Change is an opportunity to do something amazing #IMMOOC

Change is something that can be nerve racking and more than a little uncomfortable, like blogging for the first time. I think it is human nature to not want to be seen as vulnerable and as a teacher that feeling can be amplified when in front of a classroom of students.With that said I am a firm believer that change always makes us better as people, even if that change does not increase results. 

Right now I am trying to change my practice in order to foster an environment of innovation in my classroom. The way I am changing this year is by giving my students more opportunities to be actively creating information rather than passive receivers. Allowing students to take control of their learning rather than myself telling them what they "should" know. I am in the early stages of this process and already I have felt that uncomfortable feeling come over me as I have let go and allowed students to find their own answers and come to their own conclusions.

One example of change from my 11th U.S. History classroom is a collaborative project students create to show the effects on America of one aspect of U.S. history from Colonialism through the Civil War (HERE is an example of something I made, it is long. Students projects will be kept to 15 minutes or less). The reason for this project started out as a way to quickly review the topics from U.S. history, students learned about in 8th grade history. It quickly turned into an opportunity to see what students could create. The great thing about history is that you can interpret it anyway you want depending on your own point of view. I wanted students to think critically and interpret history according to their background and knowledge not mine. I wanted students to take ownership in their work. 

Previously I would have lectured to them or given a series of quizzes to see what their understanding of the content was. Now by allowing them to form their own interpretation I will have a better understanding of what they know and don't know. My job has shifted from telling them about history to helping them know how to research and problem solve. There are a few parameters set but the focus of the project has remained open to them.

Although this project has not given total control over to the students it is a change in the right direction. As the year progresses I plan to be giving more opportunities to my students and shifting even more of the ownership on to them. My goal is to empower my students to develop creative ways to solve problems using U.S. History as a tool to teach these problem solving skills. 

I believe that life is a series of problems and our job is trying to come up with the best ways to solve those problems. We all have a different lens which we view the world through and I want my students to develop their own lens rather than using mine. If by changing my practice results in students becoming better problem solvers and more able to effectively use the tools around them to solve those problems I would consider that success.

"To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often." -Winston Churchill

I will update this page when students submit their projects so you can see a sample of their work.