Implementation in a Secondary Classroom (Articles) - 2 views
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At the end of the project they can choose how they will present their findings.
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Kristina Dvorak on 26 Jul 15In my classroom, this might be allowing students to choose themes or subjects for their final projects while using the techniques we are studying. -
alissahansen on 28 Jul 15I find that the possibilities are endless in the English classroom as well. I use RAFTs often where students choose the role of themselves as the writer, their audience, the format of the writing, and the topic, and they excel with this. With English, work is not just organized around a work of literature, it's really much more about what is gained through that exposure to said literature. This really helps makes giving choices possible in this type of environment. It is hard to give much choice when students need to be able to write a research paper in MLA format, however. They do have the opportunity to choose a topic, resources (I give them some, but do not force them to use the ones I provide because they are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to tech resources). The research paper is probably the most difficult unit for students and I think it is because it is so rigid of an assignment. I would love to offer more choice with this, but I am not sure if that would be possible. Choice in my classroom relates to learner interest as well. I always make sure to offer options that appeal to all, whether it is acting out a scene, writing an alternative ending, creating a Facebook account for a character, a podcast, writing a blog, or creating a comic book storyboard.
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It is a messier way to teach, though it takes more organization on the teacher’s part, not less. You really have to be on top of things to allow the students choice since now there is more than one “right” way of doing something in the classroom. And Julie Ison (the team’s mathematics teacher) adds, “You have to have a principal who understands that when he walks into a roo
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This is very true. As I attempt to make sense of this for my classroom, I am realizing the amount of prep work that is involved. I realized I can continue to develop the resources that I make available to students, but I want it to be meaty to begin with.
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I am often overwhelmed by the amount of resources there are for Spanish since there are 20+ Spanish speaking countries. It is often difficult to know where to start since I write my own curriculum. -
This is also true in the special education environment. Each student is working individually on the subject they need assistance with or on an IEP goal area. It is often difficult for people who are not familiar with what we do to see what we are working towards.
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The classroom is more disorganized, with one student working one way, another a different way—you get the picture.
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This quote really spoke to me. This is often what an art room looks like. To a degree it is already personalized, but it can be more personal for the students. That is my goal. It is funny because so many times administrators assume I can do more because I 'just' give my students a project and they work on it all week, so of course I must have all kinds of time. But really the classroom is constantly in motion, I just don't stand at the front and direct all the motion. It really does take an understanding administrator for this to work well.
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This spoke to me as well. Working in an alternative education environment, I may have 10 students working on 10 different classes at any one time. Some may be working on-line while others are working out of a text book. Others may be in the hallway doing some fitness activities and still others curled up in a comfy chair reading a book. I, in the meantime, am usually traveling from student to student providing assistance. There is never a dull moment, that is for sure! And yes, an understanding and supportive administration is KEY!! -
What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly. That is how I view my job! I love when administration walks in shakes their head and leave!
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They’ll have to post a couple of responses—and post a couple of responses to responses— as part of the class. That’s going to get them trading ideas about the literature we read in class
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This whole quote reminds me of the importance of critique. Implementing this method of teaching really makes critique even more important. It also allows students to learn from each other and explore ideas and techniques even deeper.
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I really like this idea because it allows deeper thought and more meaningful conversations to happen. I can see where this would lead to larger conversations with students and the class as a whole.
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Coach Debbie Camp remembers with a chuckle what most of the kids said—they loved doing it because it was a break from math!
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Amazing comment from the students! They didn't even know they were learning!
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choices that promote feelings of control, purpose, and competence are likely to be more motivating than choices that do not.
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What if a student doubts his choice to the point of frustration? How can the student be redirected to make a confident choice that will turn into a learning experience? As the teacher, I would be afraid to over-assist a student with choices, if that student is not confident in their learning.
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I agree! I think students need to learn how they work best and to make choices based on that. I think this is hard for some of the students that I work with. It can be difficult when students just are not used to being given choice, then all of a sudden they are asked to choose what is best for them... I think there are some that will struggle(successfully and otherwise) and some will be even resistant to the choices offered, but students will learn how to make choices that best suit them. It just takes time. We cannot just expect them to make the best choices right away. (Alissa Hansen)
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“without deep and flexible understanding of content, teachers are handicapped in the critical task of helping diverse students find points of access to the school curriculum”
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As teachers need more depth of knowledge in their respective subjects, I would think that universities would begin requiring more courses to "cover" everything in a given subject.
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A sense of competence
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sense
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I especially like "competence" as a part of this formula. Students need to feel like they know how to learn and learn how to know.
