The Search for the 21st Century Classroom Ideas Begins!

As a new semester begins, my posts on the blog shall continue. The courses may have changed, but I am still on the path to becoming a teacher at Brock U! As my fellow peers and I are beginning the last semester before we head to Teacher’s Ed., the reality is beginning to set in…we are beginning to ask ourselves and the people around us, “Can I do this?” “What kind of teacher will I be?” “Will my students like me? Hate me? Will the older teachers like me, too!? Will I even get a job?” With so many thoughts running through our heads at this time, it is important to continue the development of our individual teaching philosophies, and prepare for future practices. In today’s technological world in the 21^st Century, it should be quite evident that incorporating 21^st Century Learning Skills to our future classroom must be done without hesitation. But, how can these skills be incorporated into schools when the Ontario Curriculum and its Provincial Education System seem to be 2 steps behind many of the other Provincial Education Systems (Watch this promo video by the New Brunswick Department of Education)? A question we all must delve into further…

During my searches on Pinterest for an assignment I came across a certain image with a number of different ways a teacher could incorporate 21^st Century learning into the classroom (see picture below post). As I read the list of ideas, there are so many of them that I am now fortunate to have been a part of in one of my Education courses. One idea was: Post a Question of the Week on your class blog; my course has one-upped this idea, as my peers and I are all writing a Blog ourselves, as we reflect on the course material and education surrounding us. Another idea was: Let your students drive the learning; well my professor gave my peers and I the opportunity to “drive our learning”, as we helped ‘negotiate’ the curriculum for the course, and helped provide what we would do, how we would learn, and what it all would be worth (because marks still count…). This is only 2 of the many points highlighted on this image that my course has incorporated into our learning and our classroom. I guess this advertisement for becoming a 21^st Century teacher, and having a 21^st Century classroom will not be as difficult after all!

Through social media, teacher and classroom blogs, pictures and documents found on Pinterest and such, are all examples how technology in the 21^st Century can provide anyone and everyone around the world the tools, tips, ideas and methods to become apart of the ever-growing 21^st Century global classroom phenomenon.

Leaving point: As my first teachable is Health & Physical Education, incorporating 21^st Century Learning may take a little more work as the “classroom” is the gymnasium and outdoors. Throughout this semester I hope to find ways on how 21^st Century Learning can still be achieved through health and physical activity, and I will share this progress throughout my blog posts, along with the variety of other thoughts, reflections, and opinions I garnish throughout the next 3 months.

Found on Pinterest.com