Student-Centered. What is it?

A student-centered classroom is becoming more and more prevalent in the world of education today. But, what is it? A student-centered classroom puts students at the forefront of their education. They take charge of their learning as the teacher steps back into more of a facilitator role (Hansen & Imse, 2016). Students are given opportunities to mold and develop their 21st Century skills.

The typical view of the classroom where the teacher is standing at the front delivering a lesson as students are sitting in desks “attentively” listening is being demolished. Students are now up and moving, collaborating, and using hands-on technology and “stuff” to master the content curriculum while developing the skills it will take to be successful in the workforce of the 21st Century. The role of the students in these classrooms and mine is the most important. They are the leaders and guides of instruction (Peters, 2010).

Classroom Design

In classrooms that have made the shift to being student-centered, students are often expected to take responsibility for their education. Students are typically guided through inquiry research and projects to help solidify their learning and create spaces for collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills (Peters, 2010).

Many concerns over a student-centered classroom are rooted in classroom management. Teachers are fearful of students running the show and things getting chaotic (Garrett, 2018). As I have considered these things, making this leap has been a game changer. When students are able to guide their instruction and make choices for themselves regarding their inquiry, they take more pride in their work and what they are at school to do. It is amazing for me to see how students get excited about using our newly learned ELA skill and technology platform to demonstrate what they know about our science curriculum.

There is not one set way for how to make a student-centered classroom work. It will look different at every grade level, school, and subject. As I make this shift with my second-graders, it takes a lot of scaffolding and front-loading of “training” my students to have the mindset where they can take responsibility for themselves and move to master these skills while still learning the curriculum. The first attempt at this type of instruction will take place during our engineering and design unit in the second quarter. I have spent the first quarter introducing students to platforms, inquiry questions, and finding what interests them. Our first project will look a lot different than our last, as students become more familiar with my expectations and their skills throughout the year. This first project will be guided by “I wonders” about animal and plant habitats. Ultimately, students will have the opportunity to design an animal that will be able to survive in any type of habitat. For more information on this lesson, visit: David Lee: Design Thinking

Sources

Garrett, T. (2008). Student-centered and teacher-centered classroom management: A case

study of three elementary teachers. The Journal of Classroom Interaction, 43(1), 34-47.

Retrieved from proquest.com.

Hansen, D., & Imse, L. A. (2016). Student-centered classrooms. Music Educators Journal,

103(2), 20-26. doi: 10.1177/0027432116671785

Peters, E. E. (2010). Shifting to a student-centered science classroom: An exploration of

teacher and student changes in perceptions and practices.Journal of Science Teacher

     Education, 21(3), 329-349. doi: 10.1007/s10972-009-9178-z

Coding in The Classroom

Many new trends are taking over the educational world, debated as being great trends that will help students prepare for life in the 21st Century. STEM education has become very popular and widely used. In many different capacities, STEM challenges students to think like engineers, mathematicians, and incorporate the ELA standards into their learning. Students are becoming independent learners who are able to guide their instruction towards ideas and concepts that are interesting to them. One of the popular capacities of this is Coding. Coding is a computer science program that helps students understand how computers control and produce graphics and many other things. Thus, bringing us to a major game changer in education: computer programming (Estes & Mintz, 2016, pg 130).

A popular platform for this comes from Code.org. Nine states have labeled coding as a legitimate math and science curriculum (Code.org). When implementing this game changer technology in the classroom, students are learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will boil over to other projects, lessons, and cultivate 21st Century skills (Estes & Mintz, 2016).

My Successes with Coding

In the 2017-2018 school year, I was a second-year teacher, teaching second-grade for the first time. I was excited to be in a new school with a positive support system and a family atmosphere among the staff. I felt that I could truly try anything and would have the help and support that I needed. As I have mentioned before in my posts, I have vowed to stay away from the “drill and practice” and direct instruction techniques that I had when going through school. I want to provide my students with authentic and real learning experiences that can take them beyond the brick and mortar of our classroom. I am in full support of the shift in education where teachers are becoming more of a facilitator, fostering 21st Century skills in their students.

With this being said, teaching is still a tough, yet rewarding profession. I remember the first day that I introduced Code.org to my students. They were excited but also frustrated at the same time. They were used to getting things instantly and not really having to think about how to “debug” errors, or fix mistakes (enter the growth mindset lessons I soon implemented). At that first student meltdown (because they are 7 years old) I felt defeated. I just expected my students to be as excited as I was and to persevere through. This was a great lesson for me because even though students are experts on using mobile devices, they still need guidance with their critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Alepeis & Troussas, 2017).