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Not anymore. Now she says, “One of you needs to move. You decide.” It is less stressful to her and focuses the students on what they need to do to regain control.
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I love using this technique when students aren't being productive when sitting together. I'm all about giving students choices and then they learn they have to deal with the consequences of their choices. I've had students ask me if they can leave early. I always tell them, "It's your choice, but be prepared to live with the consequences of not meeting attendance and progress goals."
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I have use the you decide but I really like your answer to students about leaving early. I am going to try it out this year. -
I also use the "it's your choice" technique. It is important for student to take responsibility for their own actions and learn that sometimes the consequences of making that choice is not worth it. Real life learning at its best.
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I use this quite often also. It puts students in control of consequences. It's interesting to hear their reflections when graduation requirements aren't met. Most take responsibility for not attending and getting work done. -
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“One of the things I had to learn recently was to let go and allow the kids to experience the consequences of their choices.
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I see this as my biggest struggle in the day-to-day happenings in my classroom. Many of my students have already failed based on the choices they have made in the past. They attend the alternative program as what some may consider a last chance. I feel like I'm not doing my job if I "let go and allow failure." I guess in my eyes, if they fail, I fail. My principal has told me numerous times over the years that there will come a time where you just have to let go.
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Lisa--This is a struggle for me as well. The feeling of "if they fail, I fail" is something very real for educators because we care so deeply about our students. -
I oftentimes feel like we, as educators, care more about our students' education than the student does. It's an uphill battle I face every year...not with all of them, but there are always a few.
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I understand allowing a student to fail, but it seems silly to allow a student to fail a core class because they were unable to problem solve or troubleshoot a technology issue. I think we need to evaluate what it is that we want students to come away with. Also, project based curriculum can often times be lengthy, so I would fear students we allow to fail could loose weeks of learning.
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I have heard the same thing and I really believe that because we take our job so personally- failure is not ok. I always try and focus on the success not the failure. You may have failed the class but you did this this and this right.
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Choices like this honor divergent ways of thinking and, in doing so, help promote strong feelings of competence in students.
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I enjoy seeing students come up with different ways to solve the same problem. For those that struggle, I try to model a few different techniques and then have them pick the technique that makes the most sense to them. Sometimes they come up with something totally different and I'm OK with that.
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I like the idea of having students pick a technique that makes most sense for them and that was modeled because if I see students struggle, it is usually because they just don't know where to start. Not every student will have that innate ability of taking the initiative. I know teaching freshmen that this is an area students really struggle with because they just don't trust themselves and moving forward can be paralytic because of it. (Alissa Hansen)
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Photo Story
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Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - I usually let students choose how they want to present their information too. Unless I'm trying to teach a specific skill such as how to create a strong power point presentation, where everyone would be required to create one.
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I would love to see the rubric aligned with standards and benchmarks to see how they reach goals through activities and through their culminating project.
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give my students a choice:
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For my 6th graders Spanish speaking country capital unit for example, I have four ways that they can choose from to study for the quiz - two technology based (quizlet.com and a youtube video) and two more paper based - worksheets and flashcards. This works well in case kids don't have internet at home.
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d the
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The kids can choose any one of those methods as long as they follow a rubric that I created about what I am looking for.”
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I love it when I have the opportunity to allow students to choose how they will demonstrate their learning. We use one common rubric to suit multiple ways they present their information. I have found, however, that sometimes when students have freedom to choose, some are resistant to it. Some want a specific, step-by-step set of instructions or blanks to "fill in" and having freedom to choose how they present their learning makes some uncomfortable. I find that interesting! -
It is great when students have an opportunity to present in their own ways, but I find my students struggle with it. I give them the opportunity to present their final financial literacy project any way they want, but most of them just wrote me a paper that covered what the rubric asked for. I think students will need as much training as teachers to get used to individualized learning
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Giving choice is about empowering students. It makes them feel that they are part of the process, not powerless; that’s the kind of feeling that motivates everyone.”
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This quote really speaks to me because it holds so much truth! It's amazing how much psychology goes into teaching! That said, choice, motivation and empowerment all go hand-in-hand. Students do so much better when they can own something (well most of the time), and when they have the opportunity to choose how they will represent their understanding to you, it also shows that you as their teacher, trust them to make that decision and I think students respond well to this. Now, sometimes students will take what they perceive as the easier approach, but they learn the consequences pretty quick. And this extends not just to those choices relating to academics, but behavior as well. I work with freshmen, who are still trying to figure out what it means to not be an eighth grader anymore, and I have found that when it comes to discipline, giving them a choice allows them to hold themselves accountable and establishes trust. I have used, "who is going to move to a more productive place in the classroom?" often, and I have not had a situation yet where one of the students didn't make that choice. The system works for toddlers too! (Alissa Hansen)
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One of my favorites is the closer to graduating, usually the closer the student sits to my desk or me. The 1:1 time helps them get done faster.
