From Students to Learners: New Learning Environments for 21st Century Skills

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From Students to Learners New Learning
Environments for 21st Century Skills
Bob Pearlman bobpearlman_at_mindspring.comhttp//w
ww.bobpearlman.org
21st Century Learning Summit Rosemont, IL
October 13, 2010
PowerPoint Slides and Resources at
http//www.bobpearlman.org/21learningsummit.htm
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So what does 21st Century Learning Look Like?And
how do you get there?
How kids work in school
New Learning Environments
Pedagogy and practice
21st Century Skills
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Four Imperatives for 21st Century Learning

• Compete Globally
• Kids are different and learn differently
• Kids are bored, not engaged
• The Creativity Crisis

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Compete Globally Who?

• Its not just about us -- the U.S.A. or Canada
• Its about our students
• Its about my daughter or son!

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Kids are bored, not engaged
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• Creativity Producing something original and
  useful
• Kim found creativity scores had been steadily
  rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since
  then, creativity scores have consistently inched
  downward.
• "Whats common about successful programs is they
  alternate maximum divergent thinking with bouts
  of intense convergent thinking, through several
  stages," the authors write, and cite schools like
  the new National Inventors Hall of Fame Middle
  School in Akron, Ohio "With as much as three
  fourths of each day spent in project-based
  learning, principal Buckner and her team actually
  work through required curricula, carefully
  figuring out how kids can learn it through the
  steps of Treffingers Creative Problem-Solving
  method and other creativity pedagogies. The
  creative problem-solving program has the highest
  success in increasing childrens creativity,
  observed William Marys Kim."

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Assessment of 21st Century Skills
Partnership for 21st Century Skills http//www.21s
tcenturyskills.org
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21st Century Skills Defined

• Life Career
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Initiative and self-direction
• Social and cross-cultural skills
• Productivity and accountability
• Leadership and responsibility

• Learning Innovation
• Creativity and innovation
• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Communication and collaboration

• Information Technology
• Information literacy
• Media literacy
• ICT literacy

Partnership for 21st Century Skills http//www.21s
tcenturyskills.org
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The three Rs and the four Cs
We must fuse the three Rs with the four Cs.

• The four Cs
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Creativity and innovation

As the three Rs serve as an umbrella for other
subjects, the four Cs do for other skills.
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New Technology High School Learning Outcomes

• Sacramento 10 Learning Outcomes
• Content proficient
• Able to write proficiently
• Orally proficient
• Able to think critically
• Technologically proficient
• Able to collaborate
• Prepared for a career
• Solid citizens with ethical behavior
• Able to analyze and deal with data
• Possessing a solid work ethic

• Napa 8 Learning Outcomes
• Technology literacy
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Oral communication
• Written communication
• Career preparation
• Citizenship and ethics
• Curricular literacy
• (Content standards)

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What learning curricula, activities, and
experiences foster 21st Century Learning? And
what does schooling look like?
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Manor New Technology High School, Manor, TX
Watch video and list key elements of this
teaching and learning practice. 1.
__________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
_____ 3. ________________________________________
__________ 4. ___________________________________
_______________ 5. ______________________________
____________________ 6. ________________________
__________________________ 7.
__________________________________________________

World GeoLit Integrated class at Manor New
Technology High School, Manor, TX (Photo by Les
Simpson)
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Manor New Tech 1
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v-klc2KijMG8
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At the core is a student-centered, project- and
problem-based teaching strategy that is tied to
both content standards and schoolwide learning
outcomes.
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Project- and Problem-Based LearningKeys to 21st
Century Learning
NTHS teachers start each unit by throwing
students into a realistic or real-world project
that both engages interest and generates a list
of things the students need to know. Projects are
designed to tackle complex problems, requiring
critical thinking. New Techs strategy is simple

• To learn collaboration, work in teams.
• To learn critical thinking, take on complex
  problems.
• To learn oral communication, present.
• To learn written communication, write.
• To learn technology, use technology.
• To develop citizenship, take on civic and global
  issues.
• To learn about careers, do internships.
• To learn content, research, and do all of the
  above.

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Each unit begins when students are presented with
a complex, standards-based problem.
Students form a team, develop a work contract,
and build a work plan.
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Students get to work!
Students are provided an online briefcase
specific to the project with information,
resources, links, and assessment criteria that
help guide them.
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Students need to know.
Student questions and need to knows drive
classroom lectures and activities. Sometimes for
the whole class, sometimes for just one student.
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Students experiment and apply learning.
Students test their ideas and experiment to find
solutions and breakthroughs while receiving
ongoing feedback from instructors.
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Students get back to work!
Students work and collaborate in a business-like
environment, where they know their deliverables
and have the technology tools to do their jobs.
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Students prepare to present.
Students work on building presentations to
represent their work and defend their solutions.
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Students present their solutions!
Students present ideas through debates, skits,
panels, presentations where their work is
evaluated by peers, teachers, parents, and
community.
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The New Language of School Design
Classrooms are out! No more classrooms! Dont
build them! Roger Schank, Institute for
Learning Sciences
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Manor New Tech 2
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Columbus Signature Academy, Columbus, IN
Figure 2 Learning studio for integrated
interdisciplinary class at Columbus Signature
Academy, Columbus, IN
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CSA
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Columbus Signature Academy
Primary student work area Learning studio
Presentation space Presentation room
Large group space Multi-purpose room
Extended learning spaces Breakout area Project conference room
Specialty labs Graphic media lab Science lab
Furniture Rolling tables and chairs Flip-up tables
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New Tech High _at_ Coppell, Coppell, TX
Figure 4. Student project teams at work in
double-sized classroom at New Tech High _at_
Coppell, Coppell, TX. Photo by Kate Jenkins
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Extended Learning Spaces
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Student collaborative project teams working in
the digital media library, in the corridor, and a
project planning room, some of the

