January 6,2010

We have move into the newly renovated Dunbar Elementary. The desing of the building is very interesting. The classrooms are spacious with rather nice views of the city. There is an open indoor courtyard with a view of the prek and infant care area. The multi-purpose and gym is large and has some state of the art inovations. Of all the new buildings Ihave been a part of, this one is the most interesting and provacative.

The music and band rooms are not as spacious as others and rather bland in appearance, although the storage room in the band room in not only spacious but I can walk around in there and even have a small class in there. There are gray acoustic tiles around the walls. The music teacher and I were amazed at the sound throughout the room. The students are excited and eager to get started playing again. The layout of the building itself seems to get there attention. Next week I plan to tape a lesson in the band room and see how well they respond to a new situation.

I am beginning to see how design has an effect on learning and performance. Basically I am becoming increasingly aware of all the senses described in the book. Some of the are right on target and others are not. I look forward to going back tomorrow.