Erdu Primary School pioneers small-class teaching in rural China.

 

The rigorous, decades-long rural-urban migration has led to a significant reduction of students in rural China. Small-class teaching, as an alternative model of child education, implies a reduction in the teacher-student ratio and an increasing opportunity for group activities among students.

 

In terms of layout, we proposed to break down the typical teacher office into smaller “satellite” offices and pair one with every two classrooms to form the primary module for space planning.

 

We further proposed to reduce classroom sizes from 45 students per class (typical in the city, as recommended by codes) to 36. The additional floor areas are given to the semi-outdoor “pocket” spaces, distributed along the corridors, where inter-class activities can take place.

 

Originally sited on some bodies of water, we designed a few bridges and flyovers to connect all the corridors into one continuous circulation system. Due to safety concerns, most of the bodies of water will be filled and replaced with landscaping.

 

The school is open since September, 2020.