{"id":13483,"date":"2013-05-17t08:00:39","date_gmt":"2013-05-17t13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/?p=13483"},"modified":"2013-03-06t11:17:01","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06t16:17:01","slug":"ask-professor-pedagogy-designing-learning-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/2013\/05\/ask-professor-pedagogy-designing-learning-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"ask professor pedagogy: designing learning spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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ask professor pedagogy<\/strong> is a twice monthly advice column written by 2022年世界杯中国小组赛积分 staff. one aspect of our mission is to cultivate dialogue about teaching and learning, so we welcome questions and concerns that arise in the classroom; particularly those from vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff. if you have a question that you’d like professor p to address, please send it to us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

dear professor pedagogy,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

over the course of my teaching experience, i have noticed that my students come to class awake, energetic, and enthusiastic.\u00a0 having just rushed across campus from their dorms chatting about the news of the day, they are invigorated.\u00a0 at the beginning of class, students have a lot of attention for the content and are interested in chatting with one another.\u00a0 however, by the end of class, they are drowsy and lackadaisical; having just sat through ninety minutes of lecture and short question-answer periods, their energy and attention is zapped, and their interest in interacting with one another is surpassed by an intense desire to nap.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

next semester, i want to change that predictable rhythm of class.\u00a0 i have the good fortune expecting to have a small class size and a classroom with movable chairs and tables.\u00a0 i am very interested in making the learning environment feel<\/em> more energized, collaborative, and open to a wide variety of experiences, whether they be through technology, peer-interaction, or emergent forms of engagement i have not yet considered.\u00a0 do you have any suggestions regarding learning spaces that might transcend the traditional \u201cschool house\u201d model of sitting at desks, facing a teacher at the chalkboard?\u00a0 i would appreciate ways of embracing and sustaining the intellectual and<\/em> physical energy with which my students come to class.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

sincerely,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

learning spaces<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

dear learning spaces,<\/p>\n

thank you for your question.\u00a0 your interest in creating engaging learning spaces is a particularly timely one, especially because many classrooms are \u201cgoing virtual\u201d or instructors are designing completely new learning environments to meet the changing expectations of their students.\u00a0 however, i think your question gets at an even bigger idea of situating the classroom within the lives of students, rather than expecting students to situate their lives within the oftentimes inauthentic context of the classroom (nespor, 1997).\u00a0 you want to make your instruction as invigorating and relevant as the world beyond<\/em> the four walls of the classroom.<\/p>\n

first, i suggest articulating to yourself the desired outcomes you have in mind when thinking about designing an engaging and effective learning space.\u00a0 here are a few possible objectives you might be thinking about:<\/p>\n