Shauna Cornwell wears this word around her neck as inspiration to live this way and to empower kids to learn fully.
In the modern classroom we should look for...
Voice
Choice
Reflection
Opportunities for Innovation
Critical Thinkers
Problem Solvers
Self-Assessment
Connected Learning
I love this list. It is completely cross-curricular and encompasses all the good things teachers are doing every day in their classrooms. Although we probably all have areas where we can work on this.
Looking at this list, my focus this year was Voice, Choice, Reflection, and Self-Assessment. All of the changes I made in these areas proved to be easy to implement and worth it.
Voice: Using the platform Seesaw (and there are many other great ways. Hoping to try EduBlogs next year) my students were able to share their voice with each other. They learnt how to share their ideas with each other, give good feedback and just praise each other for a job well-done.
Choice: This one is easy to do, but scary because we have to give up control. Allowing students to chose the book they want to read, the story they want to tell, the project they want to create, and the seat they want to sit in can be a huge game changer for kids.
Reflection: Having this as a natural process in my class has developed deeper thinkers and learners. There is still so much learning that can occur after we have completed a project and that is why reflection is so crucial. The key here is to not make it a tedious, intense writing task. Google forms or video reflections are great alternatives!
Self-Assessment: It is amazing how accurate students can assess themselves when given the right tools. I like to set criteria and expectations as a class, and then have students assess themselves with proof to why they deserve the mark. It does take a bit more time but I feel the learning is extremely valuable. This way every student understands why they received the mark they did and what they needed to do to improve.
Meraki. This word sums up what can happen when we have all 8 of these areas happening in our classrooms. If Meraki is what we want for students, then we need to start giving them choice and voice with endless opportunities to discover and create.