More than a Hallway
Few spaces are more overlooked than corridors. Once seen mainly as pathways for moving students from one room to another, they can now serve as powerful extensions of the learning environment.
By incorporating:
- Built-in seating
- Collaboration niches
- Intentional small group/study rooms
- Display areas for student work
- Natural light
- Technology access points
corridors can become places where students pause, connect, collaborate, and demonstrate their independence.
These moments of interaction may seem small, but collectively they contribute to a culture of belonging that supports both social-emotional development and academic success.
The Classroom Outside the Classroom
Today’s classroom has seen a shift from traditional instruction with a lecture/memorization format to an active exploration where students are guiding their own learning experiences. This active exploration thrives in a flexible space to support group collaboration.
When designing classrooms, Wight utilizes the square footage both inside and outside of the classroom to support this instructional shift. Understanding the importance of using every inch of a building to support students, Wight intentionally designs spaces just beyond the classroom walls that extend and support learning.
This flexible space allows for:
- Small group, personalized instruction
- Collaborations on projects
- Student choice in learning environments
- Presentation space
- Student interaction and connectedness
- A sense of community beyond the classroom
By extending learning beyond the walls of the classroom, these flexible spaces result in a more connected, engaging, and adaptable learning community to support today’s learner.
Learning Spaces Beyond the Building
Outdoor learning spaces provide students with the opportunity to take a break from the indoors and connect with nature without leaving campus. Research has shown that outdoor learning can improve student engagement, support social-emotional development, enhance concentration, and contribute to overall well-being. (Mann et al., 2022; Pulido et al., 2025)
An outdoor learning environment supports:
- Small-group collaboration and project-based learning
- Science, environmental, and STEM exploration
- Access to fresh air and natural light
- Cognitive reset throughout the day
- College campus preparation
While classrooms remain at the heart of learning, the spaces between them often shape the relationships, experiences, and sense of belonging that define a student's journey. Together, these spaces help create a high school where students are not only learning, but they feel seen, supported, connected, and inspired.
Because sometimes the most important learning happens in the spaces in between.
References:
Mann, J., Gray, T., Truong, S., Brymer, E., Passy, R., Ho, S., Sahlberg, P., Ward, K., Bentsen, P., & Curry, C. (2022). Getting out of the classroom and into nature: A systematic review of nature-specific outdoor learning on school children's learning and development. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 877058. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh....
