During my EDUC 490 practicum, the best classes I taught were the ones the kids were engaged in hands on activities.
The best classes that I taught during my practicum were thee the ones I got the kids to be engaged with hands activities in language arts, socials and science.
They called me Mr. Mechanical Advantage. We did a science unit on simple machines over the course of 4 weeks, exploring all sorts of simple machines from creating a wheel and axle machine from a styrofoam cups and straws with string attached to a clip. The students designed and built a car. Then the students had to test it in the classroom to see whose car could travel the farthest, we set up a ramp in the classroom and had ourselves a mini car show. We made a giant classroom pulley system attached to ceiling and lifted books of the floor to see how machines can make work easier. In social studies, we did oral story telling of historic events and got the students to explore and share different photographs from the 4 Chinese Head Tax, The Japanese Internment after WW2, The Komogata Maru incident, The Vancouver Riot of 1914. It was a great connection to a lot of the students in the class as we had a lot of diverse cultures in our class. We did a biography unit in language arts where in the fourth week I was there the students presented their researched heroes of respect; Malala Yousafzai’s and Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks. Throughout the weeks we practiced different forms of speech in our daily word work and mentor sentences. The students were able to collect data and create a biography on the legacy of their hero of respect. The biography was then going to be shared in oral presentation that each student was going to record on the iPad upload to fresh grade for their portfolios. The criteria for the oral presentation were co-created in class as we went through each category of what a good presentation would look like and allowed students the ability see their goals and what it takes to be successful.
The presentations were recorded in small groups that allowed each student to feel comfortable to present. The product was amazing. Students really were able to show their learning the way they thought was the best. We explored images of respect and were able to showcase the paintings created on the board outside of the classroom in the hallway for the whole school to see. Some choose peace signs, some choose a buffalo which is one of the seven sacred indigenous teachings. The students were able to explore and express their learning in a creative outlet that demonstrated their meaningful connections and powerful learning.
All of these experiences lead to my final week being a remarkable success as we able to connect and further each other’s learning. The assessment was created together with the goal in mind to achieve what they feel the strongest about to reach that goal.
It only took me a few days to realize that the students can take control of their learning, I mean, I knew they could, I just did not know how it would look or how long it would take because I have never done it either in a classroom setting as the teacher. So, we were all learning on the go and it was exciting to say the least. I look forward to learning more on the journey of teaching and empowering the learners.
A few links to start with or refer to:
Transforming Assessment – BC’s New Curriculum
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/node/88
BC’s K-12 Assessment System – BC’s New Curriculum
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/assessment
Dylan Wiliam – YouTube – Assessment for Learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiu-jY-xaPg
Dylan Wiliam – YouTube – Assessment Strategies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcJdZGz6ifY
Dylan Wiliam – YouTube – Formative Assessment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYdVe5O7KBE
Assessment: The Bridge Between Teaching and Learning – from Voices in the Middle, Volume 21, Number 2, December 2013
https://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/VM/0212-dec2013/VM0212Assessment.pdf