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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Make a copy and earn badges for completing your work.

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Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

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Mystery Science offers open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science. The hook, visuals, and activity have all been prepared for you. Less prep, more learning.

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Sharing the PYP Blog
Edutopia
Teacher Channel
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Do a search for "classroom design" or "learning spaces/environments"

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Stephen Heppell: http://www.heppell.net
Greg Whitby: https://bluyonder.wordpress.com
David Thornburg: https://www.fieldingnair.com/team/dr-david-thornburg/
Alan November, Jim Knight, Ron Ritchhart, Reggio, Tony Wagner

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOQYZY1Jgbw

http://www.designshare.com/articles/1/133/fielding_light-learn-color.pdf

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The field of eco-psychology has developed to understand the aspect of what Edward Wilson called biophilia -- man's innate emotional affinity toward all other life forms on Earth. It means that we all have as humans, a deep connection and love for the outdoors and nature.

It is difficult in some parts of the country to have space to take children outdoors into a play yard or even on an extended walk in a nature area. Bringing nature into the classroom is one way of bonding with life. Here are a few suggestions for welcoming the natural world into our classrooms.

Stones, Rocks & Pebbles -- Children are drawn the natural beauty of rocks and pebbles. Place smaller stones that can be examined into bowls for children to investigate. Incorporate smoother stones into children's play areas. Stones can be used to build walls, stir into play soup, given out as tokens on a bus ride or counted out as money.

Stumps -- Another gift from nature that is quite versatile is a tree stump. Children can help peel off the bark and sand down the edges. Larger pieces of bark can be used for roofs for little buildings, as boats with leaf sails and even as loaves in the "bakery". Stumps can become walls, seats on buses or trains, or even stools and chairs in the dramatic play area.

Plants -- Potted plants can actually clean the air in your classroom and add green energy to the room. Be sure to check the toxicity of any plant before placing it indoors.

Sunlight -- Sunlight is needed for the human body, mind and spirit. Open up those curtains and shades and let it stream in.

Gifts from Animals -- You can often find treasures when we walk in nature, a feather or a cast-off skin. Consider bringing these inside to honor the animals. Insert feather.jpg to right of copy.

Seasonal Reminders -- We teach children about the change of seasons yet few centers have plant material where children can actually view the change of seasons. We can bring in blooming branches in the spring. Arrange flowers in the summer. Bring in nuts and colorful leaves to remind us of fall. Use pinecones and evergreens to remind us of winter.

Tabletop Garden -- Fill a pretty non-breakable container with soil and use it to create a miniature garden for your classroom.

Nature-themed Artwork -- Plants can provide interesting parts and props for arts and crafts activities.

Flowers -- Flowers are an instant reminder of the beauty of the natural world. Maybe you have a parent who grows flowers in their garden who will supply you with some fresh ones every week.

Surrounding children with nature indoors brings beauty and warmth to the classroom, nourishes children's senses and fosters their appreciation of all that the Earth offers us.

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Learning eNewsletter - May 2003: Ways to Bring Nature Indoors Into the Classroom

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The field of eco-psychology has developed to understand the aspect of what Edward Wilson called biophilia -- man’s innate emotional affinity toward all other life forms on Earth.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBTdRw5cIb4

http://natureexplore.org/classrooms/certified/

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Responsive Classroom is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It is comprised of a set of research, and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers.

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Responsive Classroom is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It is comprised of a set of research, and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7mZDY3sI9U - desks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cntv3woFwzc - standing desks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDHT2Cg9qYQ - kinesthetic tables

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_x4OLsfReQ - desk/chairs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_iMnKiJUgg - seating

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/schools/8635053/Desks-redundant-in-modern-classrooms - who needs desks?

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Making Space for Learning Personas Learning Engagement Session 5

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Username:webinarpassguest2017@ibo.org
password: WPArchive2017

2014: Flipped! Straight Talk about the Flipped Classroom Approach
2016: Creating Inspiring Spaces for Learning
2017: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments; Creating Collaborative Environments for Learning: Technology and Student Agency
2018: Using Technology to Support Student Inquiry

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Can the physical environment have an impact on the learning environment?

