A student-centered classroom, are they real? Can there be a place in a junior high setting where 12-13 year old's can truly take charge of their classroom? Yes. I am here to say yes. Are there tough challenges? At the beginning of the year, many. But after a few weeks, the routine is set, the community rules are written, students have gotten into the norms of the classroom and yes they naturally become leaders and the classroom transforms itself into a flexible, student driven cohort. A few reminders here and there but most days my classroom runs like a fine oiled machine.
Can there be grit and rigor in a classroom where students have choices in demonstration of knowledge? Will students take the easy way out? Will they opt to create and design something simple rather than engineering with complexity? I am here to tell you no they will not take the simple route, when given options and a voice they will more often than not take the more challenging path. They actually enjoy the rigor, especially when I have modeled grit. They use the makerspace, write their own labs, and debate. They research, Edcamp, and PBL. They tell me how they want the lesson to go and I let them design it. This does not mean I do not teach. I do.
I begin each unit with the engage or hook. I provide the background and introduction information on-line as we are a blended classroom. Then I get their input on how they can best learn the information. I have certain labs I use: Chicken Feet, Dyson Vacuum, Frogs for example but they design many of the activities as well. This has them more connected in the classroom community. They take the district assessments, grade level tests, and participate in the grade level PBL's which are uniform across our team. But other than that we do not have homework, only weekly discussion questions. We play and have fun but also get 99% of the classwork completed in class as a group.
The classroom has solid routines, 5-minute warm up at the beginning of class while papers are passed back, attendance is taken etc. Last 5 minutes is feedback and reflection time where as a class we discuss the topic at hand and what we need to do to best learn it. The middle of class is different every day, I like to keep them on their toes so I change it up a lot. But the determination and grit they have comes from the ownership of their learning. The tough challenges we run into, often group dynamics, are resolved as a class or in our 1-minute chats individually. If a student is struggling we have reinforcement circles every Friday or we have enrichment circles for those who have mastered the content and would like to explore more. Students choose which circle to join. This they choose correctly on their own, with little input from me.
A student-centered classroom naturally creates determination and grit. When students feel comfortable failing and recognize their need for remediation and mentoring and are not uncomfortable asking for help they will feel safe to seek it out. It is not a class but a community, students have roles, mentor one another, and strive to do their best not only for the community but themselves, because they take pride in their accomplishments. Challenges are apart of every classroom but they should be solved by students not the teacher. This creates independent, confident students who remain determined and invite the rigor and grit in rather than avoiding it. Let them lead and they will lead.
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