Mar 13, 2019

How the Agile Classroom Impacts Student Engagement



By Jolene Levin, Director, Norva Nivel, USA

Teachers are increasingly challenged to engage students. Traditional classrooms with rows of desks and chalkboards in the front of the room aren’t conducive to meeting students’ needs, particularly in our fast-paced society, where information, visuals and messages compete for their attention. The classroom of the past — too often today’s classroom —is a motionless venue that lacks inspiration and does not deliver the essentials for building an enthusiasm for learning.
A recent study conducted by MDR, a division of Dun & Bradstreet, and the Education Market Association, found that approximately 94% of the more than 1,600 teachers polled agreed that the design of a learning space impacts students’ success. The study highlighted the importance of flexibility and collaboration, technology integration and intentional design in modern classroom spaces. 
In 2010, we visited our first school. Listening to the school’s principal, teaching staff and students, we unearthed their challenges and needs. Their frustrations centered on the fact that most learning spaces aren’t customizable and do not accommodate a variety of learning styles. They do not address individual student needs and cannot adapt to varied subjects and teaching styles. The educators and administrators we’ve spoken with stress that the classroom needs to be relevant and vital, in keeping with ever-evolving technologies and what’s required to capture students’ attention.
We see the challenge surrounding engagement increasing exponentially over time. An assistant principal put it this way: “It doesn’t matter what quality of curriculum you deliver; if they’re not engaged in the practices that you’re delivering, it counts for nothing.” This is why we’ve developed an advanced and innovative version of the “agile classroom,” a learning environment designed to meet a complex variety of student, teacher and district needs.
The Agile Classroom
Some call it the future of education. Education experts call it the agile or flexible classroom. Based on its transformational attributes, we know it defines what’s possible in education today. George Lucas’s educational foundation, Edutopia, says this: “While a classroom is different from a [business] startup, certain mindsets and strategies translate well: vision, agility, the right tools, creative thinking, and recognizing individual strengths. An agile classroom is an environment in which students are motivated to do their best work and feel invested in the class as a whole.”
Engagement is one descriptor that repeatedly emerges when education experts describe this learning environment. It generates superior student outcomes, adapting to a diverse range of learners — from cognitive to hands on. This goes beyond how specific students learn best by offering accelerated growth regardless of learning style. This growth builds confidence and cognitive abilities in large part through the physical attributes of agile spaces. In our work transforming classrooms, libraries, collaborative learning spaces and presentation areas, we’ve heard countless teachers and school administrators affirm the efficacy of agile learning spaces.
They report student outcomes being impacted in tangible ways, such as:
-       An increased sense of ownership and pride by students in their learning spaces and educational process, plus the ability for teachers to more easily motivate them;
-       The benefits of movement as well as adaptability, which supports all teaching styles, learning styles and subjects;
-       The breakdown and removal of barriers to learning, based on varying student populations and individual needs, inclinations and tendencies.

