In the twenty-first century it is a requirement for people to adapt their learning style to be able to gain necessary skills and be prepared for the workforce. People who are able to adapt develop certain traits which benefit them in their attempts to remain competitive. There are four categories of today’s learners: The Collaborator, the Free Agent, the Wise Analyzer, and the Creative Synthesizer. Each category of learner demonstrates a different set of attitudes towards learning, which they need to become successful.
The classroom is where most students will spend their time and this should be taken into consideration when trying to design a suitable learning environment. The traits of the students must be thought out and implemented into the design, even such things which are not obvious, like the usage of technology. As an online article pointed out, “If students carry laptops to class, does this affect how we equip the rooms,” (Oblinger, 1991). The inverse is true as well, when looking at how certain students act and their learning habits, one can look to the classrooms for indications of how they formed.
If a student spends the majority of their time in a classroom where they are unable to concentrate or work, they may develop the habit of not doing work or not caring about the pursuit of knowledge. For this reason, classrooms are largely responsible for the actions of students. In modern society, technology is becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of life. Students, especially, use technology to complete schoolwork and to communicate with peers. Teachers must learn to integrate the devices students use to create an efficient learning environment to which they are able to relate.
By submitting to their needs, they are able to learn more and retain more. As an online article states, “Conceptualization and meta-cognition is accelerated and enriched using digital media for analyzing, connecting, representing and creating knowledge,” (Mceetya, 2008). It is obvious that an overhaul of traditional education methods is in need. If teachers wish to teach their students and have them understand, they most change the learning environment to fit the needs of the students. Such actions could be incorporating various technologies into the curriculum and use digital means, which would connect students to teachers and fellow peers.
If each student’s personal needs are met, there will certainly be a higher level of learning. References 21st Century Learners - and their approaches to learning . (n.d.). ultiBASE e-Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/sept02/lambert1.htm Garrison, A. (n.d.). E-Learning in the 21st Century: A framework for research and practice. Portal.ou. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from portal.ou.nl/documents/89037/89380/Garrison+%26%20Anderson+(2003).pdf Learning Spaces Framework. (n.d.). Mceetya.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from www.mceetya.edu.
au/verve/_resources/ICT_LearningOnlineWorld-LearningSpacesFWork.pdf Oblinger, D. G. (n.d.). Learning Spaces | EDUCAUSE. What is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://www.educause.edu/LearningSpaces What is 21st Century Education. (n.d.). 21st Century Schools. Retrieved March 15, 2011, from http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm
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