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Group Reading Time

Students will have be able to read in small groups. Students who tend to struggle will be paired with 'stronger' students.

For kindergarten or younger students, putting them into small groups and allowing them to look at the pictures is still beneficial to them.

I've used this strategy for our book curriculum, and found that when reading the book together as class, the students are more excited to talk about the book. Although my students cannot read, I often see them talking to their peers about the images.

Interactive Word/Picture Wall

An interactive word wall displays prominent terms or vocabulary from the unit or lessons and can help students see patterns in words so that they can build their phonics skills and develop a deeper understanding of the terms.

Story-telling

Students will be placed into pairs. They will then be given a book with only pictures, and have to come up with their own story. They will have to name each character, and provide a setting, etc. Once finished, they can present their story to the class.

These strategies are based on the social learning theory by Albert Bandura, which emphasizes the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating the behaviors of others. With these strategies the students are able to learn and grow with their classmates.

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Benefit of Group & Cooperative Learning for reading

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Benefit of Group & Cooperative Learning for reading

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The strategies I’ve mentioned above can be classified as group collaboration.
They serve as ways to allow students to be the leaders of the classroom, this can encourage greater participation and more responses.  This can also make the classroom environment a dynamic and exciting learning environment.

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There are 7 Types of learners (1):

Auditory and musical learners.

Visual and spatial learners

Verbal learners

Logical and mathematical learners

Physical or kinesthetic learners

Social and interpersonal learners

Solitary and intrapersonal learners

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Question 1- Bo
Question 2- Jacob & Anthony
Question 3- Vanessa & Jason
Question 4- Janelle
Question 5- Bella & Abdulah
Question 6-  Melissa & Ari

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Focus- Physical and Kinesthetic Learners

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Focus- Physical and Kinesthetic Learners

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What does this mean?

Physical/ Kinesthetic learners like to learn by doing, they want to use there hands and physically engage with the lesson materials. These learners like to move around a lot.

Kinesthetic based lessons are great for early childhood education, because young learners need to move around a lot they are curious and excited to explore the world around them.

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Group & Cooperative LEARNING; students as Classroom leaders. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://ablconnect.harvard.edu/group-cooperative-learning-students-classroom-leaders

Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Albert Bandura's social learning theory. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Should reading be taught whole class or small group? (2020, May 27). Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-literacy/should-reading-be-taught-whole-class-or-small-group

Student-centered approaches and techniques for reading. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2021, from http://tnjune17cohort3.pbworks.com/w/page/119008734/Student-Centered%20Approaches%20and%20Techniques%20for%20Reading

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Helps students to develop language and communication skills (vocabulary, comprehension, basic grammar)

It promotes creativity

It allows for students to move around, and engage with others

Gives students opportunities to learn about the world and form different perspectives on how thing operate.

Builds confidence

Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory supports role play saying that it promotes self regulation in children. Children will make up their own rules as they go while playing with each other and stick to those rules while they play.

Read more benefits in the link below

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At Little Town we believe kids should be allowed to be kids! As children play, they develop fundamental cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. Young children also learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves, how to cooperate, and share with others.

Playing is a child's way of engaging, and pretending creates alternate realities to the real world. Little Town is a place where your little ones can dress up and get into character through imaginative play. Role play is more than just fun. It is an important element of learning. Children learn from experience: from what happens around them, from what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. To absorb those experiences and make sense of the world, they need to be engaged in imaginary play. Encouraging our children to play and have fun will develop healthy connections and choices in life.

Here is a list of the key benefits of role play in Early Years.
1. Develops communication and language skills,
2. Allows children to act out and make sense of real-life situations,
3. Allows children to explore, investigate and experiment,
4. Develops social skills as children, collaborate with others,
5. Encourages children to empathizes: by taking on the role of character teaches children an understanding of different perspectives,
6. Helps children learn about different cultures,
7. Encourages children to express their ideas and feelings in a relaxed environment,
8. Develops children's awareness of themselves and others,
9. Gets children learning more as learning is disguised as play,
10. Sparks creativity and imagination.

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10 key benefits of role play for children

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At Little Town we believe kids should be allowed to be kids! As children play, they develop fundamental cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills. Young children also learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves, how to cooperate, and share with others. Playing is a child's way of engaging, and pretending creates alternate realities to the real world.

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John Dewey "believed that school should be representative of a social environment and that students learn best when in natural social settings"
Field trips take students into a natural social setting and they are a great approach to student centered learning. Field trips allow the teacher to introduce a new environment to students that is ready to be explored. Teachers can ask students to discuss what they are observing and later do some kind of collaborating activities in groups to present what they learnt or to discuss their favorite part(s) of the trip.

Benefits of Field trips:

Real World Learning

Access

Socio-emotional growth

Academic Impact

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What do you remember from school? What caused you to be who you are today? Chances are, a group project, a special speaker, or a field trip helped you decid…

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Allow students to move around

It allows a teacher to differentiate by setting up different area for the student.

Students will have a chance to work with other students and communicate.

Teachers can use the different centers to reinforce different lessons for  the students.

In the Montessori Method, one can see that a prepared environment allows students to gain independence and explore the world around them without the constant presence of the teacher. Check out the video below it shows what a prepare environment is and how through movement students can interact and learn.

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More student centered ideas to promote movement

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More student centered ideas to promote movement

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Gallery Walk (3)

Teachers can set up student work around the classroom and have students walk around and talk about the work that's displayed. Alternatively, Teacher may want to take students for walk around the halls.

Teachers would then prompt students to illicit a response, first waiting for students to collaborate their thoughts together before responding.

Graffiti Boards (4)

Each student will be given a marker and chance to write on the board their ideas.

For younger students the teacher can allow them to draw out their ideas on the board.

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Approaches for Elementary, Junior HS and High School Students:

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Approaches for Elementary, Junior HS and High School Students:

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Big Paper: Building Student Conversations in Complete Silence (5):

A good way to get students to actively participate in traditionally stationary activities like group discussions is a writing only activity called Big Paper. In this activity students are given a stimulus (a question for discussion) and asked to complete their discussion of the stimulus entirely in writing. They are given a big piece of paper on which to communicate their thoughts and ideas however they must be ready to actively move around the classroom and write their thoughts on other group's big papers.

The activity is unique in that it allows students to take the time to think about their responses and creates a living record of the conversation which can then be displayed around the classroom.

