Traditionally, the line of communication was straightforward – a professor or instructor presented information to students and the students were responsible for retaining information. These days, we’re seeing a change in the design of learning environments and an increase in more effective classroom structures, with students actively participating in – and contributing to – lessons through individual and small group activities and discussions. This creates a more integrated method of communication, with information flowing from the instructor to individual groups, from student to student within those groups, and then back to the classroom at large. Instead of learning from the instructor alone, knowledge is now gathered from the instructor, peers, and a student’s own discoveries.
In these active-learning classrooms, the traditional projector or whiteboard isn’t going to cut it. Today we’re going to discuss different classroom styles and how we’re working to improve the student experience and the environment in the classroom.
Project-Based Learning in the Classroom
In project-based learning classrooms, students collaborate to create something together. Collaboration is not only useful to this learning environment but vital to the success of the overall project. When working in project-based classrooms, students are able to collaborate by sharing research they’ve conducted amongst their group, the instructor, and the classroom. Design-based learning is a facet of this style of instruction and is useful in many disciplines including art, engineering, interior and graphic design, and more. Meant for both secondary and postsecondary education, this is a student-centered, group-work dense style of learning that requires active participation and collaboration by the students. They must understand how to delegate tasks, evaluate time management, share efforts and more, all while being monitored by the instructor.
Problem-Based Learning in the Classroom
Problem-based learning instruction is a student-centric approach that requires students to think critically and apply their existing knowledge to better their understanding. In the modern classroom, problem-based learning does not always have a defined resolution but is used to encourage original thought, group collaboration, and reasoning skills. Through collaborative reasoning in the classroom, students are able to design their own style of learning and rationalization, which helps reinforce retention in the long run. Used in both secondary and postsecondary classrooms, problem-based learning can be used in medical fields and other disciplines where problem-solving skills are needed, such as mathematics, law, engineering, and more. The role of the instructor in these interactive learning environments is to facilitate rationalization and critique research findings, rather than searching for a correct or incorrect answer from students, resulting in an effective classroom environment for learning.
How to Adapt to Modern Learning Environments
In today’s modern learning environments, it’s important to have programs in place that will not only improve collaboration, but also incorporate technology that 21st-century learners can easily navigate. Technology that facilitates individual work, group work, small discussions, and classroom-wide seminars needs to be dynamic. It also needs to be compatible with the many devices and platforms students use today. We’ve designed our active learning solutions for educators to do just that – provide a way for students and instructors to work together to easily exchange information and ideas individually, in small groups, and in large classrooms around the globe. Students can now grow and learn internationally or in the same classroom, together, unlike ever before.
ThinkHub Connect™ is our solution for the modern classroom. As a hybrid of ThinkHub®, ViewHub™, and AirConnect™ technology, our active learning technology works in tandem to provide instructors and students with a powerful presentation or lecture tool. By having effective and interactive collaboration technology in place, today’s students are able to work together, formulate ideas, and learn in an all-encompassing manner more effectively compared to traditional classrooms. They can also monitor and broadcast ThinkHub and ViewHub station activity to all student stations for a more immersive classroom experience so students can easily share one another’s work or present information. When it’s time for groups to work together, they are able to share work in real time or collaborate on one project simultaneously. Instructors can also monitor and provide feedback on student and group work immediately, which saves time and enhances the quality of the learning space. This allows the entire classroom to learn and grow together, instructor to student, student to student, and group to group.
If you are in need of a progressive learning environment and you believe ThinkHub Connect would be a great addition to your classroom or school, contact us today to request to see a demo of our active learning solutions.