I think in education we sometimes forget the value of rigor. We get so caught up in the newest pedagogy, be it cooperative learning, project based learning or differentiation that we forget the value of plain old hard work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for a minute that good pedagogy should be put aside and we should simply have our students slogging through enormous piles of tedious homework. Rather I am suggesting that along side of good practice in the classroom should be an expectation that students need to work hard to think and rethink their work.
Let me give you what I think is a good example. In today’s classrooms, we have an expectation that students are involved in more collaborative work. When we go into a classroom we see clusters of children working on projects and solving complex problems together. That’s good practice. That being said, we’ve all been involved in a group project where the heavy lifting in the group is done by one or two people. Those students who are highly engaged get actively involved and are quick to take on the hard work. Those who are less engaged, simply don’t need to get the work done. They can sit back and let the keen ones go and, sure enough, the wonderful project is attributed to them as much as it is to those who did most of the work. Sound familiar?
The highly engaged students worked hard and they learned the most. Those who worked less hard, learned as well. They learned that if they are in a group with highly effective people, they can sit quietly and experience great success. Not the life lesson schools are trying to teach. So, this is where I caution teachers. When planning wonderful projects and lessons that require collaboration, ensure that there are checks and balances in place to ensure that ALL students are involved in the rigor of the assignment. By ensuring that each member in a group has a role and the role is crucial to the success of the project, we ensure that students learn to be part of a highly effective team and that they matter. They learn that the work they put in as a team member counts.
I love the way that teaching and learning are changing. One caution to teachers though, make sure that you build equity into the design of your lesson. Ensure that all children are required to show their learning and work with the group for team success. Not only does that show students that hard work counts, it shows them that they count, that their opinions and effort matter.
Keep on learning,
Dave
Be First to Comment