This year it has been interesting as teachers begin to explore the concept of 'Modern Learning Environments'. Recently opened schools look amazing - the spacious learning environments, the collaborative thinking the environment supports, the colour, the vast array of furniture. Gone are the traditional 'desks and chairs' - welcome to bar-height work stations, welcome to bean bags, welcome to learning pods and welcome to 'break out' spaces for those learners who prefer a quiet space. Welcome to a learning environment where children discover how they learn best and move themselves accordingly. Here at Te Kauwhata Primary we don't have the luxury of brand new purpose built modern learning environments but we do have the forward thinking and creativity of our students and teachers who are experimenting with new 'learning spaces' within their classrooms. So far we have a learning mai-mai, lots of bean bags, elevated stools and raised benches to work at, couches, sun-shelters as quiet learning zones ... to name a few ideas. Our school community has been very helpful, getting behind our quest and donating items - we are very grateful! These are exciting times that do require a shift in thinking from what we as school kids remember in our classrooms to the opportunities learners of today are exposed to. The following clips (posts below) demonstrate just how some of these modern learning environments are designed and what the children themselves have to say about them...in relation to their learning. As we move into our next 5 Year Property Agreement with the Ministry of Education it is very exciting to be thinking about all the possibilities we can consider with our existing buildings and spaces.