A Future Learning Space (FLS) is a dynamic and a technology-rich learning environment that enables teaching and learning using innovative pedagogical methods. However, introducing innovation and technology into any educational setting, whether in K-12 schools or higher education institutions, is known to be challenging. This paper introduces…

Over the past decade we have seen a rise in the adoption and proliferation of social technologies, and along with these a move to build on the capacity to embrace new pedagogies and practices that can open our boundaries for both teaching and learning. How do we determine what we mean by space specifically in online environments and how can we…

This article discusses video games as "attractors" to "affinity spaces." It argues that affinity spaces are key sites today where people teach and learn 21st Century skills. While affinity spaces are proliferating on the Internet as interest-and-passion-driven sites devoted to a common set of endeavors, they are not new, just…

Fremont School District 79 is located in northeastern Illinois and spans seven municipalities. The district enrolls students in grades Prekindergarten through 8. The student population is predominantly White (70%), with approximately 13% Hispanic and 10% Asian or Pacific Islander. Approximately 8% of students qualify for free or reduced-price…

In an ideal world, classrooms are not designed for and educators are not trained to teach the average student because the average student does not exist. Each student has unique measures, unique strengths, and weaknesses. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) allows teachers to easily accommodate every student; it blurs the lines of special…

It is difficult, if not impossible, for a school proud of its reputation for excellence not to feel the need to claim to have a firm grip on "innovation." Leading in innovation suggests many things that the school is--such as being technologically advanced, current in pedagogy and practice, and generally ahead of the curve. Yet, in…

In this article, the authors start with a description of the learner-centered paradigm of education. The key tenets of the paradigm are outlined as: Competency-based student progress, competency-based student assessment and records, personal learning plans, project-based learning, just-in-time instructional support, student as self-directed…

In his first teaching assignment, as a fifth-grade English teacher, Edgar Manaran had only 20 desks for 48 students. Yet he was able to apply productive classroom strategies throughout his 25-hour teaching week. Some of his students sat on plastic chairs due to the shortage of desks, but that did not change the dynamic of Mr. Manaran's classes. He…

Heather Turner is school librarian at Solvay Middle School in Syracuse, New York. She states that "a school library is a space that continues to evolve with the needs of its users. It is unique among spaces in that it impacts the entire school." Creating a space for the needs of all students is a mighty undertaking, and the…

The ability to verbalize--and therefore think and learn abstractly--has conditioned people to see the world in logical patterns. People are trained to do so by the wiring of the neurologically typical (neurotypical) brain and the increasing complexity of the environment that shapes it. Public schools are also designed for students with…

This report has been prepared to document the in-person instruction practices developed and implemented by colleges during the pandemic. The report is intended to provide assistance to California community colleges in planning for continuity of instruction when fully returning to in-person instruction for career and technical education (CTE)…

Educators recognize that they need to create new learning and teaching environments where the curriculum and instructional tools reflect today's world. Schools are full of students who want to engage, socialize, communicate, create, and collaborate in meaningful ways that reflect the world in which they live. How can education re-create itself to…

At a time of substantial change, globalization, and ubiquitous access to information, educators struggle to change even the most basic aspects of their classrooms. This is especially true for those in challenging contexts where many perpetuate the "mind numbing" practice of rote instruction. This paper describes a collaborative…

In contributing to understanding about the barriers and opportunities associated with new technologies in educational settings, this article explores dimensions of the educational spaces associated with using networked technologies in contemporary classrooms. After considering how educational spaces may be "produced" (to use Lefebvre's…

This is the first article in a six-part series on the elements of a collaborative classroom: furniture, social media, video/web conferencing tools, collaborative software, interactive devices, and mobile devices. With most universities facing tight budgets, convincing administrators to invest in expensive new classrooms is a challenge. Many higher…