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Can the physical environment have an impact on the learning environment?

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This paper argues in favour of challenging “best practice” generally accepted by the architectural profession by embracing a responsive design approach for creating learning environments. This approach should focus on the role of the social environment and how the physical environment may be structured to support learning.

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OECD iLibrary | Can the Physical Environment Have an Impact on the Learning Environment?

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OECD's dissemination platform for all published content - books, serials and statistics

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A New School Year: Setting Up Your Teaching Space

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A New School Year: Setting Up Your Teaching Space

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In this article you will find some ideas on setting up your teaching space at the beginning of a new school year.

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In this article you will find some ideas on setting up your teaching space at the beginning of a new school year.
Busy days rearranging furniture and organizing resources characterize the buildup to a new school year. Mix in a pinch of nervous energy and a whole lot of good intention and teachers can spend dozens of hours preparing their physical space for their new class. But in all this bustle and rush, are we missing opportunities to create classrooms that will maximize teaching and learning?

Prior to the first day of the year with students, most teachers rethink teaching spaces to best suit the anticipated needs of learners, their own style of teaching, and the curriculum that they will be delivering. Many educators, even those whom have not read about modern learning environments, seem to intuitively understand the power of the physical learning environment as a third teacher[1]. This is why there can be such a mad dash to decorate walls and doors, and 'put something up' in corridors and on display boards. In contemporary classrooms, the possibility exists for teachers, administrators and students to enhance teaching and learning via a judicious use of space. By carefully considering the opportunities that space grants the users, we can harness the environment to maximize outcomes for students.

When learning spaces are analyzed, certain opportunities, or affordances (Torquato, & Enrnst, 2013), can be identified. When we speak of opportunities in the built environment we are referring to "any environmental feature, or lack thereof, that grants users the ability to change their environment to best meet their needs when engaged in a particular activity" (Nair, Fielding & Lackney 2013, p. 15). This definition is empowering because it emphasizes the importance of change within our environments. Indeed, classrooms should be flexible and adaptive to the needs of our students and the differing demands of the learning and teaching that takes place. Surely static and inflexible learning spaces are as redundant to 21 st century learning as static and inflexible teaching methodology is.

Here are three road-tested suggestions for you to maximize the opportunities that exist in your physical environment:
1) Put your pedagogy at the heart of how you arrange and furnish your space
Although the "prevailing pedagogic approach has swung towards active and collaborative learning" (JISC 2006, p.10), physical spaces in schools, even schools with highly qualified staff and a commitment to progressive teaching methodology, often fail to reflect this. We urge you to think about how you want your students to be working, and look for opportunities to build the types of spaces within your classroom that will enable this. Breakout spaces and small group conferencing spaces within a room are not a new idea, but are frequently overlooked. If classrooms are arranged so that collaboration, communication and small group interaction is implied, teaching methodology will quickly align. For forward-looking educators, arranging a space that facilitates progressive pedagogy can unleash best practice teaching and become a source of daily inspiration and innovation.
2) It's OK to start with a blank canvas
Teachers often feel pressure (whether real or imagined) from administrators and parents to have their teaching spaces 'ready to go from day one'. While this is a fine intention, we urge you to reconsider what "being ready for day one" really should look like. In a Reggio Emilia approach to education we might say that it is our students, the children, who bring the color into the classroom. It is very liberating to start a school year with a minimally decorated teaching space. Instead of labeling kids lockers before the first day, ask them to choose their lockers and invite them to design their own name tags. Instead of buying a brightly colored "Class Rules" poster from a teaching store, build those agreements with your class and allow them to socially construct their own learning community (and create their own rules poster if need be). If you have never had the chance to take a 'less is more' stance, perhaps this might be your year!
3) Visible thinking can happen anywhere
This third point links back to the notion that we need to start with pedagogy and make decisions about furnishings and resources based on what you want to teach and how you want to teach it. If one of your priorities is to get students showing what they know, and giving life to their thinking through reflection and peer discourse then you do need to arrange space with this in mind. Walls need to be approachable for students to pin their questions and thoughts up (display boards need not be reserved for 'finished work' only). Writeable surfaces are everywhere and their potential as collaborative workspaces cannot be overlooked (windows, some desks, and perhaps even the back of your classroom door can become a dry-erase playground).

