I've a general question about re-modeling of our
physics classrooms at El Camino College. I've been
teaching at ECC for 20 years. I'm used to and
proficient with, as are my 3 colleagues, the classroom
setup as it now exists which is the typical
rectangular room, seating 30 in pairs at large (32"x
72") fixed desks. Each desk is complete with
individual gas, electrical, water, and separate D.C.
and unknown signal jacks connected to a central panel
in a preparation ("staging") area adjacent our machine
shop. The desks face a slate chalkboard on one end of
the classroom. We've lots of fixed demonstrations and
displays in each room and the rooms are largely
dedicated to a given course. The rooms are used for
both lecture and lab. It's a pretty nice situation.
We now have the opportunity to completely gut the
rooms and start over. We'll have an overhead
projection system, lan connectors at each desk,
individual power panels for each room instead of the
central panel we now have, new lighting, blackout
curtains, air conditioning, the asbestos tiles in both
the ceiling and floor will be removed...all good
things. But we are also under pressure to "think out
of the box" and go with desks arranged in groups so
students face each other in groups of 4, or with desks
that can be easily moved to increase classroom
"flexibility," to dispose of our slateboards and
replace them with whiteboards, to give-up the water
and sinks at each desk (and re-write several labs to
eliminate the water's needs),...
We'd sure appreciate any comments from anyone who has
had experience with such a project. What worked, what
didn't? Ideas?
Thanks! Leon Leonardo (lleonard@elcamino.cc.ca.us)
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