The New Classroom.

AuthorGreenawalt, Dolores
PositionEDUCATION - Technology in higher education

LONG AGO, students went to college and were taught at--not to. An instructor would stand in front of them and lecture. Students would take notes; they would be tested on their knowledge; and it would be assumed that, if they did not do well on their tests, they did not know the material. Without a lot of think/pair/share, collaborative work, and Internet in the classroom, many students did not receive the full educational experience they do today.

In the 21st century, pedagogy has evolved, as more kinesthetic and visual styles have been introduced. Instructors have created more-active learning lessons and students have become more involved in their studies. Laptops, smartphones, and the Internet changed the way humans gather information.

Children of the early 1990s and beyond were taught to use a computer and eventually research their information online. Today, most students have Googled their career choices before even sitting down to apply for college, thus creating a school culture where they have changed the face of the traditional student and forced schools to focus on a new traditional student.

Students know which classes they have to take in order to graduate, and there is a greater demand in the classroom for relevant information that can be used in the workforce. The college culture has changed as a result of universities focusing and creating curriculum that pays more attention to students' needs and wants. Higher education has been evolving to meet their rising demands, but is it enough?

Just as teaching appropriate information is pertinent to students, relevant pedagogy is equally important to instructors. For the majority of the 20th century, auditory was the main way higher-ed classes were taught, but students who learned differently were not learning to their capabilities.

In 1979, Michael N. Milone, Raymond H. Swassing, and Walter Burke Barbe published Teaching Through Modality Strengths: Concepts and Practices, and defined visual, auditory, and kinesthetic as the top three ways students learn. Pedagogy styles began to reflect the different learning modalities, as instructors became more familiarized with them. A shift in school culture was beginning and it aided students in their studies.

In the classroom, lectures no longer are enough and collaborative learning has taken a greater role. Things like think/pair/share and small-group discussions and workshops not only bring the class together and build relationships, they...

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