Inclusive classrooms with complex, diverse students have many challenges, including that of effective physical design. One included element that should be considered is a relaxation station, designed to teach and promote everyday self-regulation skills within a calmer and more private space. A relaxation station is an essential component in every…

A student, and two professors collectively explored the unique nature of their graduate course entitled "Narrative Pedagogy as Social Justice." All of the authors experienced personal transformation through relationally engaging in difficult dialogue. They now wonder, how to create classroom spaces where dialog about difficult topics can…

This paper presents a theoretical discussion about space-time as a curricular element which the student learns certain dynamics and positions to knowledge. The interactions to student's whit curriculars elements are necessary to build knowledge, like other curricular elements, the perspective of use of this element is important to type of learning…

We describe four design principles that guide the Mosaic Fellows Program at Indiana University, a program focused on supporting faculty pedagogy in active learning spaces. The design principles focus on exploring a variety of classrooms with faculty Fellows, engaging Fellows' individual goals, creating shared learning experiences, and encouraging…

The design of a classroom space can make a big difference in student behavior and learning. The use of color, sound, light, furniture arrangements and more can help foster community and culture and promote understanding. Dillon discusses some easy ways to transform the classroom space that can help with classroom management.

This concluding chapter helps us look toward the future of active learning spaces as they enter the mainstream.

In this article, the authors start with a description of the learner-centered paradigm of education. The key tenets of the paradigm are outlined as: Competency-based student progress, competency-based student assessment and records, personal learning plans, project-based learning, just-in-time instructional support, student as self-directed…

Effective classroom design is a crucial element in learning. Additionally, learning opportunities can be extended well beyond the classroom to create entire learning environments that support student success. Despite the transformations necessary to equip students with 21st-century skills, planners and decision-makers at education institutions…

The "sage on a stage" is looking increasingly like a potted plant. While there will always be a role for a great teacher who can command a room, colleges and universities today are putting greater emphasis on student collaboration, small work groups, and interactive learning. Unfortunately, the classrooms of yesterday, with their focus on a single…

Classroom design for the 21st-century learning environment should accommodate a variety of learning skills and needs. The space should be large enough so it can be configured to accommodate a number of learning activities. This also includes furniture that provides flexibility and accommodates collaboration and interactive work among students and…

In Cynthia Selfe's "Technology and Literacy: A Story about the Perils of Not Paying Attention," she advises that composition teachers "have to pay attention to technology." Similar to Brittany B. Cottrill's discussion of issues of access, this reflective piece pays attention to another issue concerning technology, specifically…

This section articulates classroom design as a technology. However, by technology I do not simply mean the ways in which technology is used in the writing classroom, but that the classroom space itself functions as a technology. Like Katherine Fredlund and Vanessa Cozza, I too will be discussing the design of the classroom; however, unlike them I…

Good teachers know that the physical environment of the classroom can either enhance or hinder learning. Appropriate room preparation and arrangement of materials reserves class time for learning, while inadequate planning interferes with instruction by causing interruptions and delays. Before the year begins, effective classroom managers…

The Seaford School District, Seaford, Delaware, determined that a component of their "reinvention" of Seaford High School would be the creation of a New Tech Academy, affiliated with the New Tech Network and housed in an addition to that building. The New Tech Network, headquartered in Napa, California, is a rapidly growing association…

Des Moines is an urban community located in the heart of Iowa. Des Moines Public Schools serves 32,000 students in a system with 62 buildings, including Central Campus--a Regional Academy. Central Campus is housed in four buildings, including the main campus at 1800 Grand located on the western edge of downtown Des Moines. As a regional academy,…