Towards student-driven education in the digital classroom of the future
Research shows that digital media can support secondary school teachers in organizing student-oriented education. This implies more purposeful interaction, more activating learning and more collaborative learning in the classroom. The expectation is that this would result in stronger learning outcomes and in the sharpening of 21st century skills such as problem solving, collaboration and a critical sense. In practice, however, it appears that digital media are mainly used in a traditional content-oriented, non-interactive or activating educational setting.
From the policy, the Future Classroom is put forward as a means of deploying digital media in a student-centred learning environment. These are classrooms equipped with new technologies such as digiboards and digital equipment, media technology and innovative interiors. RHIZO Kortrijk was one of the first in Flanders to implement a 'classroom of the future' in one of its schools: lab 21.0. However, after setting up this class, this school itself indicates that there is a strong need for practice-based scientific research to determine to what extent the class actually supports pupil-driven education: how do teachers design their lessons, in what way should they be supported, is there indeed interaction during lessons and are pupils challenged to activating and cooperative learning?
This study uses a design-based research approach. It starts from an analysis phase in which questionnaires, lesson observations and interviews are used to examine the teacher's profile on the one hand and the expectations, bottlenecks and use of digital media in Lab 21.0 on the other. Then, in a development and evaluation phase, the ideal future classroom practice and the best support for teachers with different profiles will be sought. User-centred design will be used for this.
Through this research, we want to gain insight into the characteristics of the ideal future classroom and support teachers with different profiles regarding technology use and teaching approach in setting up an ideal future classroom.
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