What are three characteristics that would be part of a "perfect school" five years from now? Think about the roles of the student, teacher, and technology as you describe your ideal learning climate. As you consider this question, you might also think about what you might look for in your ideal college.
Please consider this question seriously and realistically, as your responses will be considered by our 21st Century Learning team.
26 comments:
In my ideal school, three things I would need are:
1. A one-to-one student/laptop ratio. Having a computer on hand at all times is a handy research, communication, and creative tool.
2. Instead of homework, students should be expected to study the material as they need. If they study less than what they need, they bomb the tests, and that shows on their college record. The key word is, "motivation." Certainly, some students would still need homework, if they don't take the initiative, but the rest of us could profit. Mainly, I'd do this for those really advanced kids who can ace every test blindfolded, so that they can pursue other interests and increase their knowledge. This would also help for the third thing I need.
3. The classes would be custom fit to the student. This is by far the hardest part to do, as it would require an astronomical increase in school budget and staff. Obviously, it is impossible to cater to the exact needs of every student, but there would be far more classes, where kids could rise and fall in dynamically, from month to month. If a kid excels in one class, he gets raised up, say, two "levels" in difficulty. If that class proves too challenging, he is lowered a "level."
My dream college would be very unstructured, but would still have tests and the such. I'd like a greater focus on research papers, though. I find that those expand the knowledge. And that's it! I hope I didn't put you to sleep or scared you with my radical ideas.
Sorry for the double post, but I mentioned a college record on #2. I meant a college application. My bad!
In my ideal classroom, I agree with Jose, there would definitely be computers on hand for all the students. Last year I loved having a laptop and with it I was able to go more in depth with my research if I wanted to and communicate more with my other classmates.
Another apect of my ideal class would be small classes. With large classes, you don't get as much of a chance to talk about your own opinions or ask for help. The teacher also gets to know you a lot better because they don't have as many students.
The last thing I would like in my classroom is to have a lot of windows and colorful walls. Some people may agrue that it is distracting but in my opinion, it makes the classroom more comforting and a place that you want to be. I went to look at colleges with my sister this summer and I found that I was drawn to the colleges with nicer campuses and nicer buildings.
Those are all things I would love to have in my ideal classroom.
I think that a perfect classroom/school would have:
1. Laptops for everyone, whether it's the schools or your own.
2. Classes that fit you better (this sounds like a college now...). Like for me, I would like more music-oriented classes, or more history related classes.
3. I agree with Jose about no homework. Eeven though it can help, only have a little bit at least. Studying is good, and if there was more class time to do the homework-like stuff it would be better.
1. I think that having up to date technoligy is extremely important in any school. Having laptops and smartboards in every class can further a students learning.
2. I think having teachers that are near your age is a great way to feel comfortable in a learing atmosphere.
3. Small class sizes are also a great way to make the learing experiance more enjoyable and productive for both the students and teachers.
When I go to college I will be looking for structure, and a small town or city because I think it feels more like home.
That's a tough one.
1. I would love everyone to have a laptop. I doubt anyone is not going to say that, but honestly, my laptop was so helpful last year. I agree with Jose totally about having a laptop for every class.
2. I think it would be great to have a better learning facility. Some classes are just so boring and downright ugly. There is nothing visually stimulating. There are uncomfortable chairs and desks. Some classes don't even have natural sunlight. I understand that the biggest issue with this is funding, especially for a public school. But I know I learn and focus better in a space that is open and welcoming.
3. Finally, I think it would be fantastic if students weren't required to take certain classes that hold no interest for them at all. For example, I have absolutely no desire to do anything science or math related in my life and hate learning stuff that I never use. I can see why teachers and the government want us to be exposed to a wide range of subjects, but I feel like so much of what they teach us has no relevance outside of that class and are soon forgotten after the test.
Although my ideal classroom would have many charecteristics I think the 3 most Important would be…
1. Friendship and compatibility off all students would definatly be my number one priority. I think it is important for every one to know and feel comfortable with everyone to be able to learn to their fullest potential.
2. Though this may sound weird, enviorment and surrounding is of most importance to me. I want a classroom setting to feel cofortable, as much natural light as possible and lots of colors so I don’t feel like im learning in a jail.
3. I wold also like more one on one time with students an teachers,, just to make sure the student is gtting on as best they can, and also I some times feel I learn better dwhen theier is one person talking directly to me and focusing on my needs.
