The first three installments of this series were all about
creating the flow of a student-centered classroom. Having an extensive,
open-menu allowing substitutions. Creating an energetic, learning environment
where student choice, independence and preference are the back bone of the
classroom. If we, as teachers, remain patrons of the establishment, rather than
host or chef we can create a place of anticipation and freedom. The
conversations and support will appear organically, if we are patient. The most
exciting part of a student-led environment is watching the cohesion of
ingredients, each student adding their own, herbs & spices to the recipe.
Hunger levels will change as activities and tasks are completed. Students may
feel full but we can always tempt them with dessert. The out of the box, upbeat
lessons that we always leave room for. A great meal is about the courses
blending and instinctively combining flavors and sensations until the last
morsel is gone. Eggs and toast both compliment the pancakes but also offer
another aspect to the meal: the foundation and center of the plate: the
protein, the muscle builder. While dessert is just that, the closure of the
meal, the sweet treat that keeps our taste buds happy until our next delicious adventure.
As much as we would like to, we
generally do not have a dessert after every meal. Not only would the calories
add a few pounds, we lack the time to sit and enjoy the non-essential part of
eating. We may grab a candy bar or cookie between classes but we rarely sit
down during lunch and eat a piece of cake or an ice cream Sundae. Although on
special occasions these tend to be the administrations dessert of choice.
Treats are something many of us crave, but must squeeze into our busy
schedules. So, in a student-centered classroom, a bustling, fast paced
atmosphere of collaboration and creativity, how do we fit these in? The most
important thing to remember, as teachers, when we incorporate these confections
of anticipation and pastries of possibility is that not every student has the
same type of sweet tooth. While some may enjoy Jenga, Taboo or other competitive games, others may
fear the interaction. What appears to be universal, like a chocolate chip
cookie, is not appreciated or consumed by many. Basically, what we see as
appetizing and satisfying may be off putting for some of our students.
In my class on days where the
dessert is offered, there is a tray of options just like there would be on any
other day. If students are lactose intolerant, they choose the option that best
fits their needs. If they prefer sugary taffy like candy, they will choose a
different activity than those who prefer chocolate. Just like the makerspace offers
endless possibilities of tools and supplies, a day of activities should offer
at least a few alternative dining options. For instance, when we used Star Wars
as our theme for May 4th, students had options of how they could represent
their weathering, erosion and deposition findings. While most students were
excited and motivated by the universe of George Lucas, several were not. They
were more interested in The Walking Dead or The Flash. So, I asked them the
same question of the day "How would living on a different planet, one from
the Star Wars universe be different when it came to WED?" (weathering,
erosion, deposition) I said to these outliers, "do you think Flash moving so quickly may impact the
environment? Do you think that zombies may change the surface of the Earth?
How?" This got the ball rolling and even though it was not connected to May 4th,
they got to reroute themselves and discover their own destination. It was a fun
day.
A gourmet dessert cannot occur
every day. But a quick candy-coated snack can. Here are a few ideas my students and I have used to
incorporate a sweet course more frequently into our student-centered classroom:
1) Play-doh (You can never go wrong with Play-doh)
2) Nature walks- use outside
sparingly and it will be a treat every time
3) What would I say if...
personification at its best, what would a leaf say to you about
photosynthesis?
4) Act it out- 2-minute
sketches of genius, let them use their imaginations and sense of humor
5) Stop-motion video, they love
to make cartoons and quick videos, about anything, really
6) Mystery box- put some items
in a bag, they can only reach in and feel them, no peaking, then they get to
talk to other tables and try to determine what the "big picture" item
is (how do all the items fit together)
7) Dress like you mean it...
bring in an item of clothing that can be used to demonstrate knowledge of the current topic- you
would be amazed at what the come up with
8) Let's Frizzle it, students
take the mundane and make it fun and creative, for instance abiotic and biotic factors, they created an object
that represents both, it had to be 3D
9) Let’s debate...impromptu
debates- they love to argue
10) Stump the class- a quick
research moment and they discover things about the unit topic we do not know and then share-trying to basically stump me
11) Collaborative quiz, we use
the blackboard and they write clues for one another (without saying the word)
and the class guesses or they line up and each student is given a vocabulary word
and they must organize the line based on how the words connect to one another
12) Charades- always a fun way
to review vocabulary
These quick bursts of sweet goodness get students participating
and collaborating. They are fast, average 5-7 minutes and can be modeled early
in the year to be pulled in at any time. Dessert is any fun and tasty way to
get students excited about learning. Some of these examples, students came up
with, some I created. Let students help you come up with some ways they would
like to take a brain break or end the class. This will make them even more
meaningful and personal. Dessert does not always have to be the topper to a
great day. It can be utilized when things are slowing down, students are
getting off task or are finished with their daily assignment. The more we bring
these confections in, the fresher and more spontaneous the student-classroom
will become. So eat that piece of chocolate and let the sugar rush create an
atmosphere of joy and adventure.
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