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

In honor of the 4th anniversary of my Guerilla Educators blog, our first entry, posted below, was an interview conducted by Christian Long who, at that time was the online editor of DesignShare.  His first question was,    

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 onDesignShare, 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.

These 12 rhetorical questions for Educational Facilities Planners is now also a foundation for a forthcoming book based on my 10 Hallmarks of 21st Century Teaching and Learning. 

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?

Click here to view a short video compilation of authentic, student centered PBSL in action

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

Click here to see a student directed, middle school anti-bullying skit.

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?

Click here to view student participation in the charrette processes

Question 6: How can the school itself be used as a 5 dimensional textbook (including Real-time and cyberspace)?

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

Click here to see how Question 7 looks in real-time

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.