Synthesize
Throughout this module, you and your team have rethought the basics of school design: the when, where, and how of learning. You’ve dreamed together about how you can deploy time, space, and technology to embody and amplify your school’s mission and culture. Here’s a look at how other high school design or redesign teams have addressed some of these same issues.
Now it’s time for you and your team to step back and reflect.
Step 1 – Summarize Your Work
Time spent meaningfully + spaces used creatively + technology deployed wisely
= endless learning possibilities for all students.
How will that formula come to life in your school? What might be possible that isn’t possible when time, space, and tech are used in more conventional ways? How can you capitalize on the possibilities to create a more flexible and resilient school model—one that prepares students better for the opportunities of the future? Working with your team, summarize your conclusions.
Step 2 – Share Your Vision
Now get ready to share your ideas with others in your school and community:
- How will flexible uses of time, space, and tech enhance the core elements of your proposed school model? How will this flexibility enable the ambitious, engaging learning experiences you envision for all your students?
- Imagine a few of the students your school will serve and envision how they will experience time, space, and technology as part of the learning experience. Be as clear as you can about who these students are, what they’re interested in, and what kinds of experiences and supports will benefit them most.
- Create a high-level sample schedule to illustrate a week for one student—maybe an incoming 9th grader—showing not just time blocks, but also where learning will happen, with whom, and using what tech tools.
- How much will this schedule vary for different students, or over the course of the year or a student’s high school career? Create additional schedules to illustrate your thinking.
- Share your sample schedules with students, teachers, families, and community partners. What excites them, and what questions or concerns do they have?
More Resources on this Topic
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Flexibility for CompetencyLearn how one North Dakota high school adopted “flex-mod” scheduling to make time for competency-based learning.
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Strategic Scheduling ChecklistWhat are you trying to accomplish with your schedule? This checklist from Education Resource Strategies will help you set priorities and achieve them.
Read![a student building a small wooden model of a shape]()
Learning about MakerspacesExplore findings and recommendations from the first in-depth study of K-12 makerspaces in the U.S., conducted by the ExCITEe Center at Drexel University.
Read![a student smiling]()
Today’s Lesson in Classroom Design: Flexibility“Innovators no longer speak of ‘classrooms.’” The Associated Press investigates trends in designing space for today’s learners.
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Flexible Spaces at Kettle MoraineFollow a team of Wisconsin educators on a “learning walk” to discover how teachers and students are using flexible spaces at Kettle Moraine High School.
Watch![a student smiling]()
Get More Out of Ed TechConcerned about getting the most from your ed tech choices? Explore Education Week’s special report, “Why Ed Tech Is Not Used and What to Do About It.”
EXPLORE![a hand placing a ball bearing on a track]()
Tech for English Language LearnersCommon Sense offers advice on how to use technology to support ELL students.
EXPLORE![a student in a library]()
ISTE Standards for StudentsThe International Society for Technology in Education outlines seven ways educational technology can help prepare students to thrive in a constantly evolving tech landscape.
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ePortfolios at Purdue Polytechnic HighPurdue Polytechnic High School partnered with CourseNetworking to develop a digital platform for ePorfolios. Read an interview with a student about his experience with digital badging.
Read![a teacher teaching]()
Research SaysMIT’s Poverty Action Lab offers five key lessons for educators based on 126 rigorous experimental studies of technology use in education.
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