Creating significant learning environments (CSLE) for my students is a very important aspect of how I want my classroom to progress toward the kind of learner-centered approach I strive for. Implementing a blended learning rotation model can assist in creating the learner-centered approach I am looking for, but I also must be aware of my previous mistakes of focusing on task completion. So where to now? After creating Fink’s (2003) 3-column table a couple weeks ago, I have begun to step back and see the big picture in the learning that I want my students to be a part of in my classroom. …

Dweck’s (2007) book was a great introduction to the start of my journey in the DLL program back in August. It reminded me of the different ways my students may respond to being challenged in my classroom. As I began to reread the book, I almost thought for a minute that Dr. Dweck had been following me around and writing about students in my classroom. I noticed stories that reminded me of a few of my students this school year and how entrenched they are in a fixed mindset. I knew that the majority of my classroom is filled with …

Learning focused is the best way to describe what I have just created. Being asked to use the UbD template has been an eye-opening experience, to say the least. It forced me to think backward and forget about task completion and focus on learning and growth. I did not know what to expect during this process, but I now know just how much I have focused on the completion of tasks in my classroom. The UbD template has given me the open door needed to start to change how my classroom and flow of learning continues.  Previously, I was asked …

Over the course of the first three and a half classes in the Digital Learning and Leading program at Lamar University, I have found my classroom to be lacking in so many areas. First, I realized how fixed the mindset of my students and even I was at times. Then I realized just how narrow sighted I have been as I began to create my innovation plan. The more I learn, the more I want to learn about how to give my students the learning environments they deserve. During this course that focuses on creating significant learning environments for the …

Learning, what is it really? As I reflect on some of the ideas that I have going through my head right now, I wonder what direction I am going in? I have such a strong belief in learning and helping my students learn in many different ways, I wonder if I have been falling short by not really knowing my own personal learning philosophy. There are so many things to consider, but I have to understand the types of learning theories before I can help my guide, my students, learning. After a lot of research, I seem to find myself …

My classroom is a place of learning, but is it true learning at its best? After reading, A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change by Brown & Thomas (2011), I have realized just how far away my students are from the new culture of learning that they require. How can I move my students into the mode of learning that they need to be successful in a technology-rich world? I believe that as a teacher, I have enormous control over if and when my students become curious and passionate about learning. As I …