School of The Future Design

As architects, we always ask a deceptively simple question: does the future need schools? As we look 20, or 50 years into the future, will today's "school" still be relevant? Several education authorities and clients said yes, but many others said no. The future will find its form anyway, whether there are schools or not. But I guess when you say future, you think of an acceptable future for humankind. I think the future of humankind does not need schools, but how?

So on a individual scale school is a disasterous invention for many people (people being paid to do the job, convinced it is their responsibility to make others learn; as well as students, convinced they need these paid adults to learn in order to succeed in life). Everybody is unhappy in their role and I think it does not help people to get the best out of their lives. So I think for the future of the individuals involved the best thing would be to quit, like deciding to break up a marriage that does not work. Back to the future of human kind. Schools will fail; the educational system will implode, topple over; too much weight on a deficient foundation. So I think it is time we start to think about what comes next. Not democratic education. Democratic education (I have been working in democratic education for the last 15 years) is a way to wake people up, but it is not the future. It is a step towards the grave of the educational system, but it will not carry us far into the future.

The question should be; "in the future, what role will the school play in preserving and building our society?" There will always be a 'need' for schools- 10 years, 20 years, 50 years and beyond. Humankind is inherently social. It's built into our DNA. From its very foundation, schools have served the role of providing a social setting through which children could learn how to assimilate into a broader society. Initially, it centered around teaching the '3r's' at a level sufficient to allow them to capably interact in a marketplace and be self-sufficient. School buildings weren't necessary. What happens in that 'place' will be different from what we call a school today. This new place will need to provide socialization opportunities; aided by facilitators and experts in this area. This brand-new place will provide opportunities for learning, learning in ways beyond simple 'sit and git' as well as beyond 'stare, glare and prepare.' This place called school will include planned opportunities for children (and adults in need of retooling) to collaborate on areas of particular interest. It will be a place where community resources will be found, available and used. It will be a place to share, build and grow ideas that will lead to a better society and world to live in. So, does the future need schools? Yes, just a lot different!

Leveraging a user centered design process, we work with school teams to collaboratively reinvent the future of teaching and learning. Partner with our experts to develop concrete plans for bringing your dream into reality through: