Dive Brief:

• What students need to know to succeed in the modern workplace is shifting, and GameDesk founder Lucien Vattel tells eSchool News that the spaces students learn in need to change, as well.
• Vattel says instruction has focused more on collaboration and skills, but rows of desks send the opposite message: receive information and compete.
• Instead, he argues for spaces that allow students to explore, move around, and work together.

Dive Insight:

The modern workplace, especially in the growing tech world, is beginning to look more like a kindergarten classroom than a 10th grade one. Instructionally, schools have begun to adapt, but many stick to tradition physically. So what does Vattel envision, instead?

“Bright, sloping whiteboard walls surround you so every inch of wall space can be drawn upon. Creativity is celebrated here. This is a fresh environment where ideas are free to emerge. Curved, stretchy chairs meet flexible tables, with writable surfaces. Both stand atop Astroturf; a sign of nature and an open field of exploration. The windows are Tetris-shaped and multicolored.”

There are, however, less abstract considerations with new classroom models that also come into play for most schools and districts. For example, planning space for things like computers or tablets can be tricky, as can finding enough outlets.