If you've been following my posts about George Couros' #IMMOOC, you've probably noticed that my posts get longer and longer as I try to put words to all of my thoughts. It's difficult. So, today, I'm going to keep it short and sweet.
I'm going to address the idea of strengths-based leadership, and how that's affected my classroom and my teaching.
First, let me say that my principal is the bomb.com. He is what you would call a servant-leader. He leads us by serving us and our students. Just like George Couros writes about, this actually creates a desire in our school's teachers and students to work harder and be better people. He trusts us, and he encourages us to use our strengths, which in turn, enables us to take more risks. I can't remember a time when I asked him if I could try something (as long as it aligned with our standards) and he said no. He always says yes if I have good reasoning for trying something out.
I try to do the same things in my classroom. My goal is to make sure that every student believes they have a voice, believes they have a choice, and believes they can progress. Here are a few things I've done so far this year to try and empower my students, allow them to use their strengths, and allow them have some choice in the classroom.
- Give students a choice on projects. I wanted to assess that my students could analyze and identify mood and tone. Instead of giving them a formal test or assigning them one "recipe" to be completed, I gave them several options. They could create a mood/tone book page, write their own short story that clearly created a certain mood, or create a digital thinglink.com submission to display their knowledge. It was great. Students who felt strong in writing chose one, students who were better at drawing chose another, and students who were better at using technology chose the other. I even told the students if they had a better idea to let me know. I was open to suggestions!
- Give students a choice on tests. Since we are required to give at least two major grades each grading period, we try to alternate the formats of those major grades. Sometimes we do projects or activities, and then we'll usually end up giving at least one, more traditional, style test. This last one I gave, I allowed my students the option to take it online or to take a paper copy. An easy addition that enabled students to choose the format in which they felt stronger.
- "Create-A-Space" I have a new area in my classroom that is about to be transformed by the votes of my students. I couldn't decide how to decorate a corner of my classroom, so I ended up making a big poster for it that says, "Our Space. What will we create?" So far, I've taken a few polls on what they'd like it to become, and we're about to narrow it down this week! I've received great ideas that I never would have thought of. My favorite so far--a DJ booth where table groups get to create a playlist for the week and play it during class.
While some of these ideas might not seem that innovative, they are getting there. You have to start somewhere. If you wait for the perfect opportunity, when you have everything carefully planned, and your idea is the most innovative you could ever create, I fear you'll be waiting a LONG time.
What are some ways you give your students use choice, voice, and strengths in the classroom?
Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR
I'm going to address the idea of strengths-based leadership, and how that's affected my classroom and my teaching.
First, let me say that my principal is the bomb.com. He is what you would call a servant-leader. He leads us by serving us and our students. Just like George Couros writes about, this actually creates a desire in our school's teachers and students to work harder and be better people. He trusts us, and he encourages us to use our strengths, which in turn, enables us to take more risks. I can't remember a time when I asked him if I could try something (as long as it aligned with our standards) and he said no. He always says yes if I have good reasoning for trying something out.
I try to do the same things in my classroom. My goal is to make sure that every student believes they have a voice, believes they have a choice, and believes they can progress. Here are a few things I've done so far this year to try and empower my students, allow them to use their strengths, and allow them have some choice in the classroom.
- Give students a choice on projects. I wanted to assess that my students could analyze and identify mood and tone. Instead of giving them a formal test or assigning them one "recipe" to be completed, I gave them several options. They could create a mood/tone book page, write their own short story that clearly created a certain mood, or create a digital thinglink.com submission to display their knowledge. It was great. Students who felt strong in writing chose one, students who were better at drawing chose another, and students who were better at using technology chose the other. I even told the students if they had a better idea to let me know. I was open to suggestions!
- Give students a choice on tests. Since we are required to give at least two major grades each grading period, we try to alternate the formats of those major grades. Sometimes we do projects or activities, and then we'll usually end up giving at least one, more traditional, style test. This last one I gave, I allowed my students the option to take it online or to take a paper copy. An easy addition that enabled students to choose the format in which they felt stronger.
- "Create-A-Space" I have a new area in my classroom that is about to be transformed by the votes of my students. I couldn't decide how to decorate a corner of my classroom, so I ended up making a big poster for it that says, "Our Space. What will we create?" So far, I've taken a few polls on what they'd like it to become, and we're about to narrow it down this week! I've received great ideas that I never would have thought of. My favorite so far--a DJ booth where table groups get to create a playlist for the week and play it during class.
While some of these ideas might not seem that innovative, they are getting there. You have to start somewhere. If you wait for the perfect opportunity, when you have everything carefully planned, and your idea is the most innovative you could ever create, I fear you'll be waiting a LONG time.
What are some ways you give your students use choice, voice, and strengths in the classroom?
Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR
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