It worked with us adults, but does that mean it can't work for our kids?
I had an opportunity do do a pretty eye opening project today where myself and a handful of teachers took an honest look at our strengths and weakness as it relates to our presence on campus and in the classroom. There was a goal that we set of identifying the strengths of certain personality traits and strategies, but there weren't any other requirements other than that.
It was nice to have the freedom to be creative.
Each group made a poster, but there were very different expressions of the goal from group to group. Who was right? Everyone.
There wasn't a right or a wrong way because the point of the project was to assess our own strengths and weaknesses so that we could grow from it. It was good for all of us teachers that did it, so why don't we give students the same flexibility. Many of us had the same thought.
It's easy to feel like kids can't do anything without rules or rubrics. It's simple to say that kids won't work if there isn't a grade attached to it. it's also true that many of our kids are far more creative than we give them credibility for and don't get the opportunity to express it because of the way we run our classrooms.
I'll go ahead and add this to the list of things to try next year. Maybe it will blow up in all our faces, but that's fine. Nothing gets better if we never try. I've got a lot of room to grow.
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It was nice to have the freedom to be creative.
Each group made a poster, but there were very different expressions of the goal from group to group. Who was right? Everyone.
There wasn't a right or a wrong way because the point of the project was to assess our own strengths and weaknesses so that we could grow from it. It was good for all of us teachers that did it, so why don't we give students the same flexibility. Many of us had the same thought.
It's easy to feel like kids can't do anything without rules or rubrics. It's simple to say that kids won't work if there isn't a grade attached to it. it's also true that many of our kids are far more creative than we give them credibility for and don't get the opportunity to express it because of the way we run our classrooms.
I'll go ahead and add this to the list of things to try next year. Maybe it will blow up in all our faces, but that's fine. Nothing gets better if we never try. I've got a lot of room to grow.
Follow us on Facebook; Twitter; iTunes; Soundcloud; Stitcher
Related Content:
Dallas Teachers Trying Their Own Lessons
Changing how we use Cold Calling in Dallas Schools
Trying to Go Gradeless in Dallas Schools
Why Do Dallas Teachers Do All the Grading?
Dallas ISD Runoff Election Podcast - Suzanne Smith Endorses Dustin Marshall
Dallas ISD News and Politics Rundown - June Week 2
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