Open-Concept Learning

Open-Concept Learning Environments

STEM education involves collaboration and use of technology to the extent that individual desks arranged in rows are not conducive to the sharing and manipulation of resources that must happen for STEM learning to take place. Refitting learning environments into more functional spaces changes the way the teachers and students work in the classroom and up-end many of the assumptions about leadership and learning that are founded on traditional classroom structures. 

Open-concept learning environments are in use in hundreds of schools, from elementary through college, and achieve positive results in student achievement and growth. The shift to this new environment requires a re-tooling of physical spaces and a renegotiation of the roles served by individuals who occupy that space. Below are links to resources that will help a teacher or students transition to this new environment and experience 21st century learning skills.

Resources

Scale Up (Student-Centered Active Learning Environments with Upside-Down Pedagogies)

A working open-concept classroom in a university setting is a good model for the potential to integrate technology and group learning in an educational setting. This site helps educators, administrators, and stakeholders visual how learning is facilitated using this model.