Using colors, and allowing students to add their own art work to the paper is one way to create instant art for your classrooms.

Project Based Learning: A Paradigm Shift in Teaching (6) (7)

A form of teaching that I have been experimenting with over the past year or two is the idea of Project Based Learning (PBL). In Project Based Learning students are not just taught a topic but they are asked to 'actively explore real-world problems and challenges'. An example that I am working towards implementing in my school is called Mission to Mars, where physics students are asked to take on the challenge of becoming aero-space engineers and figure out how to land a rover on Mars. This project requires students to come out from behind their desks, collaborate with one another and tackle real world problems. The students utilize role-playing, building things with their hands, testing and retesting engineering designs, programming and some more testing on top of that. This kind of hands on experience is one way we can take 'physical movement' and bring it into the classroom, or rather force students to step out of the classroom.

The Scavenger Hunt:
A time honored and trusted physical activity that I often use to help students learn more about their school (especially in the first few weeks of classes) is to do a school scavenger hunt. In this relatively straightforward activity students are asked to find and identify key areas of the school including things like our school's mission plaque (and then asked to reflect on what it means to them), their 先輩 (senpai-upper classmen)　or　 後輩 (kouhai-junior classmen)　classrooms (and then introduce themselves to the students in the classroom) and even just finding basic things like the nearest bathroom to their homeroom, the nearest trash can, the nurse's office, the science lab. This activity gives students a fun and competitive way to get to know their environment, a place where they need to spend nearly a third of their day and be comfortable in it.

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(1)

How to Engage the 7 Types of Learners in your Classroom

Literacy Planet (October 2017) Retrieved May 9 2021 from https://www.literacyplanet.com/au/news/engage-7-types-learners-classroom/
(2) https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/gallery-walk
(3) The Benefits Of Field Trips Retrieved May 9 2021

https://www.explorableplaces.com/blog/the-benefits-of-field-trips
(4) https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/big-paper-silent-conversation
(5)
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/graffiti-boards
(6) https://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
(7)
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniar-Setyo-Rini/publication/341343213_Boosting_Student_Critical_Thinking_Ability_through_Project_Based_Learning_Motivation_and_Visual_Auditory_Kinesthetic_Learning_Style_A_study_on_Ecosystem_Topic/links/5ebb9ab2299bf1c09ab93fce/Boosting-Student-Critical-Thinking-Ability-through-Project-Based-Learning-Motivation-and-Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Learning-Style-A-study-on-Ecosystem-Topic.pdf

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1. Jigsaw Readings

In this activity students are assigned groups. Each member of the group is given a topic or a paragraph from an article. Once each member of the group has read their paragraph, they need to explain it to their group. This activity can be modified by splitting the class into several groups. Each group is given different articles on the same topic, with each member being allocated a paragraph. At the end, each group has to share what their article is about with the whole class.

This activity can also be modified for differentiation purposes. You can have a high level group and a low level group depending on ability. The groups are assigned the same article. The individuals from each group who have been assigned the same paragraph come together and the individual from the high level group can assist the individual from the low level group. They then go back to their “home” groups and share.

This activity is based on the theory that collaboration can enhance learning and modified forms can allow students of similar ability to work together whilst also allowing them to work with higher level students and allows for peer-to-peer learning. Reading should be taught individually and in small groups and so individual reading is also accounted for.

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2. Running dictation

In this activity the class is split into separate teams. Team members can be allocated separate roles such as the runner, the transcriber and the artist. These roles can be switched for different rounds. The runner, runs to a poster or article, reads the information and reports back to the team and has to recount the details. The transcriber has to write down the information and the artist has to draw the information.

This gain is based on the theory that learning is enhanced through collaboration and also allows for individual reading as well. It is also based on gamification theory which holds that learning can enhanced through the principles of gamification.

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3. Quizlet
Quizlet is an app which can be used to pre-teach vocabulary found in a reading. The words can be uploaded to flashcards on the app with definitions and translations. The app has several games that students can play to allow them to engage with the vocabulary. The different features of the app allows each student a choice in how they wish to engage with the words. This is based on the theory of pre-teaching which allows students to  clarify words which they will encounter to aid in comprehension. Quizlet also enhances computer literacy skills.

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Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. (2007). The state of cooperative learning in postsecondary and professional settings. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 15–29. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®], [Google Scholar]

Dolch, E. (1961). Individualized Reading vs. Group Reading I. Elementary English, 38(8), 566-575. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41385206

Gamification in Education: What is it & How Can You Use It? | True Education Partnerships. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.trueeducationpartnerships.com/schools/gamification-in-education/

Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://cer.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/c/cer/localcontent/pre-teach_vocab.pdf

Running Dictation Relay Race - The Comprehensible Classroom. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://comprehensibleclassroom.com/2011/06/29/running-dictation/#:~:text=Running%20Dictation%20in%20a%20nutshell,where%20a%20secretary%20transcribes%20it.

Should Reading Be Taught Whole Class or Small Group? | Reading Rockets. (2021). Retrieved 9 May 2021, from https://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-literacy/should-reading-be-taught-whole-class-or-small-group

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What is Student-centered collaborative learning?

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What is Student-centered collaborative learning?

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Groups of learners working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product.
The instructor acts as a facilitator, encouraging discussion, assigning projects, and answering questions. It is based on the idea that learning is naturally a social act.
Learners are responsible for each other’s learning as well as their own and thus success is shared.
Learners engage with peers, present and defend ideas, exchange points of view, take responsibility for their own learning and become critical thinkers.

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(1) The instructor poses a question and gives students time to think of an appropriate response. (2) Students then turn to a partner and share their responses. (3) During the third step, student responses can be shared within a four-person learning team, within a larger group, or with an entire class during a follow-up discussion. All students have an opportunity to learn by reflection and by verbalization.

Why use it?

1. Keep students engaged in large classes

2. Prime students for whole class discussion

3. Target key concepts for review

4. Students become aware of gaps in their thinking
5. Student responses provide feedback to the instructor about their understanding of the material

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Teachers and students take turns being the “leader” and “respondent.”
This learning activity involves students teaching one another in groups.
Students take turns being the teacher for a segment of the task. In their teaching role, students lead the discussion, summarize material, ask questions, and clarify misunderstandings.

Why use it?

1. To improve students’ ability to do specific activities such as reading primary sources,  interpreting graphs etc.

2. The role of teaching puts student in a position of monitoring peers' comprehension and presenting the material

3. Exposes student to other ways to interpret the material

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Sometimes called small-group learning.
An instructional strategy in which small groups of students work together on a common task.
In some cases, each group member is individually accountable for part of the task; in other cases, group members work together without formal role assignments.
There are five basic elements that allow successful small-group learning:

Positive interdependence: Students feel responsible for their own and the group's effort.

Face-to-face interaction: Students encourage and support one another.

Individual and group accountability.

Group behaviors: Group members learn interpersonal, social, and collaborative skills.

Group processing: Analyze their own and the group's ability to work together.

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Members of learning teams, usually composed of four individuals, count off: 1, 2, 3, or 4. The instructor poses a question. Students discuss the question.
The instructor calls a specific number and the designated team member responds as group spokesperson.
No one knows which number the teacher will call, so all team members have a vested interest in understanding the response.

Why use it?

1. Students benefit from the verbalization, and the peer coaching helps all students.

2. Less time is wasted on inappropriate responses because all students become actively involved with the material.

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https://mathematics321.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/bloom-taxonomy-numbered-heads-together/
https://blog.edx.org/an-open-letter-learning-together
http://tnaugust17cohort4.pbworks.com/w/page/120465129/Student-centered%20approaches%C2%A0or%20techniques%20that%20are%20based%20on%20or%20require%20collaboration
https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/Reciprocal_Teaching_in_Mathematics
https://k-12talk.com/2020/05/14/sharing-the-task-of-learning-using-think-pair-shares-in-a-digital-world/
https://theweek.com/articles/839879/why-children-should-learn-together-not-apart

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Developing a student-center classroom is all about engagement. The better you're able to engage students in any activity or project the more involved they'll become in the learning process. In today's world, technology is one of the most effective tools for engaging students. Technology is not the future, it's the present. Everything kids do these days revolves around technology–specifically mobile technology. Allow and invite students to use free web tools to present, curate, and share information. When students are given the opportunity to integrate existing web tools and technology into the learning process, they become eager, anxious participants in just about any learning activity.
Becton Loveless

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by Becton Loveless

It just sort of sounds good as it rolls off the tongue, student-centered classroom. We've all heard the phrase coined before, yet most educators would agree that developing a student centered classroom is becoming more of a necessity and norm these days than a luxury or innovative new approach to teaching. The traditional classroom where students sit quietly and attentively in their seats, while the teacher pours vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge into their sponge like brains is over (assuming it ever existed.) This is especially true for middle school and high school classes where "teaching" can be a constant battle.

So what exactly is a student-centered classroom? In short, a student-centered classroom, or student-centered learning environment, is one where the focus of instruction is shifted from the teacher to the student, with the end goal of developing students who are autonomous and independent, by placing the responsibility of learning in the hands of the students. Many proponents of student-centered learning would argue that it's one of the most effective ways to help students develop the skills required for independent problem-solving and lifelong learning.

In the more traditional "teacher-centered learning" environment, the teacher is the center of the learning experience and takes the "active" role of teaching, while the students assume a more "passive" or receptive role. In contrast, in the student-centered learning environment, the interests of the students' take center stage and the teacher gives students choice and voice, finding ways to provide learning experiences that focus on what students value. In the student-centered classroom, students take a more "active" role in the education experience.

It doesn't matter if you're a kindergarten teacher, high school instructor or college professor, developing a student-centered learning environment will help your students become independent learners who will ultimately take charge of their own education-students who are curious, eager to learn, and willing to do whatever it takes to be successful.

Unfortunately, developing a student-centered learning environment isn't always easy, especially if your experience frames learning in a more traditional way. For many, implementing a student-centered learning environment sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice is a different story. Below we'll explore some strategies, principles and offer some proven tips that can make the student-centered learning environment a reality, and success, in your classroom.

Turn your classroom into a community

In a traditional classroom, the teacher speaks, the students listen. In a student-centered classroom, the students speak, the teacher listens, interjects and facilitates conversation when needed, and then thanks the students for their participation. By involving students directly in the education process, and by enabling them to interact with one another, students begin to feel a sense of community. More importantly they are shown that what they feel, what they value, and what they think are what matter most. In the student-centered classroom, the teacher acts not only as educator, but as both facilitator and activator.

Develop trust and communication

A student-centered classroom or learning environment can not exist without trust and open communication. Trust and open communication are achieved by always being fair with students, listening to them, and allowing them speak. Seems like a tall order? Well, it is. And it may not happen overnight. However, it's much easier to develop a student-centered classroom if you get started right away at the beginning of the year. Getting started at the beginning of the year sets the tone and lets students know what's expected of them the rest of the year.

At the beginning of each new school year, ask your students to discuss how they'd like their classroom experience to be. How should it sound, feel and function during the year? Are there any rules that should be put in place to ensure the classroom experience meets their expectations? Give the students 15 minutes to discuss among themselves and then write their suggestions on the whiteboard. You'll be surprised how many rules students will come up with. As you fill up your white board with their ideas and suggestions, you'll find some common themes start to appear-your students want to be heard, seen, valued, and respected.

This exercise, and similar exercises that can be performed throughout the year, communicate to students that what they say matters, and that you trust and value their input.

Find ways to integrate technology

Developing a student-center classroom is all about engagement. The better you're able to engage students in any activity or project the more involved they'll become in the learning process. In today's world, technology is one of the most effective tools for engaging students. Technology is not the future, it's the present. Everything kids do these days revolves around technology-specifically mobile technology. Allow and invite students to use free web tools to present, curate, and share information. When students are given the opportunity to integrate existing web tools and technology into the learning process, they become eager, anxious participants in just about any learning activity.

Create an environment where mutual respect and a quest for knowledge guide behavior-not rules

A classroom without rules? Seems a little far fetched, doesn't it? Well, it may be if you plan on having a teacher-centered classroom where students spend half their time learning, and the other half trying to keep from being bored out of their skulls. So what's the key to the "no rules" approach? Engagement! If you keep activities engaging, behavior will rarely be an issue. Having an engaging classroom environment, with engaging projects, engaging activities and engaging discussions will foster mutual respect and encourage a pursuit of learning that leaves little time for disruptions.