Take another look at your teaching space. What does it say about the students you teach and how they best learn? Have you put your values on display by seeking opportunities to build a truly modern learning environment? Please feel free to either drop me a line in the comments section below and let us all know how your start of year classroom setup has been for you, or post your class photos on PYP Twitter feed @ibpyp!

References:

Cadwell, L 1997, 'Bringing Reggio Emilia Home: An Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Education', Teachers College Press

JISC 2006, 'Designing spaces for effective learning: A guide to 21st century learning space design', JISC e-learning programme, retrieved Decemember 16 2014, http://jisc.ac.uk/elearning_innovation.html

Nair P, Fielding R, Lackney, J 2013, 'the language of school design: design patterns for 21 st century schools', Design Share, designshare.com

Torquato, J, and Enrnst, J A 2013, 'Beyond the Walls: Conceptualizing Natural Environments as "Third Educators"', Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, vol. 34, number 2, 191-208

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Dylan is currently an elementary school counselor at the Western Academy of Beijing, although prior to counseling he was a homeroom teacher with classroom experience across five grade levels. Dylan is an IB PYP workshop leader and an Apple Distinguished Educator. He is passionate about learning spaces and contributes to a blog on the subject at www.makespace4learning.com. He welcomes feedback, collaboration and further discussion via twitter (@dylan_meikle).

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A new school year: Setting up your teaching space

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In this article you will find some ideas on setting up your teaching space at the beginning of a new school year. Busy days rearranging furniture and organizing resources characterize the buildup to a new school year.

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Barriers to learning

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Ideas to consider including a brief video.

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The ability of a school student to learn in the classroom isn’t simply a question of motivation. Research suggests that almost 1 in 5 pupils in the UK leave school before taking their A-levels – a relatively high number compared with the rest of Europe.

Here, we look at the various social, cultural and emotional barriers to learning, and link to some of the many practical resources on the Success at School site which will help you tackle them.

1. Motivation or "availability to learn"

A student’s availability to learn depends largely on their motivation. Our personal desire to achieve results and improve our knowledge, regardless

Image by Steve Guditus via http://sguditus.blogspot.co.uk/

of the material being studied, is one of the most important factors in our ability to learn.

Looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of school needs, we see that self-actualization comes top of the list in the essential ‘needs’ that we require to learn. A lack of motivation is a major barrier to student’s learning and without the desire to achieve; students often end up doing the bare minimum amount of work in the classroom, enough to get by but not enough to really enhance their learning. A lack of motivation to study typically results in students going through the motions of learning and not retaining information.

Resources

How to motivate yourself to study

Why study...? subject series

2. Social and cultural barriers

A student's ability to interact with others greatly impacts their
learning

A child’s ability to interact socially with their peers has a significant impact on how they progress in the classroom.The very act of learning in a classroom environment involves interacting with other students, talking through problems and finding solutions.

Why interaction is important

In today’s classroom with an average of 17.8 pupils per teacher (14.5 elsewhere in Europe according to statistical agency Eurostat), peer to peer learning in schools is important now more than ever.

Discussing lessons with other students helps pupils realise their own strengths and weaknesses and enables them to improve their knowledge gaps, learning directly from their classmates.

School students who have poor social skills often fall behind in their learning as they aren’t able to communicate as effectively as others. Of course, not all types of learning requires students to be social, but in the early years in particular, the ability to listen, respond and empathise with other people are all important learning skills.

How environment can shape social skills

The culture in which a child grows up can also have a bearing on their ability to learn. Looking at Maslow’s table, ‘belonging’ is one of the most essential learning needs. The relationships that we form with our parents, friends and teachers all feed into our ability to learn.

