5 ways to make your classroom more student-centered... (42)

A student-centered classroom allows students to be an integral part of the assessment development process. This doesn't necessarily mean every assessment is created and designed by students, but it does mean there is a collaborative and joint venture of teachers and students in the planning and implementation stages of assessments. Students who help to design and create their assessments will find the assessments to be more meaningful, and typically students end up creating assessments that are more rigorous than what teachers would have created anyway...

A student-centered classroom focuses on finding solutions to real-world problems. Too often our classroom focus is on solving problems that lack relevance and purpose in the eyes of students. The student-centered classroom addresses real-world problems that affect or will affect students. This in turn will provide meaning and context to student-driven learning, which then will increase levels of engagement and overall student involvement.

A student-centered classroom is not about what the teacher is doing or what the teacher has done; it's about what the students are doing and what the students can do in the future. We all have experienced the teacher observation model that focuses just on what the teacher is doing, but more and more models are now focusing on what the students are doing. Obviously what the teacher does affects and impacts what the students are doing, but the most important piece is what the students are doing or are able to do as a result of what the teacher is doing.

A student-centered classroom embraces the notion that there are multiple ways to accomplish an individual task. When we limit and confine students to following a certain and specific path, we ultimately end up limiting their levels of ownership, innovation, and creativity. A student-centered classroom allows, encourages, and embraces the multitude of paths one can take to solve a given problem. This also allows for students to follow their strengths and their interests when completing a task.

A student-centered classroom firmly believes that there is a partnership and a strong level of trust between educators and students. The teacher no longer is and hasn't been for a while the 'smartest' person in the room. Because of this we need to continue forging a partnership between the teachers and the students and accept an equal playing field when it comes to learning, exploration, and discovery. This partnership is built on trust, and trust happens when we are vulnerable and open to learning with and from others...

Project-based learning... (41)

1). 10 ideas for better project-based learning in your classroom

2). The teacher's how-to-guide to project-based learning

3). The difference between projects and project-based learning

4). Rethinking grading in a project-based learning environment

Traditional American classrooms tend to fit a particular mold: Students face the front of the class where teachers lecture.

Students take notes, finish assignments at home, and hope to memorize enough information just long enough to pass a test.

Engagement and passion are often in short supply — among students and teachers. The system does not necessarily accommodate all learning styles, and even those who fair well may be missing out on other important work-life lessons, like how to creatively solve problems, stay focused, work as part of a team, and organize their thoughts in a way others will understand.

This is where project-based learning enters the equation.

What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning, or PBL, is generating a great deal of buzz in the world of education, and is often portrayed as an alternative to passive learning and rote memorization. If traditional education is classical, PBL is jazz. In a PBL classroom, teachers present problems that students must solve together in groups. Rather than reciting facts and hoping some of them stick, teachers give students the resources they need to research concepts and apply them in a practical form. Mistakes are allowed and even expected in the course of meaningful learning. The result: Students become active rather than passive learners and build important workplace skills. Of course, all of this requires a great deal of planning, a healthy dose of flexibility and an environment that supports collaboration. Here are four essential elements of a successful PBL classroom.

4 must-follow rules for designing a PBL classroom

1. Learning Spaces Help Set The Tone

One of the defining characteristics of a PBL classroom is the emphasis on group work: Students work with their peers to solve problems. That means the space must be organized in a way that supports collaboration — neat lines of forward-facing desks are the enemy. In a multi-disciplinary elementary classroom, portable floor mats or cushions are an excellent alternative to traditional desks, at least during group work periods.

Teachers still need a central location where all students can congregate to hear stories, lessons or project instructions, but there should be enough room beyond that for break-out group work. Older students, on the other hand, often need large work surfaces and comfortable chairs. Large round or rectangular tables are ideal, but if budgets are limited, teachers can simply push desks together in small clusters.

