Learning Utopia

Everyone's learning style is completely different. Some people learn best in a "very structured, from the book" type class. Other people learn best in an "interactive and fun" type classroom. Will Richardson, an author in education, asked people to describe their ideal learning environment. Most people said a list of the same things, such as, 'safe environment,' 'fun,' 'real life application,' 'social,' 'positive environment,' etc. When we look at classrooms today, we aren't able to see many of these characteristics. Instead we see attributes that didn't make it on the list, for example, 'teacher controlled,' 'standardized assessments,' 'sitting in rows,' 'emphasis on grades,' etc. We as teachers and future teachers have to try and step away from the typical learning environment and create a learning utopia for our students. In order to do that, I believe that we have to picture our own ideal learning environment, and we must try to make it a reality.

My dream classroom to learn in would be set up in groups or a type of place with couches or cushions to sit on, not one with desks all individually placed a row. I would feel more comfortable and willing to learn. I think a classroom should still have some type of time restraints, but not 45 minutes. Classes should be at least 75 minutes, if not longer. Classes should be able to go into depth in each lesson and still have time for the teacher to answer and questions the students might have. I don't think that any class period should be any longer than two hours because some students get restless. I also currently learn best in what would be a fun, interactive classroom that is mentored by a teacher who is passionate about that certain area or can at least create passion for that topic.

 When I say "a fun, interactive classroom," I don't mean a class that is social hour. A fun class for me means not sitting a taking notes over a lesson. Fun is making an interactive game out of a lesson that already seems uninteresting. I want a classroom to be interactive. I want to be able to participate and work with other students to collaborate ideas.

The single most important factor of my learning utopia is passion. The teacher MUST be passionate about what he/she is teaching. I gain my motivation on whether or not the teacher cares about what he/she is teaching. I personally take the spark of passion that they give and turn it into a flame of passion for myself. If a student sees that the teacher does not care about a subject, the student begin to question if he/she even needs to care about it for themselves. This is when students begin to learn things just for tests and not for life.

I plan on turning my ideal learning environment and creating it for my future students. I want my future students to not have the 'typical' classroom. I want them to be comfortable, have fun, and gain a passion for learning.