As humans, we are hugely influenced by the people around us and during our first 5 years, our principal influencers are our parents or guardians. The beliefs that our parents hold and the cultures that they embrace can heavily influence how we learn as students. For example, if a student has grown up in a household where mathematical subjects are given more weight that languages, that student may have a cultural barrier when it comes to learning subjects like English.

3. Emotional factors that affect learning

A student's self-esteem plays an important role in their ability
to learn

The encouragement that we receive from our teachers, parents and friends plays an important role in our emotional learning. If a student adopts a mindset of ‘always trying their best’ and learning from past failures, they’ll generally have a positive outlook on their ability to learn. On the other hand, if a student’s internal voice is always telling them that they’re not good enough or that there’s no point in even trying, they’re more likely to underachieve in school.

A student’s emotional wellbeing majorly impacts their ability to do well at school. Students who lack confidence and are afraid to take educated guesses could have emotional issues that are affecting their learning. There can be a number of emotional factors at play in a student’s learning including fear of embarrassment, doubt and inadequacy, all of which can lead to self-sabotaging emotional states.

Generally speaking, negative emotions can be reduced by setting expectations, focusing on the positives and setting goals for the future.

Resources

How to cope on exam results day

What if I don't get the grades I need for university?

4. Personal issues that can affect learning

On an individual level, students often have personal issues that affect their learning. For example, students with diagnosed learning difficulties like autism or Asperger’s syndrome will find certain elements of learning more challenging than others. Similarly, students with learning impairments like dyslexia may find that their personal barriers hinder their progress at times.

On a practical level, factors such as transport, location, language and access to resources can all present blocks to learning for some students. For example, school pupils who don’t speak English as their first language may find following instructions more difficult than native English speakers. Or students who live in remote locations may find that a lack of access to resources like the internet plays a big part in their ability to learn.

What we can do

For more practical advice on reducing learning barriers, check out this useful video:

Having an awareness of some of these learning roadblocks can help us as teachers, careers advisors and parents understand the individual needs of our students or children.

Learning barriers affect students differently and there’s no ‘right’ way to reduce them. Generally speaking, a collective effort form friends, family and teachers in supporting students to overcome any obstacles is a good starting point.

Key resources: Removing barriers to learning

Success at School is packed with resources to help students succeed in their studies, plan their careers, find work experience, apply for jobs and much more. Here, we have brought together articles to help you remove barriers to learning in your school. Most of our content is written for students in language they will understand, so you can refer them directly to the site, or use these pieces as the starting point for a conversation:

How to motivate yourself to study

Why study...? subject series

How to cope on exam results day

What if I don't get the grades I need for university?

Image credits

http://sguditus.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellingtoncollege/12988817943/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/communitiesuk/5167179548

https://www.flickr.com/photos/74418806@N04/6703091863/

Tags: barriers to learning barriers to education in school common barriers to learning in school

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What are the Most Common Barriers to Learning in School?

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Motivation, social & cultural, emotional and personal barriers can all affect a school student’s ability to learn. This post explores these learning barriers.

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The Difference Between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Traditional Education

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching that aims to give all students equal opportunities to succeed, no matter how they learn. While some teachers in traditional schools may use UDL principles and practices on their own, traditional and UDL approaches to education are very different.

This chart, created with the help of the CAST, highlights some of the differences between traditional classrooms and UDL classrooms. CAST, an Understood founding partner, developed the UDL framework.

In the traditional classroom

In the UDL classroom

Teaching focuses on what is taught.

The primary focus is on teaching the subject matter students need to learn. Lessons are designed and taught with a "typical" student in mind.

That often means the teacher will present the material in one way for the entire class.

A lesson on the Civil War, for instance, might involve the teacher lecturing the class and writing facts and dates on the board.

Teaching focuses on both what is taught and how.

The primary focus is on finding ways to teach the material to the many types of learners in a classroom. Teachers plan lessons to address a wide range of needs and strengths. There's no "typical" student.

The teacher will present the material in a variety of ways. A lesson on the Civil War might include a traditional lecture. But there might also be a video for students to watch or an online class forum for discussion. There might even be a board game that students play to understand the history of the war.

Accommodations are for specific students.

