Who is better suited to redesign a school than the students that study there? Our grade 10 students just completed a project named 'Reimagining School Spaces.' While working on this project, the students had the opportunity to reimagine certain areas within the school. They used their creativity and real-life experience to further enhance their CA environment by creating attractive learning and community spaces on our campus.
Throughout the project, the students followed the Design Cycle, which consists of Inquiring and Analyzing, Developing Ideas, Creating the Solution, and Evaluating. As part of the Inquiring and Analyzing phase, they started exploring potential areas with need for redesigning around the school. Each Design team conducted surveys of the student body to drive their ideas. Also, our staff members enjoyed being involved in the project. The students interviewed staff members, asking questions such as 'how would you use the hallway differently if we transformed the space into a community space?' and 'what would you suggest to make the garden more appealing?' This was an excellent opportunity for the staff and the students to exchange opinions from different perspectives.
Once the students were confident about their redesigning ideas, the next step was to develop their ideas and visualize their ideas. The students created digital images abundant with color, showcasing user-friendly community spaces. The images of our ‘future students’ utilizing the redesigned spaces were truly fascinating!
'What is your idea to make the space feel even more spacious?' - 'We will be creative with lighting.' Presenting their idea was the final step of the project. The students spoke confidently, and alongside their beautiful slides, the presentations were professional. It made the audience, our staff members, want to learn more about their redesigning plans, and they asked lots of realistically aspirational questions. They also provided feedback so that the students could reflect on and evaluate their project. Evaluation is an important part of the Design Cycle.
The grade 10 students demonstrated how a lot of learning is connected with real life at Canadian Academy through this project, using their very own school building as a learning resource.