Conversation 3: Pillar One – Design
Chapter 2: Pillar One – Design
The focus of Chapter 2 is the first pillar: Instruction, which Gayle Allen argues will shift to Design. Traditional approaches to instruction developed during a time of information scarcity and put the teacher in between the student and their learning. 21st century connectivity means that our students can own their learning and the design of it and should if we want them to be truly engaged learning workers who will be able to achieve their potential. Technology, Allen notes, makes it possible to shift from teacher as instructor, to students designing their own learning by making connections.
Using the comment tool at the bottom of this post, please discuss the following. Label your answers by question number, for example, Q1, etc.
- Allen notes that students own their own learning when playing video games, for example, when they watch a YouTube video to improve their skills. How can we use this example to cede control for learning to the students? Does this sound possible?
- How often do students get to decide on the four elements of powerful learning in your class? What area will you choose to focus on next year?
Feel free to reply to the comments of other learners.
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1. In my class students learn a design program for drafting. I make a video demo of the skills that they need to learn and then they practice. This works well for my classroom because it allows students who need slower instruction to pause and begin again. It also frees me up to float while students are attempting the skills and if needed do a one on one demo of the video is not giving the student instruction in a manor that helps them to understand. The students can choose from my videos or videos from the tutorial website. There are 3 different opportunities for learning in this scenario so that students can choose what works best for them.
2.Students are given the option to choose the medium and the social interaction of their learning most frequently in my class. They do have some say in the place, but I definitely need to focus on allowing them more say in the time options available to them.
Allen notes that students own their own learning when playing video games, for example, when they watch a YouTube video to improve their skills. How can we use this example to cede control for learning to the students? Does this sound possible?
When I think of giving control of learning to my students, it does seem difficult. However, the more I think about why students own their learning outside of school on things such as video games and YouTube, the more I realize that it is because those are things they love to do. Finding a students’ interests are what is going to help me give control over to my student. Just as if someone asks me to learning something that I am not invested in, I am not going to get much out of it. The same goes with students in our classrooms when we teach them information they don’t necessarily care about in ways that bore them. So, finding ways to engage students in the things they like is important to give that ownership of learning over to them.
How often do students get to decide on the four elements of powerful learning in your class? What area will you choose to focus on next year?
The two that I feel were done very well in my class last year were the place and socialness. With doing flexible seating in my classroom, the students have the opportunity to choose where they want to learn from each day. We were also a class in which we worked together on most things.Students were encouraged to collaborate with one another and find answers to problems together. The one thing I believe I want to work on more this year is the medium. I want to provide my students with multiple ways to express themselves, which in turn will increase their engagement and ownership of learning.
Chapter 2
Q1 Allen notes that students own their own learning when playing video games, for example, when they watch a YouTube video to improve their skills. How can we use this example to cede control for learning to the students? Does this sound possible? Gaming is an excellent example of how students take ownership of their learning. For example, my nephew loves to play the building game called Minecraft. It was all the buzz when it first came out. There were things he did not know how to do within the game and he took it upon himself to look up information on the internet with his dad or asked his friends at school. My point is that when students want to learn about a particular topic that is meaningful and relevant to them then they are more willing to take ownership of their learning. If my brother in law had said, I’ll just do it for you then my nephew would not have had the control in his own learning. He still would have needed help later down the road. I’m not a fan of video games but this is just an example of how teachers can transfer ownership to the student with guidance. Instructional planning must still take place so students’ learning is directed but students definitely need more autonomy to create and follow their interests.
Q2 How often do students get to decide on the four elements of powerful learning in your class? What area will you choose to focus on next year? I’ve taken a new position this year so my role is changing slightly. However, in my classroom as a 1st grade teacher I mostly controlled the amount of time students spent on an activity. Due to their age and attention span, it is necessary to create structure. However, there were many activities throughout the year where I observed the students conversing with their peers, actively engaged in conversations about a particular topic, and always expanded the amount of time if students wanted it. We have a daily schedule but learning should not be kept in a box. My students always had options for where and how they learned. Some students preferred to work on the floor and some at their desk. Some students preferred to work with me in a small group while others felt confident to move on with peers. In the primary grades, I think these options are very valuable for students. They decide on what makes them comfortable for learning and that is the most important thing. My goal was to always include technology in my lessons whether it be video, groups of students using an Ipad, or learning through the Google Expeditions. The social piece is embedded into every aspect of student learning in Early Childhood so that is a given. My goal for this year as an ESL teacher is to focus on medium.
Q1 Teachers now days can be considered facilitators versus instructor. We can facilitate the students’ learning instead of being the one instructing them how to learn. Every child/person learns different ways. Teachers in this day and time need to be more of a facilitator to guide students to discover how they learn best. Therefore yes this is possible, thinking on what the chapter saying how we learn best makes a difference on how we improve our own lifelong learning. Students should feel involved and active in their learning process. If they feel empowered they would be able to achieve more than if we are their sole instructor. I always tell parents if there is a way you know your child will learn best then please show them. Part of being a teacher is sharing ideas and learning what is best for your students. There are many resources in order to facilitate learning; it is just a matter of finding what works best for your classroom. Another thing to remember is what works one year may not work for another group of kids.
Q2 When I taught upper grades I felt it was easier to use the four elements in my classroom. This could be mainly because the kids were more independent and able to understand how the learned better. Over the course of my teaching I think I have used the four elements somewhat frequent. I feel with the way our schedules are set up it is hard to give students time. We are expected to instruct students in a wide variety of content throughout the day, but we do however give students projects they can work on during class and or at home. Place to me refers to how and where students can learn. I feel that students should have the opportunity to learn in a wide variety of places. This is why going on educational field trips or providing students with resources they can take anywhere to learn. This works well when you have parents on board and provide at home projects that will be worked on in class or at home. Like stated above this is done in my grade level with projects that are accomplished in the classroom and or outside of the classroom. Medium however is used usually during station time. I am working with my small group while my other students are learning the weekly skills in a variety of different ways. An example would be through the computer using online resources, through a book, and or etc. Out of all of the elements I feel I use socialness the most. I allow my students to work with a partner a lot or by themselves. I have found this builds the confidence on my lower performing students. It also gives them a different person to teach it to them in a new way. As far as the one I want to work on this year is probably medium. I would like to give my students more resources to use to guide them in different skills. I started some things with this last year for example using, Youtube, GoNoodle, and other online sources.
1. Allen notes that students own their own learning when playing video games, for example, when they watch a YouTube video to improve their skills. How can we use this example to cede control for learning to the students? Does this sound possible?
Looking at the example of video games—video games have objectives, a sequence and scope to be followed in order to attain mastery. When students watch videos, they select those that will aid them in developing these skills—meaning the locus of control resides with them, with the video game developers/creators serving as the guide for what they need to know, while the student chooses how/where/from whom to get the instruction.
I do think this is possible with student learners—rather than the whole wide world of the web, we can start with structuring/guidance via mediums such as google classroom (with selected links, they can choose from, and allow them to utilize the resources that speak to him), and moving out (ceding additional control) from there— *this is coming from the upper elementary perspective*
2. How often do students get to decide on the four elements of powerful learning in your class? What area will you choose to focus on next year?
This last year—place and socialness were two elements my students decided on continuously—medium was less frequent, and time was probably the element they had the least amount of control over—with very short class periods and frequent rotations—I’m hoping to have more flexibility and be able to cede more control over that element (and also, with greater familiarity with our pacing and scope/sequence in 4th, I think *I’ll* be able to better let go of the reigns over time and be able to work much more like a facilitator than a funnel when it comes to time on the whole). Next year, I would really like to focus on time.