many extended learning
spaces at New Tech High, Coppell, Coppell, TX.
Photos by SHW Group, Plano, TX, and Kate Jenkins
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New Tech High, _at_ Coppell
Primary student work area Dual subject matter learning environment
Presentation space Large multi-group collaboration zones
Large group space Large multi-group collaboration zones
Extended learning spaces Corridor alcoves Project planning rooms Media library Outdoor benches
Specialty labs Science lab
Furniture Mix and match tables, office chairs, lounge chairs, and sofas in extended learning spaces
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The Met, Providence, RI
Figure 7 Students in advisory room at the Met,
Providence, RI
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At the Met, the curriculum is Learning Through
Interests or Internships (LTIs). To the Met, LTI
sites are part of its facilities. And the school
site is designed to support students working on
their LTIs.
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Figure 8 Floor plan of Met East, Providence, RI,
showing advisory rooms, project labs, and commons
area
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The Met
Primary student work area Advisoryproject room
Presentation space Commons
Large group space Commons
Extended learning spaces Conference rooms Meeting rooms Commons
Specialty labs Fabrication
Furniture Soft, cushioned seats, contour chairs, flexible tables
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High Tech High, San Diego, CA
Figure 9 Cluster area studio surrounded by four
flexible classrooms at High Tech High, San Diego,
CA
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HTH
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYie4q8LscBs
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High Tech High
Primary student work area Clustered classroom Common studio
Presentation space Commons
Large group space Commons
Extended learning spaces Small and large conference rooms Common studios Commons
Specialty labs Biotech, engineering Art, music Multimedia, digital arts
Furniture Benches in extended learning spaces
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New Line Learning Academy, Maidstone, Kent,
England
Figure 10 Learning Plaza prototype at New Line
Learning Academy, Maidstone, Kent, England, shows
Learning Plaza divided in multiple ways for large
groups, small groups, and individual learning
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NLL
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Figure 11 Ground Floor, Learning Plaza prototype
at New Line Learning Academy, Maidstone, Kent,
England
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Figure 12 Mezzanine, Learning Plaza prototype at
New Line Learning Academy, Maidstone, Kent,
England
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New Line Learning Academy
Primary student work area Learning Plaza
Presentation space Learning Plaza
Large group space Learning Plaza
Extended learning spaces Learning Plaza watering holes and caves
Specialty labs Art Technology Science
Furniture Modular tables and mobile lecture-style amphitheater seating
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Columbus Signature Academy New Tech High _at_ Coppell The Met High Tech High New Line Learning Academy
Primary student work area Learning studio Dual subject matter learning environment Advisory/ project room Clustered classroom Common studio Learning Plaza
Presentation space Presentation room Large multi-group collaboration zones Commons Commons Learning Plaza
Large group space Multi-purpose room Large multi-group collaboration zones Commons Commons Learning Plaza
Extended learning spaces Breakout area Project conference room Corridor alcoves Project planning rooms Media library Outdoor benches Conference rooms, Meeting rooms Commons Small and large conference rooms Common studios Commons Learning Plaza watering holes and caves
Specialty labs Graphic media lab, Science Science Fabrication Biotech, Engineering, Art, Music, Multimedia, Digital Arts Art Technology Science
Furniture Rolling tables and chairs flip-up tables Mix and match tables office chairs lounge chairs and sofas in extended learning spaces Soft, cushioned seats, contour chairs, flexible tables Benches in Extended learning spaces Modular tables and mobile lecture-style amphitheater seating
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Some Cautionary TalesIts about a lot more than
design and technology.

• UK open learning environments (1970s)
• Massachusetts new high schools (mid-1990s)
• NW England new learning centres

Are teachers ready to teach in the new learning
environments?
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Putting It All Together

• PBL curriculum and pedagogy
• Assessment for learning
• Technology
• Learning spaces and environment

• Professional development

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Four Imperatives for 21st Century Learning

• Compete Globally
• Kids are different and learn differently
• Kids are bored, not engaged
• The Creativity Crisis

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Contact Information
Bob Pearlman 21st Century School and District Consultant bobpearlman_at_mindspring.com www.bobpearlman.org [phone]
PowerPoint Slides and Resources at
http//www.bobpearlman.org/21learningsummit.htm