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I think getting at risk students to trust me as a teacher is the toughest thing I do. I need them to believe that I will move every obstacle I can.
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2. Use the technology you have.
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I find this "lesson" interesting as I would think that to have a successful PLE 1:1 technology would be necessary. This allows me to think that personalized learning could become a part of traditional classrooms sooner than later!
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ound of Kahoot
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This is my favorite discovery by far and students LOVE IT! It is a great way to review content with a program that has gaming qualities and offers a sense of healthy competition. Students can use phones, desktop computers or laptops to gain access to the interactive program and I will say that once you do it once, students will ask for it daily. You can even quiz students using the program and it will compile the data for you so you can enter in scores if you wanted to. I highly recommend it to all educators. It is a valuable resource, and it is free! (Alissa Hansen).
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I love Kahoot too as a whole class assessment. Another great (and free) resource is quizizz. It is similar to Kahoot except that students can go through and take the quiz at their own pace instead of it being a race to see who can answer each question first. It still compiles the data for you, but gives the students a little more privacy.
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in a typical story unit, they can choose between just reading, and reading along as they listen to a story. They can also decide whether to annotate online or on a printed copy. They can take notes on paper or record their thoughts verbally as they analyze the story.
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These choices are awesome! Underlining and writing notes in the margins online is way different than on paper!
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I like these ideas as well. So simple and yet it gives choice to students. I like real, specific ideas to begin the implementation of PL--actually, I feel like I was not as far behind on giving PL a try because I am using strategies such as these. Feels like a postiive boost!
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Choose the best content delivery method.
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I love utilizing technology (freetech4teachers.com is a site I visit often), but I sometimes struggle because there is just so much out there. I do a lot of playing around with different programs and resources before introducing them to students, but I do feel overwhelmed by it all at times and I am sure students feel the same way. I think this is a very important statement because with the wealth of information/tools out there, students should have the opportunity and be able to decide what is going to work best for them and teachers need to make decisions about the best tech tools to get them there. This is easier said than done as every summer I have about 100 new tech ideas to incorporate and feel there is no time to do it all...talk about cognitive overload! (Alissa Hansen)
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skip forward, pause or rewind as needed until they get the lesson.
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I want try short videos with pharmacy tech students as an choice to reinforce some of the key concepts with math applications. Those that need to review can and those who have it can move on.
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Kahoot,
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I used it this past year to review drug classifications with pharmacy tech students. They loved it. I want to add more units this year.
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AP students would each have produced their own 10-page research paper.
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Personally, I'm glad I had to write two 10 page papers on the topic of my choice for AP College English my senior year of high school, since papers of that length were the norm as a Spanish/Art/Education major in college. It was good preparation.
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I agree, we do not want to 'cheat' our students from learning and practicing valuable skills needed for success in college and/or their careers. -
This would be a huge undertaking for some of my students. I wonder what types of supports and assistance is offered to students who need help.
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use their fantasy football stats during class
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encourage you.
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The above reminds me of the example "Day in the Life" assignment. The depth of this cross curricular unit is great, but what about breadth? Would everything be covered? This is a concern of mine with time consuming projects.
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Imagine that you are a student at Tidewater High School, a fictitious comprehensive American high school that is organized into small learning communities.
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This a great resource for developing a personal plan and establishes a useful blueprint so one can see what a truly personalized learning environment would look like for: the student, teacher, administrator and even a parent! This is a resource I am going to use for my personalized plan. I especially like the breakdown from the student's experience, the purpose, what the structure of the class content would look like, assessment, and there is a useful checklist that once could use to assess yourself on implementation. (Alissa Hansen)
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I feel that I am on this blended learning journey with them, and I truly believe it has made us all more engaged in our work and more focused learners.
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These final sentences really sum up what I would love to be able to say about the work that I someday hope to do!
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I agree completely. I want to know that students find value in meaning in the work we do in my class, and I want to know that I have helped prepare them for the world after high school.
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Students do not always need to work at their desks. For example, one teacher noticed students were getting restless during independent reading in class. They became more motivated and less fidgety when the teacher allowed them to find a comfortable place to read. Some students chose to remain at their desks, others crawled under the desks, and still others found comfortable places elsewhere. Even simple choices like this can give students a meaningful sense of control.
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Students
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Depending on the unit of study, the students in my 9th and 10th grade English classes are given regular reading days to enjoy the novels they are reading. I love it when they ask to move around the room to get comfortable to read. When they're given the choice of where to read, I agree that it does give them a "meaningful sense of control."
