Student Centered Learning Opportunities
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Another 'Ah Ha' Learning Experience
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Throughout the MET program and in ETEC 512 in particular, the importance of keeping our lessons and overall teaching approaches in tune with effective learning theories became more and more clear to me. I was grateful to have had the chance to work in collaboration with a few of my classmates to create a project based on constructivism. In an effort to really mirror what this learning theory is all about, our project was very organic and using a Google slide presentation format we allowed our classmates to become active contributors to our assignment as well. We presented the project over a week long period and it was amazing to see how the project was strengthened and altered by its users. This assignment and the process involved in making our intended final product come to fruition absolutely clarified for me the value of having students play a central role in constructing their own learning.
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Students as Producers
One of the major changes that has occurred in regard to my teaching practices is that I am regularly giving my students opportunities to be creators and producers. The students benefit a great deal from having a say in what they are learning about and in how they choose to demonstrate their understanding. Discovering new ways to ‘show what you know’ is just as exciting for me as it is for my students.
Below is a blog post that I made at the end of last year after completing my first major student led project in which I really stepped aside and let my students direct their own learning. I was astounded by the amount of learning that took place and I am certain that my students learned far more about their own topics and the chosen topics of their classmates than would have been possible through a more traditional teaching approach. The feedback from my students and their parents was very positive. "Instead of having a final assessment in Social Studies this term, the students are showing what they know through a project based assignment. We have learned about resources in general this term (B.C. resources, how we harvest and use them, how they produce jobs and contribute to the economy etc.). To wrap up this unit, the students had the chance to pick any resource that they were interested in and create a brochure about their selected resource. We used both iPads and laptops to conduct our research and I was a little nervous about the quality of the final product the students were going to be able to produce. The students' efforts, attitudes and finished work all blew me away. I truly stepped back and let them be the directors of their own learning and they did an outstanding job. I can't wait to get started designing more and more opportunities for students to be the leaders in projects like this." (My blog is a relatively new endeavour that I am hoping to dedicate more time to upon the completion of the MET program.) |
Stepping Back and Allowing the Students to Step ForwardThese two videos were made entirely by students working collaboratively in my Social Justice Club. The students involved in these productions ranged from grades 2-6. I showed them the basics of iMovie and then put the tools in their hands and these are the amazing promo videos that they created to get the student body pumped up about our difference making initiatives. Little did I know what was possible by stepping out of the lead role. Wow!
Warm Clothing Drive
Food Drive
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