For anyone that has met me, I am bad at doing something a little bit. I am a victim of my last book, or film, or bright idea. I believe that conscious evolution, even professional, comes when you take risks. As I tell my own students, “Yes, failure IS an option. ” Much like the first organism that ventured out of the primordial sea onto land, big risks lead to big rewards. In this case. I wanted the rewards to be reaped upon my students. An educator that loses sight of the fact that all decisions should be made with student achievement at the forefront should resign today. (They are not there for you!) The day that I open a binder, take out the worksheet for that day (because it is Monday,) and hand it out? I’m out- immediately. Standards people!
So, not diving in- taking a page out of the books of brilliant educators before me- it is full on cannonball time. SPOILER ALERT!!! It is not reinventing the wheel! It is reinventing our thinking about what we do, and how we do it. The majority of your current curriculum will work just fine.
The standards exist, Common Core, NGSS, etc. So, start there. Take your proficiency and break it down into Learning Targets, “I can” statements, NOT “SWBAT” bullets. Start with transparency about what students will be expected to demonstrate. It is often humbling to compare the standards to the lessons that I was designing. It is easy to lose sight of the prize when thinking about all the things you want to bring to your students classroom experience.
Ex. From a playlist used in my class-
Overarching question- How have humans used motion to shape civilization?
Standard:
MS-PS3-2- Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
Give students an opportunity to break down the standard. for younger students, I create sentences with fill ins (“What will you develop?” or “What are the verbs in the proficiency? “) As students become familiar with the proficiency language, this becomes less necessary.
In this space, write a short explanation (in your own words) that breaks down the above proficiency.
| Learning Targets | Feedback/ Self Assessment |
| 1L. I can define and demonstrate the connection between potential, kinetic energy, and inertia. | |
| 2L. I can demonstrate when the motion energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time. | |
| 3L. I can demonstrate that when two objects interact, each one exerts a force on the other that can cause energy to be transferred to or from the object. | |
| 4L. I can determine the variables, and calculate the Force, Mass, and Acceleration of an object. | |
| 5L. I can design a model that can be used to represent systems and their interactions such as inputs, processes, and outputs and energy and matter flows within systems. | |
| 6L. I can explain how the motion represented in my model was used to shape an aspect of human civilization. |
What I have discovered is that, through providing an opportunity for students to clearly break down the proficiency, they enter the studies with the goal of identifying a model that is of interest. It opens options across the curriculum, with the limits being their own imaginations.
The models that can come out of this set up have been incredibly diverse. Future posts will address options for model development, differentiation, formative assessments for conceptual understanding, limitations, and student engagement.
I can completely understand how ceding control in this manner, and opening up your classroom to student self direction, could give some educators a rash. It is a leap, admittedly. But, what good cannonball happens without a leap?
Mr. H's Not So Secret Classroom 