Choice Can Make a Difference
From the desk of Carol C. . .
A few weeks ago my friend, Jan, asked me to come into her classroom and videotape her students working on math projects they had designed. All of the projects centered around what her students had learned about geometry; however, each project was different. One group chose to write a script for a puppet show. Another group dressed as knights to perform a play they had written. Each group approached the task from a different perspective. Every child was highly engaged in talking about math and how to make sure their audience understood their messages. It was exciting to watch.
After the videotaping was complete, I went around to each group to ask the students if they liked this project and why. Some of the answers I expected while others surprised me. Here’s what they said:
We don’t have to do boring worksheets. Didn’t surprise me.
We can work with our friends. Again didn’t surprise me.
We get to choose how we show our learning. A little surprising
We can focus on what we do best, so our learning improves. I’ll admit…very surprised. While it’s true I just didn’t expect this. When I pressed further the kids in this group told me they learned best when they could sing about it…hence a rap song. I asked another group why they chose to act out a play they had written. Two told me they liked to write, and all of them said they learned best when they could get up and move. Wow! This class of students certainly know what type of learners they are.
Later I thought about what I had seen in this classroom and what implications it might have for teaching and student learning. Here’s what I thought:
The Common Core may tell us what to teach, but it doesn’t tell us HOW to teach it. We can be as creative and out of the box as we would like as long as our students understand the material.
Students are the most excited and engaged when they are at least in part in charge of their own learning. These kids were on task and knew what they were talking about! We all want some autonomy in the classroom.
Students instinctively know how they learn best, or they can experiment and find out. These kids knew their preferred learning styles and set about making the most of this knowledge by designing projects that incorporated these styles. Additionally, there were parts of each project which took them out of their comfort zones…writing for some, singing for others, but they each were able to learn in a way that worked for them.
Great teaching isn’t just standing in front of the class, teaching a specific concept, and moving on. While there are times this is necessary, it’s important to remember that active involvement gives students a sense of autonomy and more of a stake in their learning.