What if Students Made a School?

Let's think about an ill-defined hypothetical.  In our society, it is so understood that "students don't design schools" that we are taken aback just by seeing the question.  Schools are the end-product of careful design and planning, and represent an odd mixture of community/civic function (much like the public library or police department) and business.  They are to be developed and improved meticulously, not willy-nilly.  Hence the terms "systemic school improvement" and "systems design", among others.

Well... fiddlesticks (or insert your non-19th century term of disbelief here).

Let's ask the question that is never asked.  In the discussion, identify what you feel students would seek out if they made the school?  What would it look like?  It might be tempting to have a crass answer ("Continuous recess!"), but maybe those answers are not so far-fetched, and might have some worth after all.

Don't forget to identify the age group of students you are thinking of, even if you are visualizing this being all ages.  It will help fellow participants understand where you are coming from.

Part II

Finally, after you complete some of the other learning opportunities in this lesson, be sure to come back and reply to your original response and one other persons. reply to your original response.

In your replies:

Identify elements in the original description that you would build on or enhance. Explain why.

Identify elements that you might eliminate or reduce. Explain why.