Let’s start with a description of a studio classroom:
Studio classrooms are not all the same, but all share common elements. They involve longer, fewer, class sessions with focused, intense, student activity. Any disconnect between laboratory and lecture time is absent because lab and lecture are combined. In fact, lectures are de-emphasized or eliminated altogether. Instead, students work together to solve in-depth problems and answer questions, sometimes moving from one workstation to another. The interactive classroom promotes holistic skills, including thinking, inquiry, creativity and reflection by students, frequently involving peer review and critiquing. (Source)
It sounds like the kind of space I’d love to be teaching in. In fact, it reflects the world I used to teach in to a certain degree.
I’d never head of studio classrooms until a couple of weeks ago when I read a post on “flow” in a studio classroom. While that was interesting, I found something else more interesting. When I was a museum educator, I rarely had problems with classroom management issues because I had the kids fully involved in working on projects. Occasionally, I’d stop to give them information or directions, but most of our time was spent doing something. So, I found it interesting to note that this teacher, trying to migrate the class to a studio set-up, noted that classroom management issues were minimal because the students were engaged in their projects.
What does this tell me? Well, even though I ran a pretty easy-to-manage traditional class during my student teaching years ago, it tells me that students are more likely to not need to be “managed” if you can get them involved in an activity. Sure, you’ll always have one or two who either just can’t focus or feel a little silly that day, but if you have them engaged in activity, you have a much better chance of minimizing unfortunate incidents.
Perhaps I should see if there are any studio classroom set-ups I can fall in with. I think it would be a fascinating setting to teach in!
