Poor Students, Bad Test Scores.
Sirus
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">Let's talk policies...or architecture ?</div> I've been researching the natural science of Feng Shui and was looking at geomancy when I stumbled across something that caught my attention. During 1997 a study by the ETS claimed that the amount of money spent on construction and maintenance of schools had little to do with test scores, any amount apparently was found negligible and they said conclusively, there was no connection.
However, as of late "a growing number of architects , educators and environmental psychologists now point to other research showing clear links between elements of design and student achievement " (Kate Zernike, "The Feng Shui of schools".
"In Capistrano, California, students in classrooms with the most daylight improved 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests over one year..."
"...In Fort Collins, Colorado students in classrooms with more daylight had scores 7-18% higher than those classrooms without daylight"
"In a California study, students in classrooms with windows that could be open progressed about 8% faster over one year than those classrooms with fixed windows, regardless of whether there was air conditioning"
If you have studied some of the elements of good design you would conclusively find the benefits of a variety of standards, daylight, fresh oxygen and temperature have all shown positive effects in classrooms, in addition to a variety of other healthier designs shown by a variety of institutions, ( United States Green Building Counsel // LEED 2.0 ).
In addition, a variety of shapes and sizes of classrooms and ceiling heights have all shown that they can and do have an effect on students. Safe and environmentally friendly paints and adhesives also have proved to provide better air quality that is usually destroyed by poisonous off gassing from toxic chemicals used in almost every building. Certain colors also provide a simplistic way to improve the surroundings, "Cool colors promote muscle relaxation and reduction in bloody pressure" "Bright colors stimulate brain activity and respiration".
Studies have also shown that attention from students start to fade when they are outside 12 feet from the speaker, a far cry from the minimum standard of 30 feet usually used. Even noise factor comes into play, a "time on task" factor is used in calculating the concentration levels, disturbing noise can usually be softened or blocked out completely with satisfactory materials and proper installation of windows.
So...while it's important that district policies are a concern, but perhaps we should go back and fix the catastrophe that is the development of thousands of schools, poor architecture of these schools that were predominantly made during the 60's are proving to be harmful to students.
However, as of late "a growing number of architects , educators and environmental psychologists now point to other research showing clear links between elements of design and student achievement " (Kate Zernike, "The Feng Shui of schools".
"In Capistrano, California, students in classrooms with the most daylight improved 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests over one year..."
"...In Fort Collins, Colorado students in classrooms with more daylight had scores 7-18% higher than those classrooms without daylight"
"In a California study, students in classrooms with windows that could be open progressed about 8% faster over one year than those classrooms with fixed windows, regardless of whether there was air conditioning"
If you have studied some of the elements of good design you would conclusively find the benefits of a variety of standards, daylight, fresh oxygen and temperature have all shown positive effects in classrooms, in addition to a variety of other healthier designs shown by a variety of institutions, ( United States Green Building Counsel // LEED 2.0 ).
In addition, a variety of shapes and sizes of classrooms and ceiling heights have all shown that they can and do have an effect on students. Safe and environmentally friendly paints and adhesives also have proved to provide better air quality that is usually destroyed by poisonous off gassing from toxic chemicals used in almost every building. Certain colors also provide a simplistic way to improve the surroundings, "Cool colors promote muscle relaxation and reduction in bloody pressure" "Bright colors stimulate brain activity and respiration".
Studies have also shown that attention from students start to fade when they are outside 12 feet from the speaker, a far cry from the minimum standard of 30 feet usually used. Even noise factor comes into play, a "time on task" factor is used in calculating the concentration levels, disturbing noise can usually be softened or blocked out completely with satisfactory materials and proper installation of windows.
So...while it's important that district policies are a concern, but perhaps we should go back and fix the catastrophe that is the development of thousands of schools, poor architecture of these schools that were predominantly made during the 60's are proving to be harmful to students.
Comments
I've noticed in some classrooms in my High School years. They seem simply oppressive. There's nothing directly offensive about them but they seem to squelch all creativity and enthusiasm for your work. Maybe it's just because we were studying VB at the time...
--Scythe--
I can pull up some more information about it later.
Architecture goes pretty deep nowadays, and there's a wealth of interesting information out there, I think the implementation of so many progressive and innovative ideas is fantastic, and it's exactly what I plan on doing in the future.
I'll just leave you with one of the the smartest things my father has ever said, and you should take it to heart: "Correlation does not represent causality."
I'm not saying that a color of a room will improve your intelligence, the whole science is based on efficiency, and the environment, you may have been able to work faster and more efficiently on your ACT because it was simply the best environment to do it in, as opposed to doing in a hot pink room, that's hot, no windows, and an airport nearby.
The rooms had NO windows. The layout was not unlike a few prisons I have seen.
1470 SATs
I think the correlation between architecture and grades has less to do with flow of ki and more to do with the fact that schools that may care about such things are able to afford better teachers.
edit: However I will say that lighted rooms and other such features definately cant hurt.
And what do you know! I score 39/40 on the Canadian National Mathematics League. Yup, 2nd place in Canada! (more like 7th, since 6 other people got 40/40). I wonder what I'll get this year... I'm in a classroom with 1 wall almost completely out of glass, overlooking a few trees and a 2-car parking lot.
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Ah the University of Queensland. So much concrete <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Hey, at least your department has a building. My faculty (history) was stuck in broom closets the part semester.
On topic, I like light. And is it small wonder that students fill outdoor areas at the uni to study?
At least you had broom closets! My CS classes of 600+ had to meet in the corridor!
It looks like an office building. There's windows all the hell over the place. Elevated glass walkways connect parts of the building. It's just downright a nice looking school.
I recently moved OUT of Naperville School district 203, one of the top school districts in the nation. I graduated from North High School, (Oddly, scoring top in sciences and 6th in math in the nation) and the school is rather... old? It isn't as old as central, which is blatantly gross, but consists of lots of brick architecture, narrow halls, small windows... interesting study.
my school couldnt afford to repair our nice large windows, so instead we boarded them up. only 80% of my class graduated, and only 25% of them went on to university. we had large hallways and well lit rooms, but im pretty sure the "atmosphere", which included my redneck friends with beating wounds from their parents had more to do with the outcome of our success.
They use to calculate by funding spent on the school, that proved inconclusive, however, light and clean air environments showed positive.
It's not to say it's the only factor, but it is definetly one.
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Ohh we dreamed of meeting in the corridor! Would have been a palace to us. We had to meet in the lake! Had to get to class by 6:00 am, clean the lake, go down to the student cafe and work 18 hours, for 50c, and when we got back, our lecturer would thrash us to sleep with his belt!