Teacher: Emilie Whitaker
IDEA:
The inspiration behind this came from the student feedback about the first TIDE room. That room was full of constraints, which doesn't mean it was all negative. In fact, constraints are the most impactful part of a design process. They can lead you into great problem-solving, and we dealt with them and did amazing things. We learned what was working for us but also what we needed to let go.
IMPACT:
With this feedback, I focused on the idea of user-centered design — in this case a Middle School student — but also inclusive design — students who are very comfortable in a traditional classroom and those students who are not.
With the Daniel-Mickel grant, we have outfitted the room with modular furniture so that we can rearrange the seating and workspaces based on the project. Students can move around the room so that their brains can process things in a working environment in which they are comfortable.
We also purchased dry-erase tables, which has made a huge difference. Sometimes, just asking students to take out pen and paper makes them groan — "Ugh. That means work." But the dry-erase tables don’t have that association. I think it makes the students feel freer to throw out ideas, since the very nature of the medium isn't permanent. When they get to a place where they feel they have found possible solutions, they take photos of their drawings and notes and post them on Schoology.
We're about half done with the new classroom design, but it has already had a tremendous impact. My room functions in the way that I dreamed of it functioning. What I love about this set up is that there is a place in here for every type of learner, and space for whatever they are doing. I think it has inspired other teachers to think differently about their classrooms. Furniture is more than furniture. It is the atmosphere it creates. Where do we think best? Where are we most creative? That's often not sitting at a desk.