A learning environment will always be under construction, or at least it should be. Depending on the participants it can change within a short amount of time to accommodate the needs of the group. It must be pliable and workable. Unlike a laboratory, this dispensary of knowledge, must have tools of the trade but it also needs to be user friendly and accessible. A classroom must be stream-lined for learning and thus appear cluttered and disheveled due to usage. Scientists design their own work space. In order to conduct their experiments and dive deep into research they need their materials to be organized. Each device having its specific place, means both efficiency and regulation. Some teachers design their classrooms along the lines of a laboratory, these are often sterile and antiseptic leading to compliance and passivity. A student-centered classroom, however, must incorporate the demands and obligations of every student. A teachers persona should be apparent in the atmosphere, for me some quirk and oddity with a lot of nerd. But, ultimately it should look and feel like the personalities and charisma of my students. If it feels like I laid the foundation, that is a good thing. The bedrock of the space should have my fingerprint. But the scaffolding, framework and ultimately masonry should all be put into place by student hands. This not only reinforces their ownership but also creates a space they feel comfortable, motivated and energized to work and grow in.
It is our inclination as educators to make our classrooms feel inviting. We hang subject related posters, or inspirational quotes on the walls. We put our tubs of supplies where we feel they will be reachable and available. We set up our desks with our memorabilia and trinkets. We basically make our work space feel like home. We need to, to a certain degree, because we often spend as much time in our classrooms than we do in our own residences. It is a second home for many of us. But, I have been putting a lot of thought into this and when I put my stamp in too many parts of the room: I choose what is displayed on the surface, I create an isolated personal space in a corner of the room, I decide where to put the organizational containers, I OWN the space. I am merely an observer, the space belongs to my students. I have never had empty walls the first day of school. The room has always been designed and clean, sterile and antiseptic. This year I have a new plan. It is extreme and radical, but I am going to do it. For the good of my classroom community, I am going to begin the year with a blank slate. How am I going to do this?
I will keep my posters and decorations in the cupboard. I will keep my crates and drawers empty and stacked along the wall. I will have the teacher desk not isolated in a corner, but in the middle of the room: it is no longer my desk but a student exhibition and presentation lectern where they can sit to address the class. The framework for the EDISON board (see earlier blog post) will be up on the back wall, merely to inspire. When students walk in the first day of school, the room will not be set up. Each class will have 'control' over a section of the room: makerspace, organization, think tank/quiet center, softer side of seating/cushions and rugs, front wall/student "community board" (like a college bulletin board in the quad), and the back wall "lets collide with science" (a wall all about science). This way they control the flow of information and how they want to stay organized. Each six weeks we will rotate the location between class periods and this will keep the flow of the space malleable and fresh. All my posters and classroom items will be available to them but the choice of how to integrate them into the learning space will be all theirs. Ownership and responsibility both keystones to a student-centered classroom.
It is imperative that we believe. We must believe in our students the moment they walk into our classroom. When we give them the respect and trust needed in order to set up their own learning environment, this shows we have faith in them instantly. This will empower them to work collectively as a community to create a space that works for every student. It will build camaraderie and rapport, day one. We must also believe in the space. While some classrooms are small and awkward in dimension, others may be large science labs. Whatever the architecture, we must believe in the space. Use every nook and cranny to establish an active, authentic, intimate learning environment for our students. The walls of our academic arena should not be the ends or sides of a crate. They should not box us in. They should be an opening to the landscape of our students imaginations, windows not barricades. If the flow of the space is boundless, in constant motion with new ideas and an endless expanse of choices, students will continue on their journey with anticipation. In the immortal words of Gene Roddenberry, "space the final frontier," these are the adventures not of a star ship but of a commonwealth of learners. All we have to do as teachers, is to provide the implements, handover the command and equip the travelers with free will and let the odyssey begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment