Digital Age Learning Environment
Question: What does an ideal middle school blended learning environment look like?
The following image reflects the "Look Fors" in an ideal middle school blended learning environment:
There are eight in particular that really stand out when it comes to student-centered learning environments:
- High degree of student engagement; challenge, enthusiasm, joy - Joyful learning coupled with purposeful challenge makes a classroom a truly incredible place. The laughter and engagement flows through the classroom.
- Students know what they are learning and why - Students should know what they need to do to accomplish a project or a task. The project should be personalized and students should be able to work at their own pace.
- Blend of individual, collaborative team and large group work - Classrooms should be designed, both in structure and in instruction, to be a blend of individual and team work.
- Students use personalized technology to produce as well as consume - Student-centered learning demands students spend at least some portion of their day working on personalized learning tasks or projects. Personalized learning should also be meaningful and connected to the real world.
- Students have some opportunity to work at their own pace and explore their own interests - Exploring student interests is core to a great student-centered environment. Students should also explore these interests at their own pace.
- Students are doing the bulk of the work and the talking - Students ideas and voices are front and center in student-centered learning environments. Teachers, aka Facilitators, get students started and guide their learning, but allow for lots of student discussion and work time.
- There are multiple forms of assessment, feedback and demonstrations of learning - Student-centered learning environments provide for lots of feedback. Students get individual feedback as well as group or team feedback.
- Instruction, culture and environment reflect and include student and staff diversity - Students see themselves in their learning space and their cultural strengths are highlighted throughout their learning day and in the physical school environment.