Replace homework with engaging project-based learning activities

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of homework as it relates to improved grades and test scores. Some studies indicate there is a positive correlation between homework and improved grades and test scores, while other studies suggest little correlation. However, the entire premise for these studies is based on the assumption that grades and test scores are an accurate barometer for academic achievement and learning. In the teacher-centered classroom, in class learning and student productivity is lower, making homework more necessary and regular testing essential for measuring learning and performance. In the student-centered classroom, where activities and projects are engaging, students become much more eager to learn, and in class productivity is much higher. Where students complete school work outside of the classroom in a student-centered learning environment, it's typically because they want to complete projects they're working on inside the classroom.

Many teachers are now using engaging project-based learning (PBL) to teach math standards, sciences, technology and other core subjects to their students and increase student productivity and effectiveness of learning in the classroom. So what exactly is project-based learning? In short, it's learning through identifying real-world programs and developing real-world solutions. Not only is project-based learning extremely engaging when implemented correctly, but students learn as they journey through the entire project. Project-based learning also relies heavily on technology, where projects are driven by interactive web tools and solutions are presented using a multimedia approach.

When implemented effectively, project-based learning can replace the need for out-of-class homework and in class learning becomes more productive.

Learn more about Project-based learning.

Develop ongoing projects

One of the keys to developing a student-centered classroom and learning environment is to create ongoing projects for students. Ongoing projects promotes mastery of subject matter being taught and learned. Learning objectives and standards, for just about any subject matter, can be met through well-designed projects and activities. And providing students with various project choices allows them to demonstrate what they're learning.

Allow students to share in decision making

Creating a student-centered classroom requires collaboration. It requires placing students at the center of their own learning environment by allowing them to be involved in deciding why, what, and how their learning experience will take shape.

Before students will be willing to invest the mental, emotional and physical effort real learning requires, they need to know why what they're learning is relevant to their lives, wants and needs. Explaining to students that they need to study a subject "because it's required for they're grade level," or "they need to know it to get into college" does not establish why in terms of relevance from students' perspective. Such explanations result in lackluster performance, low motivation and poor learning.

Students should determine, or guide, the selection of content matter used to teach skills and concepts. What is taught and learned in a student-centered classroom becomes a function of students' interests and involves students' input and teacher-student collaboration. For example, when learning about American history, students might decide a class play, where each student acts the role of a key historical figure, would be preferable to writing a traditional report or bibliography. In this example, not only do students take ownership of the learning process, all students benefit from the decisions of other students.

The how in a student-centered learning environment is just as important as the why and the what. Students process information, understand and learn in different ways. Offering students the option of how they'll learn will allow each student to adopt the method of learning that will be most comfortable and effective for them. It also allows students to feel more invested in the learning process. Teachers should consider offering students various performance based learning options that meet academic requirements.

Give students the opportunity to lead

Providing students the opportunity to lead in the classroom is a great way to develop a student-centered learning environment that fosters engagement, growth and empowers students to take ownership of the learning experience. Each day consider allowing a few students to each take charge of an individual activity, even if the activity requires content skills beyond the level of the students. Then rote students between leadership roles so each student gets the opportunity to lead an activity. You may even consider introducing the leadership role, or activity they'll be leading, to each student the day before so they'll have time to prepare and really take ownership of their activity.

Get students involved in their performance evaluation

In a traditional classroom, performance evaluation and learning assessment are reduced to a series of numbers, percentages, and letter grades presented periodically on report cards, through activities and via standardized testing. These measures say little about what a student is learning and provide little in the way of useful feedback to the student so he or she can improve their performance and achieve mastery. The student-centered learning environment is based on a form of narrative feedback that encourages students to continue learning until they demonstrate they've achieved mastery of a subject. This form of learning, feedback and evaluation encourages students to resubmit assignments and work on projects until mastery is achieved.

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Explore strategies, principles and tips for developing a student-centered classroom and learning environment.

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Myth - Using technology automatically makes your classroom student centered.

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Myth - Using technology automatically makes your classroom student centered.

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Technology offers fertile opportunities to create a student-centered learning environment by allowing students to create and to explore their passions like never before. But its effectiveness depends entirely on who's using it and how.

"I've heard some people make statements suggesting that lessons that integrate technology are transformational, alluding to student-centered learning and so forth," Lindsey said. She thinks these statements give technology too much credit. "The teacher is still the most important factor in the equation. How the technology is used matters."

An easy gauge of teacher vs. student-centered learning is to ask, who's using the technology — you or your students?

"If the students are, are you telling them what technology to use? Are you micro-managing their use of technology? What tools are they using? Flexible tools that can do many things, or tools that have only one specific purpose? Reflecting on these questions can help teachers to move along the continuum."
Nicole Krueger

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Student-centered learning - in which students are independent learners who take charge of their own education - has become something of a holy grail among educators. But the problem with holy grails is that they quickly start to seem unattainable.

Part of the reason is that many teachers have misconceptions about student-centered classrooms and what it takes to achieve that type of learning environment, said LeeAnn Lindsey, an educational technologist and innovation leader at Arizona State University.

"Sometimes teachers think that shifting to a student-centered classroom will be too difficult and they're not quite sure where to begin," she said. "But teachers can make small, easy changes that will make a difference."

In her webinar on " Student-Centered Learning: Make the Shift!," she explores strategies for helping students become independent learners and provide examples of what student-centered learning looks like in action. She'll also shed light on some of the common myths about student-driven learning, such as:
1. Either your classroom is student centered, or it's not.
There is a continuum of teaching styles that use technology, ranging from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. Many teachers start out at the entry level, using technology within a traditional classroom model. At the opposite end lies the transformation level, where teachers coach students through a self-directed learning process whereby students choose from a variety of technology to meet their needs.

"Teachers do not have to choose between being a sage on the stage and a guide on the side," Lindsey said. "Understanding the continuum and the shades of gray between teacher- and student-centered learning helps teachers make shifts toward student-centered practices."

It's not realistic to expect to leap from one end of the continuum to the other. Rather, she encourages teachers to assess where they are and start making small changes to slowly shift toward the transformation level.
2. In a student-centered classroom, the teacher never lectures.
Most classrooms will shift back and forth across the continuum, using a variety of teacher- and student- centered approaches, depending on the needs of the day. It's important not to get caught up in thinking you need to avoid teacher-centered learning at all costs.

"I don't think the goal is to have student-centered lessons 100 percent of the time," Lindsey said. "Rather, the goal should be to meet the needs of students in ways that encourage active learning and independent thinking. Sometimes the best delivery method at the moment is demonstration through direct instruction. That's okay - I just hope that's not where teachers stay all the time."
3. Using technology automatically makes your classroom student centered.
Technology offers fertile opportunities to create a student-centered learning environment by allowing students to create and to explore their passions like never before. But its effectiveness depends entirely on who's using it and how.

