I admire educators who are willingly to allow students to have input into their own education. In both of these readings each group had a positive outcome. I believe that this was a direct result of students having ownership in the programs and a sense of trust. We all know that students will not learn as much or be as successful as possible; if they do not feel safe within their surroundings. The students in these groups did feel safe. This was evident when students asked personal and in depth questions. The students also regularly contributed to discussions, made suggestions, and voiced concerns. Kay, Alice, Tamisha, and Nadia were finally given a safe place to ask questions that were important to them. I think educators often forget that we may be the only person in our students’ lives that is willingly to listen and respond to their thoughts and ideas.
While reading the Hustle & Flow article, I thought that Staples did an excellent job incorporating a variety of media texts. This is something that needs to be integrated much more into my own classroom. All students respond differently to various media texts. If I am only using one or two I am not meeting the needs of all my students. My school is finally purchasing SmartBoards for each classroom. This will hopefully be a useful resource and allow my students to view other forms of media texts.
My students are much more engaged when I make them a part of the decision making process. I keep thinking about the beginning of each school year. My students and I sit down to make our classroom rules. It is also humorous to me when they create rules that are much more harsh than I would ever be. I always have to reel them back in a little because we can’t have children going to the principal’s office for forgetting their homework (this was a suggestion from one of my first graders last year). They students do remember the rules better when they have input creating them.
In first grade they can not have an extremely organized discussion on a topic but they can express their thoughts and ideas through other outlets. In math, students could choose to work with a partner or small group. They had to create a math game and teach it to the rest of the class. I was simply amazed at the thought that went into their games, not to mention to attention to detail while explaining the rules to their peers. I must admit that this project was given to the students with only two days left of school and this was not a planned activity. However, it turned out wonderful and I will definitely use it again next year. I believe that it turned out so well because of the simple fact that the students had a sense of ownership. This is something that I know I am guilty of. I do not give my students an ample amount of time engaged in activities that they suggest, create, and/or drive on their own. Sometimes I feel as if they are too young but that simply isn’t true. I need to release my own sense of ownership and give it to my students.
Stacy Durham
Comments (7)
Stacy, sometimes it is hard to turn over our classroom "stuff" to our students, but we constantly try to create an environment that they are comfortable in so why not let them help in creating that environment and the way it functions. Though I've not personally allowed my students to create the classroom rules, I've always heard positive comments regarding this approach. This is something I aim to try with the upcoming school year.
As for multiple texts, I know educators know the importance of incorporating these within class instruction in order to appeal to the needs and styles of each learner, but so many times the lack of resources and time seem to become an obstacle that is often hard to overcome without lots of thought, time, and effort from the teacher. Many leave feeling defeated in trying to apply these, but it is something that aids everyone in the classroom, making the classroom community more inviting to all members despite their race, gender, or class.
Posted by Melissa Riley | June 13, 2011 10:37 PM
Posted on June 13, 2011 22:37
Stacy,
What a great activity to have your students create a math game! I bet they thoroughly enjoyed this and they liked "showing off" their ideas. That is an interesting point that students remember the rules better if they help create them- that is something I may try in my own classroom. A SmartBoard is a great resource for providing different media texts. You will be amazed at how much more engaged and interested the students are just because you are using the SmartBoard!
Posted by Lisa Beach | June 14, 2011 1:44 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 13:44
Stacy,
I agree that getting the students involved is a great way to have the students participate and take ownership. I never thought about have students to create thier own game. What a great idea! I could see this working in other subject areas as well. Teachers don't always have to be the ones in charge and leading every lesson. Our purpose is to teach the children to be leaders and i think this is a key way in doing so.
Posted by Kara | June 14, 2011 2:55 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 14:55
I have also learned about turning over some of the control to my students this year. As I worked on my Literacy Through Photography project during the spring semester, I let my students take the lead (with my oversight, of course!) in deciding what pictures to take to show our school rules, where they should be taken, and how the subjects should be posed. Then, after we took the pictures, we compared them and I let them select the pictures we used in our School Rules book…they were much more critical as they discussed the photographs than I would have been, once they got started. They did a wonderful job selecting photographs, and the writing that they did to go with each picture was much stronger and more personal than it would have been if I had taken the pictures and set it up for them – they took so much pride in their finished work because they had helped make decisions every step of the way. They were so much more “into” the project – I think I learned a valuable lesson through this project, and that knowledge went so much deeper than just teaching children about photography. I really need to learn to relinquish control, or at least to share it!
Posted by Marlee Wright | June 14, 2011 3:55 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 15:55
Stacy,
I can relate well to your comments that it can be difficult for you to turn over the reigns of control to your students. Allowing students to work completely independently takes up more class time, and there is always the fear that the results won't work out as planned. A few summers ago I worked at "Camp Invention" in my school. It's a program in which the teachers provide mini-lessons on topics such as gravity and inertia, and then students create a project using what they've learned. That summer, my campers were to design and create a mini-rollercoaster using their new knowledge of physics. After the mini-lessons, my job was just to observe the students at work. I thought surely children this young (1st and 2nd graders) will not be able to produce the desired outcome. How wrong I was! The campers' creativity flourished and each group was able to develop some kind of rollercoaster.
My point is, that summer I learned the importance of trusting in students to produce quality work even when working independently. The trick is... they need to WANT to do the work. Getting to know our students and learning what they enjoy will empower us towards creating activities students will want to participate and do well in.
Posted by Andrea Schlobohm | June 14, 2011 8:30 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 20:30
I, like everyone else, also agree that it is important to let our students feel as though they are they are part of our decision making process and that they have a choice in their learning. When they feel involved in the decisions and that they have come control over what they are learning and doing, they are so much more engaged and involved. Even while tutoring at the Sylvan Learning Center, I find that even something as simple as letting the student I’m tutoring pick from a selection the next book he or she wants to read gets them that much more involved. Even the simplest things can get students more engaged!
Posted by Kim Strzelecki | June 14, 2011 8:47 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 20:47
The practice of "ownership" is a very powerful one, and you summarize it nicely from the readings and provide your own example. You show us that even very young children love to feel ownership and meaning in their activities. Well done!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 16, 2011 10:45 AM
Posted on June 16, 2011 10:45