In David Warlick's article about technology transforming learning environments, he talks about the influence that technology has had in the lives of our students. One of the first things he mentions is that students have become more internally motivated to answer their own questions. I think this is incredibly important in the lives of our students. If we can develop lifelong learners who constantly seek the answers to their own questions, I think we will see a population emerge that is more open to change and growth. When students learn the power in answering their own questions, they begin to question more about their surrounding environments and develop their own opinions and values rather than following blindly.
I think one unit that I already have implemented in my classroom that supports Warlick's thought is during our studies of the Civil War. Another teacher and I have developed a unit that is completely student-driven in which they are able to answer their own questions about the Civil War. We provide some background information on the Civil War, and then completely leave it up to the students to decide what and how they're going to study relating to the war. Students pick any topic of interest - ranging from famous war photographers to a specific battle to medical care of the era. They become an "expert" on that topic and then choose how they will present the information to the class. It's a great example of how students can develop their own questions and learning, instead of those questions being handed down by a teacher or a textbook.
Great idea- I like that you have students picking topics and becoming the "expert" to share with the class! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love how you have the guts to just let go of the reigns and let the students control their own learning. What a way to empower students and let them own what they are learning! I always wish that I was creative enough (or had enough time to research lesson plans out there) to come up with a similar project in a mathematics classroom. I teach Algebra I, Algebra II, and College Algebra and sometimes it gets really difficult coming up with ways to do fun and student-centered projects that relate to the topics that I need to cover according to the math standards. Anybody have any good ideas? I am listening!
ReplyDeleteAs you allow students to follow their own interests, do you find that some students have difficulty coming up with something that interests them? I have found that even in college students throwing it wide open is foreign to them and they flounder and want guidance on a topic. This "problem finding" or developing their own personal interests is something I don't think we regularly do in education and is an important skill. Little kids certainly have lots of questions but as they get older they often don't see schools as the places for them to follow their interests. Maybe what we need to do is encourage a sense of curiosity in many things.
ReplyDeleteCrystal - hmmm... that's a tough one! Algebra becomes so much more abstract than the subject I teach that I can imagine it's much more necessary to spend time using direct instruction methods. I know that high school becomes much more focused on career training/education... I wonder if there would be some way you could develop a unit in which students are able to research how algebraic concepts are used in a job they may be interested in having in the future? I know for some jobs it might seem like a stretch, but I'm thinking that even at my second job (teaching horseback riding lessons) we could use algebraic formulas to calculate the amount of hay to order for our horses to last through the winter, etc. I'm not in a high school setting, so I have no idea if this is even feasible, but it would be a great way to connect students to the community - as well as let them develop their own plan for learning...
ReplyDeleteEileen - My 5th graders are usually still very motivated to do projects like this... it's easy to hype things up :) For example, I have energetic boys who usually don't like to focus but will gladly research Civil War Doctors to learn about "guts" and other gross stuff! We have a cart of books in our classroom from the library during that unit - with many different Civil War topics, so sometimes kids will page through them until they find something of interest. But, I think you're completely correct in theorizing that we lose some of our motivation to answer our own questions as we grow older. It seems like the more we are "handed" information, the less intrinsic motivation we have to gain information on our own. My hope is that teachers will become more cognizant of this and develop lessons that foster curiosity throughout our students' educations.