Deeper Learning

“After all is said and done, more is said than done.” ~Aesop

Sam LeDeaux’s latest post, “Do Educators Actually DO Anything?” made me think about this past weekend’s visit up north to EdCamp Madison, Wisconsin. It also inspired me to watch the next episode of the MOOC I’ve joined this month: DLMOOC = Deeper Learning. After watching the Google Hang Out session with the following participants, I decided I need to be an active participant - I need to put these ideas into action.

Rob Riordan facilitated this meeting, and was joined by

Karen Fasimpaur, Ron Berger, Joseph McDonald, Dr. Carissa Romero, Iza McGawley  (7th grade student) & Edrick Macalaguim (7th grade Humanities teacher).

Week Two is about delving into looking at student work, considering the elements of deeper learning: content mastery, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, effective communication, self-directed learning & academic mindsets.

A question posed was, “Why look at student work?” My notes from the discussion follow:

...to create a vision of what we’re aiming for.

...to provide students with a vision of what a great ____ (essay, creation, blog post, etc…) is by showing them a beautiful model/example of it. This creates a model and discussion point for what we’re aiming for.

...in order for teachers to find out how well we are scaffolding lessons, or how well we are communicating the material, process… and helps the teacher guide direction & make adjustments.

But looking at student work is not just for teachers.
What benefits could STUDENTS get out of looking at student work?

...to help students understand each other more.

...to connect to each other more and build more of a relationship with each other.

...to compliment others on their work. Students strive to be the “model” so they can be recognized by the class and feel special.

...to view mistakes as good - critiques are valuable. They show us what we have learned, and how much we have to learn. They help us know how we’re progressing toward our learning goals. This can help move the classroom culture towards the direction that school is for LEARNING.

…to celebrate mistakes & recognize the value of them.

…to point out what’s working and find strengths. We can often learn more from finding out what’s working / what’s effective than from what’s not.

...to celebrate each other’s work and build each other up.

Of course, teachers have concerns with showing models… Models might influence students. Ron Berger had this to say about these concerns - There is not one time to introduce exemplars - at the beginning, in the middle, at the end when you’re trying to push quality… Don’t worry about squashing creativity - worry about inspiring quality.

If your students are critiquing other student work, you could try giving “two stars and two wishes” - two things at which they did well, and two things they’d like to see. Keep this in mind, however… Rob Riordan mentioned something I learned from reading Choice Words by Peter Johnston - exclude the word “but” - the only thing students hear is what you say AFTER the word “but.” Here’s an example: “I love how you described that character, but I’d love for you to add some dialogue.” As I learned in Choice Words, say the word “and” afterwards, and give the student an OPTION… making it his or her choice to improve the writing. For example, “I love how you described that character, and if you want your reader to know him more, you could add in some dialogue.”

Do you have students who are sensitive to critique? Tell students WHY you’re giving feedback - “because I have very high standards for you, and I know that you can meet those standards.” The teacher’s message says that the work is important, and s/he wants the student to learn and achieve.

Having taken all these notes from the one hour of conversation, it’s time for me to take action.

Within the next two weeks, I will...

* Share student progress during group work - Our discussion will center around what groups worked well, and why? What hindered productive discussion? What helped the discussion flow smoothly?

* Spotlight specific actions of students that show aspects of quality writing. Get the camera out and project this writing - leads, transition words, tier two vocabulary, quality evidence cited, etc…

* Pair students to look at each other’s work and give two wishes and two stars. I will have a sentence structure on the board so that no one is using the word, “but” in his or her oral or written feedback during this pairing.

With this plan in mind, it is my hope that more is DONE rather than simply SAID in my classroom. I’ll shut my mouth now and let the students get to work.