Students visit the “campfire” to hear a story at Northern Beaches School in Sydney. Visit vimeo.com/49879366 to take a video tour of the school and see how educators are creating learning spaces that personalize and differentiate instruction.
Campfires, Caves and Watering Holes
David Thornburg identifies three archetypal learning spaces— the campfire, cave, and watering hole—that schools can use as physical spaces and virtual spaces for student and adult learning.
Campfires
The campfire is a space where people gather to learn from an expert. In the days of yore, wise elders passed down insights through storytelling, and in doing so replicated culture for the next generation.
In today’s schools, the experts are not only teachers and guest speakers, but also students who are empowered to share their learning with peers and other teachers
The campfire is a space where people gather to learn from an expert. In the days of yore, wise elders passed down insights through storytelling, and in doing so replicated culture for the next generation.
In today’s schools, the experts are not only teachers and guest speakers, but also students who are empowered to share their learning with peers and other teachers
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Caves The cave is a private space where an individual can think, reflect, and transform learning from external knowledge to internal belief. Schools have both posters and places to encourage this private individual time. |
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Watering Hole
The watering hole is an informal space where peers can share information and discoveries, acting as both learner and teacher simultaneously. This shared space can serve as an incubator for ideas and can promote a sense of shared culture |
