Every classroom is unique and so is every educator’s teaching style. Some teachers tend to stick to a more traditional approach for teaching the students, while others are more accepting and enthusiastic about different innovative and creative ideas to get their point across in a fun and engaging yet effective manner. Over the years with increasing use of technological tools, classrooms today are much more dynamic than ever before. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, when schools and college campuses were shut down, locking millions of students and educators across the entire nation out of the classroom, we have witnessed an unprecedented number of innovative technological teaching tools making their way to the modern classroom. Educational institutions have readily adopted various school learning management system and other digital teaching and management tools such as eLearning portals, admission management system, smart classes and likewise in order to improve their efficiency.
Every educator must try to curate a dynamic, creative and innovative learning space for their students which will allow them to feel comfortable and grow by taking risks, learning from their mistakes and achieving academic success. Here are a few ways in which educators can create an innovative learning environment for their students in order to maximize their learning outcomes and support their all-round development. So, without further ado, let’s dive in…
Adopting the Right Mindset-
We are talking about the mindset of the educator. Any change in the learning environment or the tempo of the classroom begins with the educator. It is the educator who sets the tone of the class which affects students’ learning behavior. If the teacher is enthusiastic and interested in the subject matter, their excitement is generally reciprocated by the students. Having a passion for your subject and for creating an understanding about the subject in the students’ minds will take you a long way in your teaching career. Therefore, in order to facilitate an innovative learning environment, you as an educator should adopt the right mindset and try to act as a guide to the students for supporting their learning rather than expecting them to follow your instructions to the letter.
Experimenting With the Flipped Classroom Model-
As the name suggests, in a flipped classroom the usual order of learning activities is reversed from a traditional classroom. In general, the students can view the study material, read and understand lessons as part of their homework before coming to class. The time spent in class is dedicated to group discussions, answering questions, clearing their doubts and collaborating with their peers. Some research indicates that a flipped classroom provides an active learning environment to the students which may be beneficial for them in a number of ways. A large percentage of teachers who tried a flipped classroom model reported an improvement in the learning outcomes as well as the learning behavior of the students. Thus, a flipped classroom model is something educators can consider for providing their students an innovative and effective learning space.
Introduce a Little Flexibility-
The classroom environment should be flexible enough for the students so as to facilitate student collaboration, peer to peer learning, group discussion and likewise. Both the physical environment such as the arrangement of furniture, seating arrangement as well as the tempo of the class should be flexible in order to truly support student learning. For instance, the classroom space must provide students the freedom to either work alone, or collaborate with their peers effectively. If a rearrangement of furniture is required to achieve flexibility, so be it.
Create an Inclusive Learning Space-
As educators, we must find ways to make the classroom learning environment inclusive in order to effectively support the learning of students with various backgrounds and personality types. For instance, some students are extroverted and full of energy and excitement while others may be a bit reserved and might hesitate in sharing their opinions. Educators should devise their teaching strategies while keeping in mind the various unique personality types of students in their class and also try to accommodate their different learning styles and mental capabilities.
Innovation and education go hand in hand. Careful planning and research should go into developing a learning environment for our future innovators which provides them with everything which they will require to be successful.