"Collaborative learning models are proving successful in improving student engagement and achievement, especially for disadvantaged students (Adams et al., 2016 pg. 12). This mid-range trend is something that I already see happening in classrooms across the globe. By providing opportunities for cooperative learning for our students, we are allowing them to explore beyond their own knowledge, with the assistance of others. This provides a hands-off approach for the instructor, allowing for them to be the facilitator of learning. It hold students accountable and requires them to think beyond their normal level of thinking. It also allows students to learn by doing and apply the skills that they are learning in a collaborative and constructive way. "Student learning is optimized when experiencing a blend of cooperative and individual work" (Adams et al., 2016 pg. 12). Through this combination, students will have a good balance of individual and collaborative learning assisting in their subject matter knowledge and success.
"Today, student-centric pedagogies are being embraced to better prepare learners for the future workforce, and new approaches to classroom design are supporting this shift" (Adams et al., 2016, pg. 8). This has been something of high curiosity for me in the past few years. I have heard about, read, and explored flexible seating options and have experienced the impact that classroom design can have on students. I am hopeful for this long-term goal to be brought into not only the classroom, but be supported at a district level. If superiors realize the benefits that come from the importance of classroom design, they will be able to assist educators in the best classroom design for their subject area. Classroom design can have such an impact on the overall classroom environment, engagement of students, and overall learning. At the beginning of the school year, I kept my classroom the same as I had it the previous year, having two, large U-shapes with the 14 tables that I have. This worked well for me last year, as my class sizes were considerably smaller. This year, however, with all tables full, I noticed my classroom management was being challenged and it was a constant battle against chatty students. I knew my classroom design and set-up was a part of the problem, so I made a change. Now, I have eight pods consisting of two tables facing one another and all of the pods are angled towards the front of the room. There is more room in the classroom and I have noticed an increase in engagement and a decrease in classroom management issues. The increase in the amount of space has allowed for a more productive and collaborative environment for my students overall and within each pod. Classroom design is something that should always be considered and will be different depending on the subject and grade level. I see these two technology trends as the most relevant to my own classroom and are aspects of teaching that I consider and evaluate frequently. Through teacher, peer, and administrator collaboration, educators will be able to create a classroom design that best fits the goals of their learning environment and provides a collaborative atmosphere for students to engage in meaningful learning with one another. References: Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, A., & Yuhnke, B. (2016) NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
6 Comments
Alaka Pradhan Ed Tech 542
1/29/2017 10:34:12 pm
Ally:
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Ally Gilin
1/30/2017 08:24:36 pm
Interesting question...what I meant by chatty students was specifically irrelevant, shout at your friend across the room, type of chat that caused a disruption to the learning environment. I feel as though the new set up allows for improved productive communication and allows me to better monitor the discussions by being able to walk around the room more effectively and better re-direct when conversations stray away.
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Ryan Colley
1/30/2017 07:02:09 am
Hi Ally,
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Ally Gilin
1/30/2017 08:27:49 pm
I definitely agree with that benefit! I feel like it allows for more accountability for students even though you are still there to guide and assist them as necessary.
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Jennifer Miller
1/30/2017 11:36:46 am
Allowing students to use their own skills and "think out of the box" is an area that we need to start encouraging in the early years of elementary. Do you feel as if every student benefits from the rearranging of the classroom or are there students that get lost in the shuffle?
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Ally Gilin
1/30/2017 08:30:56 pm
I can't speak for all of my students, but I do believe that it was a positive change for a majority of students. Students were curious as to my reasoning for the change and I feel as though that in itself allowed them to be more engaged. In order to avoid students getting lost in the shuffle I will change up their seats again this year so that the student hiding in the back isn't allowed to do just that.
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AuthorReflection blog for Master's in Educational Technology course EdTech 541 at Boise State University. Archives
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