The Importance of Not Being Earnest
- Fenne van den Heuvel
- 19 nov 2017
- 1 minuten om te lezen
Many of us will have grown up hearing stories about what our parents' schools were like. In my mum's case these stories included overcrowded classrooms, cramming of grammar rules, and the occasional nun who pulled you by the ear if you were naughty. Schools were, for a long time, grim institutions where only seriousness and hard graft were tolerated. Nowadays, we imagine the ideal school to have big bright classrooms and rosy-cheeked teachers.
But what if many schools are still missing many things that are beneficial for young minds? I have researched some of the most forward-thinking school designs out there at the moment and have come to the conclusion that a few points are essential for the design of 'the school of the future':
1. play
2. safety
3. the outdoors
4. inclusiveness
5. flexibility
Play: children in Kyoto enjoy climbing and learn through experimenting. while BIG has designed a school in the USA for 'introspection, exploration, and discovery.
Safety: A school affected by a mass school shooting in Conneticut is now redesigned to detect and deter intruders.
The Outdoors: Whille in Tokyo children experience a 'nostalgic future' on a school roof, in Russia a school with outdoor classrooms has been built.
Inclusiveness: Kannisto, a school in Finland includes children of all backgrounds by boasting a dentist practice and community meeting halls
Flexibility: A primary school in Melbourne is designed to be the first 'verticle school', combining a community centre and other venues with 'no formal classrooms' to form a hybrid building.
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