What does the classroom of the future look like?

What would be ideal would be an environment where everyone involved was challenged at the perfect level for them to feel stimulated without being overwhelmed. An environment that provided material to meet a variety of learning styles, one that took care of the basic needs (a la Maslow) and allowed for “flow.”

I’m a programmer, but I highly doubt this environment will be dominated by computers. The web, especially, is a great research tool, but most people still learn best by doing.

I’m personally a fan of integrative styles of teaching where you focus on a topic (e.g., conservation) for some period of time (a week? 6 weeks?) and use it as a springboard to talk about physics, and art, and geology, and writing, etc.

I do this with my daughters. They want to make paper airplanes, so the poor souls end up learning all about lift, stall, why golf balls have dimples, etc. Actually, presented the right way, they soak it up. Where by “right way” I mean something like, “If you pay attention to this, it might mean you can make an airplane that kicks the crud-ola out of your sister’s!” I’m kidding (mostly), but you see my point, no?

@ segdeha I love to hear you talk about learning with your girls. I do the same with my son, and will with my daughter the older she gets. The Web 1.0 as a research tool, yes, can be isolative. Do you see Web 2.0 making a difference?

I appreciate your thoughts on integration. Presentation will be key.

Best,

The classroom of the future will use computers combined with interactive and personalised teaching to allow students to find information and present fun and interesting, interactive content to students.
The classroom will use innovative toys and equipment to create examples of everything being taught using plastic clip together shapes and models. The classrooms will be completely wirelessly equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth or similar technologies and every student will have desks with touch screen surfaces which will display content from the larger ‘whiteboard’ touch screen at the front of the class. The teacher can control what the students see, as well as adding notes and allowing the students to add tags, video clips, 3D models and text excepts to a digital notebook, which will be synced with their home computers and mobile devices.
Teachers will use massive amounts of digitized content to provide on-demand research and information.
Students of the future will be encouraged to push the envelope and follow any interest, because education will have shifted to a more relaxed and less information based curriculum. They will no longer be under-estimated during high school as to their ability to learn in their own way, a system more alike to College will be adopted. Students will use practical knowledge and work in teams continually.
There will be no traditional homework, rather teachers will set mini-assignments that are negotiated with the student and class time will merely be a springboard for the students to understand a topic before being able to learn in their own style at home.
Schools will be bright, interesting environments.

Please, say Mac. ;-)

some classes will be/are held in virtual worlds that can be attended by anyone in the world with internet access. it’s already being done in second life by many universities and institutions. they are able to incorporate audio and video/images directly into the site. the class is hosted by a teacher/lecturer and your avatar can interact with the other avatars from all over. some places host tours through very accurate digital replications of actual famous art museums and the like. so anyone can see what is on display at a museum without actually traveling there (not that it serves as the proper replacement, but it can give the viewer a good idea). that is how web 2.0 will make a difference :-D

@bluemukaki How long til this place exists? How do we make it a reality??

10–20 years would be a rough estimate, but all the technology is already there, it just costs too much or isn’t economically viable for the people who run the educational institutions. All that really needs to happen is for a shift in culture, triggered by the governments or private school governing bodies and for technology to come down in price. Teachers need to be happy, and they also need to suit the subject they teach. There is nothing better than an interesting Maths teacher!
The main thing holding people back when it comes to education is themselves.

A cross between one of those 24 hour check cashing places and a prison.

In the “best case scenario”

- Schools would be designed as aesthetically pleasing, enjoyable places to be.
– If they provided food, it wouldn’t be awful glop
– Students would be free to study whatever interested them
– The students would be a community, collaborating rather than competing
– Students would have access to research and information sharing resources (such as the internet), but could also learn by doing
– Teachers should construct the learning in such a way as to make it engaging and meaningful for the students.
– Classes would not follow the “teacher stands up and talks at a class of students who are silent and unmoving”
– Students should have opportunities to express themselves and translate/make sense of whatever knowledge they’ve learned through drawing, sculpture, drama etc
– The entire process of learning should be one of exploration, discussion and evaluation, with students being encouraged to think for themselves and consider multiple points of view, rather than being force-fed a single predetermined curriculum.