05-20-2021
Learning Futures: In the City
Even as we collectively navigate the short-term impacts of COVID-19 on our schools, we can now begin to ask what longer-term impacts this moment will bear. But the architecture of learning spaces will not change from any one pandemic alone; rather, it will evolve from the intersections between this pandemic and the many other equally urgent, equally existential problems we face. How has the pandemic illuminated issues of technology and access, equity, social justice, our relationship to the natural environment, and climate change? How has the pandemic exacerbated or obviated the questions facing the future of classroom design just one year ago?
A three-part series of roundtable conversations, convened by FXCollaborative in collaboration with the AIA National Committee on Architecture for Education, will pose these questions to educators, experts, and pedagogical innovators. Through these conversations, we can exchange ideas, compare notes, and imagine together how the design of schools might respond to the possibilities, uncertainties, and gravity of this historic inflection point.
On May 20, 2021, we held the second of the series, titled "Learning Futures: In the City." A recording of the webinar is below. The first session "Learning Futures: On the Ground" was held March 25, and the final conversation "Learning Futures: Across the Globe" is scheduled for July 15.
Webinar recorded May 20, 2021, presented by FXCollaborative in collaboration with the AIA National Committee on Architecture for Education. Featuring introduction by Austin Sakong, moderator Dennis Bisgaard, and panelists Jeremy Birk, David Stephen, and Elina Alayeva.
Learning Futures: In the City
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Time: 2-3 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
AIA Credit: 1.00 LU/HSW
Panelists
Jeremy Birk, Executive Vice President for Education, Spring Education Group
David Stephen, Founder, New Vista Design
Elina Alayeva, Executive Director, Springpoint
Moderator
Dennis Bisgaard, Interim Head, The Northwest School
More about the participants:
Jeremy Birk serves as Executive Vice President of Academics for Spring Education Group, a multi-brand network of private schools across the United States and internationally. Prior to Spring Education Group, Jeremy worked as a teacher, administrator and consultant in public and private schools and varied programs in the United States, Spain, Switzerland, Kenya, Rwanda, and Colombia. His firm belief is that schools must embrace a new paradigm that includes planning and design for emerging technologies, prioritizes personalization and real-world experimentation, and promote a passion for learning so that student can adjust in an ever-changing future. Jeremy holds a M.Ed. in Education Leadership from the Klingenstein Center, Columbia University (New York); M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Buffalo State College; and B.A. in History and English from the University of Michigan.
David Stephen's professional life straddles the worlds of education reform and architectural design. As an educator, he has partnered with some of the field's visionaries, working with schools nationwide to imagine, develop, and implement innovative curriculum and school programs. As a licensed architect, he has collaborated in the architectural programming and design of more than 100 forward thinking school buildings across the U.S. Not surprisingly, important and interesting connections happen at the intersection of these two disciplines. David founded New Vista Design in 2006, and has served as Co-Chair of Harvard Graduate School of Design's LEFT (Learning Environments for Tomorrow) Institute since 2012.
As Executive Director, Elina Alayeva sets Springpoint's strategic direction and oversees programmatic offerings, organizational growth, and partnerships. She has expertise in strategic planning, systems-level alignment, technology-enabled innovation, and student-centered school models. Prior to joining Springpoint, Elina designed and implemented a funding focus on innovative school models with Next Generation Learning Challenges. She focused on new designs for schools and systems at Carnegie Corporation of New York. As a Fulbright Fellow, Elina researched ethno-mathematics in community-run schools on First Nations reserves in Canada. She holds a B.S. in Engineering from The Cooper Union and a M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University.
Dennis Bisgaard's career in the US spans over 30 years, the past 16 as Head of independent schools at Kingswood Oxford, Whittle, Northwest, and next year Interim Head-elect at Friends School of Baltimore. Dennis, educated in Germany, Denmark, Canada, and the US, has served on the NAIS Board of Trustees as well as many other non-profits. For the past 20 years, Dennis has served as Executive Coach to school leaders and founded nationally recognized programs for educators of color. The proud dad of a recent NYU graduate and a high school junior, Dennis enjoys travel, his 10 siblings spread across the globe, and an active lifestyle.
