Learning Environment Philosophy

This week I've been focusing on creating a classroom learning environment that meets the needs of 21st century learners.  So far, I'm fond of it.  I believe that every classroom setting in this world are designed based on the philosophies the school implement.  Back when I was a student the philosophy was really made for everyone to be submissive to authority figures. That explains the monotonous classroom setting which all desks had to be in straight rows facing forward to the teacher (authority figure). There were minimal chance of self explorations or discoveries as everything was set for us.  What we needed to do to succeed was stick to rule and memorized everything by the dot. Almost everyone was too intimidated to invent something because of the ridicule or "punishment" for not sticking to the rule.  Neatness, uniformity and orders were on top of free expression and individual uniqueness.  You can see this in the close similarity in handwriting of my generation who spent all of his/her school years in Indonesia. 

Yeah this is how pretty much the class setting looked like back in my days.  We didn't stand up much, nor move a lot (no wonder I have such bad back posture)

 Yet everything is different now.  Fortunately. 

Educational institutions would have no chance but to value the uniqueness of each of the learners and meet their needs to survive in this era.  A good and effective classroom management is no longer the one where a group of submissive students sit noiselessly, facing forward to the teacher for hours and facing downward on his/her textbooks next.  It is the ones that allows them to move, to explore, to discuss, and discover learning in non threatening environment; the environment where learners feel valued for the their developments.

This is how my classroom ideally looks like. Busy.  Everyone's engaged in the collaborative learning activity.

One of the learning outcomes. Instead of having them learning the basic needs of human from books, they analyzed and built their own connections which made learning meaningful

The teacher's position isn't in the front and center of the class, but among the students to observe and guide them.

See the focus in their faces? Me too :)

Let's make them comfortable with learning :) 

     Well, until next time.  I hope this piece of thought may inspire fellow educators.  Let's be prepared for the future by preparing our young learners the skills they need to have.