Below is the current state of the library learning commons at Frank Hobbs Elementary in Victoria, BC. I am quite sure that I'm missing some crucial pieces, but Natalie McIlmoyle has done an absolutely terrific job cultivating a space where students feel welcome and encouraged to branch out and be themselves.
I worked at Frank Hobbs one day a week last year as a 4/5 classroom teacher, and unfortunately the students didn't get their library prep time while I was there. I'm close with Natalie and she's been a great mentor to me over the years that I've gotten to know her, so I'm excited to share this floor plan and her ambitions to take the FH elementary library to the next level.
Beyond the "emergency exit" at the top of the image is a sheltered courtyard area that currently sits vacant as a place for kids to play on decades-old hopscotch patterns if it happens to be raining outside. Frank Hobbs is blessed with an enormous field for students to play on, but the courtyard goes mostly unused.
Natalie has plans (and the support of her admin) to turn the courtyard into a covered kid-friendly workshop to take the learning to the next level. She has plans for a robotics lab and a woodworking craft area, where students can create with natural and found materials to create birdhouses, tiny houses, etc. There is support from the PAC and a bit of money to rewire the electrical. According to her description, the emergency exit itself would remain unhindered by the workshop in the area and nothing except for a little bit of construction would be needed to take it to the next step.
Works Cited
Pierce, Dennis. "3 Ways Mobile Technology is Transforming Learning Spaces." THE Journal. 25 August 2015. thejournal.com/Articles/2015/08/25/3-Ways-Mobile-Technology-Is-Transforming-Learning-Spaces.aspx. Accessed 11 July 2021.
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