Over the past several weeks, three of the classrooms at Chicago Bulls College Prep in Chicago have undergone a major transformation under the ‘Flip This Classroom’ project.
Over 20 Chicago-area firms including architects, interior designers, contractors, distributors, and manufacturers, donated their products and services to make the project possible at Chicago Bulls College Prep.
The purpose of Flip This Classroom is to demonstrate that classroom environments impact student performance in an urban setting. Illinois-based Legat Architects, in partnership with Henricksen and America’s Schoolhouse Council, contributed architectural design and furniture plans for the Flip. Architects and interior designers from various firms swapped keyboards for paintbrushes. Dull white walls have been revitalized into a soft warm white, while a vibrant accent colour defines teaching walls.
The colours and materials are selected to energize the space and help the students focus on learning. Lively carpet tiles replace faded and chipped linoleum flooring. In the Chicago Bulls theme room, red stripes highlight the charcoal-coloured carpet tiles, and desks with red chairs to configure easily to support different learning styles.
New donated interactive marker boards improve student learning with hands-on interaction and media-rich lessons. Roller shades give students outdoor views, but allow for control of natural light. Electronic ballasts enable the right type and amount of light, allowing students to focus on the task at hand.
In the coming semesters, Chicago Bulls College Prep will monitor student progress to determine how the revitalized classrooms impact student achievement, behaviours, and attitudes, as well as teacher morale.
