Sharing Your Own Learning With Students

Students need to be given the opportunity to take risks and to be creative.  Of course, when putting that expectation on students of making themselves vulnerable, shouldn’t we teachers do the same?

I do share with students when I’m trying something in class for the first time.  I encourage them to, “Let’s see how this goes.”  I also ask for feedback afterwards to better gauge the level of success.

Outside of school, I like to explore new things - my creative side. Below are some things I have created over the last year.  (I actually started creating mazes in high school but continue to explore new techniques.)

A wooden bowl I turned on a lathe under my father-in-law's tutelage.

Folded book art. I used a fairly beat up copy of HP and the Deathly Hallows.

Click on the image for a PDF you can print to try the maze.

I expose this side of myself to the students.  Sometimes, like with the mazes, I’ll show them how they can create their own.  I also expose to them the difference between a labyrinth and a maze.  Other times, like with the folded book, I disclose some of the struggle I went through in learning and doing the project - it took me about a year to figure out how to create the book efficiently and effectively.

I believe that sharing some of myself and my own learning engages my students on a more personal level and that it also gives me the opportunity to model the vulnerability I expect from them.  I hope that it encourages some to be a bit bolder in their appropriate risks, creativity, and persistence.

If you have experiences sharing your own learning process with students or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share them in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

When Done Is Not Done

Recently, I allowed students to design their own learning around certain state/district standards. The process was a good one (described in the post: Enhance Engagement with Ownership), and both the students and I learned from it.  Although I feel it was a good experience for all of us, I would tweak it in one significant way.

Students working on a Common Craft style video.

The students, in forming their own groups, were very engaged with their partners as well as with the content.  Throughout their stage of acquiring information, I checked in with groups and individuals to make sure their understanding was on track.  I also encouraged them to share drafts of their work with me - several did through Google Docs - so I could give them more feedback.  I was satisfied that they were understanding the important ideas.

Something went amiss, however, as they put together their final products: podcasts, videos, web pages, etc.

During that creation process, they seemed to lose a sense of their understanding.  It was still there, but most could not seem to express it fully and clearly in the medium of their choice.  There were more gaps and misunderstandings that showed in the formal project than there were in my informal check-ins as they worked.

Frustrated that they could not siphon their understanding into a high-quality final product, I have decided that done is not done.

I can have students share their work with me, give them feedback, and then go back at it.  Just as they may write an essay or story and the teacher pour through it giving feedback, I can do the same for a video, web page, or podcast.

They may resist because they are comfortable with having a project be done once they turn it in.  But to encourage high quality, to show students they can improve their work as they work through it more, and to have students create work that better shows their understanding, I will give them feedback and have them revise. Done will not be done.

If you have had positive experiences with students designing their own learning or if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share them in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.