Imagining the Future: Springbank Community High School as a 21st Century
Learning Environment
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Introduction to 21st Century Learning Environments (Heather Fansher)
As we move further into the 21st century, the call for reform is once again
upon us. For those of us who have pursued a long career in teaching, we often think,
“here we go again.” Often, the conversation turns to, “if I just hang on, this too shall
pass,” and in most cases, this has been correct. I caution using the term “reform.” If
we look into the etymology of the word reform it means, “bringing back to the
original condition.” (Dictionary of word histories, p. 423) Twenty-first century
learning and schools is not about going back. It’s not about reform. It’s about moving
forward. It is imagining a future.
So then, why should we care about changing our teaching and the structures
of schools, when what has happened in the past seems to have worked just fine?
Ultimately, change is necessary because students have changed. Our world is
changing dramatically even exponentially and as educators, it is not enough to have
the students do the “skill and drill”. The students have access to more information in
a minute than their counterparts did in a lifetime, when the education system was
first constructed. Building 21st century skills and subsequently the schools that
support the learning, is necessary. Rockyview Schools has supported this through
defining the characteristics of a 21st century learner. These include: critical thinking,
problem solving, innovating, communicating, collaborating, globally aware, critically
engaged, self-directed, information and media literate and financially and
economically literate. Through the work of various AISI projects throughout the
division, these characteristics are being developed in classrooms through
Understanding by Design and Schooling by Design models. We have begun the task
of transforming our classrooms. Beyond this however, is the need to transform the
very structure of schools as well. This brief synopsis will outline the characteristics
of 21st century schools and what is imagined for Springbank Community High
School.
Pillars to 21st Century Schools
There are five pillars that provide the foundation for 21st century learning
environments. Each pillar needs to work in concert with the others for a true
transformation to occur.

Flexibility of Design (building, individual and collaborative learning spaces,
library, aesthetics etc.)

Flexibility of Time (length of classes, attendance requirement changes,
graduation requirements, time to finish high school moving to 21 years,
collaborative time built into schedule for students/staff to work together,
scheduling classes outside the regular school day)

Tools for Learning (use of technology and one-to-one)
Imagining the Future: Springbank Community High School as a 21st Century
Learning Environment

Communities for Learning (involvement with community at large,
partnerships with post secondary institutions and businesses, professional
partnerships between teachers and other professionals in community etc.)

Policy (must also be flexible enough to accommodate flexibility in 21st
Century learning environments)
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Committee considerations
As a committee, we looked at each of the pillars and recognized that some of
what we are doing at SCHS is already supporting these pillars. However, we decided
that we specifically wanted to look at timetabling in our context. Each of the
committee members picked their “top three” priorities for changes in the timetable.
When the collation of results was complete, the priorities were:
- implementing an Advisory group for students and teachers where
students could complete CALM, e-portfolios and/or capstone projects
- using J blocks etc that could increase flexibility in our schedule
- timetable tumbling and/or 5 blocks per day also increasing flexibility
Conclusion
Ultimately we must put students first in our decision-making. What is best
for their individual learning needs and the flexibility to achieve learning is key. It is
not necessarily about content, it is their acquisition of the 21st century skills that will
eventually lead to our success. When we watch the graduates walk across the stage
at the end of their time with us, we need to be able to confidently say, that they have
achieved the skills and attitudes necessary to move into the world.
And what about us, those of us that have dedicated our lives to the education
of youth? We too, need to build the skills and attitudes that will transform our
practice. Working within a structure that is designed for 21st century outcomes
should alleviate some of the frustration of pursuing 21st century education in a 19th
century model.
We do have to remember though this is a long process. Rome was not built in
a day, and neither will 21st century learning environments. As Taubman (2010)
suggested in his presentation at the Curriculum at the Edges Conference at the
University of Alberta, “What does it mean to live in the space between what is no
longer and what is not yet?” We are in that space right now. We have moved
forward with exciting initiatives and we can imagine the space that is not yet. We
will get there but we need to be patient with the system, with each other, and with
the students.