Creating Significant Learning Environments
(EDLD-5313-D01)
In EDLD 5313 Creating Significant Learning Environments, I learned that creating a truly impactful learning environment begins with understanding what significant learning is. It's not about memorizing information or just getting the right answers. It's about creating an environment where learning is meaningful, student-centered, and encourages curiosity and exploration. Significant learning engages students in ways that make them want to learn, not just for the test but for real-world applications. Inspired by the works of Thomas & Brown (2011), I explored how learning can happen in environments that offer both structure and freedom, enabling students to engage with content in a way that fosters critical thinking and deeper understanding. Through this course, I’ve worked to design learning experiences that focus on passion, imagination, and meaningful constraints, ensuring that students not only learn but thrive in their educational journey.
01
New Culture of Learning
This assignment explores how adopting significant learning environments, as outlined in A New Culture of Learning, can enhance the effectiveness of blended learning. The focus is on creating spaces that foster active engagement, personalized learning, and collaboration, addressing challenges like disengagement and limited flexibility in traditional education models.
I reflect on how the principles from A New Culture of Learning align with my innovation plan for blended learning, providing strategies to improve student outcomes. The assignment also identifies potential challenges, such as technology access and maintaining student motivation, and offers solutions for overcoming these obstacles.
Through this assignment, I aim to demonstrate how shifting to significant learning environments can transform teaching practices and impact my organization’s approach to education.
02
Creating Your Learning Philosophy
This assignment explores my personal learning philosophy, where I reflect on my beliefs about learning, teaching, and the relationship between the two. It delves into my perspective as both a learner and an educator, and the learning theory that resonates most with my approach (e.g., Constructivism, Behaviorism, Cognitivism). I also connect my philosophy to specific learning theories and discuss how these influence my teaching methods, innovation plans, and role as a change facilitator. The assignment includes an annotated bibliography of resources that shaped my thinking and serves as a living document that evolves with my experiences and insights.
03
Designing for Significant Learning in a Blended Environment
This project is about designing a blended learning course that equips students to succeed in both traditional and digital environments. The course combines in-person collaboration with online tools, focusing on developing essential skills like self-regulation, teamwork, and digital literacy. Grounded in Fink's (2013) self-directed course design model, I outline the Course Outcomes, the 3-Column Table detailing Skills Development and Assessments, and other critical elements of the course design. My Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for this course is to create an engaging, transformative learning experience where students move beyond merely receiving information and actively engage in their learning process. By exploring blended learning models like flipped classrooms and hybrid approaches, students will not only grasp the material but also develop the confidence and skills needed to navigate both academic and professional settings. This flexible, student-centered design encourages learners to take ownership of their learning, empowering them to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital world.
04
UbD Design Template
This assignment focuses on designing a comprehensive unit using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, which emphasizes creating clear learning goals, assessing student understanding, and planning meaningful activities. The document outlines the steps taken to craft an engaging and effective learning experience, ensuring alignment between objectives, assessment, and instructional strategies.
05
Developing a Growth Mindset
In this reflection, I revisited my earlier approach to promoting a growth mindset, recognizing that fostering a mindset alone isn’t enough to drive substantial academic improvement. Research by Sisk et al. (2018) and Dweck (2006) made me realize that simply promoting a growth mindset isn’t enough for lasting improvement. As a result, I’ve expanded my approach to include strategies like resilience training, teaching feedback literacy, and fostering metacognitive skills, which help students build the tools they need to navigate challenges effectively. I now focus on helping students persevere, reflect on their mistakes, adapt their learning strategies, and apply effort strategically. Additionally, I emphasize creating a classroom environment that normalizes mistakes as part of the learning process and provides constructive, feedback-driven opportunities for continuous improvement. By aligning my approach with these insights, I aim to cultivate not only perseverance but a curiosity-driven, learner’s mindset that promotes lifelong learning and sustained success.
Click Here (Literally) to See My Growth: Wix Buttons, The BHAG, UbD, and Growth Mindset Journey
06
In this assignment, I focused on reflecting on my contributions throughout the course and how my learning journey evolved. I discussed the strategies I used to stay on track, the challenges I faced, and how I collaborated with my classmates to build a meaningful learning experience. By revising my work and engaging with feedback, I was able to refine my understanding and grow as both a learner and a contributor to our group discussions. This reflection allowed me to evaluate my progress and set intentions for continuous improvement.
