Significance
Throughout this AR process I have given a great deal of thought about increasing motivation, students skills, and the quality of effort they put into their work. The caption I included to the right is what I have solidly come out of this AR thinking. Great learning happens in groups. Not always, but often collaboration and a class that operates like a team can bring about some really great learning. Below, I have come up with some of my final big-take aways from this process. I have learned quite a lot. I have had some successes and made some mistakes. The process itself has been an amazing learning experience and has not only shown me the power of what I studied but of taking an active role in classroom research and betterment.
Collaboration can assist in addressing the differentiation of skills in the classroom.
When I first began the AR process one of my main and original goals was to look for a way to handle the wide levels of ability in every classroom I had been in thus far. In standard classes, the varied levels of ability can be a real challenge for students. While trying to reach the broad group of students a teacher may go too fast or too slow when working towards finding a balance for rigor. My initial assessment really showed me that while some advanced students were being left behind because they weren't challenged enough, many were simply struggling to keep up. In history, reading and writing are a big part of how we learn yet students are at myriad levels of proficiency in those areas. Some teachers simply split the room up and offer slightly different classes. In one of my first student teaching assignments for middle school, for example, the Co-operating teacher had split the students into two distinct classes, where those with better grades and writing ability were in one section of the room working on a creative project, while the others, considered struggling students with medicore writing abilities, worked individually on simple note taking skills with the text book. While I understood the reasons for creating two classes, they seemed disjointed and those who were ahead pushed further while those that were relegated to busy work tended to do nothing. As I stated in my lit. review I initially had hoped my phase one would provide this opportunity however as my knowledge grew, particularly after reading Johnson and Johnson, I realized that I was missing certain factors. The difference between phase one and phase two really is my learning of how important collaboration can be. As I believe that in a teacher who can instruct to their students, rather than at them, as Holt and WIllard-Hol suggest can offer incredible opportunities to have students work together to help each other move up and forward with their skill sets rather than creating an continuously growing void of learning abilities.
In this case, the students can teach and learn from each other and one of the most wonderful things I, myself learned, was that my students make great teachers and increase their skills by doing it. My students worked as a community to help each other learn new writing, research, and learning skills, each playing to their strengths. While they did this, they also solidified and improved upon the skills and understanding they brought with them. Those that were behind were able to focus on something they felt comfortable with, while learning and incorporating these new skills. All the while, students were working together to learn the subjects that were the backdrop of the class. What I saw was that collaboration can be a great tool to go forward in learning as a group.
Motivation through student choice within collaborative work can increase learning outcome, understanding, and quality of work.
Student choice can be a powerful tool in generating student motivation in the right circumstances. Collaboration can also act a strong motivational factor. Coupled together in the form of a project that allows for student choice and group work, the ultimate outcome of projects can be amazing. My students and I had worked on projects throughout the semester and independently, they went fairly well, usually according to their skill sets and motivations. The level of learning outcomes, understanding of content, and quality of work was self-driven by the student and that student’s individual motivation with regard to my lesson and assignments. In this case, a new dynamic took hold. Students were taking charge of their own learning by choosing what they were most interested in from a choice of class topics. We were learning historical topics and concepts before students began to work collaboratively to become experts in a larger topic. They further worked at becoming experts in a topic beneath that. While doing this they were able to specialize and share learning about the content that the class as a whole was required to learn. Because of our time allotments, students were able to focus on their sections of learning before bringing it back to the group to share. Ultimately, this resulted in student work that was more creative, more detailed, and demonstrated more knowledge and understanding of the history and concepts we were learning. Further, with the second phase, three groups, nearly 3/5ths of the class, wanted their work to be demonstrated to others, including my other history class, and you the reader. This was not at all the case in prior projects. They were proud of what, and how, they had completed their projects, individually and as a collective whole.
Student choice, and ownership, of projects can lead to higher motivation and engagement
The gradual release of responsibility, when you are a new teacher, is a little daunting. The first few weeks are almost on script. A teacher does and says this, students respond. Teachers holds class discussions, students, hopefully, respond. Having had this AR so soon in the teaching process was great because my project forced me to break my comfort level and started allowing students to share control of their own learning. Student ownership, or a student taking an active role in their learning, is a processed I discovered was essential to the overall success of the student, both within a classroom setting and on a more personal level. As Adam Fletcher describes it in his article ‘The architecture of Ownership’, students will feel more of a connection when addressing and engaging in issues that they have chosen and feel more of a connection to. Further, students can and will generate personal opinions and thoughts when they have taken the choice to study something. I come back to a facilitated environment again here. I believe that when students begin to realize that they are now an actual part of their own learning process they begin to truthfully realize that it is their education up for grabs, and as such, proceed to apply an type of ownership to an idea previously looked at as abstract. Something alternately exciting happens when students realize that you too are learning from them and that you are just as excited when they create projects that they are proud of. From what I saw, it had a circular affect of increasing my motivation as well, on the spot. This AR project, in all sincerity, has been one of the highlights of my new teaching career and I sit here with a giant smile remembering how our entire class during that period felt like a team of people choosing to be there working hard, rather than the captive audience I remember from my own school days.
When students realize that they not only have the ability to choose their subjects but shape and take part in their learning they realize that they are working as a team for their future. Working with me as a teacher; not for me.
