“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”―Maria Montessori

Learning Studio: A Mixed Bag of Definitions and Functions

The term, ‘Learning Studio’ has an ever growing number of definitions within the K-12 education community to describe a new type of classroom or learning space.

The concept of a learning studio is actually more about the curriculum driving the pedagogy, than say flexible furniture and mobile devices. State and national standards continue to move from standardized testing to a focus on an individual student’s performance and participation in project-based and inquiry-based learning. As K-12 curriculums embrace, “learning by doing,” then many educators feel we also need to change traditional classroom designs to better optimize “hands-on learning.” 

A Working Definition of Learning Studio

Here, a K-12 Learning Studio is a hybrid classroom designed for student inquiry, projects, creation, collaboration, movement and wellness. Furniture and technology within the space are mostly mobile and modular to form a variety of *micro learning spaces.

*Micro Learning Spaces are smaller areas within a learning studio equipped with specific furniture, technology, and materials to facilitate individual or group work.

For Example, a Learning Studio Made Up of Micro Learning Spaces

Here’s a sample 960 sq. ft. floor plan I sketched up several years ago showing a variety of micro learning spaces within a learning studio. In California, 960 sq. ft. is the 1st – 12th grade minimum requirement for a classroom size that is often the standard for new school construction.

One Hard Rule

The one hard rule about learning studios, is NOT to have one concept to what a learning studio is and how it should function. My focus is to see how we can all learn from each other about creating different kinds of learning studios. I have my ideas to share here, that I have either developed myself or learned and incorporated from other people’s ideas into my work.

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