Choices - students need them and I have learned to appreciate them.
choice: noun
1.an act or instance of choosing;
2.the right, power, or opportunity to choose;
3.an alternative
3.an abundance or variety from which to choose:
Teachers are always making choices. They are choosing which assignment to give, which book to read, when to give a test, how many days it will take to teach this lesson.....but when are we allowing students to make choices?
I've come to realize that students need choices to be successful learners.
My students this year are making as many choices in a single school day as I am. I have begun to limit the traditional methods of passing out a piece of paper to every student and they all complete it and turn it in. My students need to "stretch their brain" (as I tell them many times a day), to complete the assignment and figure out what to do next. I am not going to hold their hand this year. They are going to walk alone - with me by their side as they go forward in fourth grade. This is very difficult for some students to grasp, and yet...others love it and are moving forward independently with ease.
The concept of choosing what they want to do, or how they will complete the task is foreign to most students. They are used to teachers telling them exactly what to do to be successful.
"But how many sentences should I write?"
"How long should it be?"
"What do I do next?"
"Where do you want me to draw the picture?"
"I don't know what you want me to do..."
"This is too hard, I need you to show me what to do..."
These statements and questions are already becoming less common in my classroom, as the students are beginning to realize that they have choices, and they are able to decide how to complete the assignment. Many still need the reassurance that they are on the right track, but don't we all? A nice pat on the back that we are doing a good job is essential for anyone!
Through formative assessment I am able to see if the kids are grasping the concepts, but I don't need to have everyone complete the same worksheet to get that data.
I used to say, "I am Queen of this Kingdom" to my students.....now to quote a popular phrase that has been floating around the ed blog community...
I have gone from being the Sage on the Stage,
to the Guide by the Side.
So..another learning experiment this week is coming. I need to finish our district mandated reading assessments, so the traditional way of doing this is to pass out "busy work" to the other students while I work independently with each student on the assessment. The kids are used to this (from previous years) and expect to get pile of worksheets to complete as seatwork, and DON'T bother me while I am working with another student. Who says seatwork needs to be worksheets? I presented the kids with my version of seatwork on Friday afternoon...
They will be tasked with creating an 8-10 slide powerpoint show demonstrating their knowledge of Virginia's Native Americans as a culminating activity for our Social Studies unit. They will be integrating Research, Writing, Reading, Spelling, Social Studies, and Technology skills into this project. They were amazed at how many "subjects" they would be doing at the same time. :) We are not a 1:1 school district, so this task will take some logistical maneuvering to accomplish. We have 3 computers in our classroom, a laptop cart with an additional 12 available, and an empty classroom across the hall with 4. Hopefully that will be enough. They were told that there may be times where they had a question and would have to find a friend to answer it and help them because I might be busy with another student. Can they collaborate and help each other? Definitely!! They were thrilled, and asked on Friday afternoon... 10 minutes before the final bell rang if they could start now!
Project Based Learning
Student Choice
Independent Thinking
Creativity
Collaboration
I think these kids are on their way to becoming 21st century learners and global citizens and it all begins with letting them choose!
Oh, yeah!!!!
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