Shoulder to Shoulder
Chalkboards and chalk dust, metal lunch boxes, and Punky Brewster. It was the 80’s and I was sitting in a 3rd grade classroom waiting for my turn to showcase my speed and my smarts.
Sister Brigid, in her black ankle-length robe and black habit, stood in the front of the room with the flashcards ready for two of my classmates standing shoulder to shoulder ready to face off. The tension in the room was high as the card was flipped.
“15!”
The silent boy sat and the victorious boy stepped back to take on the next competitor. This happened over and over until he got to my desk. I stood confidently ready to accept the challenge, determined to demonstrate my adequacy and intelligence to both my teacher and my peers.
This is the first time I remember school feeling like a competition, something I was determined to win.
Throughout my journey as a student I remember being multiple choiced and true/falsed to death. I remember memorizing and forgetting. I remember competing for a grade and winning.
I don’t remember talking about my learning. I don’t remember making corrections and getting do-over’s. I don’t remember setting goals. I don’t remember being active in my learning.
So, how do I move students from students to learners,in other words, from passive to active? I have used self-scoring rubrics to some success. I have asked students to reflect on a unit or a grading period to some success. Neither of these tools have been used often and/or consistently. But I want to do better.
I want students to be a part of the assessment process. I want students to have choice on how they demonstrate their learning. I want students to reflect on what they know and understand that they have control over what they learn next. I want students to reflect during a summative assessment or project. I want students to analyze their current reading and writing skills and set goals. I want them to reanalyze after a unit of study and evaluate their growth.
I’m ready. I’m ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with my students this year because I want my students to win at learning.
