Personalizing Learning through a Talk

“TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).” (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization)

A few years ago, 10th grade English teachers at the high school were inspired by the idea of 20% time, which was slowly making waves in various classes throughout the building. The issue of student engagement, personalized learning, and transformative instruction were continually at the forefront of their PLC conversations. In order to engage students in a more personalized project, the Ten Talk was born. The purpose of the assignment was to give students a platform to extend their learning beyond the literature and the classroom. After brainstorming and narrowing topic choices, students begin  the research and collaborative phase of their project. Through critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication the students first create a “product” based on a topic of their choosing. Second, in a TED Talk fashion, students explain their research, their process, and their product to a wide, authentic audience.

The projects are introduced early in the semester so students can begin thinking about how they might connect their project to the literature they have read in class. They also are inspired to begin thinking about topics and/or issues that they are passionate about.  Halfway through the semester, students propose their ideas to the class. The proposal is just as important as the project itself; it gives students an opportunity to advocate for their passions. The class votes on the top five choices, and students are grouped according to their interest in the broad topics.

Once students are in groups, the classes begin 20% time. Every Thursday during English class, students work with their groups on their projects. Teachers are there for scaffolding, to provide guidance, ask probing questions, and encourage students to set goals. Yes, there is teacher support, but the project is heavily student-driven. Students take their shared ideas and run with them!

The final goal of the project is a ten minute presentation modeled after a typical TED Talk. Students can choose any modality to convey their information: music, video, models, posters, poetry, art work, etc. The beauty of this project is that the final presentation is not graded. Students are graded on the work leading up to the presentation itself, but the final presentation is a result of the message the students want to convey, not the grade they wish to receive. The students intrinsic feelings following the presentation are truly more important than any grades they receive.

An in-school field trip is set-up as a way for students to showcase their work. Students present in two different venues, leaving plenty of choice for the audience. Parents, family members, other staff/students, and other community members are invited to attend. This gives students an audience beyond just their teachers or classmates. Students are eager to view the work of their peers. During this last set of TEN Talks presentations were given on the topics self-love, fashion, the evolution of news, music through the ages, and, gender stereotypes. Each of the projects was somehow connected to the literature from class: The Odyssey, The Alchemist, Night, The Iliad, The Kite Runner, myths, legends, and folktales, and various short stories.

According to the students, when they first heard about the Ten Talks, they were a bit intimidated and nervous. Some thought the project would be a great opportunity. Following the TEN Talks, students reflected that they were proud of what they had accomplished. One student said, “I was happy that the presentation wasn’t graded because it focused more on the learning experience, rather than the results.” Ultimately, this is the mindset we want our students to have whenever they are in the classroom.

Students were also excited to watch the presentations of their peers. Based on the work leading up to the talk, students were extremely reflect in what made good presentation and what types of presentations fell flat. Several students reflected that they were proud of their peers and wish they had an opportunity to view the talks.

by Natasha Monsaas-Daly

Learning by Doing:Learning Studio Classrooms

This year Eden Prairie Schools has over 25 classrooms designated as Learning Studio Classrooms.  A Learning Studio classroom is an action research modality of professional development where a teacher is learning by doing.  Learning Studio teachers participate in monthly small group conversations to support one another with an iWonder question. As they take action and put new instructional strategies into practice, evidence of student learning is gathered and then reflected upon. Through this cycle of continuous improvement, teachers are improving their practice and creating optimal learning for each student.

Cindy Eldridge, third grade teacher at Forest Hills Elementary School, shares her excitement and reflection about being a Learning Studio teacher:
When I first heard about the Studio Classroom project, I knew immediately that I wanted to participate. I also knew that the area of literacy that I wanted to focus on was writing. Writing has always been something that I don’t necessarily enjoy doing. It’s not easy for me to decide what to write, it just doesn’t come naturally for me. Teaching writing has traditionally been my least favorite subject. Perhaps because I don’t feel like it’s one of my strengths or perhaps because I love reading and discussing books so much. Our school district has provided me with a writing curriculum by Ralph Fletcher and a book about the 6 Traits of Writing, but I have never felt that confident using them. I chose to work on writing this year because I want to not only help my students improve as writers, but also myself as a teacher of writing. I predict that my students will improve their writing skills this year because we are already doing a lot more writing in class. I am carving out time nearly every day to spend time writing. We are working in traditional notebooks and also creating on ipads. I am hoping that students will improve not only their writing skills but also their attitude about writing. Another reason I predict my students will improve is because I spent a good deal of time at the beginning of the year launching the Writer’s Workshop. I feel that this group of students has a better foundation for becoming skilled at writing. Finally, this project is as much for me as for my students. I want to become better at teaching and supporting my students but I think I need to improve my own writing skills. I am hoping to model for them my writing process and show them that my own work takes time and revision. Modeling for them that writing is an ongoing process will hopefully help them to see the importance of looking back and revising their work. At the end of the year, I want my students to feel like they can successfully communicate through writing and can enjoy the process.

Watch for the announcement of the 2016-2017 Learning Studio classroom. Please contact Michelle Ament with questions.  Click here for more information about Learning Studio Project.