1) I think that the students could always have more of their own choices to make for an assignment. That way, they don't have such strict guidelines and students can add more of themselves into their projects. Each student will come up with something completely different and it would be fun to share with the rest of the class.
2) Classrooms with more personality. Maybe at the beginning of the year, students can brainstorm ideas for how the classroom could feel less like a classroom, and more like a place where they can have fun. The classroom could feel more like home, and it would be easier to contribute and focus.
3) This actually doesn't have to do with a classroom, but with a school in general. I think that there shouldn't be so many requirements for graduating from school. If people know what they want to do, they should be able to choose all their classes.
I really agree that the environment is important. For me, it's not paramount, but it would be awesome if we could have other colors instead of antiseptic white in most classes. Even some warm beige and brown colors would go a long way to making class feel more like home. As long as it's not monochrome, either. That would be horrible.
My ideal school conditions are as follows:
1) As a school, possibly a nation, I find it best to abolish many extremely Liberal classroom policies that simply mask true learning. We've witnessed the recent popularity of academic programs such as IMP math and other similar products. Although their intentions are good, (prompting students to become more involved in their studies) these programs actually stray from the original topics. Why incorporate fancy, sugary, ornamental, and "fun" texts and activities into, let's say math books? Theoretically, students will become more excited about "math" and will develop a stronger desire to excel in the given subject. Yes, this may sound foolproof, but it's the frilly, ornamental stuff kids like, not the "boring" "when am I ever going to use this stuff" type academics. Once the mask is removed, students no longer are driven to achieve...inevitably the bad will soon come. Reform is necessary.
2) Teaching a large group of students simultaneously is the only efficient way to go, but it would be very nice to have smaller classes. Interaction between the pupil and teacher is important, but large classes limit those opportunities.
3) I agree with Maddie completely. I don't believe that students should be required to take specific courses. Students who will never pursue math or science related careers shouldn't be required to enroll in courses teaching just that. Likewise with other subjects such as history and English. Many countries have adopted systems in which students are placed in classes administrators deem acceptable for the individual. This increases classroom efficiency and minimizes student and teacher stress. Why can't we do something similar?
College for me would ideally reflect the three points listed above, but in this generation, reforming the education system won't even be plausible. I would be satisfied though, if students were entitled to just enroll in the courses they're interested in, not what the school board is interested in.
I hope you all don't think I'm a revolutionary, just expressing my opinions here.
If I could create a “perfect school”, there are three characteristics that the school would encompass.
The first thing would be an option to be enrolled in laptop-based classes. This way students who enjoy having a laptop can do so, and those who do not, do not have to. The classes that would be offered with laptops would be English, Science, and History. This way there could be expansion of learning through the Internet, tools such as Microsoft, and an opportunity for blogs 24/7.
The second characteristic the school would contain would be unscheduled hours, similar to those at AHS. This would give the students a break from their classes and provide them with a perfect opportunity to get help or talk with their teachers. Each student would be able to have at least one unscheduled hour a day. This would allow the students a chance to get done with their history reading, for example, and help lighten their load of books for trip home.
The third and final characteristic that the “perfect school” would be comprised of, would be that students could sign up to be in the classes they want, something very similar to arena scheduling. This allows students to choose the class, the teacher, and find students with similar interests. This would lead to better classroom discussions because the students are choosing to take the class, and may be more enthusiastic about the subject. In addition to choosing the classes, students would also be able to choose their seats. That way the students could feel more comfortable and have a little more fun in the class. However, the teacher can always make the decision to move people based on their behavior.
Characteristics that would describe my "perfect school" five years from now include:
1. Personal academic laptops for every student to use at home and at school. These ideally would replace textbooks, notebooks, ect. I think this is a pretty common theme throughout everybody's posts so far, probably because we all realized what a great tool they can be in class after using them so much last year.
2. Teachers who continue to be an integral part of the classroom experience. With new and better technology becoming more common all the time, it would be easy just learn primarily from the internet or online classroom supplements. I would definitely want a teacher to continue to lead discussions, give instruction and help to students.
3. More personalized and custom classes for students. I think this could go a long way towards being achieved by significantly the student to teacher ratio. I learn better in small groups with more individual attention both from my classmates and the teacher.
I'm not sure what my perfect college would be like having never experienced it, but it probably would have really nice dorm rooms and would share the characteristics listed above.
I think that I would want a school that is less depended on grades. I like the idea of grades but I think the most important thing is the learning instead of just trying to get the good grade. Sometimes I understand what is going on in class but then I don’t get a good grade on it so then it affects my overall grade. I think that if we could find a way to measure progress without grades that would be ideal so that students would worry so much about their grade. Also I think that this would create more learning because most students just memorize information for the test and then after the test they just forget all about it.
I also agree with Nicole about having smaller class sizes because then you can get more in depth with you learning. You are also able to create much better relationships with your classmates and teacher. Also with smaller class sizes you can spend more time discussing and really get a full understanding of what you are learning. With the larger classes sometimes you don’t cover all the things that you want to because everyone wants to share their opinions and there is only so much time.
The third would be a more comfortable learning space. For me personally it if so much easier for me to pay attention of I am comfortable but with the hard plastic desks sometimes I find myself fidgeting and it is harder to pay attention. If we had more comfortable seats like maybe couches or something of that kind then I think it would help me pay attention much better. I had a classroom once and it was very open and it had some couches and comfy chairs in it and I found that I was learning much more affectively.
Here is my ideal school:
1. There wouldn't be an hour long lecture. There was a study done that proved that students can only retain about ten to fifteen minutes of lecture. Sure, some lecture is necessary but idealy it wouldn't take the whole class period.
2. All types of learning; visual, hands-on, and verbal would be incorporated. I feel that this is imporanted because I don't have one specific way I like to learn. I enjoy learning a new way everyday.
3. The final peice to my "perfect school" would be the intergration of technology. Though I still find it important to keep some aspects of "old-school" teaching we are entering an age where everyone deals with technology.
For me, my ideal school would first of all have a good learning environment. I think that outdoor classrooms should be available, and the indoor classrooms would have lots of windows. I would also have the school divided up into separate buildings based on subject matter. That way, it wouldn’t be so compacted, and students could get some fresh air between classes. It would also be less confusing for freshman and new students.
I would also have small classes. That way, the students could get more one-on- one time with their teacher in class, and also save time. I think that small classes are more beneficial than big ones because everyone can be involved.
Finally, I would have personalized periods. Students could meet with teachers who specialize in the work field that they want to go into. The students could learn about that career and see what they would have to do to get there.
All these things would have to be included in my ideal school for it to be perfect!
Three things I would look for first in a perfect school would be:
1. More choice. While students can choose classes based on interests here at Arapahoe, it's not as much of an complete program as it could be. A focus on the "core classes" is still prominent. In college, students hone their interests, so that they can enter a career that involves them. Why not start earlier?
2. Ability to give students the tools they need, and not being so reluctant about trying new things, like introducing computers, ect.
3. NO MORE BUSYWORK. Most homework is, some in class stuff is. Some actually truly reinforces, and that's what teachers need to focus on. When I was in middle school, I think the teachers thought they were failing at their job if they didn't have homework to send home, which makes high school a lot easier.
My perfect school would have these three characteristics:
1.A one to one ratio of laptops to students would be very practical because of our ever changing technology and would eliminate the cost of books, but our society today is becoming too absorbed in technology today. I realize that most people would like to have a one to one ratio of laptops to student but, I think that the laptops should not be used daily for it might almost replace the teacher.
2.Extended periods of class would help students learn much more and so often teachers run out of time when they are presenting material.
3.Lastly, homework assignments and long-term projects would be more open ended in instructions to encourage students to get creative.
Wow, compared to all of you that have commented so far, I am going to look like I belong in the Stone Age.
1. Though I do believe laptops and technology are grand resources to have, I tend to find them extremely distracting and, well, annoying. To me, laptops should be merely an option and not a demand. When working on laptops, I become so focused on taking notes of exactly what is going on, that I tend to type everything anyone has said, and, therefore, miss the real message and idea behind their speech. I also think discussions and lectures are more personal and effective if the audience is fully paying attention and only writing brief comments on loose-leaf instead of having a great computer screen in front of their face. My final thought on laptops is simply this: if paper and pen worked for our parents when they were in school, why do we have to be so intense about how advanced our learning and technology is, now a days?
*Hey please note that even though I think laptops are not the funniest thing for a class to have during the actual class, I do love blogging and working on different computer applications. For me, it’s just the personal preference of notebooks and class and technology and computer applications at home.
2. While I do understand that different people have different learning techniques and skills such as visual and hands-on, I am a better learner and obtain more through a series of lectures and speeches that are followed with class discussions. That is why I believe classes should have longer and arranged lecture hours where all the class does is listen to a speaker who is advanced in that subject. When the lecture hour is over, I believe a smaller amount of time should be allotted to a thorough discussion of the prior lecture. Although this does make periods longer, for me, at least, it would be easier to follow and be more beneficial to learn from.
3. My last preference for the perfect school would be larger classes. Although this does limit the time students have to personally ask and discuss certain topics with the teacher, I believe it would be more beneficial since there would be a larger range of interpreted themes and concepts from various texts. In general, the more students there are in a class, the wider range of opinions and therefore, the larger and more thorough understanding of the topic at hand. To me, it just seems that the students in our small class will more often than not share the same opinion on various ideas, somewhat limiting our understanding of farther out there and kind of random ideas that those one out of every ten people have.
For the most part, I think school is fine the way it is, but here are some thinks I think an ideal classroom/school should have:
1. I think that it is really important for schools to be up to date with the latest technology because you need to teach students using materials that are going to be part of their life outside of school.
2. Smaller class sizes are also important because it makes the students more comfortable and ensures that students get the help they need to take the most from each class.
3. I also think it is essential to have a wide variety of classes available, like world history classes and a wider selection of language classes. That way we can all learn about the world around us in depth instead of being limited to this country in terms of knowledge and understanding.
Well, here's what I think a fabulous classroom would include. Many of my ideas have already been addressed by others. Enjoy.
1.) I think that the most vital thing to creating the “ideal” school would have to be balance. Since that’s such a broad topic let me just give you an example of what I think a great school system would look like. I think that the students would start off in kind of a typical small kindergarten class where the teacher could really evaluate what kind of learning each individual excels at. Then I think after that year the students could be separated depending on what works for them (and depending on how each year goes change accordingly). So that they didn’t get too narrow minded though, they would maybe have a class or two a day with students with different learning styles to help them broaden their learning horizons.
2.) Along with what I mentioned above I also believe that brighter more home like environments at school would help students really enjoy going to school. The jail like rooms makes you feel like you are being punished.
3.) Finally I think that it is very important to have technology available, because it’s the easiest way to expand your thoughts. Although I believe that if it comes to a point where the teachers shove laptops in front of kids’ faces and tell them to go find this or that on the internet, and the teachers are hardly teaching; then I think that students will lose focus and lose essential social skills.
If I could have my ideal school my first property I would have about it would be that is uses a low amount of energy and electricity. I would have the school be made up of many, many windows to make sure that there would not be much need for electricity. I would also make sure that the air is fresh and clean so that the learning environment is a healthy place. Along with that, my ideal school would have many outdoor classes. The school would also be colorful and easy to learn in.
Next, I would have optional laptops in every class but also have a balance with technology and paper so that students learn how to handle both.
Lastly, my ideal school would have a creative curriculum to keep the students working as well as motivated.
I think that people within a school district are very hard working and can accomplish what ever they like so I know that if any of the above ideas were put into action, that they would be accomplished.
I agree with Josed a one to one student to laptop ratio is amazing. It allows students to expand their knowledge past that of the teachers right there in class so that they donot forget about it before they get home to look it up.
I also believe in smaller classes so that there can be more of a direct focus on each student and how they learn.
Also, there needs to be excited and willing students that are there because they want to learn, not just because they have to be there but because they want to be there. I think that the students are a great influence on each other and it is important for everyone to be excited about learning and bring fun into the classroom.
College..... it seems so far but yet so close :-).... my ideal college would be small. Just like the classroom, there needs to be attention focused on each of the individual students in order for them to learn at their full potential.
I believe that a “perfect classroom” would invovle things that help the student retain more information without the busywork. The first would be an open classroom designed for descussion and further understanding. I think that most students could better understand the topics that they study if they relay ideas and facts with off of each other.that way, more conections are made leading to further comprehention of the A second attribute of the classroom would be a laptop for every student. The technology opens a new a constent stream of data and sources for students to vitalize in a much quicker way than books. The third would be a more comfortable learing enviornment. This would call for an increase in school bugject. For instance most of these desks are terribly small and it would be wonderful if they were larger.
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