Norma Rose Point School (NRPS), located in Vancouver, BC, on the traditional lands of the Musqueam, neighbour to the University of British Columbia, consists of both a K-5 and a Middle School. The school is based on the research presented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) 7 Principles of Innovative Learning, research that guides the development of learning environments for the 21st century. Our school changes the way students and staff experience learning.

In the Spring of 2010, during NRP’s design phase, a series of workshops focusing on 21st Century School Design were organized by the Vancouver School Board (VSB). The process began with a district-wide workshop, Learning in the Creative Age, introduced by VSB’s Superintendent and facilitated by Fielding Nair International, who challenged participants to imagine new ways to connect the best educational practices and ideas with current school design concepts.

The result . . . Norma Rose Point School (est. September 2014), where learners are at the centre and where learning is organized in communities of learning spaces accommodating 72 – 120 learners in each pod. Teachers share the space, plan together, and teach together in support of differentiated instruction, collaboration and inquiry based learning.  These elements are highlighted in the videos below.

This introductory video, produced by Digital Cyclops, features staff, student and parent voices:

This next video, produced by Fielding Nair International, highlights how the school is designed to impact student learning.

Finally, a feature on embracing diversity and competency based learning.