Steelcase Education Announces 2017 Active Learning Grant Awardees

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Fifteen schools across North America will receive classroom redesigns as recipients of the 2017 Active Learning Center grant, announced today by Steelcase Education. In its third year, the grant program supports both teachers and students by creating an environment that encourages engagement, collaboration and creativity.

Traditional classrooms with immovable desks and chairs aligned neatly in rows lend themselves to rote memorization instead of active learning and collaboration. Each grant recipient will receive one of four classroom types valued at $65,000. Each room includes modern movable furniture and installation.

"Awardees were chosen because of a demonstrated commitment to active learning," said Craig Wilson, Director of Market Development for Steelcase Education. "Research shows that space impacts behavior and these classrooms will help a new group of teachers and students explore the learning possibilities an interactive space can bring."

In addition to installing new classrooms, Steelcase will provide training on the uses of the furniture in the new spaces. The recipients will have the opportunity to share research and learn from one another. Steelcase Education and the schools will also partner to conduct assessments and research on the impact of the newly designed space.

The awarded institutions include:

 

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Baylor School

Chattanooga, TN

Cal Poly Pomona

Pomona, CA

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Prescott, AZ

Mount Desert Island High School

Bar Harbor, ME

Nebraska Methodist College

Omaha, NE

Ni River Middle School

Spotsylvania, VA

North Seattle College

Seattle, WA

Park Center International Baccalaureate World School

Brooklyn Park, MN

   

Richard Henry Dana Middle School

Hawthorne, CA

The Claremont Colleges Library

Claremont, CA

The High School at Vancouver Island University

Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

Toms River High School North

Toms River, NJ

University of Massachusetts Boston

Boston, MA

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

These schools and universities were chosen from over 961 applications for their dedication to active learning. For more information on the winners, visit the Steelcase Education website www.steelcase.com/activelearningcenter.

Steelcase Education
As lifelong learners, Steelcase Education aims to make a difference in education. For students, educators and designers, the organization creates the most effective, rewarding and inspiring learning spaces. As a dedicated group within Steelcase exclusively focused on education, it brings evidence-based design, technology and innovative solutions to education environments, wherever learning happens.