Concepts:
Learning goes deep
Students pull from their own background experiences and knowledge to reflect upon new concepts and ideas, construct explanations, and consider alternative perspectives. Students immerse themselves in “big picture” ideas and delve into complexities of content (goodbye, fly-by-mile-wide-inch-deep-curriculum). We integrate curricular strands and allow students to experience thematic impacts. The bar is raised, and students are not only encouraged to reach that bar but are expected to extend beyond it.
Evidence of higher order thinking
Students pose and solve complex problems. I love the use of “provocations” to engage students in high levels of thinking. In her post Today we will be learning about…., Edna Sackson describes how her students interpret, evaluate, and create ideas and concepts. Students make mistakes, yet they channel frustrations into re-examination of ideas and processes to promote different outcomes. Students use a critical eye to investigate subject matter. They question everything, and when they find answers, they pose additional questions. The thirst for learning is insatiable!
Real and substantive conversations
Students talk to the teacher and with each other. Our learning environment encourages and nurtures the open sharing of ideas. Students converse through a variety of media as part of their reflective process. They create and share with authentic audiences. Students make distinctions, form generalizations, and elaborate with dialogue. As a teacher and a parent, we’ve discovered that there is nothing better than taking a step back, finding an inconspicuous part of the classroom, and simply sitting and listening to students engage each other in conversation.
Personal learning
At AKERA, students’ past, present, and future experiences are explored and valued. Opportunities exist for students to research, plan, and create projects thereby encouraging students to enjoy the curriculum. Students connect with others who share their passions and collaborate with them for a greater purpose. We encourage students to find the ideas and concepts that make their hearts sing. In fact, AKERA presents them with choices to do so!
For example, this month one of my fourth grade classes decided they wanted to change the world. They designed a project to help raise money for the victims of Japan’s natural disasters. Thus far, they’ve raised over $600 for the relief efforts by selling beaded pins for $1 each! This exciting and thoughtful act was possible because the class led the process of ideas instead of having been dictated a specific goal by the teacher.
Autonomy, mastery, purpose, choice, self-direction
Instructional strategies vary and are personalized for individual learners. We create a multitude of opportunities for students to work both independently and in small groups. Students prioritize, plan, and manage their learning to accomplish goals. Students have freedoms — the freedom to choose tasks, techniques, and teams for learning. When I walk into a classroom where the students own the learning, I see a teacher on the sidelines who presents more as a coach who is guides, facilitates, and supports instead of controls.
21st century skills integration
Shelley Wright describes what 21st century learning looks like. In today’s world, students know how to use technology effectively, efficiently, and with a purpose almost more so than the teacher. With the AKERA program, students find and evaluate credible information with tools that help them to communicate and collaborate with the teacher and their peers.
Everyone is reflecting, all of the time
Teachers and students capitalize on unexpected events and ambiguities in learning and use these events as opportunities for extended and refined thinking. Teacher and peer feedback is evident. AKERA not only encourages self-evaluation but it is expected!
Last week I observed two fourth graders discussing their strategies for solving a math problem with some new content. The first student looked at his peer and said, “I’m just going to come right out and say that I guessed! I just totally guessed!”
The beauty of his honest response was that his partner then clearly articulated his own steps, guided his partner in examining his work, and both of them left the conversation with a rather strong understanding of the meaning of the problem and what was necessary to solve it.
Administrators, what do you look for when you spend time in classrooms? What do you listen for? Teachers, how do you know authentic, real, meaningful, passion-filled learning is happening before your eyes? How often do we take the time to ask children what learning means to them?
I chose the image above to accompany this post because, no matter how many of the above characteristics we see in our classrooms, that face is the one I most want to see. Every visit, every time.
To read more about the idea go to Lyn Hilt’s page where we think summerizes a lot of our interests:
http://plpnetwork.com/2011/04/21/what-do-we-mean-by-authentic-learning/
Click on image below to see movie of kids soldering robots (remember to hit play button in lower left depending on your browser).