Let’s have kids! It will be fun! Until someone has to teach them to drive! Recently, I had the pleasure of teaching my daughter how to drive. This task will drive home the necessity of significant learning opportunities.
My oldest daughter knows all the rules. She read articles, watched videos, and completed the course work to receive her drivers permit. However, knowing the rules does not mean that someone can jump in a car and drive. It has taken hours of practice and she is still learning. I have been driving for almost 30 years and I still make mistakes.
We can apply the same concept to our classrooms. Teaching students the rules, formulas, and facts does not mean that they can apply the concepts to real life situations. Why teach something that is not useful in real life? "We must rethink the very foundations of schooling if we are to base our practice on our understandings of learners' needs (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).
I plan to implement my Innovation Plan in a Growth Mindset environment to create a Significant Learning Environment. Beginning every unit with a Significant Learning Goal and creating and blended learning classroom with station rotations, students will begin to learn how to learn. Building relationships with students will be crucial in order for learners to feel safe to ask question, make mistakes and share ideas.
Creating a significant learning environment does not just happen. It takes thought and planning. By creating a safe learning environment, building relationships, and driving units of study with a significant learning goal, we can begin to help build learners and not just students.
My oldest daughter knows all the rules. She read articles, watched videos, and completed the course work to receive her drivers permit. However, knowing the rules does not mean that someone can jump in a car and drive. It has taken hours of practice and she is still learning. I have been driving for almost 30 years and I still make mistakes.
We can apply the same concept to our classrooms. Teaching students the rules, formulas, and facts does not mean that they can apply the concepts to real life situations. Why teach something that is not useful in real life? "We must rethink the very foundations of schooling if we are to base our practice on our understandings of learners' needs (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).
I plan to implement my Innovation Plan in a Growth Mindset environment to create a Significant Learning Environment. Beginning every unit with a Significant Learning Goal and creating and blended learning classroom with station rotations, students will begin to learn how to learn. Building relationships with students will be crucial in order for learners to feel safe to ask question, make mistakes and share ideas.
Creating a significant learning environment does not just happen. It takes thought and planning. By creating a safe learning environment, building relationships, and driving units of study with a significant learning goal, we can begin to help build learners and not just students.
Resources:
Brooks, M. G., & Brooks, J. G. (1999, November). The Courage to Be Constructivist. Retrieved July 7, 2019, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov99/vol57/num03/The-Courage-to-Be-Constructivist.aspx
Brooks, M. G., & Brooks, J. G. (1999, November). The Courage to Be Constructivist. Retrieved July 7, 2019, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov99/vol57/num03/The-Courage-to-Be-Constructivist.aspx