purposeful instruction 21st century learner (2010)

Purposeful Instruction for the 21st-century Learner

HCSD Summer PD

June 7, 2010

Herb Higginbotham4th Grade Teacher

Hilliard Horizon Elementary

Agenda

● Essential Questions● What a motivated learner needs● How I have supported learning● How the environment supported learning● Break? (5 minutes)● Examples of motivated learning● Reflection and setting goals

Goals for today✦ “I know that a 21st-century learner needs choice,

collaboration, differentiated instruction, and access to creative tools to learn. This understanding will help me support my students.”

✦ “I know the classroom can support 21st-century learning by providing a safe, collaborative environment. This will help my students become risk-takers and problem solvers.”

Essential Questions

✦ How can I support the needs of a 21st-century learner?

✦ How can the learning environment support the 21st-century learner?

The times, they are a-changing’

Advice from Lincoln about CHANGE…

“The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.”

--Address to Congress, 1862

A motivated 21st Century Learner needs…

✦ Awareness of BIG picture (myself in the world/how the world works)

✦ Sense of control of learning✦ Time to work out thinking✦ Collaborative learning

experiences✦ Access to technology to

create

Creating learning targets: Purpose is everything!

✦ I consider what I want student to be able to do first.

✦ Then I think like a student and ask, “Why should I care?”. That helps me determine the purpose and connection to the real-world.

✦ If I get stuck, I go to the district curriculum guide or think about my essential questions/enduring understandings.

How can we support this?✦ Rely on Inquiry/UbD/Quality Work frameworks for instruction

planning.

✦ Used guided learning approach when teaching skills; project/performance task approach to allow application/creation using skills. Allow students to choose activity in both situations.

✦ More problem-solving, investigative, and creative learning experiences. Shift focus of lesson to the “why” instead of the “what”.

✦ Let go of control and see what the students do. Maybe that means failure, but failure is just another opportunity to reflect.

✦ Anticipate all readiness levels and have support/enrichment activities ready.

How can the classroom support this?

✦ Goals for day’s activities posted in specific “activity/purpose” format:

✦ “I know how to identify different cloud types (activity). This will help me predict the weather (purpose).”

✦ “I know what caused the Frontier Wars in Ohio (activity). This helps me explain what can happen when different cultures interact (purpose).”

How can the classroom support this? (continued)

✦ Designated area where discussion and reflection takes place.

✦ Taught how to have a conversation. “I would like to add on to Michael…”

✦ Posted pictures of students demonstrating skill-based activities.

✦ eCampus!

Examples of motivated learning: Social Studies

✦ Social Studies inquiry questions✦ Students are responsible for finding information that

supports a response to a BIG question.✦ Post response on chart paper.

Examples of motivated learning: Science

✦ Science Inquiry…✦ “Does fruit size determine the number of

seeds inside?”✦ Students worked in groups and made

predictions based off of circumference of fruit.

Examples of motivated learning: Math

✦ Math “Workshop”/Guided Math

✦ Follows literacy framework (10 minute mini-lesson/think along/demo, student practice, share/reflect)

✦ Guided groups are formed based off of short, formative assessments (homework, observations, bell-ringer question)

✦ Whole class responsible for main task (assessment of whole)

✦ When finished, student chooses an activity to continue practicing skill (game, enrichment, challenge problem)

✦ At the end of session, we gather at the carpet to share out what we did an some new understandings.

Guided Math

✦ Show students multiple strategies for solving problems

✦ Use manipulatives✦ Use “Readiness”, “Enrichment”,

and “Open Response” activities in Everyday Math lessons

✦ NCTM “Illuminations” website

Examples of motivated learning: Writing

✦ Narrative Nonfiction projects✦ Studied narrative nonfiction mentor

texts read aloud by me; looking for a writing style that suited them.

✦ Choose a topic relevant to Ohio✦ Researched information using various

sources✦ Wrote narrative using style of mentor

text.

Narrative Nonfiction Titles

Abe’s Honest Words, by Doreen Rappaport

Surprising Sharks, by Nicola Davies

Atlantic, by G. Brian Karas

…and so many more!

Living Anthology (Georgia Heard)

✦ Found areas/objects in the school to write a poem about

✦ Students created and published poems for display around the school.

Poetry Motivates!

Read Aloud Notebooks

✦ Students write, draw thinking in notebooks as teacher reads aloud

✦ Track characters, setting descriptions, figurative language, etc.

✦ Share thinking before, during, after reading.

Response to BIG questions: Student choice

and reading response✦ After chapter book is finished, we generate a

list of questions that are still lingering, or ones that ask about themes we read about throughout the book.

✦ Students pick a question they’d love to discuss.

✦ Get into discussion groups to talk about question; take notes and rehearse what they will write to me.

✦ Write a response to the question for me to read. (assessment)

Book Clubs: The ultimate control of learning!

✦ Students generated sign-up lists for books or themes they wanted to discuss.

✦ I taught them how to manage their schedule by using a calendar.

✦ Used an group evaluation rubric (posted on wall) to self-assess and reflect.

✦ I sat in on group to facilitate (if needed) or make observations.

Reflections✦ Students are happier when learning this way; motivated, not

just compliant.

✦ Kids/parents had to get used to this.

✦ When I became frustrated with how students were working, I paused and listened to what they were saying to me and to each other.

✦ When a student wasn’t working, I conferred with them to seek out the problem so that I could help them.

✦ I have to take risks…I gave myself permission to fail. When I did, I was honest with myself and my students.

✦ I had to let go of control. I wasn’t so tired at the end of the day!