We've all heard the phrase, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," right? I've heard the same things said about students. We used to believe that if we, as educators, provided the opportunity to learn, it was up to kids to take advantage of that opportunity.
To a degree, it's a true sentiment. We can't force a student to learn. But what if we amended the original statement:
Too often, a student's demonstrated work fails to reflect what they can do; instead, it shows us what they're willing to do. But if we change the school dynamic so that students are learning what they want to learn more about, we'll get a better picture of they're capable of. That's why we've decided to focus on student interest this year.
Just like every other school in our district, students at our school have traditionally had three opportunities for exposure to possible areas of interest. Every third day, students attended either music, physical education, or library/technology. These are important areas, and we will always want them to be part of our kids' school experience. But we want more for them, and as we found out, they want more for themselves.
We surveyed our students and staff and asked them what they were interested in away from school, and what they wish they could learn more about. Based on their responses, our staff built "student interest group" courses to provide enrichment and exposure opportunities for our kids. These SIGs include coding, jewelry design, gardening, video production, and team sports, just to name a few.
Our goal is to expand our students' sense of possibility by broadening their experiences and empowering them to create their own future. This is our first step.
To a degree, it's a true sentiment. We can't force a student to learn. But what if we amended the original statement:
You can lead a horse to water. You can't make it drink, but you CAN make it thirsty!
If we can tap into a student's interests and passions, then we can provide a reason for them to want to learn. If we can help students to discover a purpose for learning, we can make them thirsty. We can help them build their innate drive to learn that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Canyon Lake students at our career fair
Too often, a student's demonstrated work fails to reflect what they can do; instead, it shows us what they're willing to do. But if we change the school dynamic so that students are learning what they want to learn more about, we'll get a better picture of they're capable of. That's why we've decided to focus on student interest this year.
Just like every other school in our district, students at our school have traditionally had three opportunities for exposure to possible areas of interest. Every third day, students attended either music, physical education, or library/technology. These are important areas, and we will always want them to be part of our kids' school experience. But we want more for them, and as we found out, they want more for themselves.
We surveyed our students and staff and asked them what they were interested in away from school, and what they wish they could learn more about. Based on their responses, our staff built "student interest group" courses to provide enrichment and exposure opportunities for our kids. These SIGs include coding, jewelry design, gardening, video production, and team sports, just to name a few.
Our goal is to expand our students' sense of possibility by broadening their experiences and empowering them to create their own future. This is our first step.
Comments
Post a Comment