Accommodations are only for students with an IEP or a 504 plan, the goal being to help these students learn the same material as their classmates.

For instance, a student with accommodations listed in an IEP or 504 plan might get an alternate format for a book, like an audiobook. But alternate formats aren't available to the whole class.

Accommodations are for all students.

The accommodations some kids might get in their IEPs and 504 plans are available to all students. The idea behind this is that all kids may benefit from multiple formats. Some say, too, that providing accommodations for all can reduce stigma students may feel about using accommodations.

For instance, if a lesson relies on a book, the book will be available to the entire class in multiple forms. That includes text-to-speech, Braille, digital text and large print.

The teacher decides how the material is taught.

The teacher teaches in one way for the whole class, and all students are expected to learn in that way.

The teacher works with the student to decide how the student will learn the material.

Teachers and students work together to set individual learning goals. Each student gets to make choices about how to accomplish personal goals. The aim to is to have the student understand how she learns and become an "expert learner."

The classroom has a fixed setup.

It looks like a traditional classroom-desks lined up in rows or grouped in pods. The teacher stands in front and teaches to the whole class at once.

The classroom has a flexible setup.

The room is laid out with different spaces for different kinds of work-quiet, individual work, small and large group work, and group instruction. Teaching is flexible, depending on the lesson and student needs. The teacher moves around from space to space, helping students as they work.

There's one way for a student to complete an assignment.

There's usually only one way for a student to show what he knows.

For instance, a book report might be assigned only as a written essay.

There are multiple ways to complete an assignment.

There are many options for students to show what they know, because students have different strengths in how they express themselves.

For example, students can choose the format for their book report, such as a video, slideshow presentation or essay.

Grades are used to measure performance.

Students get periodic feedback on how they're doing through tests, quizzes, projects and assignments. But grades typically aren't used as part of an ongoing discussion about goals and learning.

Grades are used to reinforce goals.

Students get continuous feedback on how they're doing. They're encouraged to reflect on their learning and whether they met lesson goals. Grades feed into that discussion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Difference Between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Traditional Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching that aims to give all students equal opportunities to succeed, no matter how they learn. While some teachers in traditional schools may use UDL principles and practices on their own, traditional and UDL approaches to education are very different.

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Helping students to overcome barriers.

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Experts tell us that our unconscious mind makes a majority of our decisions. It’s time to take control.

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You can use this one, or schools can create their own.

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What will you do with your knowledge?

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Download or make a copy of this document to use for reflection throughout the workshop.

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LOTUS DIAGRAM

What is a lotus diagram?

This analytical tool is used for organization and brainstorming. It helps break down topics of information, which can then be prioritized for additional study.

1. Determine topic to be studied.

2. Brainstorm ideas into major topics.

3. Place the main topic in the center of the lotus diagram. Beginning at the diagonal right out spot, number each around the center from 1 to 8.

4. Brainstorm information about each of the subtopics to study.

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Organize your resources in an online digital binder.

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"I wanted a tool to allow the students to showcase what they are learning in the class. I had used LiveBinders for some other projects but I thought this would be a great way for the students to collect and highlight what they learned in class."

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Capture, nurture, and share your ideas across devices.

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Secure Web-based Personal Journaling Tool.

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Capture what's on your mind

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Surprise party for Kristen!

Surprise party for Kristen!

Reminder at 8:00 PM, Jun 19

New bike helmet

Candles?

Cute house plant?

Drop earrings

Bangles

Scarf, or triple wear scarf?

Picture frame

New bike helmet

Candles?

Cute house plant?

Drop earrings

...

Reminder at 8th Street Market

When and where you need it

Need to remember to pick up some groceries? Set a location-based reminder to pull up your grocery list right when you get to the store. Need to finish a to-do? Set a time-based reminder to make sure you never miss a thing.

Share your thoughts with family and friends

Next time you go to the store, share your shopping list on Keep and watch as items get checked off in real time. No need for text messages back and forth. Get things done together, faster.

Find what you need, fast

Quickly filter and search for notes by color and other attributes like lists with images, audio notes with reminders or just see shared notes. Find what you're looking for even faster, and let Keep do the remembering for you.

