Continuously Curious
Creating Significant Learning Environments
A focus on learning and creating significant learning environments profoundly impacts my innovation plan, Implementing Project-Based Learning in a Blended Learning Environment. Both pieces of my innovation plan require fostering meaningful learning experiences that empower students to become active participants and take ownership of their learning journey through the use of learner-centered agency, intentional pedagogical practices, and well-developed curriculum integrated with digital tools. Creating and continued cultivation of a significant learning environment is the foundational piece on which all others are built upon for successful implementation.
Reading and discussing A New Culture of Learning was the start of our journey, and outlined how I will move toward creating significant learning environments. This interactive presentation, created as a response after reading and class discussion, argues how a shift to a creating significant learning environments can enhance learning. It also shares the problems creating significant learning environments will address and how it will influence or impact my innovation plan-which emphasizes personalized learning, collaboration, and active engagement.
I was challenged to outline and discuss my beliefs and practices about learning. Creating a learning philosophy forced me to reflect, consider, and define my beliefs about learning, where those beliefs stem from, my approach to learning and how others learn, my role in creating significant learning environments, and my role as a change agent. My Philosophy of Learning emphasizes a constructivist/play-based/connectivist approach, based on unconditional positive regard of the learner and where students are active participants in their own learning journey. This philosophy aligns with the creation of significant learning environments that cater to individual needs, learning styles, and diverse backgrounds.
This activity was designed to start linking theory into practice by designing a unit plan with creating a significant learning environment at the forefront through aligning outcomes, assessments, and activities. Fink's Three-Column Table helps educators plan and organize their teaching by defining desired learning outcomes, outlining learning activities, and describing assessment methods. This facilitates clear goals, active learning, and differentiated instruction for a significant learning environment. My example is tied into a unit I will need to guide teachers through in implementing project-based learning within a blended learning environment.
Understanding by Design (UbD) is a planning framework that helps educators design learning experiences backwards, starting with desired results and working backwards to develop assessments and learning activities. This ensures that everything students do contributes to their achieving deep understanding and transferable knowledge. In this activity, I created a UbD Template and reflected on how this design process and how it compared to Fink's 3 Column Table, in addition to how it adds to my innovation implementation plan. The UbD Template provides a design framework that can be used to check the alignment of the outcomes/goals, assessments, and activities and to see how this unit or course fits into a larger context by designing with the end in mind. My example takes my same experience from my 3-Column Table through a different approach.
As I learned about creating significant learning environments, I continued to review and revise my thoughts on Growth Mindset. Upon further reflection and through the use of newly acquired tool, The Revised Growth Mindset Plan is centered around sharing how to develop strategies to incorporated in holistically created learning environments that will positively impact students. This involves embracing challenges, learning from mistakes, and celebrating progress. By implementing strategies such as using the power of "yet" and praising effort, encouraging feedback, focusing on progress, etc. creates a supportive environment that encourages students to persevere and view challenges as opportunities for growth. For further reading, check out my blog post: Growth Mindset Revisited Through the Lens of Creating Significant Learning Environments.