EDspaces Innovations
The Agile Classroom
Some call it the future of education.
Education experts call it the agile or
flexible classroom. Based on its transfor-
mational attributes, we know it defines
what’s possible in education today.
George Lucas’s educational foundation,
Edutopia, says this: “While a classroom
is different from a [business] startup,
certain mindsets and strategies trans-
late well: vision, agility, the right tools,
creative thinking, and recognizing
individual strengths. An agile classroom
is an environment in which students are
motivated to do their best work and feel
invested in the class as a whole.”
Engagement is one descriptor that
repeatedly emerges when education
experts describe this learning environ-
ment. It generates superior student
outcomes, adapting to a diverse range
of learners — from cognitive to hands
on. This goes beyond how specific stu-
dents learn best by offering accelerated
growth regardless of learning style.
This growth builds confidence and
cognitive abilities in large part through
the physical attributes of agile spaces.
In our work transforming classrooms,
libraries, collaborative learning spaces
and presentation areas, we’ve heard
countless teachers and school admin-
istrators affirm the efficacy of agile
learning spaces.
Tangible Student Outcomes:
• An increased sense of ownership
and pride by students in their learn-
ing spaces and educational process,
plus the ability for teachers to more
easily motivate them;
• The benefits of movement as well
as adaptability, which supports all
teaching styles, learning styles and
subjects;
• The breakdown and removal of
barriers to learning, based on varying
student populations and individual
needs, inclinations and tendencies.
Fostering The Ownership Mindset
Technology has demonstrably im-
pacted society in several ways, learning
22 essentials | winter 2019
being one. America’s classroom is one of
the last holdouts and it’s in dire need of
evolution. Transitioning from the acqui-
sition of knowledge through instructional
teaching, learners are now being encour-
aged to develop the 6 Cs, a set of skills
transferable to any learning activity and
ultimately any profession. With this shift,
the need to change educational spaces
is essential. The key is to create modern
learning spaces, classrooms and envi-
ronments that cater to students’ individ-
ual needs and learning styles. Then, to
show educators successful methods for
motivating and engaging students, which
include getting students to embrace the
ownership or accountability mindset.
The agile class gives students the
power to decide how they learn and
from whom; it offers more choice,
promoting a sense of ownership,
control and agency. Guided by their
teachers, students are empowered to
think and make smart choices. This
empowerment nurtures a sense of pro-
prietorship. We’ve seen these learning
environments completely change the
classroom dynamic. Teachers regularly
comment on how their students are
driven as never before and how their
spaces capture kids’ attention, even
high-energy learners.
Agile spaces help teachers motivate
and engage students in a lasting way. And,
because they can quickly and effortlessly
be changed based on subject matter, class
requirements, student needs and other
factors, classrooms don’t become dated,
stale or obsolete. Moreover, the flexible
classroom teaches skills, not just knowl-
edge — facilitated by the space itself and
the relationship the learner has with it.
Students are guided through strategic fa-
cilitation by the teacher but have an own-
ership stake in the learning environment
and how it’s structured. They experience
movement, diversity and choice in their
relation to their classrooms.
Movement Matters
Studies show that movement in
the classroom setting builds focus and
improves learning outcomes. We’ve
observed thousands of students acquire
more balance, focus and accountability
through the movement that agile spaces
provide. Learners acquire transversal
skills, those relevant to future jobs and
occupations and lifelong learning. These
skills can be acquired through education
or training if the setting is right.
We believe that all truly flexible
learning spaces should be able to be
reconfigured in 60 seconds or less, by
even the youngest of learners. With
straightforward guidance from their
teacher, learners can modify their
environments quickly and intentionally.
This requires concurrent physical and
analytical engagement that students