Instructional Balancing Act

October is upon us, and as my students finish their first unit, I am super excited about the progress made over the past month and a half. My 1:1 journey has just started, but I must admit that my classroom has completely transformed from previous years, and I have learned so much about engagement, collaboration, and instruction. 

One of the biggest obstacles has been figuring out how to balance my classroom lessons in order to meet all of my students needs AND make sure I cover the skills I must teach and assess per our curriculum. Direct instruction and student centered learning must both be utilized in the classroom, and it has become essential for me to really dig into my learning targets and decide how I want to devote my precious class time. In addition, with my goal to not assign any homework besides reading, I need all 47 minutes for instruction, student work, and formative assessment. 

One small change to my classroom instruction has helped me bridge the gap between direct instruction and student centered learning in order to make both of them work in my classroom at the same time. 

In the past, my students have followed my lesson by viewing my Google Slides presentation and taking notes/completing activities in their notebooks. Now that we have Chromebooks, I have been sharing my class lessons and presentations with the students in Google Classroom, and it is really transforming my lessons to make them more student centered and engaging. After finishing my lesson, I add it to Google Classroom (I added a "topic" called Classroom Lessons and Resources) and I make a copy for each student. From there, as we complete the lesson, they can take notes in their slides, complete activities that I put in the presentation, and then work with others around them as I direct them to do so in class. I can also add links to external sites, other lessons, and various activities within the presentation, making it a pretty powerful HyperDoc.

Example - The Catcher in the Rye Chapter 1-4 Overview 
This example includes my class lesson with embedded Google Forms and a final collaborative activity in Padlet. The class period flew by, and the students were engaged and learning - per their work in Padlet and the exit slip. 

I have found it is extremely important to work collaborative time into these lessons. In addition, I must have students lower their screens at times to just listen or direct their attention to the front of the room. Shifts in classroom management have helped with this process. The students seem to take more notes and add their own thoughts throughout the lesson to their slides - more so than they used to do in their notebooks. They tell me it is easier to listen, focus, and talk with their classmates with the information right in front of them.

My classroom balancing act continues each day, but this small instructional change provides significant improvements to my classroom environment. In just 47 short minutes, I am able to provide direct instruction as needed, but it is student centered and offers opportunities for critical thinking, curiosity, and collaboration. 

#whatsup