Designing for Education in the New Normal

The hustle and bustle of heading back to school this year is certainly different. Students, teachers and school systems are in uncharted territory, navigating the uncertainties of predicting the future course of the pandemic, and how best to respond to wide ranging safety recommendations and mandates.

COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the back-to-school conversation for everyone but the one thing that remains constant is the drive for school systems and education architects to improve teaching/learning environments.

School systems and education architects are focused on how to best design an in-person educational environment to support positive educational outcomes for students, respecting the restrictions and safety precautions at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Can we find opportunity in the midst of the uncertainty? Can we achieve physical distancing while maintaining social connection between students, their peers and their teachers?

• In order to maintain physical distance, we have explored school schedules which allow for reduced in-person capacity and a hybrid instructional model which includes a split between in-person and virtual learning.
• One-way directional traffic, marking floors with proper spacing and re-arranging furniture to create physical separation between small groups of students are some of the ways schools help students maintain physical distance.
• Small clusters of student desks, separated by classroom storage, act as physical cues for students to work within their own areas of the classroom.
• Clear dividers can further protect students within their smaller groups, allowing them rich opportunities for collaboration with their peers where they can share ideas without sharing their tools.

Smaller class sizes for in person learning, a focus on technology aided collaboration, and social interaction can help our teachers and students focus in spite of the chaos of the pandemic.