St. Thomas Aquinas High School Reveals New Studio Classrooms
The grade 7 and 8 classrooms are undergoing a transformation which was revealed to the Board of Trustees at the April 16th board meeting. The trustees got to take a tour of a demo classroom that was recently set up in the new studio style. Students are able to reconfigure and manoeuver the classroom to be more collaborative. The new vision is based on the book written in part by David Jakes called The Third Teacher which talks about the classroom being the third teacher with the teacher being the first teacher and the students being the second teacher. The KCDSB and St. Thomas Aquinas High School have been working with David Jakes to create a vision based on student and teacher input for the new classrooms. Jakes is planned to return in May to continue the work.
Nicole Lentz, the grade 7 and 8 department head talks about the vision, "it all started with a simple idea to put the comfortable feeling of 'home' back in homeroom. We wanted to re-envision these classrooms to be more comfortable spaces for students to learn in. We wanted the classrooms to be safe places for students to land every day where they are comfortable taking risks and enhancing their own success. What happened is we got some incredible backing by the board and we were able to expand on our initial ideas."
Grade 7 student Katlynn Derouard talks about the new classroom style "I really like that there is no assigned seating. I can sit with my friends one day and a new group of students the next day."
The new studio classrooms challenge the traditional teaching style of teachers being at the front of the classroom with students sitting in rows of individual desks. The new style allows the teacher to be more fluid and move around groups of students encouraging collaboration. "The new studio classrooms really change everything I do as a teacher," says Lentz. "There is no teacher desk. Everything is student-centered and the space allows me to move around more and become part of the group instead of leading the group."
"I like when Ms. Lentz moves through the class and talks to our group. She's not telling us what to do. She's listening to us. She wants us to put the tables and chairs the way we want so we will be more comfortable. I really like it," says grade 7 student Caleb Bryant-Skead.
St. Thomas Aquinas High School is planning to transition all grade 7 and 8 classrooms in the new studio style so they are ready for the start of the 2016/17 school year.