Designing Math Labs to Accommodate Advanced Standards and Technology

Abstract

A review of current facility design initiatives is replete with innovative ideas for cutting-edge public schools. Yet most mathematics classrooms appear to retain the traditional 'four walls and a blackboard" design. At the Roanoke Valley Governor's School, wefound such thinking to run contrary to our philosophy and the national goals and standards for mathematics teaching and learning. We designed special spaces for mathematics, drawing directly from current national standards for secondary school mathematics, both to serve our students andfaculty members better to demonstrate the type of innovation that would be transferable to traditional high school settings. As a result, we no longer have mathematics classrooms, only mathematics laboratories.

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