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Scott Harris, Technical Director of Neosho School District, said: "Everything is built in an open environment and committed to collaboration." Photo: Adam Murphy

Wylie Wong is a freelance journalist who specializes in business, technology and sports. He is a regular contributor to the CDW technical magazine series.

When

 The teachers and students moved into the stylish new campus in August last year. They bid farewell to the traditional classrooms and gave

.

The new school in Neosho, Missouri has spacious glass-walled classrooms that lead to common areas of learning. Each classroom is equipped

The room can be easily reconfigured according to changes in activities. With fast Wi-Fi, students can access

And other cloud-based educational applications

The two-story building also includes a maker space and library with comfortable chairs, a large courtyard with a covered terrace (which can be used as an outdoor classroom), and

There is also a workshop where students build things.

"Everything is going

", said Scott Harris, Technical Director of Neosho School District. "We are doing more group-based learning, but we also accept individual instruction. Our goal is to strengthen learning and be effective. Student participation is higher and the school’s retention rate is higher. "

Neosho has joined more and more K-12 school districts, which makes the layout of classrooms more open and flexible. These new learning spaces are combined with technology so that educators can more effectively

Studies have shown that modern learning environments can improve student performance. These new classrooms combine natural lighting, flexible furniture and mobile devices, audio-visual equipment, and a powerful Wi-Fi network to promote creativity and enhance student happiness, thereby making these spaces more conducive to learning.

, Director of Temporary Programs and Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at Arizona State University.

Johnson said. "Space affects learning. When you try to carry out innovative teaching, the impact is even greater. Ordinary classrooms with rows of desks will inhibit teachers from working in the classroom."

Neosho junior high school principal Jenifer Cryer said that before designing a new school for 700 junior high students, Neosho school district officials brainstormed and visited other schools in Missouri with unique classroom designs to help them generate ideas.

"We had a conversation about the type of classroom design, which will give students maximum flexibility, so we can

", she recalled.

Neosho’s new junior high school divides 7th and 8th grade students into

, Each classroom has five classrooms, which flow into each other and lead to a central collaborative learning space. She said that in the middle of the two classrooms in each community is a retractable whiteboard wall that can be opened and allows teachers to turn a smaller room into a larger classroom if they want to combine classrooms for a project.

on

A faculty team that teaches core courses (such as English, mathematics, science, and social studies) is specially assigned to each community. "It became a school in a school," Cryer said.

Each community teacher team

Let their students pursue

"Students move around the neighborhood all day to complete their projects," Cryer said.

The new building in Bryan, Ohio has a similar layout for middle and high school students, but each classroom has garage-style doors that lead to public corridors.

", said Tom Karnes, the technical director of the region.

Carnes said: "When students are scattered throughout the classroom and into the corridor, the teachers can walk around and still see everyone."

Technology helps promote new teaching methods in modern learning environments, including

. Educators say this can free up classroom time for discussion and collaborative activities.

In Neosho, the IT department has equipped every seventh and eighth grade student

This school year. In order to ensure fast internet speed, IT staff provided about 100 coverage areas for the school

Harris said, including one AP per classroom.

Standardized area

Here, students can access digital learning materials and turn in school assignments. An educational application provides self-paced interactive courses,

, While another application allows teachers to ask questions, and students can answer by writing essays or recording audio or video.

"Like a flexible seat, it allows students to choose." said Mandy Lybeck, the director of educational technology in the region. "Maybe students want to use Google Docs to record videos, make presentations, or type content. Students have different options to show their mastery of a subject rather than using the cookie method that everyone contributes."

The regional IT leader stated that it is important to incorporate IT as part of the planning and design process for new buildings or new classrooms. On Bryan CSD, Karnes made suggestions for network cabling to ensure that there are enough Ethernet branches so that he can install one

Wireless AP and audio-visual equipment in each classroom.

Every classroom in New Bryan Middle School and Middle School has

, Its working principle is like a huge tablet computer, teachers can use it for presentations or display videos and websites. Each booth or meeting room in the corridor has one

Students can

Teachers are also equipped with wireless microphones, and ceiling speakers are installed in every corner of every classroom. Karnes said this ensures that students can hear the video and their teacher because the sound is evenly distributed.

Flexible furniture goes hand-in-hand with modern learning spaces, enabling faculty, staff and students

For example, the teacher can push several trapezoidal tables together to form a triangle or semicircle to promote discussion and collaboration.

Dee Forest in Wisconsin.

A few years ago, DeForest began to build a modern learning environment in an effort to shift

. The area has recently remodeled two elementary schools with newly designed classroom spaces and flexible furniture.

Characteristics of those elementary school classrooms

Students have different seating preferences. Wilson said that providing them with multiple seating options can improve their comfort and thus promote learning.

she says. "I was only in a fourth-grade classroom. Some children were sitting under the table. Some people were sitting in window seats. Some people were standing with higher tables, while others were sitting on the floor with lower tables."

Back to Neosho, junior high school has desks and chairs of various shapes and sizes. Common learning spaces include square and round tables, as well as triangular soft seats and cushioned benches.

In the classroom, the school district standardized foldable rectangular desks and stackable chairs, which teachers can push to the side when needed.

Looking ahead, the Neosho School District plans to further improve its classroom space by building a new elementary school to replace an elementary school damaged by a tornado. Harris said that the new school will open in time for the new school year, and its design will remain open and flexible.

As for the new junior high school, Harris said he planned

And will add charging stations within the budget allowed.

Overall, the new junior high school building and its modern learning environment have had a positive impact on education.

She said: "Flexible furniture is great." "Teachers can set up classrooms for different activities in their own way. Students can sit where they want to sit flexibly, and using Chromebooks, they can move and master various Study materials. I am excited."

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