After learning that I needed to model and guide students through using this platform, I was able to explain to them the process of “debugging” and problem-solving. We discussed how things won’t always work the first time that we try them. Part of learning and growing is trying things over and over again until it works. Mistakes are the biggest guides in our learning. After we discussed this and found ways to cope with mistakes and to use them for guidance in our next attempt, it was amazing to see the triumphant smiles and sense of accomplishment in my students. We started to have conversations about becoming computer programmers, or engineers. What a great door that came open for my kiddos. And, it was even as young as second-grade.

Sources

Code.org. Retrieved October 6, 2018, from https://code.org/

Estes, T., & Mintz, S. (2016). Instruction: A Models Approach 7th Edition. Boston, MA:

Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-398558-0

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Talk of differentiating instruction is not new to educators. From your first education class in college, these words are engrained in our brains. It is the act of actively modifying curriculum to fit the varying student needs that are in our hands (Hilyard, 2004). Differentiating allows for all students to access the curriculum in their own unique way. For the students that need a challenge, the teacher provides activities that make them think and engage with the material. For students that might need a scaled-down version of the standards, teachers create or find material that makes them think and engage with the material. Either way, this is a lot to manage when you throw in student behaviors and consider how you are going to teach all the different needs. Keep reading to find out my favorite manage techniques!

Math

The typical form of teaching mathematics, known as “drill and practice,” is becoming less and less common (Kesteloot, 2011). Thinking of my days continuously practicing multiplication facts that I just didn’t understand makes me cringe. I have vowed never to be this teacher for my students. As a result of this, I have gotten myself into the habit of constantly teaching in centers, or as I call them in math, Workstations. To implement my Workstations, it takes a lot of front-loading, meaning I spend a good five to six weeks of training and practicing with my students the expectations. We spend so much time on this so that they understand what their job is, as well as what I expect of them. They learn how to become independent and how to work through problems in their own way. I implement about six to ten workstations that students rotate through, while I am able to have small, differentiated groups at my back table to either reteach, scale up, or scale down our daily lesson. The workstations could, and should, look differently at each grade level, but in my second grade, they usually are number sense activities.

Reading

The greatest thing that I could have done my first year of teaching was read The Daily 5 book. If you haven’t heard of this, here is a link to their website for you to check out: Daily 5

The Daily 5 is a literacy teaching technique that creates a classroom full of independent and engaged readers. This structure particularly allows teachers to differentiate instruction and meet with students in groups that fit their specific needs. This structure also allows for wonderful ease in your classroom management (Boushey & Moser). If you spend the time training students on their stations and how to use choice, it will make your life so much easier!

The Daily 5 allows for students to have choices of stations when they are not with the teacher. These stations include: read to self, read to someone, word work, listen to reading, and work on writing. They help to develop ELA skills, while the teacher is given the opportunity to hold small groups of differentiated instruction. I typically lead guided reading groups, leveled for student needs and abilities.

 

Sources:

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (n.d.). Daily 5. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from

https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5

Hilyard, V. M. (2004). Teachers’ understanding and use of differentiated instruction in the 

     classroom (Order No. 3134972). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global. (305116225). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.nnu.idm.oclc.org/docview/305116225?accountid=36492

 

What is it?

Cooperation is something that we all strive for to reach our needs, as well as the needs of those we work closely with. Cooperative learning helps in being able to instill these values in students as we teach them the curriculum (Bassett, 1991). Students learn to work together and accomplish a goal provided by the teacher. When deciding if this instructional model is the one for you, you first must consider the long-term benefit associated with exposing your students to the ideals of working together to get things done.

The big benefit: 21st-Century Skills

By using the instructional model of cooperative learning, you are immediately teaching and reaffirming the needed 21st-Century skills that students need to obtain to be successful in their world. For teachers that like instant results, this may not be the instructional model for them, as it takes a great deal of training and patience for the model to show it’s effectiveness (Hsiung, 2012). There are many ways to help implement this type of instruction. I have recently been through a class that highlighted the H.A.C.K. model of instruction through Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho. In using this model, teachers and students are provided with proper exposure and progression through instruction to be able to lead up to a successful project-based learning, or cooperative learning classroom.

