Bridging the Gap
The future will be a wildly different place than what schools were designed for. To thrive in a world that is increasingly complex, constantly changing, highly connected, and intensely competitive, students will need to master 21st Century Skills. Students will need to be adaptive, self-directed, collaborative, creative, and continuously learning.
There are many approaches that give students more freedom and creativity in their learning. Yet, as exciting as these programs are, many do not take into consideration the needs of schools today, resulting in failure and disappointment. Common reasons for failure are:
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Misalignment with curriculum and standards: results in lower achievement when measured against mandated standards
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Misunderstanding
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Mismatching the level of creativity, choice, and collaboration to the capacity of students and teachers: too much too soon, classrooms become overwhelmed, and disorder creeps in. Overly rigid programs stifle the creativity and growth of students.
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Not integrated with core curriculum: often, these innovative learning approaches are quarantined to an hour a week, a club, or after school program. It is seen as an “extra” rather than an “essential”. Without integration throughout the curriculum, students do not get enough practice to become proficient in 21st Century skills. Decision making, collaboration, and creativity are muscles that must be exercised frequently to grow.
Educators and students are caught between seemingly paradoxical goals of achieving in the school system today and wanting to develop real skills to thrive in the future world. Schools need a solution that transcends and integrates the needs of today’s academic environment today while preparing students for tomorrow.
We need an approach to classrooms that can dance between these two worlds with agility, one that is:
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Empowered yet Aligned
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Flexible within a Structure
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Adaptive yet Purposeful
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Creative yet Focused
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Collaborative yet Decisive
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Differentiated yet Consistent
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| Integrating Present and Future Learning Needs -Agile Classrooms© 2015 |
Agile Classrooms provides a bridge to achieve today and tomorrow.
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