CBS StudentVoice. The Maker-Inspired Elementary Classroom. Have you heard about the Maker Movement? It’s a new approach to the classroom calling for student creativity through hands-on projects. Encouraging a constant “tinkering” mentality, the Maker Movement allows students a reprieve from standardized testing as they create, invent and learn together. New technology, such as 3D printers, robotics, wearable computing, and “smart” materials is allowing every teacher to incorporate Maker-inspired spaces into the classroom! Here are a few ways you can integrate technology to create the ideal classroom “makerspace.” There are two ways to adapt makerspaces in the classroom.
Many classrooms use makerspaces as a separate lab or activity that will allow students a reprieve from book-based learning to connect to the subject material in a physical manner. Science: Makerspace technology, such as a 3D printer, allows for physical modeling. Learning by Making. Encourages Openness. -Makerspaces push for a collaborative community of global problem solvers. 1. Students as innovators… – What Ed Said. Guest post by Claire, one of our Grade 5 teachers, discovering the power of letting go.
The headings are my commentary… Opportunities for creativity and innovation… Over the last week, my team of Year 5 teachers, together with Edna, have been planning a unit of inquiry into energy. We had already established the rubric for conceptual understandings that was to guide our inquiry but were looking for ways to allow for more creativity. Provocation to encourage thinking and action… The opportunity arose in my class when, after an initial provocation and some personal research into energy, a student declared that he would like to create something electronic. Student generated thinking and inquiry… They realised that in order to make their inventions they would have to research the scientific principles behind them.
Connections with prior learning… In order to find the required information, the children felt that the internet was the obvious first source. Student ownership and decision-making… Student Centered Educators – globally minded counselor. As an educator, every action taken, every decision made, every choice being weighed should be in a student’s best interest.
By always keeping students at the center, an educator is most likely to create a purposeful, meaningful, and authentic learning environment that serves all students — not just a handful. Over the years, I have noticed a variety of practices that clearly indicate an educator is making decisions to promote student centered teaching and learning. Here are a few of my anecdotal observations of student centered practices: 1. Teacher is never behind a desk. A student centered teacher is actively engaged with his/her classroom. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. These are just a handful of indicators that an educator is always thinking of students first. Like this: Like Loading... Edutopia. During the summer, you'll want to improve your teaching and lessons, but how do you decide where to start?
Your students! I use these three ways to get feedback from my students on my lessons, activities, and what I can do to improve next year. Collecting Input First, I’m trying to identify my awful lessons or units so that I can rework them over the summer. Second, I want to understand firsthand what kids love and what they hate. 1. I end the year with students in a circle. I'm so proud of what you've done this year and how you've improved. First of all, what did we learn that you loved this year? What were the things we learned that you liked the least? So what is the most boring thing we did the whole year? Is there anything you wish we'd had more time to do? Was there anything you wish we'd done more of? How about ______? My final purpose is a quick review of what we've learned. 2. Is there something you wish I knew about this class that would make me a better teacher? 3. Provocations.
Inquiry-Based Learning. Transformation. Assessing their own work: Students as active participants. 10 Expectations. 15 Examples of Student-Centered Teaching. 15 Examples of Student-Centered Teaching by Terry Heick 15 Examples of Student-Centered Teaching–And 15 That Are Not So Much On Sunday, we’re going to release a basic framework to begin to make sense of what “student-centered learning” mean in a modern classroom. (We’d have released it today, but Fridays are slow days in terms of traffic.)
We didn’t get too carried away and progressive with it–our goal was to help clarify for practicing teachers in existing K-12 classrooms a useful definition for student-centered learning. The text is shown below, but it reads better in the graphic as you can read both side-by-side for comparison’s sake. Teacher-Centered (Not-Student Centered) Student-Centered (Not Teacher-Centered) Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher. Have you ever attended a conference session and seen groups of teachers leave in the middle? It's painful to watch, yet completely understandable. Often, they leave because the session was not what they expected. Let's be honest: when teachers and/or administrators attend learning experiences, what is the one non-negotiable expectation -- without which the session is deemed a failure? Answer: Leaving with skills and strategies that can be used immediately to impact instruction and work-related responsibilities.
Achieving this goal means understanding what the participants value, and engaging them in those areas. Student-centered classrooms include students in planning, implementation, and assessments. This first of my three posts on student-centered classrooms starts with the educator. Allow Students to Share in Decision Making Placing students at the center of their own learning requires their collaboration. Why is about relevance. Believe in Students' Capacity to Lead. What place does student voice have in planning? | Teaching the Teacher. As the children prepare for learning conferences, I started off the process not by asking them on what they learned but which unit they felt they gained the most from and which unit they felt needed improvement.
The children were thrilled to give feedback. More importantly, it was an opportunity for me to demonstrate the qualities I wish to see in my learners: reflection, initiative and the ability to take on feedback. At this point in the year we have completed three units of inquiry: Human exploration results in new discoveries.Energy is used (converted, transformed and controlled) to support human progress.Fashion expresses our views and beliefs. The class was divided in which unit they enjoyed most: “I liked that we could use our creativity and design clothes for the fashions shows (with some inspiration ) .
“I liked putting the circuits together and I also liked showing our parents and the high school our work it was hard but fun at the same time…” Some other feedback: Like this: Planning in response to learning… – What Ed Said. I borrowed a bit from a post I wrote last week at Inquire Within, but this one’s different… It’s a joy to visit the kindergarten room, where the 4 year olds have been inquiring into the needs of all kinds of living things. Debbie talks me excitedly through the purposeful displays in the room and I’m amazed by the depth of the children’s wonderings from their nature walk. ‘Why do seagulls need beaks?’ ‘Why can birds walk on power lines?’ She shows me the interactive tables and thoughtful corners she has set up in response to the children’s questions, and the fabulous picture books she will read them to develop their thinking further.
Kindergarten teachers like Deb excel at observing and recording student’s thinking and then creating relevant learning experiences in response. We used to spend a whole day (really) planning new units of inquiry in advance. The teachers talk passionately about the learning that takes place when they let go of control to the learners. What happens next? 5 Templates to Use for Self-Directed Learning Projects. I’ve written man article about self-directed learning over the last couple of years, and more people are inquiring about simple steps to get started.
How do you plan for students to engage in self-directed learning projects within a school or home school environment? There are several answers to that question, one focused upon how to help students cultivate the skills and mindset for self-directed learning. However, another part is simply focused on how to help students plan and propose their first projects.
While some proponents of self-directed learning prefer a more open-ended and informal approach, many parents, institutions (and students) want something more formal or structured. I’ll offer one more qualification. Please do consider posting questions and feedback in the comment area. Personal Learning Plan Template Google Doc – PDF version – This simple 8-part form for learners to use in developing and propose self-directed learning projects. Related October 29, 2013 In "blog" Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher.