“Deeper Learning” Cheat Sheet; Feel Free to Share

For two years I have been collecting notes from blogs, books, school observations, and more discussions with more educator colleagues that I can remember or cite.  I keep hearing many of the same ideas about how to transform the factory model classroom into a deeper learning experience more relevant and attuned to the future needs of our students.  Here is a summary list of three key elements that may be a helpful guide for your teachers who ask “what should I do to transform my classroom?” (I am also saving it as a .pdf on my resources page so you can share.)  What if every teacher chose and demonstrated a major leap forward in just a few of these areas?  How might that transform learning at your school?

Increasing Student Engagement

• Working with peers
• Connect with the real world; link frequently to current events
• Get out of seats
• Demonstrate enthusiasm
• Use visuals
• Give students choice; focus on intrinsic motivation
• Demonstrate frequent empathy
• Mix things up
• Working with technology
• Teachers have fun

Increasing Curiosity

• Value and reward curiosity
• Empower students to ask questions that drive curriculum
• Encourage students to tinker, both physically and mentally
• Put curious and less curious students in the same working groups
• Value and teach skepticism
• Explore a variety of cultures
• Visibly model curiosity for your students

Building a Student-Centered Classroom

• Students feel valued, respected, and part of the whole team
• Students are held responsible for their learning
• Students make decisions about the physical learning environment
• Students are expected to make choices on projects, assignments, and partners
• Teachers inquire about the needs of their students
• The physical set-up of the room is dynamic
• Students get most of the “air time” during class
• Teachers have a balanced role as facilitator, instructor, and coach