Everyone ContributesIn my classroom, anyone can learn. Indeed, I believe all students are capable of learning, if they are only approached in the right way. To that end, everyone is expected to contribute to the learning environment in some way, every day.
One of my favorite Teach Like a Champion strategies from our first summer was "No Opt Out." I consistently use this as a way of making sure that every student is held to high expectations, even if they don't know the answer right away. An opportunity to guess is always given, and another student will help out with the answer if needed. At first, this created friction for students who were used to being mocked for not knowing an answer, however, once this became an accepted part of the classroom culture, students have been more willing to take chances and/or have peers assist in providing answers. |
Another way I try to make sure all students are involved is with group work. My class features almost daily partner, triple, and larger group work, ranging from 10 minute think-pair-share discussion activities to multi-day, formal performance based assessments. In groups, students are able to contribute their unique talents to better serve the overall project--every student may not provide the same thing, but they all contribute equally. (If not, their group member evaluations reflect this fact...) In the project at the left, three students worked together to create one of the best projects of first semester, both artistically and informationally, separately adding to the final product with their research and drawing talents.
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