It has been awhile since I have updated the American History Blog. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to do a better job with posting the outstanding work of my students. Since the beginning of the school year, this group of Team 8-1 students have been such a joy to work with! The enthusiasm and creativity that these students put on display has been very inspiring. I could spend a lot of time describing the different learning experiences and projects that our students have completed, but that would call for a very lengthy blog post. In this post, I figured I would provide an update on a relatively new classroom endeavor of mine and also highlight some of student success stories… Personalized Learning and Student Voice & Choice is not a new idea in the realm of education. In fact, I am willing to bet that many educators promote these ideals in their classroom on some level already. This school year I really wanted to take the idea of Personalized Learning, or instruction that meets the individualized needs of each student, and Student Voice & Choice, or allowing students to have a say on how they learn and display mastery, to the next level. Last school year I took the plunge into turning my classroom into a flipped learning environment. From reading the blog posts from last school year, you would see that this flipped classroom approach was a mixture of success and valuable learning moments as an educator. When I reflected at the end of last school year, I still felt that I was still dictating the learning experiences of my students. I really wanted to dive into the idea of each student coming into my room and having a true say in their American History experience. This school year, I still incorporate some aspects of the flipped classroom. I provide the opportunity for students to engage in videos outside of class and to use actual class time to display their understanding of a topic. However, I found that many students still preferred the instruction to be done in person. Therefore, I have tried to blend the flipped approach with traditional classroom pedagogy. Most of my efforts of this school year has focused on personalizing my lessons and asking students the simple question, “What/How would you like to learn?”. I am very fortunate to have access to a plethora of technology in my classroom. The use of Apple iPads (1 to 1) has really helped promote personalized learning. For example, after students interact with a video or I finish a presentation, I ask students to complete a “concept check”. These are questions that ask students to relay the most important information on a particular lesson. I normally give these on Socrative, Near Pod, and eBackpack. Depending on how well each student scores will determine their next step in the learning process. Students who are still confused about a topic normally meet with me in an individual or small group setting. It is during this time that I identify the area of confusion and the students and I discuss what our strategy should be going forward. While this is going on, students who are ready to explore a topic further are given choices. These choices are sometimes created by me, but often I ask students to preview a unit and identify individuals, events, or themes that interest them. From there, students have a choice on how to display mastery. For example, student choices can look like:
Sometimes, students will offer proposals to me on what/how they can further explore. I am still tweaking my classroom routine for this procedure, so if any educators have any ideas, I would love to hear them! Obviously, my students enjoy having agency in how they learn the American History content. As an educator, I really enjoy watching the students pursue a topic that they are interested in. One challenge that I continue to face is the pacing of this approach. Our students take various amounts of time to display mastery and therefore it can be difficult keeping track of where students are in their learning experiences. Enough about me… let’s highlight some of the awesome work that my students have displayed! A fan-favorite of my students is using the green-screen space in our iCreate Studio to create video projects. This school year, I presented students with this challenge: How could you effectively advertise the English Colonies? Students took this challenge and ran with it. Students created brochures, posters, 3D products and videos. In a House Hunters type of project, students designed, filmed, and edited their videos. Students used their iPads to film their advertisements and iMovie to edit their creations. These projects did revolve around primary source material from the Gilder Lehrman Institute. I posted several pictures and videos on my personal Twitter of the amazing work of my students! Recently, students participated in a Breakout/Scavenger Hunt focusing on espionage during the American Revolution. Using the Smithsonian Learning Lab, I provided students a lesson on espionage, specifically focusing on spy-techniques and the Culper Spy Ring. Students really enjoyed examining the Culper Code Book and coding their names and deciphering messages. The following day, students participated in a Breakout/Scavenger Hunt. This activity included:
Check out the pictures below to see the students in action!
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Mr. Steve Hartnett
Mr. Hartnett will update the Room 212 Blog with classroom updates on a regular basis. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ MrHartnett212 Archives
July 2019
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