In reading the article, ?Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance?, I am reminded of a textbook I used in a business management course. The textbook listed a series of paradoxes that applied to business management. One paradox stated, ?to gain more control of an organization you need to give up control.? This meant as a manager you cannot effectively maintain control of an organization by micro managing everyday details. As a manager you need personnel that you can delegate authority to and trust them to make the correct decisions to get the job done. As the manager delegates more authority he or she will be rewarded with increased efficiency. The more authority the manager delegates the greater control he or she will have because now the manager?s time is not tied up micro managing every detail of an operation. This same concept can be applied to the classroom. ?To increase student learning the teacher needs to teach less.?
I think that a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with a course management system would be a good solution. In order for a teacher to teach less and increase student learning at the same time a strong alternative must be available. A VLE combined with a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and Web 2.0 tools would create a classroom where the teacher teaches less and clearly transfers the responsibility for learning to the students. In addition a VLE combined with a PLE would address Multiple Inelegances and Brain-Based Learning for students. These are all the components I would employ if I could create a new school form the ground up. I would also hire a Feng Shui consultant to help design the new campus.
?A growing number of architects, educators and environmental psychologists now point to other research showing clear links between elements of design and student achievement.? Zernike (2001)
The teachers? primary responsibility would be that of course management, instructional design, and assessment. Teachers would have the freedom to design instruction using the appropriate approach. In some cases a Direct Approach may work best, in another case a Problem-Based or Experiential Approach may work best. The teacher is also a facilitator that guides students along in the learning process. All students would have laptop computers with wireless capability. In this way learning activities would not limited to the classroom or a computer lab. The entire campus would be a learning environment. Classrooms would have ergonomic furniture and not set up like traditional classrooms. Creating a stress free ergonomic learning environment would appeal to elements of Brain-Based Learning and Multiple Intelligences.
The Web 2.0 tools and the PLE would give students the means to collaborate with peers, teachers, and other professionals that would give learning real meaning in a real life environment. Students would be able to post blogs for a variety of purposes that would enhance learning. Web 2.0 tools would also allow students to collaborate on projects with students in other school across the country and even around the world. I think the view of how I would construct a school from the ground up is the key to constructing a 21st century school that would stimulate learning and understanding beyond simple test. Is technology itself enough? No, because human need interaction form other humans and especially our young students in the k12 education system. However, educators must make technology work to fit the needs of the 21st century classroom.
Zernike, K., (2001). The Feng Shui of school design. The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2009 from http://schoolstudio.engr.wisc.edu/fengshui.html
