In my opinion, the top 3 elements of a 21st Century Classroom are:
1) Daily use of technology by both teachers and students. Students are surrounded by technology in their daily lives. If we are going to keep their interest and motivate them we must use the tools that are a part of their lives and will keep them hooked on learning.
2) Collaboration between teacher-student and student-student to solve real world problems. Students are no longer interested in getting good grades just to get good grades. It is a challenge to get them to buy in. Teaching them skills to deal with real world problems and modeling how to solve them and work with others prepares them for real life. Whether it is creating their own wiki page with another student or researching possible solutions to an international problem – by making it a personal experience where they are responsible for solving/addressing an issue, they are more likely to work toward a goal.
3) Opportunity for students to direct their own learning. Back to the motivation piece I mentioned earlier. I believe that in order for students to take a vested interest in their learning, they should be a part of the process. Students don’t necessarily decide what they will learn, but how they best learn and form a plan from that. Based on their own individual learning styles, they should be able to choose from a list of activities one that would best demonstrate their understanding of content/help them retain content.
What kind of learning environment do I want to create for my students?
I want to create a learning environment where students are challenged on a daily basis; a place where students learn to ask questions and have the tools to discover their answers. My intention is not to shirk my part as the teacher, but I’d like to see myself as more of a guide to direct their learning and push them to be motivated and set high goals for themselves.
What resources do I have to help me create the learning environment?
I have a great resource in a co-worker who designs her lesson plans around her student’s learning styles, a technology director that is always willing to help me try new things and co-teach with me when asked and a librarian who is amazing at pulling together resources. There is ample technology (laptops, iwrite board, smart boards, and video cameras) available in my building to make this kind of environment a reality.
