Why Create a Teacher’s Toolkit?

What kinds of teaching and learning lead to “Academic Excellence, Self Direction, Skillful Communication, Stewardship, and Critical Thinking & Problem Solving” for students? In their book, “In Search of Deeper Learning,” authors Mehta and Fine suggest that these kinds of learning outcomes feature three key elements of student engagement: Mastery, Identity, and Creativity.

Informed by our school visits and reviews of current research and practice (see References), we have identified three strategies teachers could focus on which begin to foster these skills: increasing student voice and choice in the classroom; infusing learning with robust routines of critique, revision, and reflection; and sharing student work in a public way.

1: Student Voice and Choice

Intrinsic motivation is a fundamental aspect of any learning that is enduring. We believe that providing students “voice and choice” in their learning is a cornerstone of successful, long-term learning. By allowing students, within reasonable constraints, to choose aspects of their learning we can promote a sense of intrinsic motivation. By promoting student voice, we believe a sense of “identity” can be fostered. By providing some kind of voice and choice, we begin to transform a student’s experience of education: from receiving an education to crafting one, from enduring their experience to creating one.

This shift in control, at least in part, allows students and teachers to be more faithful to several of our district’s Portrait of a Graduate ideals. Could voice and choice foster a student’s sense of Stewardship and/or Self Direction? We believe so. Could it foster Critical Thinking and Problem Solving? We think that without some sense of personal investment, little in the way of true creativity can be expected.

2: Critique, Revise, and Reflect

Critical review of a work — whether it is one’s own or another’s — is a foundational skill for any kind of consequential life activity. The traits of an artist, an architect, an entrepreneur, or a writer, that lead to success surely include the ability to critique early efforts and respond to such critiques. Mehta and Fine would argue that being able to critique works and respond to critiques are one way for a student to develop mastery — the development of habits in a discipline or field. The insights that are developed through the process of criticism and response represent a kind of deep learning and the intellectual habits developed mirror those that are essential to success in a wide variety of disciplines.

How would “Critique and Respond” activities foster our district’s Portrait of a Graduate ideals? One tenet under the ideal of Skillful Communication is that a student “cultivates the ability to listen and values alternate perspectives.” Under Self Direction, we seek to develop students who “persevere through an ongoing process of success and failure” and who “exhibit a growth mindset.” In addition, as a component of Academic Excellence, we seek students who “evaluate information critically and competently.”

3: Public Product

Why go public with finished works? First, by going public the private and artificial channel that exists between teacher and student is opened up into a more realistic, more authentic experience. Second, by going public, a student will have a greater sense of urgency about her work. Third, by going public, we can honor the completed work more fully than in the traditional private teacher-student channel. Fourth, with more work displayed in public areas, even if it’s just inside the walls of the school, a sense of belonging and shared vision can be accomplished … students seeing one another’s works displayed will feel that the school is theirs and that their work is valued.

Connecting learning with the community also promotes several of our district’s Portrait of a Graduate ideals. A Skillful Communicator would “communicate for a range of purposes and with a variety of audiences.” A Critical Thinker and Problem Solver would “act on creative ideas to make tangible and valuable contributions.”