Authentic Audience...
12/6/2019
As I continue my life-long journey as a teacher, I am always looking to improve my practice. These past couple of years, my newest learning has been in the area of PBL. Though most of the elements of PBL have been a part of my practice throughout the years, it’s a new challenge to bring those components together intentionally and cohesively. Being a “Project Based Learning” classroom doesn’t mean that a full-blown project is always in full swing. It does, however, mean that I look for opportunities to implement the essential elements of gold standard PBL wherever and whenever I can. These research-informed essential elements have proven to be key components of engaging, challenging, enjoyable learning. One of those elements is an authentic audience, also called public product. Authentic audiences connect student work to the real world, provide buy-in for students, and show students that their work and learning experiences are worthy of attention. We teachers often look for ways to make student work more public, because writing or creating or learning just for the teacher’s eyes isn’t really very motivating at all. Knowing that the work we do will be enjoyed by someone else changes the process in a compelling way. As I reflect on the past few weeks, authentic audience has been popping up everywhere I look. This week we received some copies of the PNA holiday card. The delight in the fifth graders eyes and their excited exclamations were hard to miss; they themselves had created the artwork that will be sent to friends and family of PNA this holiday season. How exciting to know that your art work will warm so many people’s hearts! Additionally, this week students participated in several rehearsals with Mr. Bissell, our music teacher. Many weeks of hard work and practice learning instruments culminated in a delightful Winter Concert, where family and friends and classmates enjoyed beautiful music. Learning was made public in the best possible way! In their study of the American Revolution, the hard work of reading informational texts, taking notes, and drafting their own informational texts will also result in an audience. During reading and writing workshop this week, one student asked, “Are we going to publish these books we are writing?” The answer was, “Of course!” What good is writing with no one to read it? As we journey throughout this fifth grade year, it is my hope that the activities and projects we work on somehow connect to larger purposes, an authentic audience, and opportunities to celebrate growth! Comments are closed.
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Elizabeth FerryMs. Ferry's experiences include teaching with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, teaching high school English in Maine, and this is her second year at PNA. She loves moose, outdoor activities, and being with her students. Archives
April 2021
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