Page 63 - spaces4learning, Fall 2023

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These break-out rooms and their doors encourage students to self-man- age their work in a way that is aware of others around them as well as their own needs. As such, these doors help students practice and improve self-management, responsible decision-making and social awareness skills in a way that is integrat- ed with more traditional curricula.
Markable Surfaces for Finding Learning Styles Design flexibility often helps create spaces that can adapt to nearly any lesson plan. For example, having different possible floor layouts allows educators to reimagine the classroom in a way that suits a particular lesson and student learning style. At John Diemer Elementary, the Co-Lab spaces allow teachers to spread students out if called for by a lesson plan. The same could be said about the break-out study rooms at Juanita High School. Oversized sliding doors can also help connect adjacent
spaces—as was the case with the Thacher School in Ojai, Cali. This type of design flexibility can also put students more in control of their spaces and tools for learning, which touches on several SEL competencies.
For example, markable surfaces pro- vide an alternative means for students to communicate, to sketch out ideas and to engage with classwork. The design team for the John Diemer Elementary renova- tion had seen success in previous proj- ects with markable surfaces, particularly desks. At the elementary school, the Co- Lab doors were able to be fabricated with markable surfaces. This detail enhances a classroom’s flexibility and space utility so students can learn and engage with les- sons through writing.
Design Flexibility Goes Hand-in-Hand with SEL Sliding doors played key roles in John Diemer Elementary, Juanita High School and the Thacher School, even though the
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design goals, populations and education- al needs differed at each. The throughline for these projects from an architectural perspective is that the doors provided de- sign flexibility by saving space and max- imizing opening widths, allowing for the creation of additional flex spaces to accommodate different types of learning apart from the traditional classroom en- vironment. From an educational perspec- tive, these doors minimize distraction through premium acoustic performance. They also allow lessons and activities to be tailored in a way that best fit the type of instruction and the learning styles of individual students.
For both educators and students, multiple paths to learning supports the integration of SEL competencies. Educa- tors can accommodate several forms of learning, and students are empowered to seek out the best ways they can engage with a lesson. In addition, by supporting acoustically isolated spaces, commercial sliding doors can reduce distractions and offer solutions for spaces where multiple types of learning are taking place simul- taneously. This ensures all students have a space that fits their needs.
Though a seemingly small part of an educational design, sliding doors support a flexible classroom that allows for mul- tiple pathways toward an SEL-centered education.
Tysen Gannon, LEED AP, AD Systems has more than 15 years of experience in the architectural products industry, in- cluding roles in sales, product manage- ment, research and marketing, with a fo- cus on glass and glazing, fenestration and façade systems.
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