Daniel believes in allowing kids to show their learning in different ways. It's more fun for him that way too. He explains that instead of grading twenty-three of the same test or worksheet, he has twenty-three unique projects to admire, listen to, or watch. This may sound chaotic, but Daniel's structured classroom is anything but. Here is how he pulls it off.
Less is more with tech tools
Throughout the first quarter, Daniel assigns projects targeted at a small list of apps that can be used flexibly across the curriculum. This gives kids practice and exposure. Students can later choose from this menu of apps to demonstrate their learning in subsequent quarters. It's a gradual release model. Students might use Touchcast, iMovie, and DoInk GreenScreen in Social Studies. In Reading, they are more likely to rely on the Explain Everything app to help them communicate the message and theme of a text.
Flexible rubrics
A frequently heard pushback to giving students choice with project-based work is assessment. What does assessment look like when the final products all look so different? Daniel designs rubrics in Canvas that prioritize content and clarity over presentation. New to the Rubrics feature in Canvas? Check out this five-minute overview video. Here's the best part -- all his rubrics are ready for reuse the following school year.
Virtual gallery walks
Finding time in the week for all students to present their work orally can feel nearly impossible. That's why Daniel relies on virtual gallery walks. To make a "virtual gallery walk," he marks a Canvas Discussion as graded under Options.
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Less is more with tech tools
Throughout the first quarter, Daniel assigns projects targeted at a small list of apps that can be used flexibly across the curriculum. This gives kids practice and exposure. Students can later choose from this menu of apps to demonstrate their learning in subsequent quarters. It's a gradual release model. Students might use Touchcast, iMovie, and DoInk GreenScreen in Social Studies. In Reading, they are more likely to rely on the Explain Everything app to help them communicate the message and theme of a text.
Flexible rubrics
A frequently heard pushback to giving students choice with project-based work is assessment. What does assessment look like when the final products all look so different? Daniel designs rubrics in Canvas that prioritize content and clarity over presentation. New to the Rubrics feature in Canvas? Check out this five-minute overview video. Here's the best part -- all his rubrics are ready for reuse the following school year.
Virtual gallery walks
Finding time in the week for all students to present their work orally can feel nearly impossible. That's why Daniel relies on virtual gallery walks. To make a "virtual gallery walk," he marks a Canvas Discussion as graded under Options.
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Students post their projects to the Discussion board for everyone to enjoy, but he can give private feedback via SpeedGrader. There are some significant advantages to this practice.
- The first projects posted to the board can serve as mentor texts/techs for students working toward completion.
- Students can leave personalized comments of encouragement for each other.
- Students re-watch / re-listen to their peers' projects as desired outside of the school day.
- Saves time! Students can focus on a few projects instead of the entire class.
When I asked about screen time concerns from parents, Daniel replied that it's all about quality learning experiences with technology. That makes sense because if I had to summarize his classroom in five words, it would be quality learning experiences with technology. But my opinion of Daniel's work isn't nearly as meaningful as Kelly's daughter's -- because she is having the BEST fifth-grade year!
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach
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