The author taught in an open-space classroom at Argyle Junior High in Montgomery County, Maryland. Here is a candid look at the inner workings of a room without walls. (Editor/RK)

By exploring languages other than their own, children can learn important concepts about the nature of language. The center described here was designed to help a class of sixth graders understand that within their own structure languages assign meanings to symbols arbitrarily and to stimulate interest in the way languages operate. (Author)