As future educators, we know that all our students will not learn
the same way. Not only their interests will be different but also their
learning styles and needs. Differentiating our teaching strategies is essential
to ensure that each of our students can learn and develop their skills. Flexible
learning spaces also play an important role in education. They allow students to
collaborate with peers and make them feel more motivated to learn, more comfortable
when working and more willing to pay attention. In addition to this, flexible learning
spaces can give teachers more choices to interact with all the students and allow
them to arrange the furniture according to the needs of each specific activity.
In
my opinion, flexible learning spaces are very beneficial for students because
they allow them to work with others, be part of groups and have more
opportunities to learn through a variety of activities. In the video Flexible Learning Environments, they show rolling desks as an example of
furniture that is appropriate for a flexible learning environment. This kind of
furniture, for example, can make students focus on the activities, have more
choices and develop better social skills through the interaction and
collaborative work. Students can move around the classroom for group work but they
can also work independently when needed. A flexible learning environment can
also help suit the activities to their learning styles, as some students will
prefer to work sitting while others will prefer to work on the floor or use
manipulatives. In the video Flexible Learning Spaces, they explained how to take advantage of these spaces in our classrooms:
“Flexibility
and functionality of spaces can be enhanced by innovative and well utilized
furniture and information and communications technology (ICT)”.
Teachers
need to be aware of the importance of including technology in our classrooms as
well as the advantages this brings for both teachers and students. Digital
learning spaces are also a way to improve learning spaces. In the 21st century, when almost everyone has a smartphone or a laptop, teachers need to
take advantage of it and use this to improve the teaching and learning
processes. An example of digital learning spaces is online classes. They aren’t
only cheaper for students and schools, but they can also give students the
opportunity to decide when they want to learn and how.
“Online classes offer a number of benefits:
personalized, flexible learning approaches, access to courses that are
over-capacity, and collaboration with other institutions, for starters. They’re
also essential for distance learning for students in rural areas, with special
needs, or those being homeschooled”.
Digital learning spaces can also have a few
disadvantages; for example, parents need to help monitor their children’s use
of technology regularly and for some students working alone could be not very
motivating. Also, all teachers need to keep up with the newest apps and technology
devices. However, there are more advantages than disadvantages about digital
learning spaces. Students can have access to information all the time and
everywhere they go; they can decide where and when they want to study; they can
choose how they want to do their work and what apps they want to use to
complete a task.
In my opinion, working both online and
face-to-face is the best option. Even though students have access to everything
they need online, school plays an important role in socialization. Students
need to interact with peers and develop social skills. This can’t happen if
they do everything online. A balance between both can be very beneficial for
teachers and students, and can ensure the development of our students’ skills.
Educators need to enhance the use of technology in our classrooms to give students
more opportunities to succeed, but in order to do this we need to be trained
and keep up to date with technology. We need to effectively integrate technology
into any subject we teach to make teaching more motivating and meaningful for
everyone.