Snapshot
There’s No Place Like My Learning Space
October 2016 Presentation:
Not much has changed for the classroom learning space since the early 1900’s. Students are still passively sitting in individual desks in rows and the teacher is still in the front of the room. In order to prepare students for their future careers, classrooms need to shift to accommodate 21st century learning practices. This year, I plan to implement a collaborative classroom redesign with digital and interactive learning spaces. I will implement an active learning space by bringing in a standing height tables with a counter-tops that have dry erase capabilities. The students will have the option to sit on stools or stand to complete their activities using dry erase markers. A dry erase round table will also be added to the learning space to help promote collaboration among students and their peers. I will also include a digital collaboration station that has a dry erase table top as well as a TV connected to an Apple TV so that students can share their work with a larger audience as they work on their iPad. Students can also use this digital collaboration station to share their work products among groups in the classroom using the iPad as a wireless document camera. Once the digital and interactive learning spaces are constructed, I will be able to determine if implementing a collaborative classroom redesign made an impact on student engagement and achievement. For this study, students will complete a pre/post likert scale survey on a Google Form that will question their thoughts and feelings of how the new classroom design has impacted their learning. I will also make observations of the students in my classroom before and after implementing the classroom design. Data from the Google Forms spreadsheet will be used to analyze all data efficiently. In order to successfully implement a successful active learning space, I must also take into consideration not only the classroom learning space but also the use of technology as well as student centered activities. Any positive outcomes will be a combination of all necessary components for an active and engaged 21st century learning space.