How to Zone Your Classroom

by room2learn

Do you remember the first time you learned about studying? I remember one high school teacher telling me that listening to her lecture would not be enough to deeply learn the material. Surprise — more work needed to be done! I had to leave the traditional classroom, with its rows of individual chairs and tables, and dive into different modes of learning. I had to form study groups where I could share ideas with friends; I had to create my own study guides and define the concepts and terms in my own words; I had to create connections between past units and subjects. In the best case scenario, I got to learn-by-doing by folding these learning modes into a hands-on project.

This dynamic learning process, my teacher explained, is where learning is solidified. What might our classrooms look like if “studying” were not done at home, but during the school day?

At room2learn, we draw heavily on the Dr. Ikujiro Nonaka’s theory of knowledge creation to think about zoning and differentiating classroom space. This creates opportunities for varied, thorough learning experience for all of your students. To begin, Nonaka defines two types of knowledge — tacit and explicit. Tacit knowledge involves contextual knowledge, such as beliefs, values, and intuition. Explicit knowledge is more objective and involves more tangible ideas that can be expressed with words and formulas. Both types of knowledge are important to his four-step learning process and are continually transferred through a “spiral” process that deepens understanding as the cycle continues.

Now, let’s explore each step of Nonaka’s spiral by peeking into innovative classrooms around the country.

1. Socialize:

This step is all about inspiration in context — the magic that sparks when minds meet to ideate. Students should be able to immerse in the field, or gather to discuss a question or topic. In this outdoor garden at Da Vinci Innovation Academy, students can gather together to learn about botany and ecology in its natural environment.

2. Externalize:

This where we make learning visible. There are many exciting ways to allow students to display their knowledge. In this science classroom, students show their understanding of science terms on a vocabulary wall. However, this is more than your typical word wall. Here, the student use legos to show their learning!

Having a small makerspace within your classroom, with access to art materials and manipulatives can make for more creative ways for students to externalize their learning. Check out this crafts organizer hack for inspiration to keep supplies organized.

For older students, writeable surfaces, post-it’s, and modular whiteboards, provide a similarly dynamic, active way to bring concepts from a tacit idea into explicit knowledge.

3. Combine:

This is the step where students can sort, categorize and explore concepts through their own creative process. When students are able to process new material in their own way, they are more likely to fit concepts into their existing mental map and deepen their learning. In this art classroom at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles, students have access to a variety of materials to show their own mastery through group projects and solo work.

4. Internalize:

This is the crucial, often forgotten, step of metacognition. This step is where learners reflect on their learning process and the feedback they receive from peers and adults. At Brightworks, students designed and built their own work spaces, including cozy carpeted areas for quiet work and reflection.

Drawing inspiration from Nonaka’s theory of knowledge creation (and the study skills wisdom from my high school teacher), we can design holistic learning spaces for all four modes of learning: socializing, visualizing, making, and reflecting. These could manifest as physical zones in the classroom, or with furniture and materials that can be adapted for multiple uses.

How do you make your space work for different learning modes? And of course, we want to know! How have you zoned your classroom? When do you take learning outside the classroom (and school environment) and into the community?

Share your layouts or hacks with fellow edu-innovators on www.room2learn.org and Tweet us at @HackClassrooms!