Student Choices

We all make choices all day long, from what color socks to put on to what to eat for dinner. Why then, are students so often denied a choice, and therefore a voice, in what, where, why and how they learn? The inclusion of choice into the classroom setting turns a traditional classroom model of students-in-desks-taking-notes upside down! It requires great preparation and resolve on the part of the teacher; whether it will be knowing her student's individually to respond to their needs as they grow and progress throughout the year or building relationships with administrators and parents about project based learning strategies in their classes, teachers who choose to include choice by providing differentiated instruction methods in their pedagogy face sometimes steep challenges but reap amazing results.
By giving students choices in their learning, they are free to find what it is that is their "thing". Students who are interested in what they are doing want to do it, and they want to show everyone else what they've done. This type of classroom that is choice-rich, providing students with choices from everything to where to sit, how to communicate, a choice of topics studied (within the course), and a choice of products to create give students powerful creativity and critical thinking skills. In fact, Bloom's Taxonomy lists "create, evaluate, analyze, apple and understand" at the top of importance, while "remember" (what students in traditional classrooms are asked to do most often) at the bottom. Freeing students to find and pursue their strengths and interests by offering differentiated instruction, project based learning and student centered learning methods, teachers put students in the driver's seat to their own success. 

Collaborate & Communicate

A wiki editing project is a very different learning environment from a traditional class setting. Most obviously, a wiki project involves individuals from outside your own school environment; creating a larger playing field, if you will, for work and ideas to generate from different life experiences from around the world. There's no way you could ever have a more diverse classroom than in the online community!! A wiki editing project has several advantages over a traditional classroom. Often times, in-class conversations can be dominated by two of three students; you know, the kids who always raise their hand. Not only does a wiki editing space allow students who may not always speak up for whatever reason (perhaps they fear speaking in front of the class, or may feel overlooked or left out), it allows teachers to track interactions and participation like never before to see which students could most benefit from their individual attention. On the flip side, some students may feel uncomfortable posting in an online forum like a wiki, where their work and ideas are left open and vulnerable to peer critique and assessment. Finding a balance is key by creating an online community within the wiki that adheres to digital citizenship guidelines, where everyone's work and opinions are valued and respected in a professional way.

Cooperation and collaboration may sound like the same thing, but are in fact very different. It is important to distinguish between students who appear to cooperate with the project, and those that actually make meaningful contributions and collaborate effectively. A student who cooperates will not be the one posting inappropriate you-tube videos to the project's comment wall. They will be the ones who seem to be participating; maybe they check their emails, but are delayed in responding. Perhaps they sit in front of the computer, appearing to work, but are in fact playing Mindcraft when your back is turned. They contribute or comment on posts, but usually just agree with what another student has said, instead of making their own argument or contributing anything new to the conversation. Conversely, a student who is collaborating is not only participating, but adjusting their own work as a response to their teammate's work. They contribute original ideas and findings, and are quick to share with others. They are actively involved in editing and assessing others' work, giving good, thoughtful feedback when appropriate. These are the students that will come early or stay late, those who can't wait to share with you what they've discovered that day. Often times, students who cooperate with their first project will move on to collaborate if given the opportunity to participate in a project for the second time.

Collaboration can be taught by a number of ways. First and foremost, students need to have a working knowledge and understanding of what the expectations of collaboration are from the beginning of the project. Teachers can do this by dedicating a time for this purpose only; for establishing ground rules of acceptable behavior, outlining specific expectations for communication and by teachers demonstrating their own good digital citizenship throughout the project. Students can be assessed on their collaborative efforts, and by providing detailed rubrics (number of interactions, content contributed, etc..) students will be more guided and motivated to collaborate correctly. Additionally, giving students objectives for collaboration as a skill, like any other educational objective they are expected to achieve, and by stressing to them the lifelong benefits of learning these skills, students will be more apt to decide to give collaboration a try.