Post written by Jasmine Sanborn, a senior digital and visual journalism student at Loyola University Chicago. She hopes to follow her passions for conservation and comics and someday join the ranks at National Geographic or Marvel Comics.
Elizabeth Hebert's 2013 ASCD Annual Conference session, "Inspired to Learn: How School and Classroom Design Can Energize and Support Learning," explored the role design plays in our daily lives. School buildings and their design are obvious but often overlooked aspects of the learning environment, said Hebert.
Hebert argued that updated and developmentally focused design spaces not only support but also inspire student learning and help cultivate creativity in children.
Inspiration is everywhere, noted Hebert. "[We] narrow ourselves to classrooms, but we need to look at other spaces, too." One such place to look, she suggested, is the business world, which continually updates office design. Companies such as Ideo, Facebook, Google, and Apple have created standards for innovative design within a 21st century workspace.
Researchers looked into what a school might feature if it were modeled after an Apple store. They envisioned a "Genius Bar," a baking studio, a tutoring cafe, a health and nutrition center, and a school for problem solving.
"Can you imagine a 'Genius Bar' where parents could go to ask their questions?" joked Hebert.
Whether you're building a brand-new school, adding an extension, refurbishing a particular space, or just