Changing an Icon

Changing an Icon

I draw. Little doddles cover cards and note pads at large and small gatherings. It was a note taking technique I was taught and gratefully adopted early in my career. The reason, beyond my lack of spelling talent, is really to distill the spoken word into the most basic pictorial concept because when gathering information from so many, it needs to be contained and expressed in the most condensed form. The smallness allows all input to be displayed at once. Most of the drawings are well accepted icons to today’s texters, our culture’s emogies.

These symbols hold strong association. A “house” is often drawn with gable roof and two symmetrical windows on either side of the door in the middle. We faithfully hold that image in our head even though very few, if any, have ever lived in a house that looks like the icon. We have many of these connections imprinted on our brains. Think of trains, building types, flowers and genders, which all have the easy mental images.

Standard Classroom Image

What pops into you head for schools? Classrooms? Do you see a one room school house with a bell on top? Is the classroom a teacher in front of a board looking at rows of students? While the one room school house is long pass common use, the classroom has not morphed to far from the imprinted icon. Despite the countless hours we have spent reading, talking, asking and researching the next century’s classroom design. As we talk, we record words like:

•  Flexible
• Technology
• Collaboration
• Group learning
• Personalized learning
• Project Based learning
• Connected
• Multi-use
• Student centered

Which of these thoughts support our typical classroom icon? This has been a question asked by many. The common image has been called “the factory model”, “cells and bells”, and many other less than flattering analogies. Exploring the “why” the model remains would be even longer than the analogies.

This image and the “present” persistent concept of a classroom, use to frustrate me. Like a jacket
after many months of traveling is too tight, I struggle with the confinement. Visioning sessions with staff and administration too often leads to detailed descriptions of the same box just lightly
embellished with technology and furniture.

But today is different. Today I realized a gift. The gift of sameness gives all of us, hope!
We toured two very different schools with wide, out of the box, educational theories. Crazy talk to
most, but amazing to others. While implementing most of the bullet points above, what was the
difference in their classroom? At the basic core, not that different from the icon. Of course, the
teacher was not standing at the front and the desks were tables on wheels but the architectural
form was mostly the same. They had a few simple lab rooms and UNcovered windows into halls
with a larger open breakout space, but still boxes in a row. OK the row was a little jagged. One
school also carved into the boxes to add a connecting office but no big architectural deal.

School Tour - High Tech Elementary

So, why the hope instead of despair? Think of it; think of the millions of square feet of classroom that, with a replacement of the furniture and minor remodeling, can be salvaged and turned into that crazy 21 st century classroom we are talking about when we list the buzz words of today. Will they look as pretty? No, but not having big budgets should not hold us back, from achieving this
goal.

Here is a Prezi with some wonderful videos in the "now what?" bubble that show great ideas and interviews with some of teachers that just went ahead and did it. We have seen, in person, other classrooms that were one offs and groups of teachers that have changed the old model enough to make it work with their new ways of academic delivery. Creating an adjustment to an old building is not impossible! Adapting existing is not impossible. Changing the culture, well, that is a whole other thing that must be tackled at all levels and is thankfully beyond facilities.

Possible New Classroom Concept

So, if you find the desire to move your cheese but are afraid that the frig can’t handle it, do not despair. Throw out the furniture, uncover the windows, make friends with your neighbors and, if the climate allows, unleash outside free spaces you might not have inside. Let the icon of the classroom be like the home, an image that no longer connects to the reality, even if the walls have not changed.