When I started teaching eighteen years ago, the words "student choice" were not in my vocabulary. I was raised in an era where the teacher taught from a book, students answered questions at the end of the chapter, and sometimes we even threw in a few vocabulary words. Pupils sat in tidy rows, and desks were rarely moved. Sadly, throughout my teaching credential journey, I was taught in the same manner and in turn, I taught the same way. Occasionally, I did spice up the lessons, but for the most part, information was given, students listened, and they took an assessment.
Fast forward to April 2016, and I am transformed, due much in part to Twitter. On an hourly basis, passionate, gracious, and creative professionals share their wisdom and have inspired me to teach differently. I am constantly amazed and humbled by the educators who are trailblazers in our field. My goal is to move forward and never look back at another chapter in life or the classroom from a predetermined beginning to end. Instead, my students and I are going to dive into our learning together, make collaborative decisions, and design learning opportunities that make sense, rather than end our studying because the chapter is over.
Another area of student choice has been the design of our learning space. My standard procedure was students sat at desks, and sometimes I grouped three desks together, thinking that was very innovative. Today, my classroom is brightly painted and houses a small dining room table, CostCo tables, desks, collaboration tables painted with Expo paint, and a Lego wall. Students may sit on exercise balls, chairs or stand. I let them design the configuration, and it has been an incredible transformation from a classroom to a learning space.
I now embrace and practice those two words, "student choice," and my teaching will never be the same because when we know better, we do better.
Fast forward to April 2016, and I am transformed, due much in part to Twitter. On an hourly basis, passionate, gracious, and creative professionals share their wisdom and have inspired me to teach differently. I am constantly amazed and humbled by the educators who are trailblazers in our field. My goal is to move forward and never look back at another chapter in life or the classroom from a predetermined beginning to end. Instead, my students and I are going to dive into our learning together, make collaborative decisions, and design learning opportunities that make sense, rather than end our studying because the chapter is over.
Another area of student choice has been the design of our learning space. My standard procedure was students sat at desks, and sometimes I grouped three desks together, thinking that was very innovative. Today, my classroom is brightly painted and houses a small dining room table, CostCo tables, desks, collaboration tables painted with Expo paint, and a Lego wall. Students may sit on exercise balls, chairs or stand. I let them design the configuration, and it has been an incredible transformation from a classroom to a learning space.
I now embrace and practice those two words, "student choice," and my teaching will never be the same because when we know better, we do better.
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| Lego Wall |
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| Awesome Learning Space |
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