Guerilla Educators

Educon 2.2

We are pleased to announce that John Sole, President and CEO of Guerilla Educators in collaboration with the architect, David Schrader will be leading a "conversation" at Educon 2.2, one of the most innovative and important educational conferences taking place in the country.  Our starting point of the conversation is Educational Commissioning.

Conversation Description: The main idea is that, in a perfect pedagogical world there is an essential non-difference between the physical facility (the school) and the teaching and learning that takes place inside the walls (the School). Our conversation will focus on how the structure of the school, the very walls, should be a 3 dimensional teaching and learning tool. We will also take a look at how students should be involved from the very beginning of the school design process both to authentically inform educational facilities design and to use the design process as a powerful "real time" method to achieve rigorous grade appropriate curricular and civic proficiencies.

Conversational Practice: Authentic Youtube style video examples of students conducting architecture projects across the grades and participating in school design charrettes will frame and contextualize the conversations. We will also use the physical facility of the SLA with the participants as a vehicle to demonstrate the permeable nature between teaching and learning and the structure where that takes place.

Educon 2.2 will be held between January 29 - 31 at Science Leadership Academy, in Philadelphia.

Re:Vision Architecture "Best of Philly" Award

 
Congratulations to friends and colleagues, Scott Kelly, Jenn Rezeli, and the folks at Re:Vision Architecture.  Re:Vision was recently awarded Philadelphia Magazine's 2009 "Best of Philly" award as the city's best Green Architect.  View some of Re:Vision's featured projects here.

Guerilla Educators Featured on CNN

Guerilla Educators is now featured on CNN Online, as part of their series,"What if our education system worked better?"

Guerilla Educators Consulting Services

Below is a partial list of clients who have employed the expertise of Guerilla Educators Consulting Services to advance their architectural design and/or educational programs:

• American Institute of Architects
• The School District of Philadelphia
• Council of Educational Facilities Planners International
• Delaware Valley Green Building Council
• SchraderGroup Architects
• Fielding Nair International
• Philadelphia University
• District of Columbia Public School System
  
• Milwaukee School District
• Alliance to Save Energy
• York Suburban School District
• University of Wisconsin
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Education Environment Planning Consultants
• Regina Board of Education
• Philadelphia Zoo
• Re:Vision Architecture
• Wallace Roberts & Todd Design
• LOTI (Levels of Technology Integration)
• IQity
• Journal of Teacher Education
• Edutopia
  
• Barack Obama Green Charter High School
• MaST Community (Math, Science, and Technology) Charter School
• Friendship Public Charter Schools
  

Call us today at, 215-510-2059 to see how we can help you!

Student Green Design/Build at Philadelphia University

Download CharetteWorkbook.pdf

On June 14, 2008, graduate students from Rob Fleming's "Green Design Build" course participated in and had leadership responsibility for a design charrette at Awbury Arboretum. The charrette was to create a design scheme for a permanent wash station for Weaver's Way Coop Farm at Awbury. Rob is the Director of the Master of Science in Sustainable Design Program at Philadelphia University and the lead teacher/creator of the Design/Build course. The charrette was the "design" part of a process that continued in early August, as the students were then tasked to "build" the wash station from recycled building materials, whose design was based on concepts developed at the charrette. The process was one of the most powerful examples of the hands on project based Service Learning methodology we here at Guerilla Educators have been involved with, to date. For the students, none of whom had participated in either a charrette or in a construction project of such magnitude, the program was transformative. This video shows the full sweep of the design/build process, from concept through to completion of the physical facility. Wow!             
One key aspect of Philadelphia University's mission and vision as a private institution of higher learning is that they are committed to providing an experiential education for their students.  As a result, Philly U is recognized as a leader in the architecture, design, engineering, business, textiles, and health and sciences fields and is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.   Courses like Green Design Build powerfully demonstrate why they are also on the cutting edge of developing the next generation of sustainable designers.
This project was nominated for a Philadelphia Sustainability Award. Read all about it here.

The Scott Collegiate Vibe

As Fielding Nair International continues to work with the folks in Regina, Saskatchewan to assist in the re-design of their North Central neighborhood, we have also begun engaging students in the heart of North Central, at Scott Collegiate High School.  As the transformation of North Central continues, the young citizens at Scott now have opportunities to make a difference in their community by having authentic input into this exciting, community-wide process.  Plans are underway to create the frameworks at Scott that will empower the students to have their voices heard both in their school and their community.  This video shows a session with Scott Collegiate students called, "Student Vibe" where the participants are discussing and sketching their visions about what the next physical facility will look like while affirming that the "vibe" that makes Scott such a special place will stay the same.
Take a look...

To view more links to Scott students, click here.

12 Questions for School Architects and Planners; Connecting School Design to Educators, Students, and Curriculum via Project Based Service Learning

In November, 2006, in a conversation with Christian Long who, at that time was the online editor of DesignShare, I was asked the following question (Christian is also the founder of a great, eclectic blog called, think:lab):

If you had to pick a single educational technique, learning style, or pedagogy to drive the future of school design, what would it be?

