As the North Penn School District (NPSD) continues to move in the direction of personalized learning pathways to support student learning, Gwyn-Nor Elementary School celebrated the dedication of its newly created flexible learning spaces on Friday.
Spearheaded by principal Dr. Deborah McKay, the goal of Gwyn Nor’s flexible learning spaces is to encourage collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving that many believe schools need to teach to help students thrive in today's world.
According to Dr. McKay, traditional learning environments have centered mainly on places and spaces, but today’s classrooms look very different from those of the past. Students don’t necessarily sit in rows of desks; teachers are as often working alongside students as lecturing in front of them.
“Learning environments today need to embrace the variety of places, ideas, and people that the modern world demands and reflect a flexibility of space, time, people and technology,” McKay said.
“Physical learning environments need to promote multiple modes of students learning, supporting both individual and group work, providing space for presentation and exploration, promoting interaction and a sense of community, and fostering both formal and informal learning,” McKay continued. “That is our hope with our learning centers… that we are positioning our students for powerful learning, expanding our notion of learning environments to encompass more than physical space allows us to provide students with more opportunities for meaningful learning.”
There are three common areas (flexible learning spaces)
throughout the building at Gwyn-Nor that teachers are encouraged to sign-up for
and to utilize to support 21st century student learning. These skills include,
but not are not limited to, the development of critical thinking skills,
teamwork, collaboration, creativity, flexibility and problem solving.
Each flexible learning space is equipped with flexible furniture, two
Lego boards, five large boxes of Legos and a white board. Since these spaces
are flexible, teachers are able to move this furniture into any formation to
support the learning goals.
Dignitaries at the dedication ceremony included NPSD administrators, school board members and Gwyn-Nor Home and School Association officers, who had the opportunity to visit each new learning space and experience its benefits first-hand alongside students and staff.
See also:
Editorial: North Penn School Board Offers Praise For Full Day Kindergarten Program
Nearly 1,000 Kindergarten Students Attend First-Ever Full-Day
Drone Technology Education Taking Flight at North Montco
Community Members Provide Backpacks, School Supplies for
NPSD Ranked #4 in Montco and #17 in PA by Niche
