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If you step into a newly built school these days, chances are you will see classrooms that look very different to the classrooms most of us spent our school years in as children.<\/p>\n
On a recent visit to a new primary school in Melbourne, Grattan Institute\u2019s education team entered a large room that contained two classes, separated not by a wall but a wide pillar that left room for teachers and students to move between the two \u201cclassroom\u201d spaces.<\/p>\n
In the first space, students were leaning forward at their desks, concentrating on their teacher. The room was very noisy. The teacher was only metres from her students, but her voice was all but drowned out by the second \u201cclassroom\u201d on the other side.<\/p>\n
This appears to be the trend in new classroom buildings around Australia.<\/p>\n
For example, in 2017 the New South Wales government committed to building open-plan classrooms,\u00a0each for up to 120 students<\/a>, at more than 100 new schools. The Victorian government is building \u201cnew flexible learning communities<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Arguments in favour of open-plan classrooms\u00a0use phrases<\/a>\u00a0such as \u201c21st century teaching\u201d and \u201cinnovative design\u201d.<\/p>\n The idea is to have flexible classroom spaces that can cater for large groups of students, while also allowing students to break into smaller groups, directing their own learning while receiving support from a team of teachers working collaboratively.<\/p>\n Finland is trying to design the perfect school. This is what it looks like.pic.twitter.com\/GlxIrqFa2W<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Fixing Education (@FixingEducation) February 1, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat does the research say about open-plan classrooms?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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