Flexible Learning Opportunities

Location

I'd like to challenge the "one size fits all" structure of class scheduling. What if instead of the entire student body moving from one class to the next based on student age and ability, students had the opportunity to learn remotely and not necessarily in the "assigned" classsroom.

This would become a schoolwide asynchronous learning model. Now, I know what some of you are thinking:

Well, that would never work. Kids would misbehave.
Well, that's a safety issue.
Well, that would never work. Kids wouldn't do their schoolwork.
Well, that would never work. Teachers won't go for it.

So, my response is ... How are we preparing kids for the future they will find themselves in? What if kids could earn the opportunity to deviate from their schedule? And, didn't all of our teachers learn how to accomplish an asynchronous, digital learning environment during COVID? As far as safety, there would be parameters for where students could learn.

Imagine a school where students have on-demand learning based on their individual learning needs and preferences!

Wouldn't teachers be happy that they, perhaps, would have smaller class sizes--to focus on the kids with the most needs. If students don't NEED to be in the classroom to learn and don't WANT to be in the classroom, why should they have to?

Shouldn't we structure our school learning to accomodate student desires?

Grouping

Flexible grouping is a key ingredient in an effective learning environment. My suggestion is to create a learning environment in which students have the option (or can earn the option) of choosing their seating.

Some students will choose to work with their friends while others will likely choose to work individually. Student choice of seating does not matter to the instructor in an effectively run classroom.

What does matter is that the seating options available themselves should be flexible. This means that each class of students should be able to rearrange the seating based on that class's preferences.

The goal of the educator should be to provide a classroom environment filled with student voice and choice to best serve them!

"...but what if the students behave poorly?"

Having flexible learning enrivonments means just that. It's flexible. Students who aren't able to appreciate these privileges don't get those priviliges until they show they can handle them. It's as simple as that!