Fort Dodge
Middle School
Early in the design process for this middle school, participatory workshops resulted in abandoning the idea of traditional classroom in favor of a new student-focused learning environment. Each learning environment (known as a learning community) is comprised of several learning centers and houses approximately 150 students.
At the fifth and sixth grade levels the learning communities each house six learning centers, including science studios. At the seventh and eighth grade levels the learning communities each house five learning centers, including one science lab. In addition, each learning community offers spaces for specialized learning and teacher collaboration. At the center of each learning community is a common space that offers opportunities for individual, small group and large group learning.