Randy Fielding | Designing Schools Where Learners Thrive: An Alignment Journey
July 27, 2022
This episode
features Randy Fielding, an Architect and Founding Partner of
Fielding International, an interdisciplinary architecture and
education firm that designs schools where learners
thrive.
Randy has authored more than 50
publications and received numerous design awards, including the top
two International awards in school planning and design: Planner of
the Year and the MacConnell Award from A4LE. Randy’s work is grounded in research, which he
has shared globally as the co-author of The Language of School
Design: Design Patterns for 21st Century Learning.
He is also the Creative Director
for
SchoolPatterns.com, which Fielding International launched in 2021
to create a shared language and library that is accessible to all.
More than 70 Design Patterns illustrate key ideas in school design,
with problem and solution statements, an image gallery, and links
to learn more. The power of these Patterns are brought to life in
15 recent articles at Getting Smart, including
6 Elements of Thriving
Learners,
Personal Space for Safety,
Wellness and Autonomy,
and
How to Design a
Learning Commons, all
at
gettingsmart.com/author/randy-fielding.
In this podcast, Randy will
discuss the importance of aligning a Learning Ecosystem: the dynamic
cross-section between a school’s vision (what it is aiming to
achieve for its students and community), its educational program
(how a school functions to achieve that vision), and its social and
physical environment (culture and places where the program is
delivered).
Rethinking the approach to
visioning and design has never been more important. He will share
how school communities around the globe are, more than ever,
recognizing misalignments between their aspirational vision for
thriving learners and their learning environments; and, how a new
tool Fielding International developed has reshaped the visioning
and design process to be more effective and efficient in creating
vision-aligned learning environments.