Explains that room arrangement can affect student reactions, create or prevent accidents, and increase or decrease a teacher's focus on the children. Describes a teacher's experience in rearranging a classroom by dividing the space into distinct learning areas and adding furniture such as a lamp, pillows, pictures, and a rocking chair to make the…

George Washington Bush Middle School (Washington) is built to accommodate a design and technology program. Technology education and information resource areas are located centrally to a cluster of eight general classrooms. (MLF)

Applies learning theory and ergonomic principles to the design of effective learning environments for library instruction. Discusses features of electronic classroom ergonomics, including the ergonomics of physical space, environmental factors, and workstations; and includes classroom layouts. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the teaching methods shaping the classroom of tomorrow, where sixth graders carry laptops and teachers work in teams. Space requirements for departmentalized vs. interdisciplinary education are examined as are the types of materials and furniture used in design classrooms for block scheduling, and differing instruction methods changing…

This article describes the five-step process used to design and construct a multipurpose fitness playground for students with autism. It can be followed to design school- or community-based playgrounds to meet the various needs of individuals with disabilities. This design yielded an outdoor classroom that can be used during physical education…

In classrooms across the U.S., students spend untold hours sitting at desks and tables working on their lessons or listening to their teachers. That lack of movement might not have been a concern years ago, when children's time away from school typically was spent outdoors playing and exercising. However, as children spend more time in front of a…

Computers and other technological innovations are becoming a greater part of today's educational system requiring educational facility designers to plan for their use when designing or renovating new buildings. This booklet considers the building needs for accommodating new technology, particularly focusing on the impact of personal computers and…

This book presents those facilities that best meet the needs of contemporary middle school programs by allowing: teaming; an integration of curriculum initiatives; block scheduling; and an increased focus on such areas as advanced technology, physical fitness and wellness, and consumer science. It documents how the buildings can contribute to the…

This paper provides an overview of the Media Equipped Classroom (MEC), i.e., a centrally scheduled or departmentally scheduled teaching space with permanently installed media and classroom support technology designed to enhance the quality of teaching when properly utilized. Specific emphasis is given to the teaching station at the State…

This publication provides suggestions and considerations that may be useful for school jurisdictions developing facilities for computers in schools. An interim report for both use and review, it is intended to assist school system planners in clarifying the specifications needed by the architects, other design consultants, and purchasers involved.…

The social contexts students need to encourage productive collaboration in their writing can be provided by attending to various design features of the English microcomputer laboratory. Collaborative learning offers a powerful alternative to traditional classroom teaching methods and helps students become part of a community that approximates the…

The 1973 remodeling of the Emmanuel Mounier Lycee in Grenoble, France, shows how a secondary educational facility can respond to expanding school offerings. As background to the lycee's expansion, the author, who was principal of the school during its remodeling, provides general information on the French educational system and on the consequent…

This self-instructional module includes learner objectives, text, practice exercises and answer sheets addressing developments in research on learning environments and why instructional technologists should take the lead in applying the resulting knowledge to the design of training areas. Favorable learning environments are described in general…

Objectives of a Pennsylvania study were (1) to investigate the ways in which the vocational technical schools of the state have met the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources for classroom structural design and dental x-ray machines in dental assistant training programs and (2) to collect data on the methods by…

Discusses classroom structure, focusing on ways of structuring a space to a given end; different ways of structuring time to specific ends; and the kinds of relationships among the children and between the teacher and the children which the teacher may attempt to set up. (JM)