Updates to three classrooms in Norman Hall are changing the way future educators are learning.
Private donations and matching funds totaling more than $30,000 have allowed UF’s College of Education to renovate the three rooms, marking the beginning of renovations the building will see over the next three years, said Glenn Good, the dean of the college. The college plans on using $28.5 million for construction, which will start at the end of next Spring.
“We aspire to be a top-three college of education,” Good said. “We’re hoping that renovated spaces will allow us to do even greater work.”
Private donations from donors like the Robert S. and Mildred M. Baynard Charitable Trust have funded the new classrooms and made a difference for teachers and students who use the rooms, said Ester de Jong, a professor and the director of the School of Teaching and Learning.
The renovated classrooms feature new furniture that can easily be arranged, allowing collaborative work between students, de Jong said.
“One of my goals is to replicate in our classrooms what we want our future teachers to be doing in their classrooms,” she said.
She said the most exciting pieces of furniture are the pods, chairs with movable desks and swivel seats.
“According to students, the best feature on the pods is the cup holder,” de Jong said.
Originally built as P. K. Yonge K-12 Laboratory School in 1932, Norman Hall currently houses the UF College of Education.
