Our Children are not the Students our Schools were Designed for: Understanding Digital Kids

Ian Jukes
InfoSavvy Group

Today's world is not the world we grew up in; and today's world is certainly not the world our children will live in. Because of the dramatic changes our world has undergone, today's digital kids are not the students our schools were designed for; and our students are not the students today's teachers were trained to teach.

This session examines the effect digital bombardment from constant exposure to digital media has on digital kids in the new digital landscape and considers the profound implications this holds for the future of education. What does the latest neuroscientific and psychological research tell us about the role of intense and frequent experiences on the brain, particularly the young and impressionable brain?

Based on the research, what inferences can we make about kids' digital experiences and how these experiences are re-wiring and re-shaping their cognitive processes? More importantly, what are the implications for teaching, learning and assessment in the new digital landscape?

How can we reconcile these new developments with current instructional practices particularly in a climate of standards and accountability driven by high stakes testing for all? What strategies can we use to appeal to the learning preferences and communication needs of digital learners while at the same time honoring our traditional assumptions and practices related to teaching, learning and assessment?

Participants should prepare to have their assumptions about children and how they learn seriously challenged.

Changing The Process Of Designing Schools

Ian Jukes
InfoSavvy Group

The process by which we create schools shapes the teaching and learning environments we design.

• Many of the most important decisions that define new schools are often based on assumptions stemming from the way we've done things in the past, not the way we might do them in the future.

• Getting everyone who has a real interest in how the completed school will function working together to define requirements and to create the design is critical to the process. These stakeholders include district and campus administrators, teachers, facilities and technology personnel, parents and students.

• Start by defining a broad vision for the future of the school related to learning, then delve into the details required to realize your aspirations.

• Be certain that the architectural design reflects the vision related to learning and that after construction, the operation of the school carries out the vision for the students.

School buildings must change because instruction must change. We need creative new designs that will support 21st-century learning. But how do we do this? Savvy businesspeople know that if you want to change a product, you must change the process that was used to produce that product. The same is true if you want to build effective new schools – you must change the process of planning and designing new facilities. Thus, it is imperative that we examine the way we currently design new schools and suggest ways to modify our approach to yield the innovative new learning environments that will meet the needs of the students of tomorrow.

Developing Global Citizens: Aligning Sustainable Buildings and Curricula

Craig Mason, AIA, LEED AP
DLR Group

Erin Reichman, AIA, LEED AP
DLR Group

Kristi Webster
Steilacoom Historical School District

John Boatman
Hill International

Kelly Tanner
DLR Group

In many buildings, sustainability is invisible; it's as simple as an unnoticed breath of clean air, lower water consumption during a visit to the restroom, or the material beneath your feet. Districts seek to implement this kind of "functional" sustainability in their facilities. Planners and designers have the opportunity to work with school districts to create sustainable solutions to educational challenges. The building itself can be designed as a tool in the learning process, teaching educational curricula through sustainable features, and exposed building systems.

Using a case-study scenario from the Steilacoom Historical School District in Washington, this session will explore methods for aligning building features with educational curricula through active collaboration between educators, planners and designers. Although attendees will be exposed to unique and exciting sustainable design concepts and solutions, this session aims primarily to educate attendees on specific methods, tasks, activities and approaches that they can employ to develop buildable and lasting ideas relevant to their own schools.

Future Proofing / The Mat-Su Career & Technical High School

Michael Carson
McCool Carlson Green Architects

George Copa, Professor and Educational Planner
New Designs for Learning

Ray DePriest, Director
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Career & Technical Education

The Mat Su Borough School District's Career & Technical Education Division had a bold new vision to transition from a traditional Voc/Tech focus to a vibrant standards-driven integrated program. Faced with outdated, fragmented facilities, the District spent years lobbying for the funding to design a school that would meet the rapidly changing educational needs of the future. Using Mat Sue Borough School District as a case study, this seminar will lead participants through an exploration of what makes educational facilities future proof. Educators, planners and architects will explore the challenges and opportunities created by an uncertain future. Topics will include:

• Planning strategies
• Stakeholder organization
• Consensus building strategies
• Planning exercises
• Flexibility diagrams
• Learning signature design strategies
• Pathway concepts
• Small learning communities
• Distributed services
• Adaptable infrastructure implementation strategies
• Commissioning
• Equipment
• Integrated learning
• Staffing
• Training Reflections on "Future Proofing"
• Utilization and adaptation of flexible building features

The Good, the Bad and the Excellent – Three Case Studies of Integrated Technology, Power and Lighting Design in the Classroom

David Chesley
Interface Engineering

Steve Kelly, RCDD, Associate, Senior Technology Designer
Interface Engineering

Robert Dupupy, LC IALD, Associate Principal, Senior Lighting Designer
Interface Engineering

Mark Godfrey, LC, IESNA, Associate Principal, Senior Lighting Designer
Interface Engineering

