What is different today than
yesterday? What opportunities are available
today - what would you like to do tomorrow in your classrooms that
you are not doing now?"
This is an opportunity
for those of you interested in exploring and incorporating engaged
learning techniques into your classroom curriculum. The primary
goal is to engage all of you in learning to your fullest potential.
In groups, you will initially be involved in designing the perfect
school environment of the future. Throughout this simulation as
a participant, you will be engaged in an authentic "engaged learning"
activity. Through the development of the future learning environments,
you and your team will also be involved in learning various aspects
of the indicators of engaged learning and best use of technology
for the classroom, as well as have the opportunity to design your
vision.. Ultimately you will design a unit for your own curriculum
and students based on the engaged learning model and best use of
technology.
What will the classroom of the future look like? If you could have
anything in your classroom that you wanted and teach any way you
thought best for student learning and preparation for life in the
21st century, what would you want to see?
In collaborative groups you will design a learning environment
that matches attributes you will define to take our youth into the
21st century. Using current technologies you will interact with
team members, experts, and your facilitator through the Internet.
Research, data collection and posting of work will be done online.
Finally, you and your team will develop a web-based presentation
for the AFT and NEA. Use your research to justify and support the
vision of your learning environment.
Phase 1
Form collaborate groups and brainstorm what a learning environment
would look like if you had no constraints put on you. List what
you would like to have and what you would leave out. When all groups
are finished you will share your list with the whole class.
Phase 2
Identify the team you wish to work with for the Educational Environment
of the Future project. Working with your team select the attributes
from the brainstormed list that would fit in with your vision of
a new learning environment. Add any traits that you think are lacking.
Phase 3
What are some ways you can research the key traits for your new
learning environment? Identify current, accurate, easily accessible
avenues to gather your information. Don't forget to go to the resource
link provided for your use
You and your group may look at many sites on the web, email colleagues
and schools across the country for information, and talk with educational
experts both on the web and on the telephone. Group members may
choose to chat with each other at prearranged times throughout the
week to keep each other posted about their findings.
Research all information necessary to formulate a plan for your
educational environment. You may wish to see the project
rubric to give you some tips for your research.
Phase 4
Develop your Educational Environment of the Future plan. If you
would like to use an electronic mind map, go to the site that can
provide you with Inspiration.
Include all key attributes your team deemed vital to the plan. Review
the presentation rubric to prepare
for you presentation. Be sure to include electronic, human and hard
copy sources in your project.
Phase 5
Present your plan to the class. Your projects will be
diverse and interesting to share. Learning that engages students
may be evident in your project. You and your group will have the
opportunity to rate not only your own project but presentations
from other groups as well by using the student
rubric. .
Remember to site all sources electronic, human and hardcopy.
Phase 6
Some of the key features of Engaged Learning include:
encouraging students take more responsibility for learning and learn
to problem solve, learning takes place in all four learning styles,
learning is real and not artificial, collaboration with communities
and other students is encouraged, adequate space is available for
working, and technology plays a much larger role in learning. You
will have the opportunity to analyze existing lessons for some of
the traits.
Phase 7
Assessment is ongoing. We will be looking at your weekly journal
entries, where you respond to our questions and reflect on what
you have done for the day. We will also be continuously looking
at the notes and research you keep in your individual participant
journals. During class periods, we will collect assessment data
by observing each of you at work within your groups, as well as
when you report out to the group/class, post information in the
bulletin board for all to see, respond to others' posting, and your
participation in chat sessions.
Created for the Fermilab
LInC program sponsored by Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory Education
Office and Friends
of Fermilab, and funded by United
States Department of Energy, Illinois
State Board of Education, North
Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium which is
operated by North Central Regional
Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National
Science Foundation.
Author(s): Barbara
Holdiman, Gina Keifer,
and Lucianne Sweder
Lincoln-Way High School District 210, New Lenox, IL
Lockport High School District 205, Lockport, IL
Professional Development Alliance/Regional Office of Education for
Will and Grundy/Kendall Counties, Joliet, IL
Learning Technology Center One South, Joliet, IL
Created: February 25, 2001 - Updated: March 25, 2001
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