Schools

Farmington Schools Bond Would Revamp Learning Spaces

Officials say classroom configurations need to move toward 21st century collaborative learning.

On Aug. 6, Farmington school district voters will decide whether to approve a $220 million bond for improvements and repairs touching every building in the district. Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch looks at how we got here, what's on the ballot, what's happening in neighboring districts and what officials plan to do with all that money.

What's the difference between a classroom and a learning studio? 

Quite a bit, Farmington Public Schools officials say. If voters approve a $220 million bond referendum Aug. 6, about 45 percent of the funds will go toward changes to classrooms, common areas and media centers in K-12 schools. 

"In the 20th century, we had mass public education, based on the mass production model," Superintendent Susan Zurvalec said. "In the 21st century, it's about customization and individualized learning." 

Today, students generally sit in rows of desks facing the front of a classroom. If the bond passes, officials will spend about 5 percent of the funds on replacing furnishings, including tables and chairs that can be configured to encourage student participation and adapt to different teaching styles. 

Zurvalec said the spaces would be flexible enough to accomodate learning well into the future, even if learning styles change. "We may not have the same tools ... we may be more in the 'cloud', but there still needs to be flexibility in the way students are taught," she said. 

That extends to media centers, which would be re-branded as "collaboration and resource centers", with opportunities for distance learning and other styles of instruction, facilities director Jon Manier said. He pointed out that if the district's facilites aren't up-to-date now, they will be that much further behind 20 years from now. 

Learning spaces will be "technology infused", with interactive white boards and projectors, one-to-one computing for all K-12 students, video conferencing and improved classroom audio, according to materials provided by the district. 

In addition, plans call for collaborative learning spaces in common areas outside of classrooms, Manier said. 

Officials point to studies compiled by the 21st Century School Fund, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that builds public support for modernizing public school facilities. Conducted in a variety of school districts, they show a positive connection between well-designed schools and everything from student performance and behavior to teacher retention.

More daylight, better seating, air control, and temperature controls – all included in the Farmington bond plan – are among the factors that help students concentrate more on their education, the studies indicate. 

"We just believe our students deserve these highly functioning learning spaces," school and community relations director Diane Bauman said. "It's just different than when we were in school." 

Next: We begin profiling bond critics who cite trust, tax and other issues in their decision to vote no.  


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