One key? Keep your content area and common project types in mind. Small writing desks may be okay for English students, but science students probably need large surfaces that accommodate lab work. Digital products will require requisite technology access, as will mobile learning approaches, and community-based projects can benefit from social media access and blogging tools in addition to local periodicals, and even space for face-to-face interaction with community members. You might find online tools like Classroom Architect helpful during the classroom planning process.

2. Think Information Access

PBL is not a paper-pushing style of learning. Students need access to chalk or white boards, reference books, and art or presentation supplies. Young children are often spatial and tactile learners, so it helps to divide these multi-disciplinary classrooms into subject-themed areas that organize and display manipulatives, learning materials and other supplies.

Classrooms for older students tend to be subject-dedicated, so teachers might consider reserving an area for rotating, lesson-specific materials in addition to the usual year-round supplies. Whatever their grade or subject, remember that PBL classrooms are by definition unpredictable and, to a degree, student-guided. You may not know what direction a particular project will take, so try to keep a wide breadth of materials on-hand to support rather than limit creativity.

3. Use Technology With Purpose

While most American classrooms are increasingly “plugged in,” PBL classrooms prominently feature — and make full use of — educational technology. One of the key goals of PBL is to help students develop real-world skills, and today’s professionals conduct research online, use spreadsheets or databases to organize information, and use video-editing and presentation software to transmit ideas. As Maine-based PBL teacher Susan McCray told Edutopia, “I can’t imagine designing the curriculum that I do without being able to click onto the Internet and get all the materials and resources that are available, and I can’t imagine my students not being able to do that either.”

Remember, though, that technology can quickly become a distraction. Internet use should be monitored, and IT specialists should inspect glitchy or sluggish computers that detract from the learning experience. Teachers should also provide guidance on the appropriate use of technology in the grand scheme of a project’s goals.

4. See Yourself As The Ultimate Resource

Perhaps the most important element of a PBL classroom is its teacher. Unlike traditional classrooms PBL classrooms are by nature unpredictable and, to an extent, student-guided. Teachers must be flexible, supportive and engaged in the learning process, even if they sometimes feel like spectators. They must introduce projects’ themes and goals, ensure students have all the resources and materials they need, and keep students — and their classrooms — organized. They must also know when to teach and when to observe, and then have the restraint to step back and let students make mistakes now and again

Words to the wise: Take the PBL plunge.

The decision to transition to a PBL classroom, even on a part-time basis, can be intimidating for any teacher, but especially those for whom PBL is uncharted territory. As PBL gains more traction, expect it to become a more integral part of teacher training. Until then, most PBL teachers learn through continuing education programs, conferences, books and online resources like the Buck Institute of Education. However you get started, consider your experiment in PBL to be your own personal project subject to the same philosophies you intend to teach. That means plan carefully, remain flexible and, perhaps most importantly, expect and forgive mistakes.

The brain in education... (40)

Here is your lifelong learner 'brain' hit list for the week:

1). 9 things educators need to know about the brain

2). Boys' and Girls' brain processing differs

3). Girl brain and boy brains: What educators need to know

4). The impact of writing on our brain

5). Left vs. right brain in which side are teachers?

1). A lack of sleep has a significant impact on one's ability to do many of what we would consider to be simple but yet essential tasks.

2). There are two brains and each is quite different from the other.

3). The girl brain and the boy brain have some significant differences that affect learning and affect brain development.

4). There are different stages and different compartments for memory.

5). The stressed student will perform significantly worse when compared to the student who is not stressed... especially over the long term.

6). Physical activity has a significant impact on overall brain activity and brain performance in the short term.

7). Different parts of the brain are engaged depending on the activity and the information that is being accessed in the brain.

8). Exercise affects the brain in a positive manner and impacts several of the most vital features of the brain.

Everything rigor and more!... (39)

Here is your lifelong learning 'rigor' hit list for the week:

1). 4 myths about rigor in the classroom

2). How to add rigor to anything

3). Rigor is not a four letter word

4). DOK stem questions to increase rigor

5). The rigor meter

Rigor is about quality, not quantity – Rigor is not increased by assigning more homework; it results from depth over breadth.