In the 21st-century, students need to obtain skills of cooperation, teamwork, and innovation. By using the cooperative learning model, students are instantly gaining these skills and increase their knowledge of the curriculum. Through the effective and consistent use of this instructional model, students have been noted to show improvements in their sense of accountability (Jackson, 2017).  Given access to this type of instructional model, students participate in collaborative projects, often associated with having similarities to project-based learning. After doing considerable amounts of reflecting and realizing how education is changing, I think that the way we structure our classrooms needs to resemble the real world. As an elementary teacher, specifically second-grade, this might sound funny. But, kids are coming to us with more diverse backgrounds and childhoods, we need to better prepare them for the world that is out there and give them opportunities to be successful no matter their background.

I am finding that this type of instruction isn’t too far off for students that are as young as second-grade. When considering providing these opportunities, reach out to teachers that have started and find support to help you achieve this. This will only be effective if you have done your research and implemented it properly with your students.

Sources

Bassett, W. P. (1991). Classroom implementation of cooperative learning: Qualitative case

     studies of three early elementary teachers (Order No. 9206259). Available from

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (303959309). Retrieved from https://search-

proquest-com.nnu.idm.oclc.org/docview/303959309?accountid=36492

Hsiung, C. (2012). The effectiveness of cooperative learning. Journal of Engineering

           Education, 101(1), 119-137. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.nnu.idm.oclc.org/docview/1014006079?accountid=36492

Jackson, J. (2017). Teachers’ perceptions and experiences with the implementation of

     cooperative learning (Order No. 10689209). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &

Theses Global. (1985977601). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.nnu.idm.oclc.org/docview/1985977601?accountid=36492

 

 

The idea of learning by doing is making a name for itself in the educational world. Student inquiry is becoming an important part of the school day,, as teachers are encouraged to facilitate inventing to learn opportunities (Bolkan, 2017). This new trend is being coined as Maker Space. You can view all different forms of maker space just by searching on Google, Facebook, or Instagram. Teachers highlight their dedicated corners, personalized STEM bins, and student creations through their accounts. As this trend is taking off and the importance of facilitating 21st-century skills in the classroom is coming to light, how can schools support this new trend?

What is it?

Maker Space is a place for students to create in a self-directed inclusive environment. Students work together to complete engineering, creating, or playing challenges that enhance their use of 21st-century skills. Teachers use these spaces to encourage resilience, and a tolerance for mistakes as students are encouraged to use their mistakes as learning and planning opportunities for the next step (Oliver, 2016).

How to Support this Learning Trend:

How to support this trend can be a hefty topic to discuss. Teachers need to be comfortable with students creating at their own pace and thinking for themselves in independent learning opportunities as well as providing collaborative opportunities. It doesn’t take much to get started, but some planning through integrating the curriculum is needed.

An article posted on Edutopia highlighted the attraction to this learning trend. Students are able to learn by doing in an environment that fosters resiliency. What schools need to focus on is being able to make this trend inclusive for all students. In an article published in T H E Journal, the first step in making maker space available for all children is to integrate subjects throughout the curriculum. Each opportunity to participate in maker space throughout each subject allows students to develop soft skills that are needed to be successful in today’s workforce. Students are shown the importance of interlocking ideas while working together as a team (Bolkan, 2018).

The maker space movement encourages tinkering in all students. By addressing the curriculum through maker spaces, students are given access to their learning in ways that they haven’t been before. Taking a look at the curriculum and implementing hands-on approaches will allow for all needs of students to be met. It doesn’t take much to get this space started in your classroom. Target joined the trend this year by providing accessories in their Dollar Spot for Teachers during Back to School sales.

The need for differentiated instruction is a big topic in education. By creating this maker space in your classroom, students who are in need of visual cues are given an opportunity to thrive. These challenges or spaces can be differentiated by creating detailed visual instructions for students to complete. This leads to better development of becoming independent thinkers. Other ways to differentiate learning come through the choice of materials and physical set up of your space. By calculating the needs of students before creating this space, you are able to differentiate the activities that students are participating in. The biggest way that this space is conducive to differentiation, is that students are encouraged to follow their own process and ideas when creating.

In order for this to be successful, teachers just need to get started. It doesn’t take a lot of supplies if you are worried about funds. Pull together pipe cleaners, tin foil, paper plates, etc. and see what students can create.

 

Sources:

Bolkan, J. (2018). Integrating makerspaces throughout the curriculum. T H E Journal, 45(2), 20.

Fleming, L. & Krakower, B. (2016, July 19). Makerspaces and equal access to learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/makerspaces-equal-access-to-learning-laura-fleming-billy-krakower

Oliver, K. (2016). Professional development considerations for makerspace leaders, Part one: addressing ‘what?’ and ‘why?’. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 60(2), 160-166.