Supporting active learning with student-focused zones

Agnor Elementary School Addition and Renovation

The mission? To create an innovative addition which breaks down the idea of school walls, allowing for a multi-age and multimodal learning environment. The response is an interconnected, open arrangement of learning zones that are student-owned and that support project-based learning, making, and tinkering everywhere. With a future-proof mentality, the space adapts to new organizational trends, project-based needs, and however the students choose to pursue their passions.

Arranged around a common area and kitchenette, the learning zones are dedicated to STEM, literacy, and cultural studies. Achieving maximum openness and connectivity between each zone—allowing for natural interdisciplinary student workflow—means fine-tuning visual cues that separate spaces, like gentle changes in floor level, finishes, and acoustical ceiling treatments. An adjacent Skype-cave connects learners to the larger global community, and a shared teacher’s planning space supports the schools’ collaborative professional learning community.

The result? A dynamic hub of active learning, rich with mobile technology, spatial variety, and filled with choice and comfort for the learners—just how the students prefer it.