"I've heard some people make statements suggesting that lessons that integrate technology are transformational, alluding to student-centered learning and so forth," Lindsey said. She thinks these statements give technology too much credit. "The teacher is still the most important factor in the equation. How the technology is used matters."

An easy gauge of teacher vs. student-centered learning is to ask, who's using the technology - you or your students?

"If the students are, are you telling them what technology to use? Are you micro-managing their use of technology? What tools are they using? Flexible tools that can do many things, or tools that have only one specific purpose? Reflecting on these questions can help teachers to move along the continuum."
4. Teachers don't have time for student-centered learning - they're too busy trying to meet the Common Core.
Many educators have expressed concern that the Common Core State Standards will make it even harder to create student-driven learning experiences. It's one more set of standards to meet on top of all of the other expectations placed on teachers.

"I hear all the time people saying, 'This (student-centered teaching) is the way I want to teach but the standards are keeping me from doing that. I'm just trying to keep my head above water and teach the standards, so I don't have time to do what I really want to do.' That's a misconception," Lindsey said.

The truth is that the Common Core requires students to develop the types of skills they learn best in a student-centered environment. That means now is the perfect time for educators to begin teaching in the way they've always wanted - and still meet the standards.
Learn more about how student-centered learning can help you meet the Common Core and ISTE Standards, and discover simple ways to make the shift, in LeeAnn Lindsey's webinar on "Student-Centered Learning: Make the Shift!"

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Student-centered learning - in which students are independent learners who take charge of their own education - has become something of a holy grail among educators. But the problem with holy grails is that they quickly start to seem unattainable.

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Good Design Intentions but Not Yet There

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Good Design Intentions but Not Yet There

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For the most part, our school administrators and teachers have good intentions when it comes to the design of their learning environments. When we spoke to a few, words like motivate, inspire, feel good, and feel safe were popular answers when we asked what they hoped their classroom design communicated and evoked. They described rooms that were brightly colored, decorated with inspirational quote posters and catered to specific learning styles through varied seating arrangements. Most were designed by the teacher, based on their likes and what they considered motivational, inspirational and welcoming. When we asked if the students had any agency throughout the year to influence the environment or if they felt the space reflected the values of the students, the answers were comparatively quiet — “Um, no. I never thought about that”, “I’m actually not sure”, “That’s probably a good idea.” So, good intentions, but still very much teacher-centric.

August 2, 2019 Place-Based Education

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Designing Classrooms to Maximize Student Achievement

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Designing Classrooms to Maximize Student Achievement

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Improving student achievement is vital for our nation’s competitiveness. Scientific research shows how the physical classroom environment influences student achievement. Two findings are key: First, the building’s structural facilities profoundly influence learning. Inadequate lighting, noise, low air quality, and deficient heating in the classroom are significantly related to worse student achievement. Over half of U.S. schools have inadequate structural facilities, and students of color and lower income students are more likely to attend schools with inadequate structural facilities. Second, scientific studies reveal the unexpected importance of a classroom’s symbolic features, such as objects and wall décor, in influencing student learning and achievement in that environment. Symbols inform students whether they are valued learners and belong within the classroom, with far-reaching consequences for students’ educational choices and achievement. We outline policy implications of the scientific findings—noting relevant policy audiences—and specify critical features of classroom design that can improve student achievement, especially for the most vulnerable students.

Sapna Cheryan1, Sianna A. Ziegler1, Victoria C. Plaut2, and Andrew N. Meltzoff

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‍Teachers, not shiny furniture, make learning flourish

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‍Teachers, not shiny furniture, make learning flourish

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Peter Barrett lead researcher of the University of Salford study and now an honorary research fellow at the University of Oxford, advises that flexible classrooms work when they go hand in hand with a change in pedagogy. This is similar to the conclusion of Dr Terry Byers, Research Fellow with the ILETC Project, University of Melbourne - that in the transition to innovative classrooms, we need to partner with teachers, rather than external experts, in order to achieve professional growth and transformation of learning outcomes.

Project leader, Associate Professor Wesley Imms, the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) group, sums up the findings:

“The best ILEs start with the teachers talking about what sort of teaching and learning they want to see, and building the space around that, as opposed to architects having to solve both pedagogic and design issues by themselves.”

Thus, while ILEs have the potential to enhance learning outcomes compared to traditional classroom environments, the move towards flexible, innovative spaces must be a teacher-led evolution. It’s not just about overhauling learning spaces with the latest table configuration, a new chaise lounge and standing desks, but developing new dynamic use of ILEs by teachers and students. As such, changes in classroom design should be teacher-led and based on evidence rather than architectural fads.

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Thinking of redesigning classrooms into more flexible and innovative spaces with yoga balls, rainbow coloured carpet and organic conversation furniture? Is it really time to discard the traditional classroom and engage an architect to create Google-inspired, Scandinavian spaces?

In the past decade, Australia has seen a boom in the construction of trendy technology-rich learning spaces with visually appealing interiors in schools and universities. But 75% of classrooms are still classrooms where all desks face the front, teachers stand and talk at the students and students write things down.

Before launching a classroom makeover, consider how much talk of future 'classroom-less' learning spaces is hype and how much is based on evidence-informed models.

The current conversation about the impact of learning environments on student learning outcomes is centred around design - traditional/conventional classrooms vs ILEs (innovative learning environments). The common idea is that the structural design and furniture layout can and will influence the learning outcomes of students. This narrative has mingled with concepts like blended learning and flipped classrooms. Blended learning, in particular, has been found to result in higher student achievement compared to either fully online or fully face-to-face learning experiences.

New classrooms are being designed to facilitate more flexible and minimalist spaces that encourage collaboration and creativity while embracing online learning technology. Swedish designer Rosan Bosch, best known for the Vittra School Telefonplan, which opened the country's first ' classroom-less' school in 2011, has recently teamed up with Studio Gang Architects to design a public charter school in Chicago. Founder, Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, describes the design as "a flipped relationship with circulation space. Rather than breaking learning spaces up with hallways and walls, and asking each educator to stay in one space with one group of students, teachers circulate around the shared entire learning space throughout the day depending on the activity and learning needs of our students."

