Prakash Nair is speaking at Weeroona next Tuesday, (and all associate schools in the cluster are invited to send a staff member or two) so seemed good time to discuss his ideas on how new schools need to reflect changing cultural priorities and ideas of learning.
Of course all locals know that one of the key recommendations of the Bendigo Education Plan, which addresses learning needs for the future, is that the aging secondary colleges be rebuilt . and that this has been approved. But building a school that is future compatible…. how do you do that?
Prakash Nair, who has been consulting for the region, freely admits that he went through a phase of building lots of new schools along old lines, (that is, nice lighting and air con, but still fundamentally on the old model) when he was responsible for new schools in New York. He now describes this, with a touch of humour in his Indian accent, as the “cells and bells” model of schooling, which borrows from the industrial/ assembly line model of schooling.
So, how should a new school be conceptualised? Well – what trends are there in society? What do we know of learning theory? Here’s a little taste, an abridged version, of some of his material: 
what do you think? guess ... before clicking here to find out
so while these analytically based careers..
...were often the ideal goal (and gold) at the end of schooling .. in the 21st Century "Knowledge workers are a readily available commodity" (and these questions unsettle the old balance :
Can someone overseas do it cheaper? Can a computer do it faster? Is what I’m offering needed in an age of abundance? )
So, we move towards new priorities - : 
and he points out that where a Harvard MBA was once the most difficult course to enter, there has been a shift towards elite fine arts degrees, which are now the most sought after courses. .so, where does all this leave schools? hopefully rethinking philosophies and approaches : 
Moving away from the this theoretical background to the architecture (he is an architect), he has developed a nice “pattern language” for informally debating and capturing ideas, which removes he intimidation of full architectural drawings.
There's more to that than i can describe (or understand), but one sketch will give a little feel for it : 
There's a lot more to his ideas than all this ... he's much more into the implications of learning than you might expect an architect would be... (maybe more so teachers who get used to the "same old" world we inhabit)
more? : here's an abridged version of a presentation and some links :
http://fieldingnair.com/Publications/Summary.aspx http://prakashnairconsulting.com/
Rob,
A very interesting topic …. especially with all secondary schools trying to reinvent themselves in terms of Leading Schools Funding. The old classroom box model (industrial/factory model) no longer suits the needs for learning in the 21st century.
An interesting article here…
http://www.educause.edu/books/learningspaces/10569
“Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments …”
Comment by Darrel — September 8, 2006 @ 10:57 pm