Back to School for Leaders: How to prepare

Since 2020, we embraced the adoption of video conferencing tools, online learning management software, and other digital solutions to keep learning ongoing. Despite initial hurdles, K-12 and higher education leaders began to examine what has worked in a remote setting and make decisions to proactively shape the future. The abrupt move to virtual gave schools the chance to reap some surprising benefits of digital learning. It has demonstrated the need for investment in learning.

Just as there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to learning, it is clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to returning to school. Schools must evolve and don’t necessarily have to go back to how education was delivered before the pandemic.

The evolution of the classroom will vary by school, but the overarching goal remains the same: tech-enabled, blended and immersive learner experiences that integrate the online and in-person worlds.

As students go back to school in the fall, here are some of our key takeaways regarding how the classrooms are evolving to become more inclusive and flexible:

1. Developing a Student-Centric Classroom

Student-centric classrooms are all about engagement. Educators need to devise the best way to integrate technology into the daily classroom and personalize learning. Move away from lectures with students as passive listeners and move toward active participation in the lesson. Invest in instructional technology coaches who assist teachers in leveraging edtech solutions.

2. Implementing Immersive Learning

Students are eager to be back in the classroom after virtual learning. Schools and curriculum suppliers should work to make learning more immersive. The effectiveness of experiential learning led to the development of more options for gamified and virtual learning. This allows students to be immersed in the content and get hands-on learning so that they learn by doing.

3. Creating a Flexible Learning Environment

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that flexibility is critical. Regardless of whether learning takes place online or in-person, schools can create flexible learning environments that leverage a wide range of adaptable and innovative edtech tools. The classroom needs to be a place where students learn collaboratively, develop their critical thinking, and have the opportunity for sharing and learning from peers.

Seize the School Year

The immediate shift to a fully remote environment posed a challenge to the orthodoxy of education, as schools had to devise ways to deliver learning virtually and adapt quickly. The shifts experienced under emergency conditions have shown that many changes formerly thought of as “off-limits” in K-12 and higher education are advantageous and implementable in the long run. Schools have a unique opportunity to keep some of the beneficial practices and education systems introduced during the pandemic.

As classrooms continue to evolve, educators need to discover new ways to bring technology and classroom design together to create a stronger and more supportive learning environment. With all these arises the necessity for:

WRITTEN BY

Eric Stano

Eric has an over 30-year career as a leader in academic publishing and edtech and has been consistently dedicated throughout that time to the acquisition, development, and release of content for student consumption at all grade levels (K-20) and across a wide range of disciplines. A throughline of Eric’s career has been his focus on putting achievement within reach of all students, with special consideration given to providing support for less proficient students and attending to the needs of those who are commonly disenfranchised.