Designing Classrooms

I am on the Education Committee of the Whole for the District. Currently, the committee is broken up into smaller groups on various topics...Poverty, Curriculum, Symposium, and Effective Learning Environments. I am on the last. My job is to connect with parents/caregivers to gather feedback on your thoughts. I know it is close is Easter, and my next committee meeting is THIS COMING TUESDAY!, but please if you have a chance follow along, and send me some feedback.

Even if your school is doing it the way you like it - PLEASE - tell me what is working, why is that classroom doing it the best, for the goal of this whole discussion is to:

"Create a checklist of recommendation to the board of education".

Goal - if you were to walk into any school, and any classroom in the district of Kootenay Lake, you would find these elements.

So! We have four broad categories:

1. Physical

interesting facts...

Classroom environment found to have a 25% impact on studentperformance- 6 out of 10 parameters had asignificant impact. They are:

- Light – 12%

- Choice – 10%

- Complexity – 17%

- Colour - 18%

- Flexibility – 17%

- Connection – 26%

2. Curricular

3. Partnerships

4. Transitions (within school, to another school, etc.)

Teaching is changing, I am sure you have seen some examples of this in your school..."The education sector is now dominated by language to describe comparative thinking, design thinking, project-based learning, game-based learning, strength-based learning, personalized learning, collaborative learning, blended learning, kinesthetic learning, and outdoor learning. Our instructional methodologies involve the facilitation of growth mindsets, mindfulness, and reflection. We are routinely introduced to new priorities such as the STEM/STEAM/STREAM evolution, and we find ourselves implemented the newest teaching trends such as flipped learning, maker education, and the emphasis on coding."

Infographic from the above article.

Whole Article found here: http://www.efc.gwu.edu/efc-blog/designing-classrooms-in-the-21st-century/

Another inspiring article is here:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-future-of-learning-beth-holland

I am sure that you have fantastic ideas for how to help your children learn better and more effectively. (Also, if you would like to emphasize or prioritize any of the already mentioned ideas) Please share it by emailing me gow.raeanne@yandex.com or commenting below.

Happy Easter!

Raeanne Gow