Sunday, July 20, 2014

When students design their own learning

Just read this article about a program at a public high school that allows students to research what interests them in a supportive group. For one semester, they devote the entire day, every day, to researching a weekly question for the group and an individual endeavor. Check out this video.



Obviously, first graders couldn't do this. But it has me wondering: how could I give them more opportunities to learn more about what interests them? How do I help them tune in to what they wonder about and connect them with the resources to find the answers? The CCSS for writing include a standard that refers to a shared research project. If we are going to be teaching first graders to research a topic and write about it, we'd be improving everyone's experience by giving them some control over the process.

What are you thoughts?
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2 comments:

  1. KellyJuly 21, 2014 at 8:02 PM

    Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm glad to find your sweet blog & love this post. I have been reading the book "The Leader in Me" this summer,and it has a huge emphasis on giving students control over their own learning and "the process". Definitely something to think about! :)

    Kelly
    First Grade Fairytales

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  2. Mrs. F-WJuly 25, 2014 at 7:50 AM

    Thanks! I'll check it out.

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