Powerful and purposeful two words that should be used to describe any learning experience. For when they work in unison students become the writers, actors and stars of their own learning. This allows students to bring out their own existing ideas. Bringing out a students own existing ideas is important for us as teachers to develop insights into how our students process knowledge and synthesize information. By listening to and observing our students interpretations and follow-through we can better see the whole student. The whole pupil and how they reason, bring meaning to and sense the world around them. This process also instills a sense of cooperation and confidence in our students. I ask students to take a quick survey, create models, draw explanations to science concepts. But most importantly, I have them discuss these interpretations and opinions with their peers. This solidifies their notions and justifies them, so students feel confident and supported in their personal doctrine.
Open discussion is a great tool but if we as teachers can tie the conversation back to a shared experience then these peer-interactions will be more memorable, meaningful and momentous. When a class discussion begins with a shared experience it is engaging because everyone was a participant everyone is familiar with the events. But then if it is taken one step further, by asking students to rethink or extend their initial ideas they are taken to a higher level of thinking. More inquiry and critical processing. This is when I use the What if...statements. Now they have to make the larger connections. They begin to share background stories and become more involved in the community of learning. Both powerful and purposeful because students need to feel like they belong and sharing personal stories is the best way to help them feel like someone cares. Relevance and interest go hand in hand. Lets face it students love to talk, we need to let them, just give them a little nudge in the right direction.
Exclamation, excitement and noisy interaction occurs when the lesson is active, authentic and interesting. When students are allowed to explore, just tinker and play the lesson then becomes powerful. When the task is open-ended, no rubric, simply just one-word or phrase allowing them to interpret any way they want, powerful and purposeful come together. Students incorporate knowledge in stages, they need to hear it, see it, play with it, then make sense of it. The more teachers let students incorporate their strongest skills the more students feel comfortable learning. The more they are given opportunities to fail, the stronger more open-minded they become. The more flexible and student-centered a classroom is the more independent students will become. Power comes from choice and purpose enhances this power. Students know when they are being given busy work. they know when a teacher is "done" for the year. They also know when a teacher has their best interest at heart. This makes learning powerful and purposeful, they will engage when they feel connected to the teacher and the lesson. When the challenge continues they feel like their presence is important.
Lastly, power comes from being heard. Knowing what you say and do is acknowledged and appreciated. Shared intellectual control needs to occur in the classroom. Students need to know they are not drones or robots expected to regurgitate and comply but instead they are facilitators and participants who decide, design and create. Sharing intellectual control with our students provides a classroom atmosphere that better represents the real world. A classroom is not a vacuum. It is not a dictatorship. It is a commonality, a municipality, a commonage of goals and vision. It is a village, a neighborhood with each citizen bringing to the collective their strengths, knowledge, ideas and opinions. This is the real world. A place full of opportunities to shine. There are geniuses everywhere, there are people struggling with their learning in every forum of education, it is the occasion of expression and juncture of growth that is not. We need to build the foundation in which every individual has a place to collaborate and conceptualize and convey. This is the beginning of change.
No comments:
Post a Comment