2018 in Review: Four Top Posts in Education and Workplace Learning

As 2018 comes to a close, we leave behind a year of memories and thoughtful discussions on topics that impact our lives. We’re lifelong learners—from pre-k all the way up to when we enter the workforce and beyond—and we’ve seen a lot of new ideas and conversations about just what that means.

Are libraries an important part of the community?

Is an open office the best kind of office?

(The answers: “Yes, absolutely!” and “There’s slightly more to it than that…”)

We’ve enjoyed taking part in this dialogue and wanted to take a moment to reflect on the pieces we’ve shared that you have found the most important (based off of readership statistics) throughout the year.

The Top Five Benefits of School Consolidation

For the third year in a row, this piece examining the benefits school districts receive when merging has been the most read piece on our site. Dan Roberts, a former school superintendent, shares his perspective as an administrator leading a large multi-district consolidation. While every district is unique, his experience shows that the decision for neighboring districts to come together can help improve budgets and create a better experience for students.

5 Tips For Lunch and Learns that Truly Promote Workplace Learning

People want workplace learning to engage them and provide them with information that will help them flourish. In 2018, it was clear that people were excited by the idea of creating workplace “lunch and learn” sessions that provided something new, interesting and engaging. While learning can and should take place throughout the workplace and at any given moment in the day, lunch and learns can, when done properly, be a great way to engage the team in a new, interesting subject.

Balancing Act: Freedom, Transparency, Access and Safety in Schools

Safety is a prerequisite for learning. Full stop. In 2018, we’ve had to seriously consider how to make our schools safer. Ensuring that our schools are as safe as possible requires a comprehensive approach where potential solutions are examined from every possible angle. This includes design. This year, we spent time discussing—and you spent time reading—the ways where we can design and build educational facilities that limit bullying, improve safety and security, and maximize our students’ ability to learn.

What the Debate Between Open and Closed Offices Gets Wrong

For much of the latter half of 2018, business outlets have debated ad nauseam about the so-called back-and-forth debate over open offices and closed offices. Here’s a quick answer: there is no quick answer! As our director of strategic design, Brady Mick, explains, it’s flexibility in design that makes a good office rather than a strict adherence to an either/or scenario of “open” or “closed.” If you haven’t yet, read our thoughts on the matter and—hopefully—that’s one debate we can leave behind for the new year.

We look forward to continuing thoughtful discussions in the new year. If there’s a topic you want to see discussed in 2019, let us know by reaching out on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn!