An experimental learning space at the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, Calif., was created with agility in mind. Equipped with highly mobile, flexible, and technology-enabled furniture from Bretford, the Idea Lab—or “iLab” for short—is like a blank slate for learning. Each time the space is used, the teacher and/or students decide how it will be configured—and teachers overwhelmingly notice that their students’ energy picks up dramatically when they enter the space.
A private day school for students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, Hillbrook has equipped each middle school student with a tablet computer they can take home as well. As Hillbrook leaders saw how these mobile devices changed teaching and learning, they began thinking differently about the learning spaces as well.