The Dynamic Classroom – Engaging children in the learning process

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are dong or learning to do.” – Pele

The classroom is constantly in flux; we are surrounded by different teachers, different learners, different methodology and a plethora of information. The literature talks about a variety of 21st-century skills that should be included in the curriculum. The integration of technology is no longer a nice to have but viewed as a requirement for the majority of schools.

I will attempt in this article to highlight a few key points from a presentation I gave on Thursday on the Dynamic Classroom.

The Dynamic Classroom is a combination environment with a careful mix of traditional teaching and personalised learning. The use of pen and paper, technology and conversation. The goals of the classroom are:

• To use technology to increase student engagement and motivation to learn.
• To assist the students in the classroom to achieve their potential
• To ensure the human factor is the area of focus in teaching and learning.

The dynamic classroom is based on the premise that educational technology is used to transform teaching and learning, and especially the classroom experience. Three factors will contribute to this transformation, visionary leadership within the school, extensive professional development for teachers and ongoing professional development. Time is always a critical driving force in the design and implementation of any programme within the school environment.

The dynamic teaching environment is based on the research of Andrew Fuller and Dr Kathie Nunley. Both researchers focus on the brain in the education environment.

Andrew Fuller’s research is based on ten years and more studies in the teaching space, and he has developed the GET-IT model of brain-based teaching. The model focuses on the process and activities of the classroom and how these have an impact on the brain and the best times and methods to perform certain tasks with the lesson.

The Layered Curriculum developed by Kathie Nunley, endeavours to increase student choice, accountability and higher order thinking.

The premise of the dynamic classroom is that we need to engage the children in our classrooms and ensure that they are actively engaging in the learning process and have the opportunities to develop and demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways. The skills that should be taught are continuously changing as the advances in technology and understanding of learning change. Therefore the classroom needs to be a flexible and evolving environment that engages the children in the class.

Please review the slides attached to this post and should you required any further information contact Mark (markh@markjhayter.co.za).

Presentation – TeachMeet 2017