Undoubtedly, one of the strongest factors in how much our students progress is the amount of ownership the student (and parents) take of the learning experience. Our youngest students, ages 4-6, require a lot of parental involvement - parents to read to them, to help them write in their journals, to talk with them. Thankfully, these parents do take a deep interest in their children's learning. That's how we end up with delightful children's journal entries such as these:
The same applies for the older children and adults we work with. The more they are willing to invest of their own time and effort into the learning experience, the more they will get out of it. As a curriculum writer and teacher, I have to remember to create opportunities for the students to produce and do on their own, even if it seems easier to just give them a fill-in-the-blank exercise to demonstrate mastery. It's in the authentic contexts that we see whether or not students have mastered the skills.
Sometimes, a student only needs a tool or resource, and he/ she will be able to get the work done independently. One of our students and I started reading The Wizard of Oz at the start of the summer. I wondered how long it would take us to finish the book, as we could read aloud only a chapter, at most, in each session. I also wanted to review vocabulary and mispronounced words, so the book took a big chunk out of class time. (The student is a good reader, but the vocabulary is fairly advanced.) At the end of class one day, I asked if she would like to take the book home and read it on her own. "Yes!" the third-grader eagerly nodded. I asked her to take good care of the library book, checked out under my name. A few days later, she happily reported that she had already made it to chapter 6. The next week, she announced, "I finished the book!"
This small incident led me to re-evaluate how much I am entrusting to the students. How are my expectations reflected in the lesson plans and in the activities they do? How open-ended are their tasks, that they have room to create? Are we providing tools and resources for students so they can learn independently?
The student and I since have had a conversation about getting a library card, so she can get books on her own. She brought her card to class today, and stayed at the library after our session so she could look for more books to take home and read.
Reminder to self: give students and parents abundant opportunities to take ownership. Then, the learning becomes their own. That's what good teaching is about.
Sometimes, a student only needs a tool or resource, and he/ she will be able to get the work done independently. One of our students and I started reading The Wizard of Oz at the start of the summer. I wondered how long it would take us to finish the book, as we could read aloud only a chapter, at most, in each session. I also wanted to review vocabulary and mispronounced words, so the book took a big chunk out of class time. (The student is a good reader, but the vocabulary is fairly advanced.) At the end of class one day, I asked if she would like to take the book home and read it on her own. "Yes!" the third-grader eagerly nodded. I asked her to take good care of the library book, checked out under my name. A few days later, she happily reported that she had already made it to chapter 6. The next week, she announced, "I finished the book!"
This small incident led me to re-evaluate how much I am entrusting to the students. How are my expectations reflected in the lesson plans and in the activities they do? How open-ended are their tasks, that they have room to create? Are we providing tools and resources for students so they can learn independently?
The student and I since have had a conversation about getting a library card, so she can get books on her own. She brought her card to class today, and stayed at the library after our session so she could look for more books to take home and read.
Reminder to self: give students and parents abundant opportunities to take ownership. Then, the learning becomes their own. That's what good teaching is about.