Photo by Mikhail Nilov:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/girls-sitting-beside-a-woman-in-black-blazer-8923261/
This lecture focused on how we can foster student centered learning, and give them the autonomy to focus on what interests them. Trevor Mackenzie had us focus a lot on curiosity. If the objective is to get kids interested in the curriculum, we need to prioritize curiosity first, and plan for it! Having students be curious in what they are learning is the number one way to engage them in school, and higher curiosity therefore results in higher academic achievement. We need to create healthy relationships with students that fosters this creativity, and encourage them through inquiry to pursue things that are interesting for them.
I think this is an important concept to understand, as educators are always asking how we can better engage our students in class, and how we can get them interested in what they are learning. Mackenzie discussed the triangulation for assessment, which included the three points: product, observation, and conservation. Teachers often focus on a product, which has the ability to dampen student curiosity, as this āproductā tends to relate to standardized tests. However, classroom strategies like āturn and talkā invites conversation and observation into the classroom, which can be much more effective in terms of assessing your students, as well as sparking curiosity.
Sparking curiosity can look like asking students āif you could show me your work in any way, how would you show meā… this question can allow us to better assess our students, and honor giving students the choice in how they choose to represent their learning. I am a strong believer that our traditional modes of assessment do not represent the needs of all students, and therefore I will be using this idea of student autonomy and agency to help students in presenting their learning in ways they believe will best support them.