LATIC

The Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom is a framework aimed at building student engagement, academic rigor, and student responsibility for learning. It relies on three critical components:

- The Problem-Based Authentic Learning Unit

- Structures

- Teacher Facilitation

All three must be present as they work together to maximize student achievement.

To give you a snapshot of some classrooms, here are some "Look Into" Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classrooms. Use these for a scavenger hunt to grab ideas you can use.

- Start with taking a look into a Second grade classroom.
- Later, look ahead to visualize your students in a Third grade classroom.

LATIC teachers consider where they are on the Continuum of Control from teacher-driven to student-driven classrooms. They also work hard to make the Ferry / Bridge shift.

Use this this blank template of the Ten Principles as you gather ideas and reflect on your own LATIC

The 10 Principles — Explore the 10 Principles of the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom in Students Taking Charge in Grades K–5: pgs. 187–202

The Paradigm Shifts of LATIC

As you delve into the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom, you'll see it is reflective of five key paradigm shifts that will ultimately guide your decisions as a teacher.

From Ferry Master to Bridge Builder: Student agency, which leads to greater student engagement and, thus, retention of learning, depends on teachers shifting their roles from being purveyors of information to being architects and facilitators of complex learning environments that provide students with differentiated opportunities to learn, combined with choice and voice in their learning paths.

From Lesson First to Felt Need First: Students who are motivated delve more deeply into content, produce more, and retain more when their efforts are driven by a personal “felt need” to learn. In a more traditional approach to education, the teacher presents information to the students through a series of lessons. At the end of the unit, the teacher may provide a test or project for the students to complete. Students may perform adequately on the test or project, but just a few weeks later may not remember the content. If teachers were to begin by presenting students with an authentic, problem-based task, students would have a felt need to learn and retention of content would improve.

From Information Deliverer to Facilitator of Learning: Given the shift away from “teacher-dependent” learning environments, the teacher must shift focus from disseminating information and lessons (much of which can be found already on the internet) to curating a powerful collection of learning opportunities, and then facilitating learning to ensure that all students achieve at high levels.
From Grading the Transactions to Grading the Transfer: Using a problem-based approach to instruction requires teachers to become facilitators in the process, ensuring that all students learn at high levels and produce powerful solutions; any grading of the outcome product would reflect the teacher’s efforts more than those of the students. Therefore, it is important for teachers to implement assessment strategies that determine if, as a result of the problem-based unit, students can transfer that knowledge to other situations
From Classroom-Based to Learning Anywhere, Anytime: The pandemic-related school closures of 2020 and 2021 shined a light on how “teacher-dependent” classrooms are, with the “lesson” being the core element. This approach did not prove to be effective when schools switched to remote and hybrid instruction. Rather than being teacher-dependent, learning environments need to become “student-dependent,” with students taking charge of their own learning. The core element of the classroom environment should be “student curiosity and drive” to ensure that learning continues beyond classroom walls and the school day.

Media to Enjoy and Enrich Your Learning!

Listen to this podcast on Dr. Sulla’s musing upon walking into a LATI Classroom. Ultimately, this is where you are headed, the north star!

Here are a few videos that might interest you:

A video describing the student-driven classroom as a system of interdependent structures and strategies
A kindergarten student explains some of the structures of a student-driven classroom
A video overview of Chester Taylor ES just beginning their first year of designing student-driven classrooms in kindergarten and fourth grades.
Kristin Parmenter's 3rd grade LATIC at Chasco Elementary School.
A video of authentic learning at Schrader Elementary School.

Interested in more? Check out IDE Corp.'s YouTube channel of videos by client districts.

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