Skip to main content

What Questions do you ask Teachers when designing 21st Century Classrooms?


Here's what we are asking our Teachers at the Madeleine....

Name(s)   ____________________________________                  _____________________________________

1.     Introductions

2.     How long have you been here?                  

3.     And why here?  (What brought you here?)

4.     What values does this school uphold and promote that overlap most directly with yours? 

5.     Walk us through the day in the life of your class.

6.     What are the aspects of teaching, learning and using the room that could stand improvement? 

-     Where are the issues, pinch points, places where you and students experience stress.

-     Furniture – tables and chairs, daily and occasionally, for collaborative & individual work.

-     Dedicated breakout space

-     Floor Space

-     Whiteboards/ teaching wall locations

-     Noise

-     Temperature  (ever too cold?)

-     Ventilation (fresh air)

-     Light/glare

-     Technology

-     Number and location of outlets and controls?

-     Computers
7.     STORAGE
a.     Student backpacks – now verses ideal

b.     Student accessed supplies and books (in classroom)

c.      Teacher accessed storage

d.     Teacher accessed locked storage

e.     School-wide storage

8.     Shared spaces – do you ever use the ECP or Library or go outside with your class?


9.     What are the school-wide and class-wide special events

10. 21st century education -- What does this mean to you?

11. What would you say Madeleine does best? 

12. What top three or four things do you wish was different?

13. What do you think of the furnishings work that was done back in 2012/2013?    Thoughts about:

Chairs -- individual chairs, rolling chairs,  with storage

Desks – individual , shared, with storage, without storage

Soft seating

Acoustical dividers for collaborative work

14. Dream a little.  Five years from now.  Your vision have been implemented.  What do you see?  What does it look like to you?

15. Anything else you’d like to add?   Or anything else we need to know?    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Implementing Mobile Technology without a Single Mandate

“Innovation is the distinction between a leader and a follower.”  – Steve Jobs How did the Madeleine achieve overwhelming success implementing mobile technology with its staff and students in such a short period of time? Here's the success story.   The Catalyst of an Innovative Idea In September of 2010 the Parent Association stated they would donate funds toward an innovative technology program that would benefit the students. The Innovative Idea The Principal asked the PA to consider a pilot program where iPads might be incorporated into the Kindergarten program. The idea generated awareness among all the other teachers that wanted to experience the iPad technology first and explore ways in which the technology could be integrated into their classrooms as well. Educator Incentive Teachers were asked to consider if they wanted to use an iPad and explore its potential for instruction. The principal reached out to the faculty and offered that if they were interested
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Do We Surround the Cross?

A dramatic narrative for Good Friday Why Do We Surround the Cross? (this is a brief excerpt posted on my blog. Let me know if you'd like to read more) MAN Please--I can't hear if you're all speaking at once—Now quiet! What happened here to have created so much chaos? Please, one at a time... AID Sir, if I may. . . MAN Who are you? AID I am the Governor's aid. MAN Can you shed light on the events that took place here? Jesus is Sentenced to Death AID Well, the governor and I were just about to settle some civil matter when they led him into the room--hands bound behind his back. His head cast down, hair hanging over his face--a tired little man. We stopped our conversation to address the matter at hand--the governor, however was quite impatient. The Jewish leaders started in --I just stared at this poor, weak man. I looked him up and down as the governor circled him listening to the Jews--he seems so small and harmles
Post a Comment
Read more

Forget Textbooks--Discover the Well

Books and Wells by Ken Willers        O nce Upon A Time , there was a man who said he wanted to search for deep Wells. Before he set out to seek his desire he thought it would first be wise to consult all the great books that had been written on the subject of deep Wells. The man read many books on where to find Wells and the differences in depth that they possessed. One day while he was strolling casually along engrossed in his reading of Wells he failed to notice a large deep Well right in front of him. When he bumped into the deep Well his book flew from his hands and fell quite far into the deep recesses of the Well. The man quite upset at the loss frantically lowered a near by bucket to retrieve his book but his attempt was in vain. The man went away very sad that he lost his book for he thought, without his book, how could he ever hope to find a deep Well. Is this the type of learner today’s schools are manufacturing? Textbook dependent learners who need their ‘book’ to
Post a Comment
Read more