Think about the last time you went to a conference or business meeting. You probably walked in, scanned the room for your assigned desk where you could neatly tuck your belongings under a 3x2 workspace and face one direction keeping all of your brilliant ideas also neatly tucked inside, right? Oh, wait, you didn’t actually expect that you were going to be able to learn and grow from others, did you? You were probably hoping to create connections and participate in dynamic conversations, enhancing your own ideas and sharing experiences with your teammates, weren’t you? My point is I’m guessing when you are doing your best learning and growing, you aren’t typically seated at desks, but rather in a collaborative learning environment that promotes lively fellowship and exchange of ideas. Well, that’s both my vision and my passion for my 2nd graders.
The challenge I currently face is that desks have been a mainstay in classrooms for as long as anyone can remember and although once thought of to build individual achievement and keep classrooms neat and tidy, society has moved beyond the need for employees to work independently using only resources found within their current reach (or in our case, desks). Classrooms today are less of a square head (standard desks) and more of a round hole (collaborative learning environments with more flexible seating options). Our students need skills that involve the use of shared engagement techniques such as researching, teamwork, and presenting. It is vital to develop such knowledge and skills and have my students master them in real-life situations. These skills are necessary for students living in a world where cooperation and successful partnerships are required in their future careers and in life.
About my class
Think about the last time you went to a conference or business meeting. You probably walked in, scanned the room for your assigned desk where you could neatly tuck your belongings under a 3x2 workspace and face one direction keeping all of your brilliant ideas also neatly tucked inside, right? Oh, wait, you didn’t actually expect that you were going to be able to learn and grow from others, did you? You were probably hoping to create connections and participate in dynamic conversations, enhancing your own ideas and sharing experiences with your teammates, weren’t you? My point is I’m guessing when you are doing your best learning and growing, you aren’t typically seated at desks, but rather in a collaborative learning environment that promotes lively fellowship and exchange of ideas. Well, that’s both my vision and my passion for my 2nd graders.
The challenge I currently face is that desks have been a mainstay in classrooms for as long as anyone can remember and although once thought of to build individual achievement and keep classrooms neat and tidy, society has moved beyond the need for employees to work independently using only resources found within their current reach (or in our case, desks). Classrooms today are less of a square head (standard desks) and more of a round hole (collaborative learning environments with more flexible seating options). Our students need skills that involve the use of shared engagement techniques such as researching, teamwork, and presenting. It is vital to develop such knowledge and skills and have my students master them in real-life situations. These skills are necessary for students living in a world where cooperation and successful partnerships are required in their future careers and in life.
Read more