Education is evolving and how we learn and the ways we can be smart are becoming better understood. In competitive communities connections between our community brainpower and our physical environment goes beyond the campuses of our educational institutions. Programmatic strategies and physical design are more integrated. Community planning and education planning work together to understand common goals and conflicting goals to resolve more effective cooperative strategies. There is not a one size fits all formula. What is the correct unique fit for your community? Research on four programmatic perspectives for education environments - learner centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered and community centered - provides a platform for exploring physical design ideas and concepts. The following notes are from chapter 6 of the 2000 National Academy of Sciences publication, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School by John D. Bradsford et al.

Learner-centered environments – “environments that pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting.” “…building on conceptual and cultural knowledge that students bring” (“culturally responsive”, “culturally appropriate”, culturally relevant”, culturally compatible” - “diagnostic teaching”). Builds on interests and passions of learners.

Knowledge-centered environments – Focus on understanding and transfer of knowledge. “…emphasis on sense-making – helping students become metacognitive by expecting new information to make sense and asking for clarification when it doesn’t” (“progressive formalization” builds on the informal ideas of students; “learning the landscape” metaphor for learning to live in the environment… “learning your way around…what resources are available and how to use those resources in conducting activities productively and enjoyably – requires an network of connections that link one’s present location to the larger space.” “ Activities can be structured so that students are able to explore, explain, extend and evaluate their progress” …”balance between activities designed to promote understanding and those designed to promote… skills necessary to function effectively”

Assessment-centered environments – Assessment should be congruent with learning goals. “Formative” assessment to feedback to improve teaching and learning ( can be formal and informal and should encourage building student self assessment skills- learn to value opportunities to revise; working collaboratively in groups can also enhance feedback to students) and “summative” assessment that measures what students have learned at the end of a set of learning activities (need assessment that links assessment practices to learning theory)

Community-centered environments – People learning from one another and continually attempting to improve (“classroom as community, school as community… and larger community of homes, businesses, states, nations and even the world”). The idea is to promote a “sense of community” and the importance of “connected Communities” as an integral part of the learning environment. Classroom and School Communities- Establishing classroom norms is part of establishing community function. Traditional U.S. models of classroom norms are based on competition and having the right answer and sharing by talking. “Individual competition can impede learning when it conflicts with the ethic of individuals contributing their strengths to the community.” Classroom norms relate to culture of society. Japan places more emphasis on entire class, discussions of thinking behind wrong answers, and on listening as part of the entire class involvement. “Teacher learning communities” are an important aspect of this concept. Connections to the Broader Community – students spend 14% of their time in school and 53% in the community engaged in other activities. “Many recommendations for changes in the learning environment can be seen as extensions of learning activities that occur within families” (children learn by engaging with and observing others in shared endeavors). Including parents in classroom activities and planning; involvement in organizations and institutions outside school; connections to experts outside school; and presentations or exhibits to individuals or community groups are among strategies

Goals and expectations of education have changed over the last century. What is taught? How it is taught? How are students assessed? And what are the community connections? These questions should be answered in designing the appropriate environment for learning. The degree of focus on student centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, or community centered should shape unique learning environments for the future. Aligning these four perspectives has the benefit of overlap and mutual benefit, desirable characteristics for competitive communities.