Due to advances in neuroscience and child psychology educators need to know the best ways to create a 21st century learning environment. It has become clear that they need to properly prepare their students for the changing world they face.
In the last century, our classroom structure were designed to mimic our factory-driven society, but today we must create spaces where students can collaborate and participate in real-life environments, working both independently and as teams, much like they will be doing in the real world.
As educational expert Ken Robinson has described, “Now more than ever, it is vital to encourage all areas of young people’s intellectual and personal capabilities and to recognize that doing this is not at odds with their academic development.”
Best Ways to Create a 21st Century Learning Environment
This is indeed an exciting time in the education field; by implementing the following 21st century learning techniques, schools around the world are catching up to the new age we live in.
It is easy to list the ideal conditions that would allow this type of learning to take place, but the reality is that pre-existing schools cannot simply snap their fingers to create larger classrooms; nor can they expect to achieve a fully-integrated digital classroom overnight.
The important question therefore becomes: for a school with budgetary restraints and a need to maintain some sort of continuity, what are the most effective ways of instilling 21st century learning into their classroom?
Perhaps the most prudent starting point for this discussion would be to take a step back to gain a more holistic view. One of the founding principles of 21st century readiness is that schools must move beyond a focus on basic core subjects in order to promote a higher understanding of the academic content.
The best way to enable this higher level of thinking, it is argued, is by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes such as business, civic, health and environmental literacy as well as global awareness into the core subjects.
The next step is to create the learning practices, human support and physical environments that will support the teaching and learning of these 21st century skill outcomes.