The Role Of Student Choice In Connected Classrooms

There have been some questions that have been bugging me (again) recently.

• What is the relevance of the skills and content we teach; and who has decided that we, as teachers, know best?
• Who decided that we can’t trust the choice and direction of young people?
• Why is it OK to impose boring, unengaging lessons for the sake of a student’s “TBD future?”

How many schools and how many classrooms allow student choice? And, in adult-centered spaces, how often do young people have the opportunity to make important decisions? Our mainstream educational machine is fueled by the idea that adults know best—that adults must impart their knowledge to prepare students for a demanding world. Our responsibility as teachers is to teach students for their own good…a “good” that more and more of us are having difficulty understanding. We teach students addition and multiplication facts because some day they will need to calculate very quickly…a tip at a restaurant or a bill at the grocery store in case their smartphone runs out of batteries. We teach them to write a five paragraph essay on the theme of a book because they will need those writing skills when…writing an argument to dispute a lawsuit. We teach them how to conjugate “to be” in Spanish because it might save their life…at a fruit stand in South America. While we are preparing them for possible situations, should these situations define the entirety of the direction of their education? I propose that we introduce some choice and some unknown into the situation of school. What if we allow students to make choices about what they learn, how they learn, and when they learn? In a way, 1:1 iPad programs are sparking choice whether we’re OK with it or not.

iPads Bring Choice

iPads have shocked the school system and provided us with a chance to reexamine student choice. The tool is intuitive, flexible, and powerful. So much of our modern day school systems assume that the teacher, the school, and the adult knows best. In the iPad classroom, that’s just not the case. Truly successful iPad implementations happen when teachers share ownership of the way work gets done with their students. When students and teachers learn iPad tools together, the result is synergistic. In successful iPad Classrooms, teachers give students the space to demonstrate their work and understanding using a range of tools beyond just “a Powerpoint to show what you know about the Roman Empire” or “a 500 word essay about the pros and cons of Communism.” To paraphrase Chris Lehman (@chrislehmann), if we give students an assignment that produces 25 copies of identical work, we’ve given a recipe, not a thought-provoking, opportunity for growth. When teachers give some props to the unknown, and task students to show their deep understanding of a subject or skill with the best tools available, you might say miracles happen. We should be a little less afraid of miracles. Who would have ever known that Rachel was an artist and could design an animation of the golgi apparatus in action? Who would have guessed that Janet knew math fractions so well that her articulate screencasts could be used to teach other students in the grade above her? If administration and faculty challenge students to do their best, and follow their natural inclinations and curiosity – to go outside the limited boundaries we set for the sake of standards – we open up a world of possibilities for students and for our society that adults might never imagine. I propose that we, as schools, challenge ourselves. I propose that we re-examine the essentials and assumptions that have driven curriculum, the way that we think learning looks, and give students some choices about the how and the what that they
The Role Of Student Choice In Connected Classrooms

 

The following post was adapted from a talk delivered by Kathleen Porter-Magee at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Thank you, Dr. Reyes and also, thanks to Reverend Rodriguez for the invitation to speak. I’m honored to be with you here today.
Before I begin, I want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude to Reverend Rodriguez for standing up in support of the Common Core, particularly at a time when it is politically more expedient to do the opposite. His support for these new standards and the promise they hold for the Latino and faith communities shows real courage and leadership, and your willingness as a group to start what we hope will be a long conversation is much appreciated.
As Dr. Reyes mentioned, I recently joined the College Board as the senior advisor for policy and instruction. But I’ve spent the past 17 years working both on the ground level, in schools as a teacher and network administrator in both Catholic and urban charter schools, and at the 30,000-foot level working to translate lessons from great classrooms and great schools to policy.

Changing the conversation: The promise of the Common Core reading standards

What planet do you live on?
Last week, word got out that your children had broken into a home in Stephentown, NY and threw a party. More than 300 of them partied and drunkenly smashed windows, urinated on the floors, stood on tables, punched holes in the ceiling and stole a statue that was part of a memorial for the owner's stillborn grandson. Oh, it gets better. Before, during and after the party, they tweeted about it and posted pictures of themselves engaged in this behavior.
Way to go.
The house is owned by former NFL player Brian Holloway. It is his second residence, paid for in part by his Super Bowl bonus. He lives in Florida and the Stephentown house is on the market. He watched this unfold online while at his home in Florida. Instead of demanding the arrest of your kids, he instead created a website, www.helpmesave300.com, where he reposted their photos, identified the people involved, and called for ways to reach out to young people and show them that there are better ways to spend their time than drinking, drugs and vandalism.

An Open Letter To The Parents Of The Stephentown 300