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even in small ways, of their own education.
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The phrase "even in small ways" really caught mu attention. Instead of focusing on what we can't do and can't change, I need to focus on baby steps of implementing change, one step and one student at a time. Over time it will become more natural for the teacher and student to change the traditional roles of schools and really become engaged in learning.
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t is the purposeful design of instruction to combine face-to-face teaching, technology-assisted instruction and collaboration to leverage each student’s learning style and interests for deeper learning. When done right, it meets several of the ISTE Standards for Students and Teachers while leading to a more rigorous, challenging, engaging and thought-provoking curriculum.
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I think some of the hesitation for teachers to work more fully in a PL modeled is the issue of rigor. Are students really challenging themselves? Am I giving them enough guidance and feedback to take their learning to the next level? How will I know for sure?
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I agree, it would be difficult to gauge or measure how rigorous, challenging, and engaging each students' personalized path is for them.
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When asked to explain the “why” behind my choices during professional learning sessions, I realized there was more to creating blended lessons than simply adding technology. Today I carefully construct my units with specific learning goals that drive the method of delivery and learning activities.
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These statements really help me see how, as a coach, the conversations I have with teachers, and the reflections that follow, will be key to implementing PL successfully.
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My students’ input and further pedagogical study helped me refine my lesson planning until I got it right.
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It is very important that we model for our students taking risks, asking for feedback, refine for improvement, and continually grow as individuals and professionals!
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Now they have access to the full unit from the beginning, so they can gauge their own pacing and get practice in time management.
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Students are learning content and life skills but teacher organization of the course is important to maximize learning. If a student is confused by having access to all the course at once, they may be overwhelmed if the necessary componets are not clearly identified.
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allowing students to pick one or two friends they would like to work with
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Certainly, giving choice to students often means that teachers need to allow students to make their own decisions, and it can be difficult to give up this control.
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...and teachers need to be open-minded to answers that are not right/wrong. Perhaps 'what-if' dialogues are right.
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generally made every mistake you can imagine
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“We have all these different methods of how kids can present the project,
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My concern is how to get students to do quality projects. Some of the things I receive are so low quality. What do I do to get the students to do more work?
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‘Okay. Here’s a list of choices. Choose one. As long as you follow the steps in my rubric, you’re fine.’”
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This is how I set up projects, but get cut and paste type projects. I would like ideas to get students to stretch their horizons.
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technology failures
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Technology failures get me frustrated. The students help me so much, but I feel like a failure when I can't help them or when the technology doesn't work as planned.
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this is the single biggest roadblock I face. As a rural school we are without internet at least once a week
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access on their own phones
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Students use their own phones for research and project. I haven't opened up to computers/tables yet. Hopefully we will have 1:1 computers for the classroom this year. I'm interested to see how this will change research and projects for students. Hoping for higher level thinking skills!
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Giving students a short list of topics with an option to create their own topic, with the teacher’s approval, often works well.
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I do this with World History projects and end up copied text from a website or a PowerPoint with just the facts. I would love some strategies to get students to think beyond the facts and cut and paste.
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When activities require students to work in groups
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A student frustration has been when the group members don't show for class. We've tried to debate speeches and members don't show to prepare or present. It's frustrating for the students.
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I feel that if student interest drives the group dynamics, students won't feel socially pressured to group with their friends.
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This one is tough because we all have to work with different types of people and its a skill that students are lacking. I try and put groups together based on a lot of factors but knowing the students is the key to success
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actionable feedback
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t combats the dea
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I'm not sure I'm following this statement. It seems profound but I'm not sure I understand the rationalization.
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Okay, you’ve done this project. Show us what you’ve learned,’ and there we offer the kids choices. We might say to them, for instance, if you establish a future city on the moon, how would you prevent all these environmental problems on the moon that we have had on earth?
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I have found that sometimes students are overwhelmed by choices so this is where the personalization part comes into play. I want to give them choices based on what is best for them not me as the teacher.
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he screencasts, which I create with Zaption, Screencast-o-matic and Video Ant, are better than PowerPoints because students can hear my voice instead of clicking through a silent slide deck. A
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This would be awesome for students with social anxiety who cannot stand in front of the room and give a presentation
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“Your class is easy. I don’t mean simple — I mean it is easy for me to learn because I can pick assignments that let me do my best work.”
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this is a common misinterpretation. students feel like it is easy because they get it, not easy because its not rigourous
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This is the toughest part of working with at risk students. When a student isn't successful it takes a lot to motivate them and even if they are motivated they may not want to look like that to their peers.
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