Studios designed for inspired learning

Studios designed for inspired learning

School district releases new images of design

Bright colors, open spaces and inspiration for collaboration: Charles City Middle School students have a lot to look forward to in their new school. That’s according to the sneak peeks posted on the district’s Facebook page: one new photo a day during the winter break, showing off the new “learning studio” designs that will replace traditional classrooms when the addition opens next year.

The photos, which come out of this year’s presentation at the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB), are the visualized products of design workshops the district did when they began planning the addition, said Superintendent Dr. Dan Cox.

“We wanted to have a homey, comfortable feel. Large group (spaces), small groups, that was really the genesis of these spaces,” Dr. Cox said. “The spaces were inspired by input from that two day process we had.”

Community members get a peek at imaginatively named spaces like “Cave”, “Camp” or “Flex”, which are intended to serve different numbers of students, and the designs are meant to enhance different types of lesson or learning environments, Dr. Cox said.

“‘Camp’ would (host) six to eight people for more collaboration,” Dr. Cox said. “Think of sitting around a campfire, learning from one another –– learning from conversation.”

The specialty suite “Listen” will be the closest to a traditional classroom for most students, while spaces “Design” and “Explore” will be able to seat around 30 students. “Media” includes soundproofing, a recording and practice studio, and a green screen to allow student experiments with podcasting and TV broadcast. “Cave” encourages some one-to-one reflection or study time, with a place to curl up and concentrate privately among a small group of students.

The design presentation had a lot of positive reviews among IASB viewers, Dr. Cox said, especially among Charles City students who took part in the ‘Classroom of the Future’ demonstration.

“There was an immediate positive reaction, with people saying, ‘I can’t wait for this to open,’” Dr. Cox said.

Community members had a chance to virtually tour the construction progress earlier in December when school board member Lorraine Winterink gave a live tour on the app Periscope. The district also plans to continue releasing drone images to the public, Dr. Cox said.

“We are just happy to share what’s to come,” Dr. Cox said. “We look forward to seeing it on opening day, late next summer.”

By Kate Hayden khayden@charlescitypress.com