Shifting learning spaces...start with culture!

Needs of today's learners are changing the needs of space

I like it when presenters, facilitators, people in the conversation of creating change start with the why! Sometimes the conversation around change, especially in education starts with judgement and ignorance: 

We have to change the way we teach because children and youth today are tied to their technology, that's all they know.

Kids these days have so many distractions with their game consoles, so we need to make learning entertaining. 

These are shallow understandings of the exponential changes taking place in society and in our global learning culture. 

In many circles that I am engaged in - alternative healing and health, Baha'is and other people of Faith, environmentalists, indigenous prophecies and communities - all agree there is a shift of energy taking place in the universe that is causing people to awaken and move energetically from a different place of being.

I know - this is intense talk for some folks to take in - but our children and youth get this naturally and are ready to move at this rhythm, as a matter of fact they cannot help it. Our indigenous elders prophesied this time and said any decision should be made with the 7th generation in mind since the impact of any decision we make will reach out that far. 
And though for many there is this quantum shift happening globally with a clear understanding as to why, for others there is confusion and they are not sure why these rapid changes are happening so quickly. A great unifier of this discussion is technology. Everyone can latch onto the realization that technology is shifting our world dramatically and we need to think of how we are responding to this shift. Technology is a great way to engage this discussion and ask these questions:

• If smartphones are small computers and are in every pocket, is there a better way to maximize them to support a culture of learning everywhere?
• Does everyone know the capacity of the mobile devices they carry? 
• If the time of Big Data is here, how do we maximize this capacity to support a more sustainable lifestyle? 
• Since I can connect with anyone, anything, anywhere, anytime...shouldn't I be able to maximize this potential in my work and learning environments?
• Are work and learning environments different today?

There are so many great questions to ask about our learning spaces today and recognizing that learning spaces are no longer - well they never have been - just in the classroom. Access to information and our technology have blown this concept out! So how do we help people cope with these changes? 

Approach: The door you enter, when you want to create change it can open up conversation or shut it down. Today, at the ISTE Conference, folks who are finding an interesting door to enter this conversation. Fran Siracusa and Jennifer Williams are using an approach that is today globally accepted and understood: Start-up culture! This is not to say people really understand start-up culture, but we do as a global society, recognize the power of these start-up groups/companies as holding real potential for creating something powerful and unique. Fran and Jennifer, along with others, are exploring the culture of start-ups as one way to create powerful learning spaces for students. 

So when we think of creating a new dynamic and shifting learning space, we want to start with culture. The culture of start-ups are a great place to start:

• It's an authentic space without attempting to be something, they are looking to do what has never been done before
• It has it's own personality and everything in that space reflects this
• It is agile, willing to move as needed to accommodate it's purpose
• There is passion that is palpable in the start-up culture

If this is not what we are asking our students to do, then I'm not sure what is! THIS is a learning culture and it's exciting!

So how do we replicate something like this in our learning spaces? Here is a brief list of steps to begin thinking this process. For further detailed ideas, reach out to Fran and Jennifer! 

1. Change the culture Flatten the hierarchical structure of our educational system. I know this sounds huge, but if we are serious about meeting the needs of the 21st Century, then the learning space of our students needs to reflect these needs. In start-up culture they want to hear everyone's voice - what is working, what isn't - and make changes immediately! The teacher can go to the superintendent with ideas and they would be heard and considered valid. The goal is to create something dynamic, unique and useful! 
2. Be Purposeful Ask students what they want in their learning space. Consider spaces for different purposes: one that invites reflection, another that asks for creation and ideation and still another that allows for brain breaks - start-ups understand we need to play to be able to create and innovate more effectively.
   
   Giving spaces for play in a learning space comes from the culture - if as educators (this includes parents) we trust our students as active agents of their own learning, then we will trust them to know when they need a brain-break!
3. Class Identity What is your class identity and does the learning space reflect this identity? Your class identity should shape and show up in your classroom.
4. Finally, Physical Space There is a long list of resources and ideas for furniture in changing learning spaces - I would only add to consider re-purposing old furniture. Low-long bookshelves can become standing desks with shelves being used for each students personal working space as one example. 

One of the biggest challenges any organization faces when it is trying to embrace new ideas is change. What I find challenging about this struggle in K12 or Higher Education is these are learning organizations! Learning is about change - so this is what we do! Still, change can create fear. This is why, learning the elements of a learning culture like those in start-up cultures is so important! The one that stands out for learning organizations like ours is agility: the willingness to move as needed to accommodate it's purpose. Our purpose is learning. We serve our students. Change is not an option. We cannot sacrifice the future of our students. We must move - now.