New Learning: Characteristics Of An Innovative Classroom

by Terry Heick

Earlier than the concepts, let me preface this by acknowledging that many of those–if not most–aren’t possible in most school rooms and colleges.

I taught for years and tried to shoehorn concepts like this into my instructing, and it was rewarding however exhausting and finally resulted in my changing into a pariah in my very own faculty/district. I didn’t intend on ‘not being a group participant,’ however that’s precisely how concepts like these look to–effectively, to some individuals. I’ll go away it at that. (See additionally Teaching Disruptively.)

Since I’m not going to elucidate easy methods to accomplish these sorts of shifts (that’d be a e-book), although, I do check with a few of the posts I’ve created over time that elaborate on a few of these concepts. The aim of this submit, then, is to vaguely sketch the doable traits of an modern classroom.

You might disagree strongly with each single one, and that’s okay. These are all opinions and whenever you, as an educator, try to assist the scholars in your classroom develop, they might have wants that take priority over these–primary studying abilities, pupil group abilities, classroom administration, and many others. I get it. I solely wish to contribute to the dialog of how we would finally change school rooms the place its ‘administration’ is the first concern.

See Additionally The Elements Of A Literacy-Rich Classroom Environment

The large thought? Shifting the dialog from innovation for the sake of showing modern to innovation that’s sustainable, centered round individuals and communities, at a scale that truly works.

The Shifts And Traits Of An Modern Classroom

From Content material to Thought (see additionally Are You Teaching Content Or Are You Teaching Thought?)

From Strain to Sustainability (See additionally the Agrarian Learning Model.)

From Letter Grades to Microgrades (See additionally How Gamification Can Uncover The Nuance Of The Learning Process.)

From Information to Individuals

From Pressured Collaboration to Interdependence

From Certainty to Uncertainty (See additionally How To Teach For Knowledge Through Humility.)

From Direct Instruction to Inquiry (See additionally Alternatives To Lecturing In The Classroom.)

From Testing to A Local weather of Evaluation (See additionally 50 Formative Assessment Strategies.)

From Replication to Creation

From Massive to Small

From Rows to Studying Areas

From Linear to Spiraling (See additionally Learning Is Not Linear. Why Is Curriculum?

From Directors To Leaders

From Trainer-Led to Pupil-Pushed

From Faculties to Communities (See additionally The Characteristics Of A Good School.)

From Labels to Concepts

From Mastery to Citizenship (See additionally Examples Of Digital Citizenship.)

From Route to Navigation

From Formality to Fluidity

From Standing Quo to Disruption (See additionally How Disruption Causes Lasting Change In Education.)

From Stability to Mobility (See additionally 12 Principles Of Mobile Learning.)

From Certification to Utility

From Lecture rooms to Networks

From Educational Literacy to Essential Literacy (See additionally The Relationship Between Reading And Critical Literacy.)

From Prompting to Pupil-Initiated Switch (See additionally Showing What They Know: Categories Of Cognitive Transfer.)