Images courtesy Studio Gang

‍An evidence-based approach

As yet the industry is still in the exploratory mode when it comes to determining the relationship between classroom design and student performance. Much of the enthusiasm towards ILEs is driven more by interests outside the student-teacher relationships - i.e. architects, bureaucrats, consultants and academics. There is surprisingly little evidence to inform how ILEs actually influence learning outcomes.

To address this dearth of evidence-based research, the University of Melbourne and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects, have teamed up to study the effect of innovations in school architecture on student learning. This first phase of the project saw the collection of large scale data across Australian and New Zealand schools. Despite huge investments in school infrastructure, it was found that existing evidence rarely showed any impact of ILEs on student learning outcomes.

In response to the apparent gap between the educational potential of innovative classroom design and actual performance, phase 2 of the study focuses on developing the spatial competency of teachers. A 'toolbox' of knowledge tools, strategy tools, evaluation tools and professional tools to assist teachers to effectively use new learning environments is being trialled in three schools before rolling out to hundreds of schools across QLD, NSW and ACT Departments of Education, and the New Zealand Ministry of Education. So far, results suggest that it can take five years for teachers to adapt to ILEs.

Classroom flexibility combined with good airflow, lighting and temperature control is important in achieving academic outcomes.

Meanwhile, a study of 153 schools in the UK by the University of Salford, provided evidence that flexible spaces can boost academic performance. The study looked at three aspects of classroom design - naturalness (i.e. light and temperature), stimulation (i.e. colour, visual complexity) and individualization (i.e. flexibility, student ownership). It was found that optimising all three aspects in primary school classrooms improved academic performance in reading, writing and maths by 16 percent.

‍ Teachers, not shiny furniture, make learning flourish

Peter Barrett, lead researcher of the University of Salford study and now an honorary research fellow at the University of Oxford, advises that flexible classrooms work when they go hand in hand with a change in pedagogy. This is similar to the conclusion of Dr Terry Byers, Research Fellow with the ILETC Project, University of Melbourne - that in the transition to innovative classrooms, we need to partner with teachers, rather than external experts, in order to achieve professional growth and transformation of learning outcomes.

Project leader, Associate Professor Wesley Imms, the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) group, sums up the findings:

"The best ILEs start with the teachers talking about what sort of teaching and learning they want to see, and building the space around that, as opposed to architects having to solve both pedagogic and design issues by themselves."

Thus, while ILEs have the potential to enhance learning outcomes compared to traditional classroom environments, the move towards flexible, innovative spaces must be a teacher-led evolution. It's not just about overhauling learning spaces with the latest table configuration, a new chaise lounge and standing desks, but developing new dynamic use of ILEs by teachers and students. As such, changes in classroom design should be teacher-led and based on evidence rather than architectural fads.

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Student-centred classroom design - science or fad?

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Thinking of redesigning classrooms into more flexible and innovative spaces with yoga balls, rainbow coloured carpet and organic conversation furniture? Is it really time to discard the traditional classroom and engage an architect to create Google-inspired, Scandinavian spaces?

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Research suggests that technology can support key practices of student-centered learning, such as assessing individual students’ strengths and needs, flexible scheduling and pacing, advising, presenting content in alternative ways, project-based learning, and involving the community. Technology also has been successfully integrated in curriculum-based and school-based approaches to personalize learning. However, while technology can support student-centered learning, technology alone it is not likely to transform traditional learning environments into student-centered ones. Research on the use and integration of technology suggests that teachers and schools are most likely to use technology to personalize learning if (1) it supports already existing, student-centered practices and helps to solve problems or address challenges; (2) it is part of a systemic, organization-wide initiative to implement student-centered learning; and (3) teachers have access to ample professional development and ongo-ing support. While the research on technology and student-centered learning is limited, the existing knowledge base does suggest some implications for practice, policy, and research.

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Individualized -- This involves differentiating learning targets, tasks, assignments, providing focused feedback, and adjusting instruction as appropriate.
Focused on learning and growth -- Rather than simply reporting success or failure in achievement, student-centered assessment also strives to provide qualitative feedback that makes assessment a moment of learning in accordance with formative assessment.
Conducive to student-directed learning -- Through goal-setting and monitoring their progress, students are able to self-regulate their learning.
Motivating -- Detailed, task-specific formative assessment has been shown to be more motivating and encourage interest in a subject than traditional exams and testing practices.
Useful and informative -- Student-centered assessment provides detailed feedback that can be useful to all stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, administrators, and more.

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A constructivist approach emerged in education, influenced by the theories of Vygotsky (1986) and Piaget (1977) . This approach emphasizes the role of intrinsic motivation, the belief that individuals learn best when they are intrinsically motivated to seek out new knowledge and skills.

Traditional forms of assessment (mainly recall and recognition tests) measure rote learning and there are many disadvantages to it:

1. The learner may interpret the information on the test differently than was intended and, therefore, answer the question incorrectly.

2. Multiple-choice assessments offer an all-or-none approach for gauging a student’s learning. Students do not receive credit for what they do know.

3. Third, because students have different options to select, a test taker may receive credit for a correct guess.

4. These assessments may not effectively portray the kinds of sophisticated knowledge and skills deemed necessary for success in our complex society. They are not structured to identify key differences in students’ levels of understanding.

5. Traditional assessments do not show students’ progression of knowledge over time; they depict understanding at one specific moment in time.

On the contrary, there are many. advantages to student-centered assessments:

1. They bring fun back into the classroom

2. the variation in products reflects diversity of students.

3. students demonstrate they can apply knowledge in a novel and creative way

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1. open-ended assessment techniques: e.g. “ Show Me What You Know” question

2. Think-Tac-Toe: like the game Tic-Tac-Toe, the students had 2 hours during class to complete 4 activities of any directionality (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, four corners) on the form.

3. Choose assessment methods (formative & summative) that elicit from your students the kind of learning that you want to measure

4. Snapshot Assessments: frequent check-ins to offer students agency-rich opportunities to ask questions, to revisit concepts, and to monitor their progress.

5. Process Portfolios: encourage a growth mindset, contribute to a culture of learning that invites risk-taking, reflection, and revision.

