7. Power and Freedom

The seventh element required of a learning classroom is a sense of learner empowerment and freedom. I believe that in a learning classroom:
1. Individuals should be able to explore and interpret ideas without fear of upsetting the status quo.
2. Challenging one's own and everyone else's opinion is exciting.
3. Learners may come to appreciate assessments as opportunities for demonstrating their own understanding, rather than fearful experiences that bite at their self-esteem. No-one is ever their mark.
4. Individuals may come to understand learning as a life-long hobby or occupation and in this way, the teacher and everyone else is still learning.

The above picture exemplifies the American Civil Rights Movements as it impacted the classroom.