active learning spaces Forrer Business Interiors, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
what is an active learning space? If you plan, manage or design learning environments, you know that space influences behavior. So, what kind of behavior comes from the typical, rectangular classroom (traditional row-by-column fixed seats, a podium, a board bolted to the wall) found at practically every college, high school and elementary school in North America? Passive learning. Students find a seat, the teacher presents, everyone listens (more or less). Raise your hand if you have a question but don t move around. And don t expect any kind of active engagement in the process. We ve all suffered in this kind of classroom even slept in them, right? They re the vestiges of a production-line approach adopted from the manufacturing floor and first put in classrooms 200 years ago! Meanwhile, the world has moved on. Rote memorization doesn t cut it anymore. Businesses need people who can solve tough problems, collaborate with others, and generate the new ideas and ways of thinking that drive innovation. Education itself needs innovation, and there s never been a better time to reinvent learning and teaching than right now. Students are ready for change and their parents are demanding it. Fortunately, some educators are getting the message, rethinking pedagogies, introducing new concepts in instruction and student involvement in the learning process. But they need help. They re entering uncharted territory that s formed by three factors pedagogy, technology and space. This territory is called active learning, and it s the future of education. Active learning means real engagement between students and instructors, students and peers. Collaboration in pairs and small groups. Team projects. Students presenting to other students. Content creation and evaluation through a problem-based curriculum. And active learning requires an active learning environment.
classroom No learning space is more in need of fresh design thinking than the classroom. Given its pivotal role, architects, designers and educators are considering a new classroom paradigm where technology and the physical space are integrated to support pedagogy and create a more active and engaging experience for instructors and students. The problem has been that pedagogy, technology and space have not been considered equally in classroom planning; intentional planning is necessary. These three aspects, when carefully considered and integrated, define the new classroom ecosystem. Gateway Technical College PC Pro Schools
library The library is the academic heart of a campus, yet its role is changing dramatically. Students can put their hands on information from virtually anywhere, so housing books is no longer a library s main purpose. However, the library remains the one place on campus where traditional and new knowledge resources, the latest information technology, and skilled instructors and students converge in an ongoing process of learning, teaching and research. Cardinal Stritch University Cardinal Stritch University
learning lab College computers have program-specific software that s often too expensive for students to buy for their own computers. Steelcase research indicates that two types of computer spaces remain popular: 1. media labs for individual work by students, faculty and staff, and 2. computer pods dispersed in different buildings and used for planned group work and impromptu meetings. Carroll University MSOE Cardinal Stritch University
common area Every space is a learning space. Learning can and should happen everywhere on campus - from the classroom to the library to faculty offices. In between these destination sites are lounges, hallways and other informal areas that can be so much more than transition spaces. They can be flexible, friendly learning spaces for individuals and groups - all smart ways to better leverage valuable campus real estate. Students need tools that support collaborative learning both before and after class: methods for sharing digital and analog content; tools for informal brainstorming such and whiteboards and tackable surfaces; worksurfaces that accommodate computers, books and other materials. Carroll University Gateway Technical College
cafe Dining, relaxing, socializing, studying Cafe spaces are sales tools for colleges in the race to keep up with peers in recruiting and retaining students. The design of the space and food services are geared for the Gen Y audience, which values premium brands for everything from clothing to colleges. This generation selects a college in part for the prestige of the institution, and they associate prestige with nice facilities. Tables aren t just for lunch trays anymore; they re worksurfaces for laptops, tablets, smartphones, books and everything else a student can load into a backpack. Cardinal Stritch University
faculty office The typical professor s office was designed in a bygone era as a private inner sanctum and repository for printed material. Amid bookshelves and papers stacked high, instructors hunched over student assignments and research papers. When computers arrived, professors merely stacked stuff higher to make a little room on an already overcrowded desk. Institutions can create more versatile, effective and comfortable faculty offices in a smaller footprint by planning spaces with these three essential zones in mind: concentration, contemplation and collaboration. UW-Milwaukee UW-Milwaukee
product solution verb Verb is an integrated collection of classroom furniture designed to support a full range of teaching and learning styles on demand. Verb tables are specifically designed to support different learning modes and encourage easy shifts between lecture, discussion, and project work. Unique shapes promote interaction, while a variety of sizes allow Verb to work in any classroom.
product solution node Node: seating for the active learning classroom. The Node chair is mobile and flexible. It s designed for quick, easy transitions from one teaching mode to the next. With Node, a classroom can transition from lecture mode to team mode and back again, without interruption.
product solution media:scape family Through the integration of furniture and technology, media:scape is reshaping the way people collaborate in a connected world. Most collaborative work spaces today support leader-led presentations where information is controlled and shared by one person at a time. media:scape removes these barriers and democratizes how people access and share information by allowing all participants to contribute their ideas equally, quickly and seamlessly. media:scape mini and media:scape mobile allow you to extend collaboration into smaller and existing spaces.
product solution ēno interactive whiteboard ēno combines an interactive board, a high-performance dry erase board, and a magnetic surface into a single solution. PolyVision s ēno classic is the first and only environmentally certified interactive whiteboard to combine the simplicity and ease of a traditional markerboard with high-performance interactivity without cords, cables or costly installation. PolyVision s ēno one combines an eno whiteboard, ultra-short throw projector, and stand or mount in a single solution from one provider. With magnetic mounting hardware and no cords or cables to manage, ēno click by PolyVision mounts instantly over an existing ceramicsteel chalkboard, whiteboard, or any other steel surface.
about forrer Forrer Facts Connect With Us! 64 years we ve been in business 90,000 square feet in our warehouse 25 million dollars in annual sales revenue 2012 year phase one of our interconnected workplace showroom was completed 200+ number of product lines we carry no. 1 contract furniture and services dealership in Southeastern WI 65 total employees 26 percent of employees who have worked at Forrer > 20 years