This year, I started in a bare-bones classroom and gave my students the challenge to design our space using the design-thinking model. I worked online with the help of Shafali Hamir, who created a Google document to create empathy for students. The result is a space unlike any I have taught in before: wholly owned by students. It has truly taken me away from being the center of attention and created space for student agency.
I never would have imagined at the outset what an all-encompassing project this would be. It took more effort and more time than expected, but the payoff was also far greater than I imagined.
What did my students learn?
My students can do math about our space, discuss our space in French, plan and own their learning and the products that will be made in our space. They are excited to be here and they own this space! Students built on the 21st century competencies outlined in the ministerial order on learning in Alberta: they collaborated, problem solved, researched, and communicated solutions!
But what would I do differently?
The question was asked by a colleague who appreciated the space but wondered what I learned.
This is a space that will need to be re-made at regular intervals to meet our current needs.
Tracy Evans teaches Grade Three French Immersion at King George School. Her passions include technology in classrooms, student-centered learning, and a good cup of coffee. She blogs at:thevalueofwonder.com
I never would have imagined at the outset what an all-encompassing project this would be. It took more effort and more time than expected, but the payoff was also far greater than I imagined.
What did my students learn?
My students can do math about our space, discuss our space in French, plan and own their learning and the products that will be made in our space. They are excited to be here and they own this space! Students built on the 21st century competencies outlined in the ministerial order on learning in Alberta: they collaborated, problem solved, researched, and communicated solutions!
But what would I do differently?
The question was asked by a colleague who appreciated the space but wondered what I learned.
- I would have owned less of it - let the students create more and solve more problems. Want a sofa but have $0? Let's find a creative way to solve this... make it with cardboard, repurpose old furniture, have a bake sale...
- I would slow down more. I felt pressure to have the space completed, but it was such a rich learning project that it could easily have been given more time.
This is a space that will need to be re-made at regular intervals to meet our current needs.
Tracy Evans teaches Grade Three French Immersion at King George School. Her passions include technology in classrooms, student-centered learning, and a good cup of coffee. She blogs at:thevalueofwonder.com
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