| This is my classroom. This is part of my world. The things my students accomplish on a daily basis are often not what others expect from them, but they always rise to the occasion. I’m going to tell you how this all happened. |
On August 9th, 2014 Michael Brown was shot and killed. This event shook Ferguson, Missouri and several nearby municipalities, including the one that I have taught in for 8 years. (If you would like to read more information visit America After Ferguson by PBS LearningMedia). During that same school year the 3rd grade students in my building would have 57.7% white students proficient in math and just 28.1% black students would be proficient. It was the combination of these two incidents that lit a fire under me. I could no longer sit back and watch more than twice as many white students than black students be proficient. I didn’t believe it was due to inability or all the other reasons that are shared by others. I needed to learn how to teach so that my students would be communicating with each other throughout the entire learning process, moving around often, doing hands on projects to keep them actively engaged, and doing work that was relevant and meaningful to them.
After researching for a semester and the following summer I had a game plan. A flexible learning environment would address the movement and communication pieces. So I got rid of my desks and replaced them with various sized tables and chairs. Thanks to garage sales and Goodwill it cost me maybe $40 to pull off.
My instruction would follow Problem/Project Based Learning with the pedagogy of STEM keeping the work hands on and involved the engagement piece. I would teach interdisciplinary units that had students designing and building prototypes or models to solve real world problems. After the first semester my students were using empathy to find problems in the world that they wanted to solve. Their inquiry into the problem was guided with an overall question and at least 4 searchable questions they made to learn more about the topic. Then, they would build, design, or produce a final product that would solve the problem. One of my favorite projects has been when they built a prototype of an invention that used magnetism to solve a problem in their lives. Magnetic Monkey Bars were then created. |
Fast forward to April. At this point in the year teachers are always stressed, overwhelmed, and/or burnt out for a myriad of reasons. This year, for the first time in my 8 years of teaching, I’m not. Sometimes I worry because I’m not worried. This makes question myself. “Am I doing this wrong? Do I allow them too much freedom with their learning? Why am I not having to take away more recess or field trips? Do I let too much slide and I should be stricter?” Then I realize that what I’m doing this year is totally different from any other year, and it is actually working. Are you teaching how your students learn best? How do you know? |