Throughout this AR process I have given a great deal of thought about increasing motivation, students skills, and the quality of effort they put into their work. The caption I included to the right is what I have solidly come out of this AR thinking. Great learning happens in groups. Not always, but often collaboration and a class that operates like a team can bring about some really great learning. Below, I have come up with some of my final big-take aways from this process. I have learned quite a lot. I have had some successes and made some mistakes. The process itself has been an amazing learning experience and has not only shown me the power of what I studied but of taking an active role in classroom research and betterment.
Collaboration can assist in addressing the differentiation of skills in the classroom.
When I first began the AR process one of my main and original goals was to look for a way to handle the wide levels of ability in every classroom I had been in thus far. In standard classes, the varied levels of ability can be a real challenge for students. While trying to reach the broad group of students a teacher may go too fast or too slow when working towards finding a balance for rigor. My initial assessment really showed me that while some advanced students were being left behind because they weren't challenged enough, many were simply struggling to keep up. In history, reading and writing are a big part of how we learn yet students are at myriad levels of proficiency in those areas. Some teachers simply split the room up and offer slightly different classes. In one of my first student teaching assignments for middle school, for example, the Co-operating teacher had split the students into two distinct classes, where those with better grades and writing ability were in one section of the room working on a creative project, while the others, considered struggling students with medicore writing abilities, worked individually on simple note taking skills with the text book. While I understood the reasons for creating two classes, they seemed disjointed and those who were ahead pushed further while those that were relegated to busy work tended to do nothing. As I stated in my lit. review I initially had hoped my phase one would provide this opportunity however as my knowledge grew, particularly after reading Johnson and Johnson, I realized that I was missing certain factors. The difference between phase one and phase two really is my learning of how important collaboration can be. As I believe that in a teacher who can instruct to their students, rather than at them, as Holt and WIllard-Hol suggest can offer incredible opportunities to have students work together to help each other move up and forward with their skill sets rather than creating an continuously growing void of learning abilities.
In this case, the students can teach and learn from each other and one of the most wonderful things I, myself learned, was that my students make great teachers and increase their skills by doing it. My students worked as a community to help each other learn new writing, research, and learning skills, each playing to their strengths. While they did this, they also solidified and improved upon the skills and understanding they brought with them. Those that were behind were able to focus on something they felt comfortable with, while learning and incorporating these new skills. All the while, students were working together to learn the subjects that were the backdrop of the class. What I saw was that collaboration can be a great tool to go forward in learning as a group.
Motivation through student choice within collaborative work can increase learning outcome, understanding, and quality of work.
Student choice can be a powerful tool in generating student motivation in the right circumstances. Collaboration can also act a strong motivational factor. Coupled together in the form of a project that allows for student choice and group work, the ultimate outcome of projects can be amazing. My students and I had worked on projects throughout the semester and independently, they went fairly well, usually according to their skill sets and motivations. The level of learning outcomes, understanding of content, and quality of work was self-driven by the student and that student’s individual motivation with regard to my lesson and assignments. In this case, a new dynamic took hold. Students were taking charge of their own learning by choosing what they were most interested in from a choice of class topics. We were learning historical topics and concepts before students began to work collaboratively to become experts in a larger topic. They further worked at becoming experts in a topic beneath that. While doing this they were able to specialize and share learning about the content that the class as a whole was required to learn. Because of our time allotments, students were able to focus on their sections of learning before bringing it back to the group to share. Ultimately, this resulted in student work that was more creative, more detailed, and demonstrated more knowledge and understanding of the history and concepts we were learning. Further, with the second phase, three groups, nearly 3/5ths of the class, wanted their work to be demonstrated to others, including my other history class, and you the reader. This was not at all the case in prior projects. They were proud of what, and how, they had completed their projects, individually and as a collective whole.
Student choice, and ownership, of projects can lead to higher motivation and engagement
The gradual release of responsibility, when you are a new teacher, is a little daunting. The first few weeks are almost on script. A teacher does and says this, students respond. Teachers holds class discussions, students, hopefully, respond. Having had this AR so soon in the teaching process was great because my project forced me to break my comfort level and started allowing students to share control of their own learning. Student ownership, or a student taking an active role in their learning, is a processed I discovered was essential to the overall success of the student, both within a classroom setting and on a more personal level. As Adam Fletcher describes it in his article ‘The architecture of Ownership’, students will feel more of a connection when addressing and engaging in issues that they have chosen and feel more of a connection to. Further, students can and will generate personal opinions and thoughts when they have taken the choice to study something. I come back to a facilitated environment again here. I believe that when students begin to realize that they are now an actual part of their own learning process they begin to truthfully realize that it is their education up for grabs, and as such, proceed to apply an type of ownership to an idea previously looked at as abstract. Something alternately exciting happens when students realize that you too are learning from them and that you are just as excited when they create projects that they are proud of. From what I saw, it had a circular affect of increasing my motivation as well, on the spot. This AR project, in all sincerity, has been one of the highlights of my new teaching career and I sit here with a giant smile remembering how our entire class during that period felt like a team of people choosing to be there working hard, rather than the captive audience I remember from my own school days.
When students realize that they not only have the ability to choose their subjects but shape and take part in their learning they realize that they are working as a team for their future. Working with me as a teacher; not for me.