Voters all over the region have awarded bond measures for new schools, remodels and additions. Well qualified design teams have been formed and are ready to get to work. But now the big questions: How do we integrate classroom layout with technology, lighting and electrical systems so classrooms can change easily with future instructional trends? How can we reduce future maintenance and energy consumption, while responding to the evolving needs of staff and students? In this session, we review three case studies of K-12 schools in the Pacific Northwest that used an integrated design approach: two that succeeded, and one that failed. We will examine what worked and what didn't work in each instance. With each case study, we will address principles of integrated design as they relate to school design:

• Principle #1 Engage the District at the beginning of the project to understand the instructional process.
• Principle #2 Discuss current and future instructional technologies, particularly relating to Audio & Video (A/V) Systems and interactive technologies.
• Principle #3 Design lighting that balances energy savings, comfort, and flexibility for various modes of instruction.
• Principle #4 Design an electrical system that is flexible for future changes, and accommodates various technologies, including computer stations, (A/V) equipment.

For each Integrated Design Principle, we must design within the realities of project budget. Presenters will also seek to keep the integrated design simple, intuitive and easy to maintain. We will discuss particular technologies used recently in school design, including:

1. Increasing development of A/V to encourage student interactivity, including overhead projection systems, audio/sound reinforcement, "Smart Centers," and interactive electronic whiteboards.

2. Energy saving room lighting controls with easy-to-understand manual controls for the instructor, including motorized shades for daylighting and one-touch "A/V mode" lighting.

3. Review different means of distributing power and data, from under floor duct and new high-capacity floor boxes, to pre-wired systems.

Presenters will conclude the session with observations on upcoming integrated design trends in classroom layout.

The Heart of Educational Change: Rethinking Education through Planning and Design

Kelley Tanner
DLR Group

Tracy Suchan-Toothaker
Marysville School District

Craig Mason, AIA, LEED AP
DLR Group

Victoria Bergsagel
Architects of Achievement

It is clearly difficult to predict the future of education. Schools have experienced, and will continue to experience, significant changes in program content and delivery methods. Today's students are challenged to expand their critical thinking skills, work in small groups on complex projects and incorporate a multitude of resources. Learning environments are anticipated to be flexible, expandable and adaptable to curricula and activities of the future so they are better prepared to accommodate the evolution of education throughout the life of the facility.

Marysville School District in Washington achieved one of the most incredible turnarounds in educational history. After a state-record 49-day teacher strike in 2004, angry tensions between the community and school board, and school overcrowding aggregated over 15 years of bond failures, the district and community rallied under the leadership of a new superintendent to heal old and deep fractures and redirect attention toward improving student learning. A representation of faculty, staff and district leadership provided meaningful guidance in the process of defining the optimal educational environment for students. Participants sought an aggressive approach to reduce the high school drop-out rate and improve proficiency in the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Over a two year period of extensive study, travel, research and collaborative discussion, the district laid out their core values and purposes in five guiding principles:

1. Relationships at the Center
2. Focused Learning
3. Community
4. Identity-Purpose
5. Accountability

These guiding principles serve as the filter through which important decisions are made, particularly where individual interests and desires come in conflict with foundational goals. Continued growth toward the full implementation of these principles will lead to universal student proficiency in literacy and math, with every ethnic group graduating on time, and all students prepared for college, career and citizenship. Educational pre-design programs are typically driven by curriculum content; however, if the curriculum is still in development, planning and design can occur simultaneously. The pre-design report can describe both quantitative and qualitative attributes of the learning environments. A non-specific approach can result in a facility with unparalleled flexibility, capable of adapting to changing specifics in the educational program while supporting student-focused learning. This session will look at how one district that critically reexamined the fundamental principles of educational environments.

The Why?, How, and Experience of Technology in the Classroom

Rudolph Fyles
Puyallup School District

Glenn E. Malone, Principal
Puyallup School District

Nina Williams, Instructional Coach for Technology
Puyallup School District

This interactive, classroom like seminar will make the case for technology integration in the classroom, providing drawings, specifications, and cost guidelines for installation. During this session, participants will have the hands-on experience of being a student in a classroom with integrated technology. Mr. Malone will make the case for the integration of technology in classrooms, referencing historical and recent developments in technology that enable students to participate in a global society. This is a world in which students are the natives and we are the immigrants. Mr. Fyles will demonstrate ways to effectively integrate a basic pallet of technology into the classroom, including drawings, specifications, and costs. The seminar room will be set up as a fully functional, typical, technology enabled classroom which will allow participants to see all the devices normally hidden from view inside the classroom walls. Instructional Coach Nina Williams, will conduct a class session with participants within this environment, allowing participants to experience the technology enabled classroom from a student perspective.

Assessing the Impact of School Facility Conditions on Learning: The School Learning Index

Lance W. Roberts, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Manitoba, Department of Sociology

This presentation summarizes ongoing research examining the relationship between school facility conditions and learning outcomes in the Canadian context. The presentation includes three components. First, a brief summary of the international research literature is provided. Second, evidence from 1086 Canadian schools relating facility conditions to learning outcomes is presented. Finally, evidence is provided which demonstrates that widely-used "property management" measures of school facilities are inadequate. The presentation closes by arguing for a new, mission-relevant tool for assessing school facility conditions, called the School Learning Index.

Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center

Adin Dunning
The Miller|Hull Partnership

Andy Frichtl
Interface Engineering

"Green Design"... "Sustainability"... "Environmental Education"...

Buzzwords to be sure, but how can current and future generations be inspired to understand the environmental hurdles they are inheriting? How can we - as owners, educators, architects, and engineers – help foster a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature? How can our educational programs build awareness about the situation, and how can our buildings support these programs?

This session will profile the construction of a new facility for a regional program that aims to do just that – inspire students to care about the natural world. In Vancouver (Washington), the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center is a unique partnership of local school districts, community colleges, the university, and various government agencies. Currently a field-trip destination for SW Washington students, a planned science and research center will expand program offerings to include longer stays and more in-depth exploration. Equally important, the building will break sustainability barriers as the first "Net-Zero" energy-neutral public building of this scale in the U.S. The architect and engineer will present the facts, figures, analysis, and results to demonstrate how and why Net-Zero is achievable today, and will detail the strategies and systems involved in this project. The panelists will detail the strategies and systems involved in their project, and provide a series of principles the audience can take away and apply to their projects – as owners, architects, and engineers.

Ontario School District Facility Master Plan

SESSION OVERVIEW

The Council of Educational Facility Planers (CEFPI), Oregon/SW Washington Chapter provided school facility master planning assistance to The Ontario School District (OSD) in conjunction with the chapter's fall retreat. The member firms and individuals of CEFPI partnered with the OSD to develop long range facility master plan options at the annual fall retreat (October 2007) in Sunriver, Oregon. The planning process built upon the OSD facility assessment services funded by the Transportation Growth Management (TGM) which is a partnership between Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD).

The session will provide attendees with insight into the motivation, process, and outcomes of this CEFPI "Special Project". Presenters include representative from the 4 participating planning firms and a representative from Ontario School District. Copies of the entire planning process and documentation will be discussed during the presentation.

BACKGROUND

The Ontario School District is located in the Ontario, Oregon adjacent to the Idaho border. The City serves as a transportation hub for Oregon rail and truck traffic. In November 2006 the School District failed to pass a capital improvement bond referendum for a new high school. The School District petitioned the State of Oregon, Transportation and Growth Management to fund a school facility assessment in response to a community inquiry into the need for a new high school while the condition of the existing high school, middle school, and elementary schools were not studied. In March, the facility assessment was performed and community input was solicited for opinions on what, if anything should be done to the school buildings.

The Assessment recommended that additional work be performed to create a comprehensive Long Range Facility Plan. The study suggested that the planning process be community based and consultant facilitated. Additional assessments would include qualitative assessment of the learning environment that supports the desired programs and learning. Upon review of the physical and qualitative assessment a community based planning team could prioritize needs, review options, consider alternatives, and draft a facility master plan.

It was the intention of Ontario School District to draft a facility master plan that supports the community needs and vision. Subsequently, the School District may petition the patrons to support a bond referendum for Phase I development of the Facility Master Plan.

PROJECT GOALS

1. The "special project" was intended to promote good school planning while assisting an Oregon School District with professional school planning assistance provided by CEFPI.
2. Create exceptional Facility Master Plan options for the Ontario School District.
3. Demonstrate the practical applications of the CEFPI School Planning Guide.
4. Demonstrate the value of CEFPI and the OR/SW WA Chapter as the leader in school building planning.
5. Enrich the quality and value of our Chapter's program offerings (specifically the Fall Retreat)

PROCESS

The initial facility condition assessment had been completed and was available to the multi-firm planning team. Also available was a comprehensive collection of community opinions regarding the Ontario School District. To assist the planning team, the School District organized a citizen-based planning team that included administrative staff and teachers.

The scope of the "special project" was limited to 2 Phases. The initial phase of planning included a qualitative analysis of the educational environment by representatives of the multi-firm planning team. Representatives would meet in Ontario to review curriculum, meet with administrative staff, and tour facilities (Sept. 07).

The second phase was completed during the OR/SW WA fall retreat at Sunriver (Oct. 07). The multi-firm representatives lead independent planning workshops with the assistance of retreat attendees and representatives of the School District's planning team. The retreat topic was "School Facility Master Planning". Opening day morning sessions/presentations focused on various aspects of school planning and the CEFPI School Planning Guide. Late morning and afternoon sessions were designed to implement real applications to the Ontario School District Facility Plan. At the conclusion of the first day each team could have some concepts outlined for the next day's development. The second day's activities could be focused upon creation of a District-wide Facility Master Plan and reporting to the group.

Early Childhood Education Panel Discussion

Guest Panel

Engaging, forward thinking dialog, focused on the opportunities and challenges facing early childhood education in the midst of exponential change.

• How should the planning and design of early childhood education facilities be different than that of other facilities?
• What is the role of technology in the early childhood environment?
• What is the role of the environment in the education of our earliest learners?