My response centered immediately on Project Based Service Learning and prompted me to ask a series of 12 rhetorical essential questions in return.  The questions also became the genesis of the Guerilla Educators blog and ultimately became an article on DesignShare, a premier educational facilities website.  The questions also formed the basis of a long term, in-depth video based study centered on the merits of Project Based Service Learning as one of the most powerful and effective teaching and learning methodologies for ALL students and why school architects should design educational spaces to accommodate this type of pedagogical focus. It is my continuing hope that the article and subsequent follow up exploration of the Service Learning model will continue to help spark some vital conversation in the school design community.

Here are the questions:

Question 1: Why is Service Learning the most effective way for students to achieve mastery of curriculum and state mandated standards?

Question 2: Why is the Service Learning process the most effective way to engender good citizenship skills in all students?

Question 3: Why should school architects design educational facilities that facilitate the Project Based Learning methodology?

Question 4: Why should the school design process be used as a real-world, project-based teaching and learning strategy?

Question 5: Why is student involvement in the design process a desirable strategy for educational facilities designers?

Question 6: How can the school itself be used as a 3 dimensional textbook?

Question 7: Why should school architects see the physical facility and the teaching and learning that take place inside as a seamless continuum?

Question 8: Why should High Performance, Sustainable school design be used as a teaching and learning tool?

Question 9: Why should school architects “give back” by coming into classrooms as Community Partners to use the design process to create hands-on projects?

Question 10: What is the role of teachers in the connection of design to curriculum and students via PBL/SL?

Question 11: Why should school architects design buildings that are fun places to attend?                     

Question 12: Why does school design that will accommodate Service Learning have a positive impact on the architect's bottom line?

Click on the Questions to see the responses.

Contact us here at Guerilla Educators for cutting edge Educational Facilities Design Solutions that work. We'll work with you every step of the way.

Extending the Vision in Regina, Saskatchewan

The Fielding Nair International design team returned to the beautiful city of Regina, in Saskatchewan, Canada to continue working with the Steering Committee there to assist in the re-design of the community of North Central.  This video documents our meeting in April, '08 that continues to refine the vision for the project.  Take a look...

As part of the design team focused on the educational aspects of the North Central project, we here at Guerilla Educators address the incredible opportunities that the re-design will have on the neighborhood by an exercise in imagining.  The list below, in no particular order, is a synthesis  of outcomes developed after listening to and working with the North Central Shared Facility Steering Committee.

Imagine…

•    Imagine teaching and learning spaces that connect directly and authentically to the community. 
•    Where students learn by addressing real-world issues that are important to them in a variety of ways. 
•    Where they have ownership in their educational processes. 
•    Where they are engaged, invested, and interested in what and how they learn. 
•    Where they achieve mastery of grade appropriate curricular objectives across a variety of disciplines. 
•    Where daily attendance and participation at their Personalized Learning Communities becomes a vital part of the student’s day (rather than the opposite being true). 
•    Where their Service Learning projects allow them to see citizenship/leadership modeled from their world-class Community Partners.
•    Where development of good citizenship skills is part of the fabric of teaching and learning and becomes critical to the long term, real-life success of our students. 
•    Where these civic skills enhance and give greater depth, context and meaning to student mastery of curriculum and standards. 
•    Where students who are working cooperatively to successfully realize the goals of a project are more inclined to negotiate with their peers and make persuasive arguments to get their point of view adopted by the group.
•     Where the cooperative nature of small groups working together for successful completion of the project has an extremely positive effect on the classroom climate and where behavior issues are significantly mitigated. 
•    Where students are motivated to succeed. 
•    Where critical thinking, hypothesis, trial and error, and extension of learning become commonplace pedagogical strategies.
•    Where teaching and learning happens in a safe, nurturing environment in the midst of a vital, active community.
•    Where law enforcement is perceived as a vital community asset and students are mentored by police officers.
•    Where the rich diversity of cultures, including First Nations, Meti, and European are mutually respected and cooperatively enhance, reinforce, and inform teaching, learning, and citizenship development in our students.
•    Where all of the Community Partners in the Shared Facility work together for the greater good and improvement in the quality of life of North Central.
•    Where technology (the no.2 pencil of the 21st century) is suffused throughout all teaching and learning initiatives.
•    Where ALL learners are expected to demonstrate proficiency at rigorous levels of literacy and numeracy –no excuses- and teachers have the resources and professional training to guide them in achieving mastery of those skills.
•    Where Business, Industry, and Government sectors actively seek out our graduates for leadership positions based on their Project Based Service Learning experiences in high school.

Now it's your turn!

Just imagine...

Charrette Compilation

This video demonstrates the powerful circular connections between the design process and authentic, real-world, Project Based Service Learning.   Student citizenship/leadership skills and mastery of curriculum across a variety of disciplines is evident in the video.  The positive effects of student participation on the design process are also demonstrated.  See also, the 9 Hallmarks of Project Based Service Learning.   

Contact us here at Guerilla Educators for cutting edge Educational Facilities Design Solutions that work. We'll work with you every step of the way.

Exhibitors Hall at the 2008 School Building Expo in Chicagoland

Guerilla Educators was a key presenter at the 2008 School Building Expo.  This year's Expo was held at The Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel and Convention Center in Chicagoland.  On the second day of the Expo, we visited the Exhibition Hall where more than 100 sponsors were presenting their cutting edge products.  Take a look...

The Expo was a great success, thanks, in part, to all of the sponsors and exhibitors.

Contact us here at Guerilla Educators for cutting edge Educational Facilities Design Solutions that work. We'll work with you every step of the way.