After reading the first seven chapters of the COVA eBook, I realized that I must change the way I am teaching in my classroom. Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik states " We need to help our students take ownership of their learning and grow into people expressing their full potential." (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, 2018) I ended last year on a good note, implementing blended learning in my classroom, but this year I have been off to a rocky start. I have began the year the exact opposite of what I want for my students. I tell myself it is because of my hectic and crazy schedule over the past nine weeks of school, but that is just an excuse, which I need to throw out the window. My students deserve better.
So, after being motivated by the text, I decided I was not going to make any more excuses. One of my strategies to create ownership and choice is to utilize Google Classroom. This week I posted Youtube videos, BrainPop Jr. videos and quizes, Nearpod lessons, and Google Slide activities on Google Classroom. Instead of me direct teaching the entire class, I allowed my students to first learn through these platforms. While they worked on these activities, I gathered small groups together to reinforce the lessons. This allowed them to work at their own pace and let them have more control over their learning. I feel that this was a great first step in creating a significant learning environment that give students choice, ownership, voice, and authenticity. Let me just say "WOW!" My students loved this! It also reduced behavior issues. Students that normally struggle to stay on task were focused and engaged. My small group lessons were more meaningful and differentiated. Plus, I am excited about not having to grade papers. Not sure it can get any better than that! Resource Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings (2018) COVA Choice Ownership and Voice through Authentic Learning retrieved from https://gallery.mailchimp.com/1bdbac4d4fbdff334a642eb11/files/8b18ae2a-8696-4d58-9b80-192f4cc6624c/COVA_eBook_Jan_2018.02.pdf
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AuthorSecond Grade teacher and lifelong learner. Graduate student at Lamar University. Archives
April 2019
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