Teaching in learning plazas: break out of the classroom
Schools that break through classroom education and switch to cross-group units and learning plazas see many advantages. But think carefully about what you are starting with in advance, say experts. Without cooperation, structure and support it will be a fiasco.
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Faded stripes on the floor are a reminder of the debacle. “There was a desk here, manned by students. The spaces around it had different functions, such as instruction or working independently. ” Judith Haak, one of the early teachers who got the learning plaza concept off the ground in the Haarlem VMBO school Sterrencollege, tells about it enthusiastically. All VMBO sectors, such as healthcare & welfare or economics, had their own place in the building. Pupils were divided into basic groups, which came together on the learning square. Two or three permanent teachers took care of all subjects. A weekly planner indicated which material must be completed per subject. “We wanted to get more out of the students than was done in classroom education,” says fellow teacher Artur Hollander.
Haak and Hollander worked on the concept in a small committee. While they had their first experiences with a few groups in an outdated building, a brand new building arose a little further away. Entirely designed for learning plaza education, thanks to the renowned architectural firm Mecanoo and a million contribution from the municipality. It gave the Sterrencollege one national innovation prize for school construction, but the learning plazas have already been put on the street again. Two years after the festive opening, all three VMBO departments were declared weak by the Education Inspectorate.
“There was not enough support”, Haak recalls. “That's what it comes down to in the end. We were with a small group of enthusiasts in the beginning. Many other teachers probably thought at first: never mind them. With the new building you couldn't get out of it anymore. Then the heels went into the sand. It was often said in the upper classes: it doesn't work for these young people. ”
There was not enough support. That's what it comes down to in the end.
The Star College returned to classroom education. “The familiar bus setup, homogeneous groups and a teacher who teaches his profession”, says director Wim Huiberts, who took over in 2014 after the innovation had already been reversed. Two departments have now returned the basic arrangement, the third is on its doorstep. “What I heard about it, the learning plazas never landed. They were islands without a connection, schools in the school. There was no consistent learning line between lower and upper years. And there were just too many incentives. Spaces that were separated by a glass wall. Students sat waving to each other. Teachers faced an impossible task. ”
Wish
The vast majority of schools that break through classroom education start from the same desire: to get more out of students. In most cases, the ideas bubble up from the team, often in consultation with the team or school management. In primary education, almost one in ten respondents indicates that they already work with a learning plaza concept, it appears a survey of the AOb; 13 percent say they think about it. The survey shows a striking difference with secondary education: in primary education, learning plazas are used less and the experiences are more positive. In primary education, a majority of the experts by experience would recommend other schools, in secondary education this is a minority. Coincidence or not: the initiative in secondary schools more often comes from higher than in primary education.
How 'different' education will be designed differs enormously. Between the sectors and between schools. Learning plazas are a catch-all term. Characteristic are group- or cross-year forms of education in larger rooms or units, combined with more individual guidance or extra instructions in smaller level groups. Unlike the Sterrencollege, primary school teachers specialize in a subject area that they give to all students on a learning plaza, such as arithmetic or spelling. Teachers work together per unit, preferably supplemented with a teaching assistant or other support staff for student guidance.
Different tack
The advance of frequently used terms 'personalized learning' and 'individual tailoring' signals where the shoe pinches. While there have always been many differences in level in a primary school class, the introduction of appropriate education has reinforced the contrasts. There is a greater need to differentiate, says Moniek Slaats, substructure coordinator at primary school Tijl Uilenspiegel in Deurne. After fifty years of classroom education, the school decided to change tack.
A year and a half ago they switched to units for the lower and upper classes. Pupils are in basic groups by age in which the emphasis is on social-emotional development. Education is provided in subject-oriented learning plazas - arithmetic, reading and discover the world - by a specialized teacher. Slaats: “As a primary school teacher you have to know and be able to do everything. As a result, you miss the focus. For example, if you specialize in arithmetic, you can get more depth from it. Because you have a good picture of the learning pathways, you can offer the student better-coordinated learning material. ”
As a primary school teacher you have to know and be able to do everything. As a result, you miss the focus. For example, if you specialize in math, you can get more depth out of it.
