Enrichment clusters offer a way for schools to encourage a high level of learning as students and adults work together to develop a product, service, or performance by applying advanced knowledge and authentic processes to real-world problems. This study utilized a qualitative research design to examine the perceptions and experiences of two…

Since Herb Broda published Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning, his groundbreaking first book on outdoor learning, many schools across North America have embraced the benefits of "greening" their learning programs. Herb has visited dozens of these schools and nature centers, and he showcases the very best examples of schoolyard-enhanced…

Campus sustainability projects provide an opportunity to explicitly link campus operations and academics. College and university buildings and grounds offer the potential for numerous hands-on sustainability projects. Few schools explicitly link sustainability projects with academics as often the academic side of an institution is separate from…

The learning landscape is changing quickly, and education institutions are hard-pressed to make sure their academic facilities are meeting the evolving needs of teachers and students. Within a universe of continual change, though, school facilities still need furniture. Furniture selection goes beyond color or size. Furniture must be flexible and…

This article discusses factors in the design, commissioning, project management, and intellectual property protection of developments within a new clinical anatomy facility in the United Kingdom. The project was aimed at creating cost-effective facilities that would address widespread concerns over anatomy teaching, and support other activities…

This article first investigates historical trends in both the practice and the understanding of consultation, considering the often contrasting perspectives of architects and designers, compared to teachers and educationalists. Differing assumptions held by these two broad groups of professionals can lead to conflicting aims and objectives for…

The Plowden Report encouraged the design of more compact and flexible school buildings to accommodate its vision of child-centred teaching. These schools came to be known as "open plan". By the late 1970s about 10% of schools were of open-plan design but researchers found serious weaknesses in the quality of their work. Plowden's ideals…

This self-instructional module presents learner objectives, text, practice exercises, and answer sheets on the development of the kind of building program that would be used by architects in designing a new building or training area for a school, college, or business. The text explains the components of a building program, including the basic…

Explores how the physical condition and design of school facilities can shape a child's learning experience. Discusses school environments' connection to asthma, heating and ventilation problems, noise problems, full-spectrum lighting, trends in teaching methods requiring different building designs, optimum school size, portable classrooms, and…

Describes the planning process and changes needed for converting an elementary school prototype design into a prototype design for a middle school. Three key influences that affected design are examined: the educational program; the instructional methodology; and the social concerns of an adolescent population. (GR)

Italian high schools do not, as yet, provide college-bound students with any type of computer training. As a result, the nation's largest university has established a computer science center. Describes the center's functions (including training teachers in other disciplines to use computers in their curricula), its five-year history, and…

This paper is a preliminary examination of homologous shifts in U.S. discourses of school architecture and "planning" as they relate to curricular reforms and inventions of new pedagogical techniques. The strategy of discursive analysis uses Michel Foucault's conceptualization of "governmentality" to examine discourses on the…

During the past fifteen years, educators and electronics specialists have been experimenting with language facilities, usually by modifying equipment components which were originally designed for other purposes. The rapid growth, wide diversity, and newness of these electronic aids to language learning have created the need for a study of the most…

An interview with Dr. William DeJong, editor of "School Construction News," is presented concerning his thoughts on new teaching models, the advent of computers, and the media hype surrounding school safety. Dr. DeJong addresses what the space requirements are for departmentalized versus interdisciplinary education; what problems he sees affecting…

Educational facility designers have few challenges greater than planning facilities that support programs for exceptional children. These programs are intended to ensure that students with disabilities develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and vocationally to the fullest extent possible in the least restrictive educational environment. This…