Collective Learning Two years ago I started to look for places online ato learn more about how to become the best bilingual educator for my students. I am now part of collectives because I wanted to continue growing and learning as an educator. What is a collective? Douglas Thomas and Josh Seely Brown describe Collectives as environments that:
I have been participating in bilingual groups where we constantly share, participate and make comments to further our learning. -CABE Facebook Group -Bilingual Teacher group from TPT -#DualLangChat Collective -MexEdChat Google Collective These are all collectives based on shared interests in bilingual education. | "In a collective, people belong in order to learn "(pg 52) Aha! Sounds similar to an Edcamp's objective: At #EdCampSD we could see that people belonged in order to learn.
Students follow their passions "Students learn best when they are able to follow their passions" (pg 79) I can see this in my classroom. Students write their own stories on the topic they want during their guided reading and writing centers. Four students wrote with different genres: -Non fiction on dinousaurs -Non fiction on variety of fish in the sea -Comic Book based on her favorite book -Fictional Story on Schools Long Ago These are the topics that they are passionate as of right now, and it may change tomorrow, but they had the freedom to use their imagination to write. |
Chapter 4"Collective...a collection of people, skills, and talent that produces a result greater than the sum of its part" Question How can teachers start guiding students in the primary grades to build a collective? Connection I can see a collective in the process of Writing when I see my students facilitating learning. I see them helping each other on editing their writing and giving feedback. Everyone can be a leader and add their knowledge to help a peer. They don't need the one "teacher" if everyone can be a teacher to help each of them learn. Epiphany My Aha moment is learning how even in the primary grades we can let them become independent learners. I hear my students say "You can ask for help", "don't be sad", "we are here to help you because you are our friend" Just giving motivation to each other to embrace mistakes. | Chapter 5"Yet although they (students) are constantly learning about the things that really interest them, those things are rarely acknowledged in educational environments" Question Why aren't schools embracing students' ideas, and preferences to engage their learning? Connection This relates to our 20% project. Fun shouldn't be taking out of learning. We learn more when we are motivated by our passions, and that is what makes it fun. Students at any grade level have desires to learn about so many things that surrounds them. We have to give them the opportunity to discover what they are passionate about. Epiphany I saw a tweet on having a google summit led by kids. What can they learn from each other and teach the "adults" | Chapter 6"The twenty-first century, however, belongs to the tacit. In the digital world, we learn by doing, watching, and experiencing. Question How can Schools facilitate learning by having students doing, watching, and experiencing? Connection Exploration Centers is a ways for students to experience our topic of learning without instruction. Students play, talk, think about the things we might learn. Student love to explore and ask questions. Epiphany We have to have time to explore. That is how we learn! Having to explore is an adventure and leads us to question |