Rigor is for everyone – Rigor is not something reserved just for advanced students.

Rigor is about learning, not punishment – Rigor is about growth and success, not failure.

Rigor litmus test:

~ When you ask a question, do the students need to know just one piece of information or do they need to know several pieces of information to formulate their answer?

~ Can students look up and find the answers to the questions they are being asked by a simple Google search?

~ When a student finishes their work, do they get to do more of the same type of work or are they allowed to transfer what they've just finished into other content areas?

~ If you are absent, do the students have the proper support to continue working or does the learning come to a halt because you aren't present?

- Do you ask high level rigorous questions only then to allow low level less than rigorous responses? For example, a student responds with a 'yes' or 'no' response and then the teacher moves on, or a student doesn't know the answer, and the teachers goes to the next student. Rigor requires the teacher and the student to 'extend' the questioning and the answering beyond just the surface.

~ Do students say your class is hard because they haven't memorized all the dates, definitions, or names of the people involved? DOK level 1, basic recall and memorization, can be quite hard and difficult, but it's NOT rigorous.

**Please remember, you need to have DOK levels 1 and 2 before you can have levels 3 and 4, but if you only have levels 1 and 2, then you are shortchanging your students. Also, just because something is 'hard,' does not mean it's rigorous...

Rigor is not…

50 math problems for homework when fewer will achieve mastery.

More worksheets for the student who finished the assignment early.

Using a seventh grade text book with your high performing sixth grade students.

Covering more material in a shorter period of time.

Just for a select group of students.

10 small ways to make a huge difference in someone's life... (38)

Here is your lifelong learner hit list for the week:

1). How to add rigor to anything

2). Using QR codes to differentiate instruction

3). 5 critical steps to change your mindset

4). Staying positive in trying times

5). 11 apps for BYOD

1). At the end of the day, send a short thank you or complimentary email to someone who helped you or did something great that day. For teachers, send a quick email or make a short phone call to a parent about their child. Bonus, do a hand-written personalized note and hand deliver it...

2). Find some information or resources for someone who you know is either looking for assistance or struggling with a particular situation. This may include finding someone else who excels in this particular area and asking them to reach out to this person to help them through this process.

3). Surprise a colleague and do something that is typically on their job responsibility list. This is only effective when the intent and purpose are to help. Don't use this as an opportunity to outshine or one-up, or you risk turning a positive gesture into a negative.

4). Stand up for someone who you know is right and struggling to make progress against the masses. This could be as simple as saying something publicly in a meeting or sending an email and including others on that email. The key here is to show your support and help to validate the points that are being shunned. Bonus, by doing this you may empower and embolden others who feel their voice is not being heard...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnerobot/

5). Commit to doing something in the future that will help someone to do something in the present. There are countless times when others need a little support and encouragement to get them over the hump of trying to do something or change something. Your gesture of commitment in the future is just what they need to get the ball rolling in the present.

6). Find something funny and share it with others. You can't ignore the power of laughter and when presented at just the right time, a good laugh is the difference between an average day and a great day.

7). Finish the task you said you would finish. You would be surprised at how often we say we will do something to only finish half of the promised task. Be the difference and go the distance by finishing what you said you would finish... this means a lot to people.

8). Present someone a challenge you think they can handle and would be excellent at overcoming. Present this challenge in a way that highlights the strengths of others, and remind them that you believe their skill set is perfectly aligned to tackling this challenge. The key here is to empower and send a boost of confidence to someone who may be lacking of late.

9). Start saying 'yes' and 'why not' more than 'no' and 'that's not possible.' Be careful with this, because if you always say 'yes' then you will become overwhelmed and over-committed. In the same breath, don't always say 'no' because you will become the person who nobody approaches with new ideas or possible changes. Help someone by embracing their creativity and innovation by giving them a green light.

10). Be yourself and don't try to be someone you aren't. Far too often we try to be who we think others think we should be, and in the end we ultimately disappoint both them and ourselves. Be yourself and others will be greatly appreciative.