Designing for
Small Learning Communities
Anthropological studies have found that humans can only feel like they are part of a group if there are less than 150 people in the group. The best way to organize large schools is to plan for Small Learning Communities (SLCs) of no more than 150 students with each SLC having its own shared resources. Grade-based SLC's are typical for elementary schools, but some schools do mix grades. For middle school and high school, SLC's can be grade-based or theme-based. The shared resources can consist of Outdoor Learning or an Indoor Learning Commons used for project-based learning and dining.
Nearly all CCUSD’s campuses have multiple classroom buildings that are either “finger” buildings or “corridor” buildings. Because the learning model has changed considerably from the time period when these buildings were designed, they are inadequate for future-ready learning:
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Not all activities and learning styles are supported
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Collaborative and project work is difficult
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Opportunities for teacher collaboration are limited
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Spaces for different group sizes and differentiated learning are limited
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Accommodating future change is extremely challenging
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Because most elementary campuses have multiple finger buildings, and Culver City Middle School and Culver City High School have multiple corridor buildings, please click the corresponding primer before reading the renovated small learning community for each grade level.