The care for pupils is carried out in a team. “There are several colleagues who see a student regularly,” says senior coordinator Mieke Luijten. “This allows you to consult each other if you run into something or notice something. You also see what a colleague does differently. As a result, you often think about the question: why am I actually doing the way I do? "
The learning squares are clearly recognizable in the school. Measuring cups, rulers, photos of everyday objects that students use to visualize fractions: calculations are unmistakable here. Although, actually 'square' is not the right word. “We still have to make do with the classrooms we had,” says Luijten. The doors between the classrooms are open and separate corners have been created in some areas. “It is not yet what we want. But we hope we can rebuild soon."
Teacher shortage
Schools that are moving away from classroom teaching are not a novelty. Moreover, elements of it are as old as some traditional renewal schools. But in the past year, units and learning plazas have again come to the fore at the Ministry of Education. There they see 'organizing differently' as a way to face the teacher shortage. In 2017, the Center for Industrial Relations commissioned government personnel (Caop) by the ministry in map how schools approach this in practice. The Caop delivered another one for the Primary Education Labor Market Platform last autumn new reporting about the personnel consequences of learning plaza concepts.
The teacher shortage is not a decisive reason for schools to break open the traditional classroom system. Schools that work with learning plaza concepts and larger groups or units are often more flexible with their staffing. “This makes it easier for them to temporarily take care of a sick colleague, for example,” says Jo Scheeren, a researcher at Caop who participated in both explorations.
I don't hear anywhere that learning plazas are being introduced to cut costs. What I do notice is that schools are looking for a way to get more hands on the group.
Although no national figures are kept, Scheeren does have the impression that interest is increasing. “The main motivation of schools comes from an educational vision,” says Scheeren. “I am nowhere told that learning plazas are being introduced to cut costs. What I do notice is that schools are looking for a way to get more hands on the group. Appropriate education is mentioned regularly. There is a need to guide students on a more individual basis. ”
Bloom
It helps a lot if the school building literally offers the concept space. But a learning plaza does not arise automatically by removing a few walls. Structure, learning time, methodology and cooperation do not require less, but often more attention. You will only experience how that works out in practice.
Dok12, in the Amersfoort vinex district of Vathorst, is known as a successful name in unit education. Teams come to take a look from far and wide. Parents often choose the school deliberately. There are relatively many 'side entrants' among the students. “These are often children who did not flourish at another school,” says school leader Desiree Sorgedrager.
The educational foundation has remained unchanged since the start in 2008. The interpretation and implementation has gradually been altered. Take the reading half hour, after the lunch break. All students throughout the school read a book. “It's a nice transition, a rest point in the day,” says Sorgedrager. But it is woven into the day's program for another reason: the reading results were disappointing. “Not all children are allowed to read from home, the differences are significant. It just comes down to making miles. ”
Study time
With its basic arrangement, the school has the educational quality in order. Nevertheless, a few years ago the Inspectorate was critical about the effective apprenticeship. The motto 'starting indoors' was therefore not just conceived because it sounds fun. Sorgedrager: “Time is really a thing. You depend on your colleague keeping a close eye on the time. You cannot stretch if you are about to run out. Everyone should be aware of this. ”
You depend on your colleague to keep a close eye on the time. You can't stretch if you're about to run out. Everyone should be aware of that.
The school has decided to only use teachers for the upper years. “Pedagogical staff from the out-of-school care facility were deployed during school hours to support pupils during independent work. These are already familiar faces for students. Financially this is attractive for the organization: more hands on the shop floor for the same money. In practice, however, we noticed shortcomings in the didactic area, which meant that the workload increased again for teachers because they took it back anyway. ” In order to create a good balance with supporters, the school should preferably be of a certain size.
In this way, the team gradually discovered what works and what needed to be adjusted. A while ago another school came to visit, which found Dok12 less innovative than expected. Sorgedrager, associated with the school from the start and principal for two and a half years, smiles. “When the results were disappointing, it was sometimes difficult. But we have always kept the goal in mind. That goal is not to be the most innovative school, but the best school for our students. ”
* The separately quoted quotes in this story come from a poll conducted by research firm Regioplan from late November to early December 2018 AObmembers.
This story appeared in the Education Magazine in January 2019.