A three-part series of roundtable conversations, convened by FXCollaborative in collaboration with the AIA National Committee on Architecture for Education, will pose these questions to educators, experts, and pedagogical innovators. Through these conversations, we can exchange ideas, compare notes, and imagine together how the design of schools might respond to the possibilities, uncertainties, and gravity of this historic inflection point.
On May 20, 2021, we held the second of the series, titled "Learning Futures: In the City." A recording of the webinar is below. The first session "Learning Futures: On the Ground" was held March 25, and the final conversation "Learning Futures: Across the Globe" is scheduled for July 15.
Webinar recorded May 20, 2021, presented by FXCollaborative in collaboration with the AIA National Committee on Architecture for Education. Featuring introduction by Austin Sakong, moderator Dennis Bisgaard, and panelists Jeremy Birk, David Stephen, and Elina Alayeva.
Learning Futures: In the City
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Time: 2-3 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
AIA Credit: 1.00 LU/HSW
Panelists
Jeremy Birk, Executive Vice President for Education, Spring Education Group
David Stephen, Founder, New Vista Design
Elina Alayeva, Executive Director, Springpoint
Moderator
Dennis Bisgaard, Interim Head, The Northwest School
More about the participants:
Jeremy Birk serves as Executive Vice President of Academics for Spring Education Group, a multi-brand network of private schools across the United States and internationally. Prior to Spring Education Group, Jeremy worked as a teacher, administrator and consultant in public and private schools and varied programs in the United States, Spain, Switzerland, Kenya, Rwanda, and Colombia. His firm belief is that schools must embrace a new paradigm that includes planning and design for emerging technologies, prioritizes personalization and real-world experimentation, and promote a passion for learning so that student can adjust in an ever-changing future. Jeremy holds a M.Ed. in Education Leadership from the Klingenstein Center, Columbia University (New York); M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Buffalo State College; and B.A. in History and English from the University of Michigan.
David Stephen's professional life straddles the worlds of education reform and architectural design. As an educator, he has partnered with some of the field's visionaries, working with schools nationwide to imagine, develop, and implement innovative curriculum and school programs. As a licensed architect, he has collaborated in the architectural programming and design of more than 100 forward thinking school buildings across the U.S. Not surprisingly, important and interesting connections happen at the intersection of these two disciplines. David founded New Vista Design in 2006, and has served as Co-Chair of Harvard Graduate School of Design's LEFT (Learning Environments for Tomorrow) Institute since 2012.
As Executive Director, Elina Alayeva sets Springpoint's strategic direction and oversees programmatic offerings, organizational growth, and partnerships. She has expertise in strategic planning, systems-level alignment, technology-enabled innovation, and student-centered school models. Prior to joining Springpoint, Elina designed and implemented a funding focus on innovative school models with Next Generation Learning Challenges. She focused on new designs for schools and systems at Carnegie Corporation of New York. As a Fulbright Fellow, Elina researched ethno-mathematics in community-run schools on First Nations reserves in Canada. She holds a B.S. in Engineering from The Cooper Union and a M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University.
Dennis Bisgaard's career in the US spans over 30 years, the past 16 as Head of independent schools at Kingswood Oxford, Whittle, Northwest, and next year Interim Head-elect at Friends School of Baltimore. Dennis, educated in Germany, Denmark, Canada, and the US, has served on the NAIS Board of Trustees as well as many other non-profits. For the past 20 years, Dennis has served as Executive Coach to school leaders and founded nationally recognized programs for educators of color. The proud dad of a recent NYU graduate and a high school junior, Dennis enjoys travel, his 10 siblings spread across the globe, and an active lifestyle.
