Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
1.1.a Learning Goals
Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
1.1.b Customized Learning Environments
Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
1.1.c Feedback to Improve Practice
Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
1.1.d Technology Operations
Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations; demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies; and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
In my blog post called Promoting Student Agency Using Technology (https://learners4life.org/reflection/promoting-student-agency-using-technology), Li (2020) defines student agency as the learners’ ability to act on their own learning or be in charge of their own learning by being actively involved in decision-making and in choosing resources from their learning environment to enable them to be successful. This definition is incredibly empowering for all students, regardless of their age, skills or abilities. Engaging learners in the decision-making process serves as a strong motivation for them to approach their learning journey with a heightened sense of seriousness and responsibility.
When students are engaged in the decision-making process, creating goals becomes a natural and logical outcome. Incorporating goal-setting and unit reflections into our class routines and expectations is a priority (1.1.a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes). At the beginning of the school year, our school hosts a “Hopes and Dreams Conference” for parents, where teachers talk to individual families to hear their hopes and dreams for their child. I use this data later on in the semester to help students, as well as parents, to reflect on their child’s learning and growth throughout the school year. Additionally, at the conclusion of each curricular unit, students allocate time to reflect on each unit’s goals and objectives, assessing their performance in reaching these goals. I often use the reflection tool called Glow and Grow to provide a template for students to use.
Figure 1: Sample reflections on writing posted on Seesaw
Students use the same Glow and Grow template to celebrate their work and share it with others. An entire lesson is dedicated to explaining the why (purpose of giving constructive feedback) and the how (what does positive feedback look like, feel like, sounds like) of giving peer feedback (1.1.c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways). When peer feedback is executed effectively, every student gains insight into positive aspects of their work and identifies areas for improvement.
Figure 2: Glow and Grow & Peer Feedback
A key component of our school day is social and emotional learning. We start our day by conducting a morning meeting for the first 50 minutes of the day. Every morning meeting has four components: a check-in, a greeting, an activity, and finally, class news or message.
During one of our morning meetings earlier in the year, our class had a conversation about the importance of listening and how we can develop the skill of listening with attention. We watched a video lesson, and followed that up with some discussion questions and role playing. Consequently, our conversations led us to the establishment of a calm corner in our classroom (1.1.b Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process). First, we co-created a list of things we want to see in our calm corner, like fidget tools, calming strategies, comfortable seating, stuffed animals, plants, paper, pencils, markers, and a class pet. After further discussion about the class pet, it was decided that we could not have a pet at this time. We developed some guidelines and expectations regarding the use of the Calm Corner, and a week and a half later, we opened our very own Calm Corner.
Figure 3: Classroom Calm Corner
When students present their understanding of a specific topic, I’ve discovered that they value the freedom to choose how they convey their learning. For instance, when reflecting on their work, students can opt to either record their voices or articulate their thoughts in writing.
In our recent inquiry unit on energy, the culminating project involved constructing a Rube Goldberg machine to demonstrate how energy moves and transfers through various materials. Students were given the flexibility to either sketch a model of their machines, with labels for each energy transfer and form present, or to provide a voice-over explanation. This involved video recording using their devices to expound on how the machine operates and showcases diverse forms of energy.
During the construction of their machines in the classroom, students frequently circulated, inspecting other projects, posing specific questions, and refining their own concepts. The information they gathered from these interactions was instrumental in enhancing their own machines (1.1.c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways).
In another end-of-unit project, students utilize Canva to publish their list articles. While some students are already familiar with Canva, having used it in the past, others encounter it for the first time upon entering Grade 4. Notably, some classmates emerge as Canva experts, guiding their peers when they get stuck, offering tips on layout and design, and assisting on how to add text in the designated spots.
This collaborative spirit extends to our daily routines. Regularly, we navigate Google Classroom for independent tasks, EPIC for our digital library, Padlet and Jamboard for group discussions and Seesaw as the primary platform for sharing work with parents. The students readily lend a hand and willingly share their expertise with each other (1.1.d Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations; demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies; and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies).
Source:Li, G. (2020). Principles for developing learner agency in language learning in a new eduscape with Covid 19. Language Learning 5, 30a -40.
