If I had to go back in time, and create my own learning environment based on what I know about education today, I would probably change many things. For the purpose of this blog and relevance, I will use the context of the resources and technologies available today.
To begin with, I was a fairly independent learner who was able to pick up concepts very quickly. Part of my independent learning may have been that I was at a different level than my class peers, probably due to having two teachers for parents! As a result, I found myself doing the bulk of group work in class or working by myself. I believe that my learning could have been greatly enriched by designing my learning environment in the following ways:
Primary
I believe that many of the structures set in place for today's primary classrooms remain valid and essential to learning. Play-based learning with centres and many activities encourages the development of social skills as well as creativity and inquiry. I would have an environment that was rich with different things to play with and experience. I would also have some guided activities to help broaden the range of experiences. Games, role plays, physical activities, as well as structured time for reading and numeracy would be essential.
Although many groups advise against screen time for youth, I am a child of the digital revolution and learn very well through digital mediums. Being that this is 'my' learning environment, some of my learning of literacy and numeracy would be done through the use of apps and technology supports. In this way, I could continue my learning whenever I wanted outside the classroom as well.
Image source: https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3055/2799242490_e3d41f218a_b.jpg
Intermediate / Secondary
After whetting my many interests in my primary years, I would probably design my environment as a blended, flipped classroom. I can lose focus easily while waiting for re-explanations and questions I already know the answer to. I also hate wasting classmates' time by asking my own personal clarification questions. For example, one thing in particular that hinders my learning is my constantly wandering mind. My thoughts always seem to go on tangents and by the time I'm back, I've missed a bunch. Being able to consume the material at my own pace and come together with peers to put the knowledge to use would benefit me as a learner, because ideally, everyone would have consumed the material at their pace and asked any questions before arriving at class.
As for the content and lesson delivery, I believe in (and learn best through) experiential learning with projects that are hands-on and relative to something I might do in the real world. Also, if my hands and mind are busy solving a problem, my mind is less likely to wander! All four models of blended learning as outlined in Horn and Staker's (2015) book appeal to me depending on what I was learning. Some subjects or content would be better with more face-to-face interaction, while others would need less.
One thing I agree with Horn and Staker (2015) about is that the factory system of age-based learning as a mass is outdated. I think students should be able to progress at their own pace with peers that are at a similar level. That is not to say that learning from other students at various levels is not valuable, but not providing enough support or challenge for each student, whichever it may be, often prevents them from achieving their potential. Why is it that in the public school system, we are grouped by age, but when we get to post-secondary, we are grouped with students with the same interests but a wide age range.
Below are some links to the VITTRA schools in Sweden. This is a type of learning environment that I would probably have thrived in. It allows the students to take ownership of their learning and control the direction(s) in which they wish to go.
Vittra Schools
Promo video (also on above webpage)
About the design
Sources:
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.