Fostering The Ownership Mindset
Technology has demonstrably impacted society in several ways, learning being one. America’s classroom is one of the last holdouts and it’s in dire need of evolution. Transitioning from the acquisition of knowledge through instructional teaching, learners are now being encouraged to develop the 6 Cs, a set of skills transferable to any learning activity and ultimately any profession. With this shift, the need to change educational spaces is essential. The key is to create modern learning spaces, classrooms and environments that cater to students’ individual needs and learning styles. Then, to show educators successful methods for motivating and engaging students, which include getting students to embrace the ownership or accountability mindset.
The agile class gives students the power to decide how they learn and from whom; it offers more choice, promoting a sense of ownership, control and agency. Guided by their teachers, students are empowered to think and make smart choices. This empowerment nurtures a sense of proprietorship. We’ve seen these learning environments completely change the classroom dynamic. Teachers regularly comment on how their students are driven as never before and how their spaces capture kids’ attention, even high-energy learners.
Agile spaces help teachers motivate and engage students in a lasting way. And, because they can quickly and effortlessly be changed based on subject matter, class requirements, student needs and other factors, classrooms don’t become dated, stale or obsolete. Moreover, the flexible classroom teaches skills, not just knowledge —facilitated by the space itself and the relationship the learner has with it. Students are guided through strategic facilitation by the teacher but have an ownership stake in the learning environment and how it’s structured. They experience movement, diversity and choice in their relation to their classrooms.
Movement Matters
Studies show that movement in the classroom setting builds focus and improves learning outcomes. We’ve observed thousands of students acquire more balance, focus and accountability through the movement that agile spaces provide. Learners acquire transversal skills, those relevant to future jobs and occupations and lifelong learning. These skills can be acquired through education or training if the setting is right.
We believe that all truly flexible learning spaces should be able to be reconfigured in 60 seconds or less, by even the youngest of learners. With straightforward guidance from their teacher, learners can modify their environments quickly and intentionally. This requires concurrent physical and analytical engagement that students steer, helping them take charge of and responsibility for learning.
Another example of movement in a learning space is having tables at various heights in a classroom. Versus a series of static or even height-adjustable tables, this variety encourages students to freely move from one workspace to another. Standing height tables create the opportunity for movement and increased blood flow, with physical as well as cognitive benefits. At a standing height table, students can use a balance board, which we incorporate into our agile classrooms. In doing so, they fuse physical (body) control with concentration and focus (mind) requirements.
Removing Barriers to Learning
Whether they’re visual or hands-on learners, or those requiring additional support, every student must be involved so they can learn and thrive. Using agile furniture, such as moveable and multipurpose tables; storage that doubles as seating or work surfaces; a varied selection of workspaces; lightweight, movable seats and other adaptable features, each space has the flexibility to be quickly rearranged and transformed into a unique, subject-appropriate setting —one that’s visually appealing, smart and that involves the student at a deeper level.
In addition to creating spaces specific to an activity, flexible learning environments can be reconfigured according to student and teacher needs, breaking down obstacles to learning. Students can select their preferred workspace or create their own. When they are in a space where they feel more comfortable or safe, they are better able to retain information and are more engaged. In addition, to more effectively utilize the space and engage, our classroom furniture designs always include versatility. We make use of walls, floors and the entire room, enabling teachers to have kids stand during certain aspects of the lesson, sit during others and balance (seated or standing) for others. This exemplifies complete engagement and helps kids manage their energy levels.
We’ve had hundreds of teachers and school administrators tell us that the empowerment students acquire enables introverted learners to shine. One principal emailed us recently saying “Our best teachers are saying that with the agile classroom, kids are more likely to collaborate with students they would ordinarily not interact with. They are inspired, self-motivated and less likely to be intimidated by personal or environmental limitations.”
The Future is Now
The right lighting, comfort elements, technology and customization are essential but without agile features, today’s classroom is incomplete. The agile classroom offers immediate and complete customization; they are completely adaptive and modular. Today’s classroom cannot remain static. Our youth have a tremendous amount of energy that needs to be harnessed for absorbing and retaining information. An agile classroom combines physical and cognitive elements of learning that helps students acquire a true sense of ownership. It breaks down barriers in education and addresses a broader array of learning needs and styles.
The multifunctional and adaptive characteristics of the agile classroom help our educational system evolve in our fast-paced, ever-changing society to engage more students. In all classrooms, the role of the teacher cannot be underestimated. In agile environments, the teacher acts as a facilitator, nurturing a sense of proprietorship and deeper interest in learning. They guide kids through the decision-making process and make deeper engagement possible.
Undeniably, these flexible education spaces offer elements that adapt to the needs of teachers and students alike. Greater choice means kids are more actively engaged in the learning process, which inevitably produces better outcomes in all types of learners.
All educators we’ve conferred with agree: stagnancy hinders engagement and a lifelong passion for learning. To spark ownership, agency and empowerment, learning environments must be relevant today and remain that way well into the future. This is what the agile classroom delivers.

Jolene Levin is a director at NorvaNivel USA, designers and manufacturers of educational furniture and learning spaces, which are made in the U.S.  For more information, visit https://norvanivel.com/.





The Power is in the Process: University Planning & Development Via Community Engagement



By Dana Muller, AIA, LEED AP

Systemic change is hard — especially in education. In 2009, when Gensler began working with Lynn University to mesh their 2020 academic vision with a new master plan, we knew our approach had to be different. How could we plan for, support, and enable growth with so many diverse stakeholders at play? The answer was a unique strategy of community engagement. Here’s how we got it done.

What Community Engagement Means
The first step in engaging with the community is identifying stakeholders. Stakeholders are those people or entities who have a role to play in the success of your endeavor. Here, we knew our community ranged from long-tenured faculty and a growing population of students, to local zoning, traffic and neighborhood officials. Lynn and Gensler decided to face these challenges head-on and seek stakeholder input from the early stage of planning.

The next step was to begin the visioning process, in which we identify consistent messages, aspirations, and our constraints. Success in this area requires openness to other people’s ideas and the strength to do what’s best for the campus mission and community.

Some consistent themes that came out of our visioning process for the master plan at Lynn included:
  • Fundraising and building a new student center at the heart of campus
  • Building a new residence hall to keep students on campus in a pedestrian-centric environment
  • Modernizing academic classroom
  • Creating a more sustainable campus
  • Resolving parking and traffic issues that were a concern to the city
Seeking stakeholder input can be scary, but it made a world of difference in our effort. When your team is heard it communicates that you care about what they think. While every verbalized concern, wish and dream cannot be accommodated, your team will be behind you if you have treated their concerns with the highest level of consideration.

