21st+Century+Learning+Environments

=__21st Century Learning Environments__ =

Since the beginning of the new millenium, the demands on student and teacher learning outcomes have changed. The spaces within which this new learning occurs is designed to foster interdisciplinary learning, collaboration, student-directed learning and lessen disruption between learning. Chism (2006, p.24) defines 21st Century Learning environments as ‘environments that provide experience, stimulate the senses, encourage the exchange of information, and offer opportunities for rehearsal, feedback, application, and transfer." These he says are the most likely to support learning (Chism 2006, p.24).

The architecture, spatial planning and furniture are crucial in creating effective 21st century learning environments. Class ‘rooms’ are being built as open spaces, with glass walls and windows that make a community of learners, including teachers, students and adults, visible. Learning spaces are at least double the size to allow greater numbers of students and learning leaders to support and work together.

In one example by Pearlman (2011), the traditional individual table and chair set up is replaced by work tables and rolling chairs. Student collaboration is supported with the use of tables that can be put together for project work, seminars and student-teacher conferencing, constructed around student “need to knows”. Schank (1999) suggests that students have three key work modes, one at the computer, another to facilitate talk with others and a third for creating. These modes thus require a change in learning environments to work; environments focused on collaboration and hands-on project work.

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Indeed, in New Zealand classrooms are being replaced with learning spaces that have a 'middle of the ground' gathering place, where students can work together and various work stations are located around the perimeter (MoE, 2005). More importantly, technology is dispersed through all learning spaces, rather than 'computer labs' or 'digital classrooms'. The Ministry of Education outline the key reason for this as to support individually based learning and co-operative learning via connectedness.

Gareth Long (2010, p.124) describes such new learning environments as being agile; spaces that can be used across curriculum without the need for student/teacher movement and catering for a variety of teaching styles. Areas that were once used for large group teacher directed instruction, are slowly moving towards small group instruction where students are work cooperatively together. This, he explains, will favour project-based learning rather than discipline-based learning.

These advances toward student and project-based learning are becoming a reality. The Ministry of Education predicted in it’s 2005 ICT review that in the next five to ten years self-directed learning environments would emerge in new New Zealand schools where teachers were facilitating student directed learning, rather than acting as teachers. This trend is having an impact on the way schools will have to be designed now and in the future.

Even the word 'classroom' has become outdated. “Classrooms are out! No more classrooms! Don’t build them,” exclaimed Roger Schank the founder of the Institute for Learning Sciences at Northwestern University (Fielding, 1999). New innovators of 21st Century environments are changing the language of classrooms to remove the “mental model”. For example, educational architects Prakash Nair and Randall Fielding of DesignShare and Fielding Nair International, based in the US, have influenced new school design and the language of design all over the world, including here in New Zealand.

New era of learning environments are now more likely to be called project-planning rooms, breakout rooms, outdoor learning spaces and individual learning pods. Otago-based Remarkables Primary School, for example, is adopting this new language from Nair and Fielding. Examples are set out below:




 * Multiple intelligence - Allows for different work modes
 * Studio - Allows for a different work modes
 * Campfire - Allows for collaboration
 * Watering Hole - Allows for small group work
 * Cave - Allows for self-study (solitary work and reflection)

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nair (n.d) describes the philosophy of noted educator Roger Shank, “We should spend 1/3 of our time at the computer, 1/3 talking with others and 1/3 making something.” These learning spaces allow information to be absorbed in a variety of modalities, cave, campfire and watering hole. It's important that our school designs incorporate these learning spaces now and in the future.