“Class is in session!”
If you’ve ever played a pick up game at a community playground, these are familiar words. And while I’m still not entirely sure what they meant, I’m fairly certain the intent was clear: someone was about to teach the others a thing or two about whatever sport they were playing.
As I consider why at Acton we call our workspaces studios and not classrooms, I find this phrase ringing in my ears.
At the most basic level, a classroom is a place where a class is conducted. The image that comes to mind is a room full of desks in rows with students listening to a lecture while feverishly taking notes. It connotes a teacher in the front – the expert in the room – disseminating information while students receive the instruction.
Talk about ideal imagery for playground trash talk!
So if that is a classroom, what is a studio?
A studio is a place where important work is done, a place where someone passionate about a craft goes to get meaningful work done, to engage in deliberate practice as they hone their skills and produce something that matters. The image that comes to mind is an artist in flow state or a dancer fine tuning the nuances of her technique.
Consider for a moment what defines an Acton workspace:
- Hands-on Quests where learners design and build real-world solutions—coding robots, creating hydropowered water wheels, solving forensic mysteries, and more.
- Collaborative feedback circles where learners critique writing and creative projects to exhibit before authentic audiences.
- Focused core skill practice to strengthen foundational academics through deliberate effort and measurable growth.
- Accountability squads that meet regularly to set goals, track progress and challenge one another to pursue excellence.
So why do we have studios and not classrooms? Well…at the most basic level, I just don’t think the word classroom fits. Our studios are a place of exploration, discovery, and meaningful work. They are where our young heroes take on real world problems as they develop the skills they will need on their journey to change the world. And from that perspective, the word classroom just won’t do.
Warmly,
Kristy