Surprise party for Kristen!

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Get extra chairs from the attic

Maybe invites - RSVPs first

Pam Singleton

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These will be implemented in 2020

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Your one stop shop for all of the official PYP Documents that we may refer to during this workshop.

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Scavenger Hunt Game - You can start with my missions and adapt them to fit your purpose. :)

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You can subscribe and receive updates - http://blogs.ibo.org/sharingpyp/sharing-pyp-practice/

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Central idea: Media helps us to communicate our ideas and feelings, and to wider audience, and also impacts our lives.
On entering the classroom, students were surprised to find posters, banners and signposts hanging from different areas of the ceiling along with a radio, a TV cutout, a video camera, a microphone and laptops with news channels running...

When asked about the objects' role or purpose ... or how they helped us... the responses poured in:

'For information; for entertainment; for telling us something new; for keeping us updated; for educating us'

We then played with their key words to formulate the statement:

"All these things help us in communication and keep us connected with the rest of the world"

The term 'media 'was introduced, followed by the central idea.

Following our agreed 'No Media Weekend' students shared how different and difficult it felt living without Media.

From their reflections emerged an understanding that we are all dependent upon Media for information and entertainment; but in its absence, we could spend more time with our family; reading; painting; exploring new games and activities.

Students also realized that it is essential to have a balanced life when it comes to using Media.

We discussed the evolution of communication, from smoke columns to conch shells and created a timeline.

Next, we explored different types of Media, starting with an awareness campaign for saving energy by creating posters and banners and digital advertisements.

Students learned the use of ' persuasive words and phrases' in order to attract the ' target audience' and how media agencies make use of ' superlatives' and ' exaggeration ' in order to project themselves as 'the best' in front of the consumer. Students seemed to understand the gimmicks used to attract and influence people who can end up buying the wrong things.

Visiting a popular Indian news-channel we learned how they gather information, the different types of of programmes created and how news is broadcast and relayed across the world.

After giving a running commentary at a school match with microphone and loudspeaker, students decided to target a larger audience and began with our class blog.

Publishing a newspaper - students gathered information and collated using Microsoft publisher.

Setting up a radio station - With scripts at the ready - students stationed themselves in one room and had loudspeakers placed around the school. Listeners were having breakfast when these fourth graders broadcasted their programmes!

Students also learned about the consequences of sharing information on the internet from ThinkUKNow and recorded their reflections here.

Students used all the different media to gain a deeper understanding of the ' function' and conducted a survey on 'how media influences the choices we make' to understand the different ' perspectives '.

Students showcased their understanding of the central idea by creating short movies, big displays and a power-point presentation with voice thread.

From being inquirers to risk takers to communicators to curious independent thinkers ... these 9 year olds were a little bit of everything throughout those 6 weeks!

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To read more stories from Vandana, visit her class blog here.

Vandana has been a primary educator for the last 11 years in international schools from New Delhi to Tokyo and believes in good pedagogical practices and keeping her children happy and excited about every single moment of the day.

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Central idea: Media helps us to communicate our ideas and feelings, and to wider audience, and also impacts our lives. On entering the classroom, students were surprised to find posters, banners and signposts hanging from different areas of the ceiling along with a radio, a TV cutout, a video camera, a microphone and laptops with news channels running...

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Learner Profile, IB Primary Years Programme, and the PYP in Practice in North America

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IB Community video library

A video library is available to help your community discover and share the IB experience. This series introduces viewers to a global network of engaged, passionate teachers and learners.

The IB Community series is on Vimeo and YouTube.

Stanford University video series

Meet university admissions officers from institutions accepting IB students from around the world. They discuss their perspective of the IB and how prepares students for university success

View university testimonials on Vimeo and YouTube.

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A video library is available to help your community discover and share the IB experience. This series introduces viewers to a global network of engaged, passionate teachers and learners. The IB Community series is on Vimeo and YouTube. Meet university admissions officers from institutions accepting IB students from around the world.

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All of the elements on one graphic