I want to encourage this model for teaching with the iPads. Students are all at different levels and have the opportunity to create many different things. This individual focus allows student to achieve their personal best.
When students are working together to meet a common goal that that they had a part in creating I've personally seen a much deeper sense of engagement. They want to know more, they willingly share their work with many others and they are receptive to feedback to create something incredible.
I think George Courus mentioned in a conference in Bangkok that this generation of learners publishes first and then edits. This seems to clash with the teachers who want to edit first before presenting. I think we need to have teachers open up and not be afraid to make mistakes. We all need to publish, get feedback and improve.
As a coach, I'm trying to again push this idea of being a beginner and that everything can be edited and changed (even once published). We need to make sure our whole school community has chances to fail and learn from their mistakes.
This post gets right to the heart of formative assessment and letting students know where the have succeeded and what they need to work on.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at http://ibiologystephen.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/making-feedback-visible-four-levels/ a blog I follow. Maybe more MS/HS but feedback is crucial at all levels.
Formative evaluation is one of the most important factors in student success - see
http://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement/
Awesome! Thanks Simon, I'll be looking into these right away. I agree that feedback is crucial at all levels.
DeleteOne of the exciting things about this job is working with teachers and students and realizing we need the same things to be successful learners.
Joe and Simon, I also definitely love what happens the minute students start working in groups or pairs on a shared document. The amount of conversation amongst 4th and 5th graders about the topic increases manifold! You can hear (and sometimes read through chats and comment responses) the thinking going on as students verify, critique, and encourage each others' work. Also, the instantaneous feedback I can give on writing and ideas works so much better than the old model of students printing out a draft and waiting a day, sometimes a week, to get my little notes and suggestions about how to improve clarity of expression!
DeleteJon, I love the immediacy of the feedback, I remember in teacher's college the main point of feedback is being timely, and what is more timely than immediate. When it is coming from peers and teachers, I think it is even more effective.
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