Episode #48: A Classroom Designed By (And For) Teachers

When you were a student — assuming you aren’t still one — did you ever imagine that your teacher lived at your school? Sometimes, educators can give so much of their time and energy (and occasionally their money) to their craft that it can certainly seem like a school is where they call home.

In reality, many teachers feel hamstrung at having to adapt their methods to their classroom facilities, working around inadequacies or equipment that doesn’t quite meet their own needs or those of their students.

What if teachers were invited to help design those same classrooms, though? Wouldn’t their input be a valuable asset in the learning process? Wouldn’t it ease their frustration and make them more effective at their critically important jobs? As this episode goes live, the Tennessee Aquarium is just one day away from opening a major addition to its downtown Chattanooga campus: The S.T.R.E.A.M. Learning center, supported by UNUM.

This new facility sits next door to the Ocean Journey and River Journey buildings and will act as the hub of the Aquarium’s previously decentralized educational efforts. Better still, its design was directly influenced by the educators who will be using it to teach and as a resource for professional development.

In this episode, we discover why we invited teachers to participate in the design process and how their input will impact the Aquarium’s long-standing role as an educational resource to so many.

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist and proud teacher’s son/brother-in-law
• Natali Rodgers, director of learning and evaluation
• Rachel Hargis, UNUM corporate social responsibility manager

Upcoming Episodes

• How to volunteer at the Aquarium and why you should
• Enrichment 101
• Using art to bring nature to life
• What it takes to raise fish babies

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.