Every available wall and surface is an
opportunity to display student work. The design allows students to
explore many different ways of learning in the classroom--it's
learner-centered space.
The learner-centered paradigm should extend beyond the kindergarten classroom.
Unfortunately, most educational institutions follow a model that creates an impersonal environment where adults, teaching, and authority are at the center.
For example, at the Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, self-contained classrooms are replaced with clustered learning spaces.
Many schools and work environments are embracing the reality that we live in multidisciplinary global world. The challenges and opportunities that we face in the 21st century require creativity, innovation and a deeper understanding of the complexities of the global economy, politics and culture.
If you've ever thought it would be fun to write for @U2, or help in our forum, or do something else as part of the team, or if you've been thinking that it would be fun to help with concert dates, set lists, and everything else that happens on U2tours.com ... have we got a job for you!