I am going to return to this multiple times...every step in this lesson is thoughtful and purposeful. This lesson is the antidote to "they only care about the grade".
What I love most about this post is that you’ve created a supportive classroom culture of learners, NOT a zero-sum game where students are just chasing grades. Well done!
The kid’s response to winning the title crown 😭 Oh my gosh — those kind of teaching moments are the best. I love how much you challenge your students while also being their biggest cheerleader. Great post!!
I usually show them a teeter-totter image with "challenge" on one side and "support" on the other—but now I think I might use "cheerleader" instead (if for no other reason than alliterative aesthetic 😂)
I love everything about this. This is what teaching is SUPPOSED to be. Oh how I wish I could get our teachers to be on board with anything close to this. It's just so important.
It's definitely a "start small" thing, as for me it used to just be "glows/grows" as a class before they saw their individual work—and then we built from there! Let me know if there are any resources that would be helpful, too.
Appreciate this! Despite all else, I still keep coming back to the need to share what's good about the classroom, too—as I never feel like those stories get centered in our bigger conversation. Thanks for the encouragement!
I cannot express how much I love this! have pieces of this in my middle school classroom (7th grade), and I've been struggling with putting it all together. I only have 3 weeks left of teaching before testing and then summer (I'm in the South), so no big changes now. However, I now have my first summer project. This will be a game changer next year! And, thank you for sharing the article on creativity.
Ah, those early summers! I spent nearly a decade in Arkansas to begin my career, so quite familiar with that timeline—enjoy your finish and don't hesitate to reach out if you want resources for your "summer project." I'm happy to share anything that's helpful!
I teach video and photography, and I’ve wanted to make feedback a larger part of my classes. Especially peer feedback that will result in actual buy in.
It was a very cool thing to realize while grading that I had so many incredible examples to choose from to highlight specific skills/innovations—this group definitely showed out.
This is so good. I teach fourth grade, but your posts always allow me to reflect on how I can modify this for 9-10 year olds. They are still capable of amazing reflections when giving space and a framework.
I am going to return to this multiple times...every step in this lesson is thoughtful and purposeful. This lesson is the antidote to "they only care about the grade".
I assure you that it is not a complete antidote, haha, but I do think it centers the learning far more than would be the case otherwise!
What I love most about this post is that you’ve created a supportive classroom culture of learners, NOT a zero-sum game where students are just chasing grades. Well done!
The kid’s response to winning the title crown 😭 Oh my gosh — those kind of teaching moments are the best. I love how much you challenge your students while also being their biggest cheerleader. Great post!!
I usually show them a teeter-totter image with "challenge" on one side and "support" on the other—but now I think I might use "cheerleader" instead (if for no other reason than alliterative aesthetic 😂)
I love everything about this. This is what teaching is SUPPOSED to be. Oh how I wish I could get our teachers to be on board with anything close to this. It's just so important.
It's definitely a "start small" thing, as for me it used to just be "glows/grows" as a class before they saw their individual work—and then we built from there! Let me know if there are any resources that would be helpful, too.
This is so, so good.
You are doing AMAZING work, Marcus. You give me hope for the profession! Thanks for sharing.
Appreciate this! Despite all else, I still keep coming back to the need to share what's good about the classroom, too—as I never feel like those stories get centered in our bigger conversation. Thanks for the encouragement!
I cannot express how much I love this! have pieces of this in my middle school classroom (7th grade), and I've been struggling with putting it all together. I only have 3 weeks left of teaching before testing and then summer (I'm in the South), so no big changes now. However, I now have my first summer project. This will be a game changer next year! And, thank you for sharing the article on creativity.
Ah, those early summers! I spent nearly a decade in Arkansas to begin my career, so quite familiar with that timeline—enjoy your finish and don't hesitate to reach out if you want resources for your "summer project." I'm happy to share anything that's helpful!
Thank you so much for your generosity. If I do, I will reach out.
This is fantastic.
I teach video and photography, and I’ve wanted to make feedback a larger part of my classes. Especially peer feedback that will result in actual buy in.
I’ll try to see how I can make this work for me.
I love reading student examples!!
It was a very cool thing to realize while grading that I had so many incredible examples to choose from to highlight specific skills/innovations—this group definitely showed out.
This is so good. I teach fourth grade, but your posts always allow me to reflect on how I can modify this for 9-10 year olds. They are still capable of amazing reflections when giving space and a framework.