BUILDING ON
“We know the world is changing, and we think that education needs to be redesigned.” —Trung Le, Cannon Design
LEARNING CANON DESIGN PROFESSIONALS DISCUSS INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL DESIGN
Internationally acclaimed architect Trung Le and educator Christian Long gave a talk at Elmwood Franklin in January, sharing with an audience of parents, trustees, faculty, colleagues, and community members the directions educational design is taking in the 21st century. As partners in The Third Teacher+, an educational design consultancy within the global architecture firm Cannon Design, Mr. Le and Mr. Long seek to transform teaching and learning through innovative, research-based design principles. “The third teacher” is a concept taken from education pioneer Loris Malaguzzi, who declared, “There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.” It also served as the title of an award-winning design sourcebook which Mr. Le co-authored.
W I N T E R 2012/ 2013
In their presentation, they provided food for thought about our changing, collective future and what schools can and should look like to best fit that evolving world. “In times of change, learners inherit the earth,” said Mr. Le, quoting the social philosopher Eric Hoffer, “while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” The presentation followed a meeting with Mr. Le in December, who visited Elmwood Franklin as the Board, administration, and faculty explore how the physical environment impacts learning and the development of 21st century skills—and the ways we can ensure that our own spaces maximize this function for our students.
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