Learning manifesto

I still remember the day I discovered my love for science. We were going over a unit on Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary rocks and how they were formed. This day was different from others, the teacher had a “station” type set up, which had a few rocks and some information and pictures at a few tables. We could read and pick up the rocks at our own pace. Something about this unit stuck with me after all these years. I am in my 40’s now, so it has obviously been a while. We were left to our own learning and investigation when we visited each table. We got to write down what rocks we liked the most and why. Then, after a day of investigating, we did a project on what rock we chose and presented it in front of the class. The teacher gave us freedom of choice and ownership, which I had never had before. Looking back on this experience after all these years and as a teacher myself, I can see what my teacher was trying to do. She was taking us from that factory-type learning environment we are all used to. That day, that unit made me love science. 

I believe in giving students choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning (COVA). I want to be able to build an environment free of chains and give my students the freedom of choice and ownership she gave me all those years ago. My passion is to foster a love of lifelong learning in my students. By adopting a blended learning environment in my classroom, I will be able to give my learners choice, ownership, and voice to harness their curiosity and turn it into a love for learning. COVA is essential to create change in our educational system to shape our learners and guide them to reach their full potential. We must give our students choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning, engaging them by creating significant learning environments. I want my students to take pride in their education no matter what path they choose on the way. I want to help fuel their desire to learn and create a lifelong learner within all of them along the way. 

One of the key issues we face in education today is that we are stuck using the tried-and-true methods that have always existed in education: the “factory” style one size fits all lecture type instruction. This does not always allow for flexibility or autonomy. Our instruction must steer away from the factory-driven, teacher up front, lecture style to student-centered instruction. This will make content relevant and accessible in different capacities for our students. There needs to be a balance of using technology, having hands-on activities, and sharing information with each other and students sharing it with other students. I feel like, in my district, technology is being used more as a time filler than as a tool for authentic learning experiences. There are so many different opportunities we have been ignoring that could benefit our students in a substantial way. We need to focus on collaborating with our colleagues, sharing what has and has not worked when using technology, or trying a different type of teaching style. There are a lot of teachers who resist because change is always a little scary initially. If we have good training and professional learning along the way and collaborate with each other, we can make this transition into a blended learning environment successful. We will see our students more engaged and striving to learn more. If we guide our students in the right direction with the right tools, they can construct knowledge independently at their own pace in their own way. All our students learn in diverse ways. As educators, we know this. We must recognize that if they learn in diverse ways, we cannot expect to teach one way and be successful. I want to have a collaborative workspace with flexible seating for my students. I feel this will give them choice and ownership of their learning environment and give them the chance to experiment with different learning styles along the way. I want to focus on engagement and the students immersing themselves in the environment to help them reach their full potential.

 While giving the students hands-on collaboration that relates to parts of their real lives, we can help them build connections and encourage them to become self-directed. I want to encourage my students to reach further and be able to demonstrate their understanding through authentic demonstration of their choice. If we as educators shift our mindsets to a growth mindset, with the right implementation of digital learning and a clear implementation plan, we will engage our students and drastically transform education as we know it. In turn, we will create lifelong learners who will become and guide our future.