A 21st century education

THE 21ST CENTURY
CLASSROOM
Tiffane Davis

Why change what’s not broken?
In all honesty, the learning style of today hasn’t
evolved much since the late 1800’s. I’m not saying we
haven’t made advances. Women are allowed to attend
school now and we aren’t all huddled up in a 12 by 12 shed
being taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, the
lecture style classroom setting is a little dated. Kids enjoy
hands on learning and communicating with each other, as
well as the occasional lecture. My proposition is a new way
to set up the classroom to incorporate all three styles of
learning.

Let’s start with some new
elements to begin the move
into the 21 st century
educational experience.

SIX CHANGES TO
MAKE TO THE
CLASSROOM

McCrea, Bridget. "Classroom Design." 6 Ingredients for the 21st
Century Classroom n.pag. Campus Technology. Web. 11 Jan
2012. <http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/11/6-
ingredients-for-the-21st-century-classroom.asp&xgt;.

Makeover!
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering has
already successfully moved on to this new layout. An exposed
room with tall ceilings, an elevated floor, better lighting, and more
advanced controls gives the students and teachers more
freedom to move around the room and work with each other.
Brian Vidic, director of technology stated, “When you start with
the shell and then move to the student and instructor casework,
technology itself becomes secondary. The end result is a space
that can flex and accommodate different types of instruction.”

McCrea, Bridget. "Classroom Design." 6 Ingredients for the 21st Century Classroom n.pag. Campus
Technology. Web. 11 Jan 2012. <http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/11/6 -ingredients-
for-the-21st-century-classroom.asp&xgt;.

Let there be light.
We’re getting rid of the blackboard and making room for
many types of displays. Smart boards and projectors being two
prime examples. “When designing the spaces, we look for any
dark spots or shadows and try to eliminate them while giving
instructors the power and control they need to be able to adjust
the lighting accordingly.” says director of technology Brian Vidic.

Technology. Web. 11 Jan 2012. <http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/11/6 -ingredients-for-the-
21st-century-classroom.asp&xgt;.

Musical chairs?
Students sitting lonely behind their desks sticking their noses
into their work has long been in the past. The furniture and
casework has to provide for the collaborative opportunities
college classrooms are swarming with. Furniture flexible enough to
be used for testing and that has the ability to be used for group
work is ideal along with crescent shaped casework that
accommodates as many as 6 students. “Look for casework
and/or desks that can help meet the students’ computing and
traditional needs,” Vidic suggests. “This helps keep costs down
and allows classrooms to be used for a variety of functions.”


Faculty Involvement
Susan Colaric, assistant vice president for instructional
technology at the new Donald R. Tapia School of Business at Saint
Leo University in Saint Leo, FL, stated, “The most important
ingredient for any 21 st century classroom is the faculty. When you
identify their desires, needs, and concerns and take them
seriously, you can create a top-notch facility.” The 12-million dollar
facility contains a 60 seat executive lecture hall, six classrooms
equipped with 70 inch, HD LCD multi touch displays, and two
computer labs.


Take a charge
Although textbooks and notebooks don’t require outlets or
USB ports, laptops, tablets, and interactive displays do. It’s
expensive and disruptive to add outlets after a building is already
constructed so take this into consideration and be sure to have
plenty of power sources. All the student desks in the Donald R.
Tapia School of Business are mobile and come with a power cord.
Not to mention the teacher podium is equipped with 5 USB slots.
“That’s a convenience that frees up more time for class activities.
Students always have their laptops, but not always charged and
ready to use”, says Vidic.


The Student-Instructor Dynamic
“Don’t sacrifice the learning component in favor of new
tools and applications,” says Vidic. Don’t fill your classrooms with
“the next best thing for higher education.” “Instead,” Vidic states,
“look for technology that enhances and supports the student-
teacher dynamic.” Computers, monitors, and keyboards should
be versatile to lecture or 21 st century education. “As you design
the room,” Vidic continues, “make sure you’re delivering a
suitable classroom teaching environment. Then start laying the
technology on top of that foundation.”


Not all kids learn the same
way, so let’s look at the three
different…

LEARNING STYLES

Let’s have a talk.
As a student myself, I understand the importance of
communication in the classroom. Without students being
able to talk to each other and collaborate, they tend to
have a more difficult time understanding and grasping the
concepts being taught. It’s understandable that in a history
class you’re going to have to write a lot of notes and
remember a lot of information. However, in a math class,
you’re not just learning facts, you’re learning skills. The best
way to make sure you understand is to talk to someone else
in the class who has a good idea of what’s going on as well.
How else do we learn, but to ask questions?

Do do this at home kids
Hands on is, in my opinion, a very tactful way of
learning. You can’t just keep doing equations in chemistry or
physics and know what you’re talking about. You have to
safely make reactions and build model bridges to know if
they’re going to work out. Hands on work gives students the
experience and the feel of how whatever their doing is
going to work. Nowadays having the knowledge isn’t going
to get you much. You must have the practice to back it up.

Nothing like the original
Given all the information you’ve seen so far,
sometimes students just need to be talked to. A lecture is still
a great way to give out information. Students should do
their part, like taking notes, paying attention, and studying,
as well as the teacher giving a good lesson.

As we come to the close of
this presentation let’s take a
look at the options and…

DESIGN, DESIGN,
DESIGN

***IGNORE ANY NAME BRAND ITEMS LISTED***

Compare and Contrast
The Original The New
• This gives the teacher all the • While giving the teacher the
power. The students have no ability to travel and keep
control or ability to control, it also gives students
communicate effectively with the chance to learn to work
each other. together, communicate
• Students are confined to one effectively, and be responsible
area and have limited for themselves.
resources. • Students are able to move
• Most schools are already set about and gain access to all
up this way so it is less costly. available resources.
• Requires larger classrooms,
more technology, and a
variety of seating.

In conclusion, the 21st century
classroom won’t be an easy or
cheap build. However, it’s worth it to
better our students and the
education they deserve.

Thank You!

A 21st century education

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