6. Self-Assessment paired with diversified modes (peer-to-peer, student-to-teacher, student-to-self) and tools (reflection protocols, automated quizzes, feedback prompts)

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Assessment is an integral part of your course design, but is it really measuring the learning that both you and your students most want to achieve? Assessment should integrate grading, learning, and motivation for your students. Carefully planned assessment questions and methods make the time you spend grading assignments and tests worthwhile. Here are five suggestions to help you when planning assessment:

Consider what you want your students to learn and tell them

Effective assessment practices begin when you can complete the following sentence: "By the end of the course, I want my students to be able to ..." Concrete verbs such as define, argue, solve, and create are more helpful for course planning than vague verbs such as know or understand or passive verbs such as be exposed to. If you write, "I want students to think like kinesiologists," elaborate on what that means. How does a kinesiologist think? Which aspects of that thinking do you want to cultivate in your students? Be as specific as possible and the students will be much more likely to reach the intended learning outcomes of the course. And remember to put these learning outcomes on your course outline and assignments. For ideas on wording your learning outcomes, see the CTE Teaching Tips " Matching Assignments to the Level of Study" and " Writing Learning Outcomes."

Select assignments and tests that measure what you value most

Because grading is perhaps one of the most labour-intensive things that instructors do, why spend time grading work that does not address your most important goals? Try to ensure that your tests, exams, and assignments will teach and test the knowledge and skills that you most want students to learn. And throughout your course, teach students how to answer the kinds of questions that you will ask on tests and assignments. Help them to be prepared by asking them exam-type questions in class and encouraging them to answer by saying, "If I asked you this question on an exam, could you answer it?" Other main ideas to consider are as follows:

Choose assessment methods that elicit from your students the kind of learning that you want to measure. A combination of careful forethought, knowledge of your own students and analysis of their work are the keys here. For example, if you teach math problems, you may want students to demonstrate their ability to solve problems and explain the process. Putting too much emphasis on getting the right answers can take away from the goals. So consider adding the following requirement to some of your assignments and exams: have students draw a vertical line down the centre of their page, dividing it into two columns. In one column they solve the problem, and in the other, they write sentences for each step to explain what they did and why.

Also consider carefully how you label assignments and tests and how your students may interpret those labels. If you ask for a "term paper" but really want a literature review, your students will not complete the assignment you had hoped for. Make your assumptions clear in classes and on your course outline and/or assignment description. And be sure to teach students how to complete the task at hand; if a literature review is new to them, spend some time teaching them how to write one.

Finally, think about your use of "traditional" assessment methods and ask yourself how much students really need to do in order to achieve your goals. For a major term paper, a political scientist has his students construct a set of research questions, compile an annotated bibliography, and write the introduction, but they never write the whole paper. For him, this abbreviated version of a traditional assignment helps students learn what he most wants them to learn.

The most important point is that a test or an assignment is a valid measurement only if it will elicit from your students the kind of learning you want to measure.

Choose assessment methods that are interesting and challenging to your students. The type of assignments and tests that you administer will influence your students' motivation (Baird, 1987; Lowman 1995, 1996). Consider creative kinds of assignments without being carried away by something "cute" that doesn't meet your needs. For example, an American historian asked students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farm woman in the 1890s. He liked this assignment because it required that students know about economics, social class, transportation, gender roles, technology, family relations, religion, diet, and so on, yet it also gave students a chance to exercise their imaginations. He found that if he was explicit that they use the diary to display the breadth of their historical knowledge, the assignment achieved his learning goals in an enjoyable way. See the CTE teaching tip on "Types of Assignments and Tests."

Use peer collaboration. One obvious advantage of group assignments is that you have fewer assignments to grade, but collaborative assignments can also have strong pedagogical and motivational advantages. One advantage is the power of peer instruction. Astin (1996) summarizes his comprehensive study of factors that influence college students' learning: "The strongest single source of influence on cognitive and affective development (in college) is the student's peer group ... the study strongly suggests that the peer group is powerful because it has the capacity to involve the student more intensely in the educational experience" (pg. 126). Assignments that encourage student involvement with one another and with you as the instructor may draw on this powerful force. Further, when well managed, collaborative work can increase students' sense of their own control and power in the classroom (Perry, Menec, and Struthers, 1996). When poorly managed, however, collaborative assignments can decrease students' sense of control and increase their anxiety and anger. Careful planning and guidance of students is crucial to success. The most important principle to remember is that successful group assignments are those that can be better done by a group than by an individual student. It is crucial that students understand why they are participating in a group project rather than completing the assignment on their own. If you do that, the group's motivation to work together, solve group tensions, and deal effectively with non-participating members will be strong.

Don't be hyper-corrective. Instead, focus on key content when you are evaluating work, and circle mistakes rather than fix them. If you really want students to learn from their mistakes, help them identify one problem at a time.

Construct an assessment skeleton

Once you have chosen assessment methods and their general features, the next step is to combine all your tests and assignments into a bare-bones assessment "skeleton." This skeleton helps you see whether your assignments and tests fit both yours and your students' course goals and whether they are manageable in terms of workload. Ask yourself: "Is the workload reasonable, strategically placed, and sustainable?" The rest of the course outline can then be structured to help students learn what they need to know if they are to do well on the tests and assignments. For more information about course design, refer to the CTE teaching tip, " Course Design Heuristic".

Collaborate with your students to set and achieve goals

Your goals as an instructor are not the only ones in your classroom. Your students' goals are also very powerful. An understanding of those goals is crucial to designing effective assessment methods because if the instructor and students are on different wavelengths, the students may not complete the assignments in the way the instructor planned.
Student input can come in varying degrees. Try asking the students on the first day you meet with them what they think the purpose of the class is and what they want to learn from it. You may ask them to record their personal learning goals for the course and some strategies by which they can accomplish those goals. Alternatively, ask them to recall the most successful course they've had in the past. What assessment methods worked for them there? Can they use or adapt these strategies for your class? Some instructors even wait to finalize their goals and syllabus until after meeting with their students once or twice so that the students can help set the course goals. However, the input that you allow the students can also be very minimal, for example, allowing them to decide whether they would like an assignment to be worth 10% vs. 20%. If you take the liberty of establishing the goals without direct student input, you should still be somewhat flexible because each cohort of students will be different - do not assume that the same goals and methods will work equally well with any group. The degree of collaboration that is acceptable will vary across disciplines and institutions, but the bottom line is that it is very important to know the types of goals your students have in order to create assessment methods that will motivate them to learn.

Make assignment and test instructions clear to students.

How can we assess learning when students define the task in different ways? Once you have assignments and tests that assess what you most want your students to learn, you need to ensure that your instructions for the assignment are clear to your students. Tell the students what you are looking for by means of a rubric or by providing examples. Sometimes it is also useful to ask for pieces of the assignment along the way (for example, an essay proposal/outline, or a scientific hypothesis) to ensure that students are on the right track. Remember that with sketchy or ambiguous instructions, you risk having students draw on previous learning that may not be relevant or desirable in your situation. Help them to succeed by being as clear as possible and limit both student and instructor frustrations.

These suggestions will help you to create learner-centred assessment methods and are applicable to all disciplines. Remember that the most important thing is to choose assessment methods that will assess the type of learning you are trying to achieve in your course. That means that the methods that other instructors before you have used are not necessarily the only way or the best way to assess. It is all right to step outside your own comfort zone and outside what has traditionally been done if you feel that an alternate assessment method will serve your students' and your interests and goals better. Even if you are a new instructor, remember that you have spent many years as a student and therefore have information and experiences that will guide you in this process. Reflect on those experiences and decide if you want to do what you experienced and use those experiences in your own assessment design or whether you want to change the way you assess. If you do think change is necessary, ask yourself why and how you will change things?
(Adapted in part from Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment.)
References

McMillan, James H (ed.), New Directions For Teaching and Learning: Assessing Student's Learning, 34 (Summer, 1988).

Miller, Allen H., Bradford W. Imrie and Kevin Cox, Student Assessment in Higher Education: A Handbook for Assessing Performance, London: Kogan Page, 1998, LB 3060.32.C74M54x 1998.

Neff, Rose Ann and Maryellen Weimer (eds.), Teaching College: Collected Readings for the New Instructor, Madison, Wisconsin: Magna Publications Inc., 1990, LB 2331.T33 1990.

Newble, David and Robert Cannon, A Handbook for Teachers in Universities and Colleges: A Guide to Improving Teaching Methods (Third Edition), London: Kogan Page, 1995, LB 2331.N43 1995.

Walvoord, Barbara E., and Virginia Johnson Anderson, Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998, LB 2368.W35 1998.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Learner centred-assessment. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo .

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Learner-Centred Assessment | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Assessment is an integral part of your course design, but is it really measuring the learning that both you and your students most want to achieve? Assessment should integrate grading, learning, and motivation for your students. Carefully planned assessment questions and methods make the time you spend grading assignments and tests worthwhile.

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Three Quick Wins: Student-Centered Assessment Strategies

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In this article on student-centered assessment, we offer three concrete strategies that equip students to exercise agency in the assessment process while ensuring flexibility and access for anytime, anywhere learning.

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Differentiation is defined as "tailoring teacher instruction to meet the needs of each individual student."

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Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.

Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 403 245.

Sternberg, R. J., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. L. (1998). Teaching triarchically improves student achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(3), 374-384. EJ 576 492.

Tomlinson, C. (1995). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 386 301.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of all Learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 429 944.

Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Winebrenner, S. (1992). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

Winebrenner, S. (1996). Teaching kids with Learning Difficulties in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. ED 396 502.

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Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

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The Power of Student-Driven Learning | Shelley Wright

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The Power of Student-Driven Learning | Shelley Wright

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The power of student-driven learning: Shelley Wright at TEDxWestVancouverED

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Techniques for Early Childhood Educators

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Techniques for Early Childhood Educators

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MINI-LESSONS, CENTERS, AND RESOURCES

Students move seamlessly from product work to learning stations, resources, and mini-lessons based on what they know. Students are so in tune with their learning that they are able to truly take ownership of it, and the teacher provides instruction without assumption.

specific examples include having 'circle time' before classes start. Students are able to pick an activity from the center or work on workbook(s) where they are able to go at their own pace.

CHOICE BOARDS

students select their own activity to complete and demonstrate understanding or practice a skill.

specific example: include 'question of the day' where the students must read the question and answer with a simple yes/no card. Students will have to put their card into the correct slot next to their name.

JIGSAW METHOD

has evolved and been combined into a center/station approach. In its most basic form, this strategy involves students utilizing cooperative learning as they seek to put the “puzzle” together.

examples of the jigsaw method include breaking students into groups with one piece of the assignment. Then students must work together with other groups to put their pieces together.

VOICE AND CHOICE IN PRODUCTS

An essential component of PBL is student voice and choice, both in terms of what students produce and how they use their time. With the products, you can allow students to show what they know in a variety of ways.

an example includes: giving students the option on what materials they want to use, take votes on what to learn next, etc.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE LEARNING

The ultimate goal for many of today’s educators is to transition from a push model, where information is provided passively, to a more interactive model, where the learner makes the same types of decisions she’d make in a real-world environment. These decision-making activities are used to reinforce what you want her to practice and learn so that your courses have real-world impact.

an example of this includes: interactive lectures, CYOA apps, TEDex videos, etc.

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6 Strategies for Differentiated Instruction in Project-Based Learning | Edutopia (2016) https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller

Student-Centered Learning Strategies | TeachHUB (2020). https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2020/07/student-centered-learning-strategies/

20 Ideas For A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Model of Learning | informED (2013) https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/a-choose-your-own-adventure-model-of-learning/

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Strategy 5: Assigning Roles for Group Work (Remote Learning) 

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Strategy 5: Assigning Roles for Group Work (Remote Learning) 

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Working on Zoom or remotely should not be a reason for a teacher centered classroom. We can also make our online class student centered and collaborative by assigning roles for breakout rooms.
According to this strategy, we must also be explicit in assigning written instructions and work for each one of the roles and provide surveys for the students to fully understand their contribution and that of others. (“Assigning Roles for Group Work (Remote Learning),” 2021).

Facilitator: A facilitator guides a discussion and makes sure that everyone’s voice is heard. Online discussions can be challenging because members don’t always know who wants to talk next. The facilitator can help the group decide how students should indicate when they want to speak and create space for everyone’s ideas and questions.

Recorder: The recorder taks notes on the discussion and summarizes the big ideas that come up.

Timekeeper: If you ask students to use a discussion strategy that requires them to take turns speaking, the timekeeper can prompt group members when it is time to switch speakers. The timekeeper can also give a warning when the discussion time is almost up.

Presenter: A presenter shares key ideas from the small-group discussion with the full class.

Why use it?
This can be part of your tool kit for your online teaching.

Assigning Roles for Group Work (Remote Learning). (2021). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/assigning-roles-group-work-remote-learning