Designing a 21st century Classroom

 








Which classroom would you like your child to be in?

This is the question we must ask ourselves as we look for answers to why our children are falling behind in the 21st century global competition. To compete in this competition, classrooms need collaborative learning, technology and a rich environment like the third picture towards the bottom. The picture shows a classroom where innovation and teamwork can occur. Where students can stand share ideas with one another the teacher acts as a facilitator. As I look at the other two pictures the scene is familiar: A teacher stands at the front of a room. Children sit in the center, their seats arranged in rows. There is a chalkboard, a wall map, and a teacher driven lesson. These are classrooms in 2010 and 1910.  Although the details may vary, school design has seen few changes in the past  hundred years.

Look at the difference when you add computer to this scene. When you see a projector, a SMART board. These items enrich a classroom. They are just the tip of the iceberg when designing a technologically-rich school for the 21st century. Don't get me wrong, 21st century learning means more than simply plugging in the equipment. Those items are only tools to help us for the real learning through computer networking, video conferencing. New approaches to learning make traditional classroom configurations impractical and obsolete. The schools of tomorrow are already exponientially changing to help us compete in the 21st century.

When watching Designing Schools for 21st Century Learning architect Randall Fleming took us through the idea process in how to create a 21st century school building. The ideas of more natural light through bigger windows, the option of a closed or open space through garage doors, making rooms comfortable and secure these are the elements that contribute to stimulation of the senses. His designs are well researched and developed to create a stimulus rich environment. The design of the environment being a part of the curriculum which enriches our senses to be innovative and creative is one that is used today in classrooms through word walls and centers. As he points out in the end of the video the factory job is becoming obsolete, as the world moves towards an innovative era we need to support 21st century learning to compete. His schools designs stimulate students to develop 21st century skills while feeling secure.

One eye opening realization I had during the video is when Randal discusses research on parents and babies. Parents put murals and mobiles over the crib to stimulate the baby’s environment to learn. Thinking about that idea I picture babies really interacting with their environment and learning from it. Transmit that idea to my classroom and I feel I need to create a richer more interactive environment to stimulate my students more.

No one knows for certain what the future in education will look like. But I know that with the ever increasing need for 21st century skills the only way to develop and enhance those skills is to choose classroom #3.