Adapting Modern Iraqi School Designs to Integrate Active Learning Environments

Many studies have addressed the challenges facing the traditional educational environment in Iraq's schools, which nega-tively impact the quality of education. However, these studies have not focused on the requirements of adopting active learning methods in school designs in Iraq. This paper aims to identify how active learning concepts can be incorporated into the design of future schools and provide recommendations for adapting existing schools to align with these learning methods. The study employed a two-stage methodology: (1) extracting the dominant design characteristics of active learning schools, and (2) conducting field visits and expert interviews to analyze the designs of a case study of recently constructed Chinese loan schools in Mosul. The design characteristics of the school layout, interior design, corridors, classrooms, and the exterior spaces of the active learning school were compared with four case studies of Iraqi schools to determine the possibility of adapting their features to accommodate active learning activities. The findings revealed that there is a need to enhance the design of current schools to support active learning methods. Key recommendations in-clude avoiding linear layout and enclosed courtyards in school planning, maximizing the use of all spaces, and designing flexible, multifunctional corridors. The paper also emphasized the need to increase the informal learning spaces outside classrooms. It recommends replacing traditional classroom layouts with flexible configurations that incorporate movable partitions to provide greater functional flexibility and reorganizing outdoor spaces to support both learning and recrea-tional activities.