Start with the board, the faculty, and the staff – but don’t leave out the students, the city, or the neighbors in the master planning process. With Lynn, we identified and met with 350 stakeholders. We held 29 individual interviews and involved hundreds of faculty, staff, and students in visioning sessions held over a period of many weeks. We made it clear we were interested in hearing what was important to them. We sought their buy-in and made sure they felt heard.

This process resulted in markers of success for our master plan that became our mission and goals:
  • Foster chances for financial growth
  • Develop physical character of the campus
  • Integrate sustainability
  • Fortify relations with the community
  • Enhance the academic environment
  • Design to improve campus life
How Community Engagement Supports Growth
This next step involved laying the groundwork for the growth the master plan envisioned. We began immediately on an infrastructure and academic curriculum assessment and established sustainable goals:

1) Vehicle circulation
We had to come up with a plan to gradually adjust vehicular traffic to campus perimeter. This was key to realizing the pedestrian-friendly campus that all stakeholders desired.

2) Pedestrian circulation
Gensler’s research on walkable cities tells us that a walkable distance is considered about 1,300 feet — roughly, a five-minute walk. To create the walkable campus that was a goal of the visioning process, the master plan located critical student services to the center of the campus within a walkable five minutes of each other.

3) Landscape approach
Achieving a more sustainable campus was not only a goal of the students and faculty, university leadership also recognized that it’s good business. We worked with Lynn and their landscape architect to develop a landscape master plan to return the plant material on campus to a native, low-maintenance solution and implement a 100% reclaimed water irrigation system using city reclaimed water. There were 90 million gallons of drinking water saved at the end of the first four years.

4) Renewable energy
We worked with Siemens to put a new chilled water plant on campus to serve future development and plan to implement other innovative renewable energy strategies in the future.

5) Storm water
Before we could proceed with any new development, a storm water infrastructure plan — “The Lakes Master plan” — had to be put in place. An unexpected result of improving these lakes was a significant savings in maintenance from turning them back to a more naturally maintained ecosystem.
Lynn also set some aggressive sustainability goals for themselves. We were inspired by their goals and encourage all our master planning clients to do the same. They set out to reduce energy consumption by 70% against a “business as usual” baseline, and to do the same in a reduction of potable water use and water used for irrigation by 50% and 70%, respectively. Likewise, Lynn aimed at reducing solid waste sent to the landfill by 20% while increasing the selection of native and adapted planting to a minimum of 30% of all plants.

Lynn’s success in measures of this nature were inspirational. Every year, the university diverts a total of 11% of campus waste through a growing recycling program. Their reduction in energy usage was so dramatic the month after replacing gymnasium lights with LED and adding occupancy sensors that the power company came out to see if something was wrong with the meter.
When it came to further improvements to physical infrastructure, Lynn immediately focused on adjusting storm water retention, energy usage, upgrading campus infrastructure and driving development and fundraising. 

One priority was the chilled water plant. Multi-colored pipes were used as a tool in educating students about sustainability. The chilled water infrastructure upgrade – along with updates to electrical infrastructure – saved four million kilowatts of energy in the first four years of operation. That is the equivalent of taking 589 cars off the road for one year and translates to an equivalent greenhouse gas reduction of 2,722 metric tons. 

The Outcomes: What Does Community Engagement Enable?
The last step is to achieve actual growth. We knew that development would be critical to any construction projects, so, arm in arm with Lynn, we sought to build with a mission and purpose. No construction was to occur unless is was to build nimble and flexible spaces that integrate long-term, sustainable strategies. We leveraged the master plan with stakeholders to improve buy-in, excite change and inspire new ideas.

Donors became invigorated when they saw Lynn’s commitment to bettering the campus and how invested the stakeholders were in the master plan’s forward motion. As the chilled water plant set the groundwork for growth, that investment by the University inspired the donation of a new athletic facility to support the National Champion Soccer and Lacrosse teams, a new Business School and a new housing building. We are now looking forward to celebrating the success of this master plan and the generous gift of another long time supporter of the University on February 7, 2019, when we complete the fifth new building and 11th project on campus, the University Center.

Every aspect of this initiative’s success is a testament to what community engagement can achieve. An approach like this combined with Lynn University’s open-minded, progressive leadership is an inspirational blueprint for how to design for education’s growth. 

Dana Muller, AIA, LEED AP is a Senior Associate at Gensler. She brings more than 15 years of experience in the design and execution of spaces for learning to her role as Education Practice Area leader in Gensler’s Tampa office.