Increasing Student Ownership in Your Classroom

Looking for ways to give students more ownership of their learning? Technology tools can support you and your students! Check out these tools to transfer and increase student ownership of procedures, routines and efficiency.

Have you tried Classroomscreen? This tool gives teachers and students access to all kinds of widgets to assist with time management, messages and visual reminders. For grades 2-5, students can also use this tool to help them learn how to manage their time on task, monitor their noise level (if using a Chromebook), sketch out answers on a whiteboard and more. I encourage teachers to make the link available through Google Classroom or simply bookmark it for quick access.

Have you checked out the dynamics of Google Keep? If you love sticky notes, this is the tool for you! It is available to you and your students in Google Apps. While in Slides or Docs, look for the icon on the right side of the screen to create a note right there with your document. Set up a reminder about the document or share the note with specific teachers or students to provide daily reminders or individual reminders. Organize notes with folders. It syncs with Google apps to help you and your students keep up with tasks, checklists or any type of note needed!

Increasing student ownership of the learning journey can be quite a feat! Classroomscreen and Google Keep are two must-have tools that allow teachers to transfer more responsibility to students by offering ease, convenience and visual stimulation to meet daily goals. It's a win-win for the classroom!

Developing The 4 C's in Students

       Today's students need regular opportunities to practice using the 4 C's. You might be wondering, what are the 4 C's and why bother? The 4 C's are communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity, key skills to build proficiency and provide meaningful learning experiences in the classroom. It also prompts students to use their imagination and let's them have FUN while they are thinking and learning! Incorporating the 4 C's skills sets are one way to help prepare students for the future that awaits them.

Wondering how to get started? Here are some great picture books that can spark discussions, identify problems and begin implementing structures for the 4 C's to become a regular practice in the learning environment.

         

One of my new favorite discoveries is found at novelengineering.com. This site has ready-made resources that correspond with books. Students are encouraged to look at problems in the story through the lens of an engineer or scientist while practicing and strengthening literacy skills. This is a fantastic way to start using the 4 C's framework in your classroom! This resource supports critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

Ready to connect to outside professionals to help students think about processes, help them find solutions or simply ask more questions, but having a hard time finding someone? Bringing in a scientist has never been easier! Sign up to Skype A Scientist! This activity supports communication in the 4 C's framework. Depending on the depth of the discussion, could also lend to critical thinking.

You might be wondering how to bring in creativity. When students participate regularly in activities that have already been mentioned, ideas begin to generate. When students have opportunities to make, design or create a prototype to solve a problem, innovation comes into play. This is one additional opportunity for students to use vocabulary words, explain their thinking, justify their design based on specific criteria and experience their learning! This type of activity fully supports the 4 C's framework.

If you are still hesitant about incorporating the 4 C's, I have one more just-released resource that will provide detailed lessons on topics in your curriculum. Have you ever heard of Picture Perfect Science? These lessons follow the 5 E model, and reading comprehension strategies to prompt engagement and thinking. You will also find a materials list, suggested amount of days for the lesson and ways to extend. Over the summer, Picture Perfect STEM Lessons were released to help teachers incorporate STEM and the design process in their classrooms. This resource is a must-see!

              

These resources have made folding the 4 C's in your classroom easier than ever! I hope you will find one or more of them that will help you along the way! The 4 C's is a classroom practice and framework that will help students connect their learning to real-life experiences while learning necessary skill sets that lead to success.

Chrome-smashing Lessons

     The Chromebook has drastically changed the way we learn! There are over four million Chromebooks in classrooms across our nation! In fact, Chromebooks have been in our district for a few years. Once students think they have mastered the basics of Google Apps, provide them with different formats, layouts and interactivity to increase student engagement, choice and voice. Why not level up the learning with a chrome-smashing lesson or let them create a chrome-smashing product of learning? 

Google Docs

HyperDocs are the newest way to create an interactive way for students and teachers to engage and transform learning. Teachers provide feedback, reminders and  personalize the process while students are experiencing the learning through links, videos, and text! Check out this HyperDoc that gets students thinking before and after a read aloud. Students may use a similar format to show what they know on a given topic by linking their own evidences of learning. 

Google Slides

Can your students create a magazine on their topic of learning? What a neat way to create a class booklet, small group or individual assignment! Another way to challenge students is to have them create interactive slides. Students load images in slides and link to other pages within the presentation so that viewers may review content in an alternative order. 

Google Slides & Google Drawing

Create digital posters that can be used to accompany persuasive writing topics, create infographics or advertisements! Students will notice that the toolbars are similar between the apps and can choose the one that fits their individual and visual preferences. Click here for a Google Drawing persuasive poster template.

How can students pull it all together or chrome-smash their learning? Students may use any of the Google Apps to showcase their learning. Simply link docs, slides or drawings in the app that is being used as the presentation tool. Use the toolbars to add text, highlights, shapes and images for visual stimulation. In addition, skills in critical thinking, design, and audience are being developed as students create their chrome-smashing products of learning.

So, which one of these will you try with your students? If these examples are new to you, try it as a way to organize a lesson. Review the essential elements of the app and layout. Then challenge your students to create their own using their content! I guarantee you will level up the learning in your classrooms!