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Redesigning Learning Spaces
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Redesigning Learning Spaces

  • Robert Dillon - Director of Technology and Innovation at Affton School District, St. Louis, MO
  • Ben Gilpin - Principal, Warner Elementary School (MI)
  • A.J. Juliani - Upper Perkiomen School District (Pennsburg, PA)
  • Erin Klein - Kleinspiration, LLC
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May 2016 | 72 pages | Corwin

It is time for the desks to lose and the children to win

Bring hope, joy, and positive energy back into the daily work of the classroom. Explore how learning space design can positively impact classroom learning, the culture of a school, healthy communities, and systems and structures that make education meaningful. In this book you’ll:

  • Find resources for redesigning spaces on a sustainable budget
  • Support technology integration through b¬¬lended and virtual learning
  • Hear success stories from the field 

The Corwin Connected Educators series is your key to unlocking the greatest resource available to all educators: other educators. Being a Connected Educator is more than a set of actions; it’s a belief in the potential of technology to fuel lifelong learning. To explore the other books in this series, visit the Corwin Connected Educators website.

Check out the Connected Educator Series matrix to find out which book is right for you.   

"Redesigning Learning Spaces will take you beyond the standard classroom with ideas for creating spaces that sizzle with excitement and glow with beauty and grace.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

“As a son of teachers, as a parent, and as a technologist, I recommend this book for educators who want to create a better learning experience for our children.”
—Gary Shapiro, author of Ninja Innovation and The Comeback


 
Introduction
 
Leading Change through Classroom Learning Space Design
 
Why change classroom space now?
 
What are other experts saying about the elements of learning space design?
 
How does intentional space design impact student mindset and attitude?
 
How should teachers begin this process?
 
Learning Space Change as a Lever to Shift School Culture
 
What does it feel like?
 
Beginning the conversation
 
Starting From Ground Zero
 
Learning Doesn’t Have To Happen In A Traditional Classroom
 
Potential Steps to Begin the Redesign
 
Showcase the Re-Design
 
Shaping Learning Space Change for the Community
 
Are shifting learning spaces a gateway to shifting the community at large?
 
How are the community and the schools the same ecosystem?
 
How can learning space shifts and the greater community support kids emotionally?
 
What steps are necessary for effective communication to the community about innovation in learning space design?
 
Learning Space as Lever for Systemic Change
 
How small moments have big purpose on systems
 
Thinking about learning spaces as deep levers of change
 
In what ways can teacher blend learning space design and technology integration to maximize change across the system?
 
How can teachers best use their resources to create systemic change?
 
Who else is supporting this work to change learning through space design?
 
Models of Excellence and a Place to Start
 
Who is doing this well?
 
Who can support your work? Where can I start?
 
Why be an agent of change?

"As a building principal, learning spaces are of utmost importance. It is the first thing you notice when entering. This book pushes thinking and gives practical advice to any building leader who wants to transform schools from what they were in 1916 to what they should be in 2016. We need schools to work for kids and a major obstacle in many places is the space. This book will enable you to change that mindset and conversation."

Douglas Timm, Principal
Carrie Downie Elementary, New Castle, DE

"Reading this will inspire you to reconsider the design of your entire school. I'm betting within a week of reading it, you will change something that positively impacts your students and staff."

Jon Harper, Assistant Principal
Sandy Hill Elementary School, Cambridge, MD

"Redesigning Learning Spaces will take you beyond the standard classroom with ideas for creating spaces that sizzle with excitement and glow with beauty and grace.”

Daniel H. Pink, author
DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND

"The authors of this book live up to their reputations in this quick, but incredibly impactful book on Learning Spaces. I felt inspired, and at times challenged, to make real and meaningful changes to my own classroom space. I look at my classroom differently because of this text. What other book has made you do that?"

Jeff Charbonneau, National Teacher of the Year

"If you want to improve the opportunity for learning of your students you should read Redesigning Learning Spaces. The authors convey their passion, aesthetics, and tech savvy and pepper it with experience and examples to present a flavorful and practical book sure to inspire several actionable ideas. As a son of teachers, as a parent, and as a technologist, I recommend this book for educators who want to create a better learning experience for our children. (It is concise but chock full of practical, attainable actions educators can and should take to make sure a classroom environment is conducive to learning.)"

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO Consumer Technology Association
New York Times bestseller author of Ninja Innovation and The Comeback

"Redesigning Learning Spaces is an easy-to-access, thought-provoking, and persuasive argument for rethinking our learning environments.  Dillon, Gilpin, Juliani, and Klein show that not only can learning spaces impact student achievement, but they can even shape and shift a school's entire culture. Innovative learning space design isn't about aesthetics; it's about transforming schools with a learner-centered focus and facilitating powerful pedagogy. Redesigning Learning Spaces is filled with ways to do exactly that without an enormous investment of time and money."

Dave Burgess, President of Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.
New York Times Best Selling author of Teach Like a Pirate

"Dillon, Gilpin, Juliani, and Klein have masterfully put together a go-to, all-encompassing resource reaching everyone in education from the classroom level to the district level.  Each author offers a unique perspective on how to intentionally start the redesign process so students can maximize their learning potential.  Readers will walk away with practical ideas they can implement tomorrow along with a vision for strategic planning as they move forward in their process."

Todd Whitaker, educator, writer of over 30 top selling books, motivational speaker, educational consultant, professor, and leading presenter in the field of education

"Successfully educating a child is no longer simply a product of high quality curriculum and teaching alone. The learning space in which children learn can impact their education in profound and meaningful ways. Redesigning Learning Spaces provides a road map for educators to create and maintain high quality and and high impact learning spaces for children."

Josh Stumpenhorst, Author
The New Teacher Revolution

"All educators should read Redesigning Learning Spaces to begin thinking about how to construct an environment that creates energy, promotes positive school culture, and purposeful student learning.  This book offers essential tools and serves as a fantastic guide to learning space redesign.  With a few intentional changes, a dramatic impact can occur within your setting."

Dan Butler, Principal
Epworth Elementary School, Farley Elementary School

"As of now there are about 20 books in the Corwin Connected Educator Series, a seemingly ever-growing set of titles masterminded by Peter DeWitt and Corwin Press. Each book is short enough to be read in one sitting, which makes the collection ideal for book studies and professional development, both during the summer and throughout the school year. Also, each paperback is authored by one or two educators who speak (and blog, tweet, etc.) with a credible voice in the world of connected education. Some of the topics include:
  • Flipped leadership
  • Tools for connecting educators, parents, and communities
  • Blogging for educators
  • Best practices for establishing a makerspace
  • Tools to connect and empower teachers

Finally, all of the authors are active on social media, and they regularly present at local conferences, which helps in bringing to life the contents of these books."

Ross Cooper, Supervisor of Instructional Practice K-12
Salisbury Township School District, Edutopia

For instructors

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