The effect of open designed elementary buildings on traditional patterns of instruction

Statement of the ProblemThe purpose of the study was to determine if traditional patterns of instruction have been altered as a result of open design in the construction of elementary school facilities. Answers to the following questions were sought through investigation. Do open design elementary buildings guarantee changes? Do open design elementary buildings actually contribute to a lesser degree of flexibility? Do open plan programs provide continuous growth and open endedness in instructional activities?Procedure UsedTen open designed elementary schools were selected as project schools for the study. The criteria for selection included a minimum of two months of operation for the program, uniqueness of building with respect to design and flexibility and uniqueness of program with respect to grouping and instruction. Data were gathered from literature, research and in the field. Persons interviewed included principals, teachers, custodians, guidance counselors, cafeteria personnel and school secretaries. A separate two section presentation of data was made for each sample school. A brief introduction for the sample schools was followed by an equipment description and concluded with general observations.FindingsFurniture and equipment play a major role in promoting the movement of students and working toward individualizing instruction. Carpeting was the floor covering chosen in nine of the ten schools. Carpeting appeared to be imperative in order to provide for a more informal climate of learning.Grouping across age and grade levels allowed for a more homogenic group. Open designed buildings provided the impetus for experimentation as gleaned from the study as every school in the sampling was involved in some type of experimental program. Media centers played a major role in grouping for instruction as personnel and students must have multi-grade level materials for grouping to be successful. Professional and non-professional personnel must work together toward facilitating learning and not just dispensing learning.ConclusionsOpen designed elementary buildings for northern and central Indiana school districts do not guarantee changes in program from the self-contained classroom arrangement. However, the buildings and programs studied provided evidence to support the position that experimentation with different types of student grouping is facilitated by open designed elementary buildings.Open design elementary buildings contribute to a greater degree of flexibility than the self-contained classroom arrangement. Nine of the ten schools in the study were carpeted, which encouraged teachers with groups of students or with individual students to organize learning activities almost anywhere in the facility. In buildings using the tote tray arrangement, students were allowed more freedom because the materials were readily movable. Evidence provided by observation in the study revealed that choice of equipment and materials are important contributions to instructional flexibility.Open plan programs can provide continuous growth and open-endedness in instructional activities. Observations conducted in the study provided the students with a multi-media center. Although maximum utilization was not observed in all cases, generally, the multi-media centers included a large variety of materials which could foster continuous growth and open-endedness in the instructional program. All nine schools with multi-media centers also provided the students with wet carrels, including filmstrip viewers, which contributed further to the opportunity for providing open-endedness and continuous growth in the instructional program.Thesis (Ed. S.