I’ve learned about a learning model that works well with both my content, my style, and my personality, Challenge Based Learning (https://cbl.digitalpromise.org). It is a natural fit. It also has a lot in common with CSLE+COVA. (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, & Cummings, Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning, 2018) Both are cut from the same cloth. They are both about giving learners the room to grown and learn. At the heart, the learners are the one’s responsible for learning. I started like so many other teachers by building on the way I was taught. I quickly grew to hate that. I wanted challenges. I wanted more than just compliant kids who spat facts back at me. I started down the road that led me here to where I am today. Our projects are intended for other people. In fact, I only review them to help students complete quality work that their clients want. The actual end user is someone else. These projects are intended to have a life beyond the classroom. I have three different courses this year. The first, Practicum in STEM, I have taught for about 10 years. It has undergone a lot of changes, but it has always been about the learners creating. They have a challenge or problem to solve. The challenges are selected to help make sure they are able to demonstrate mastery of the standards I have to address. This course is about professionalism and job readiness. The second course is a new cyber security course. We have well over 100 individual standards to cover. It’s crazy. This course covers everything about cyber security. On the first day of class, I talked with the students and we decided that we are going to use what we learn this year to make our community safer in this digital world. They are creating a podcast and eventually writing a book. My third class is a CADD course. I have always been told that skills-based courses, like this, can’t be taught through projects and challenges. The rationale is that in order for students to pass the certification test, they have to study and prepare for it all year. Project work gets in the way and keeps them from being successful on the test. I don’t believe it. We are working on a team project that will take the combined efforts of the whole class. I am confident that along the way, they will learn everything they need in order to pass the test.
In a system that is based on Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) and giving learners Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic learning experiences (COVA) we are able to bring a relevance and depth of learning that is unparalleled. This doesn’t mean that the class is allowed to run free. I am there helping them learn to manage schedules, how to communicate effectively through email, how navigate interpersonal relationships, and how to take their place alongside adults. Our work means something. If the purpose of school is to prepare students for the real world, then why don’t we bring the real world into the class? Works CitedHarapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning.
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About 5303This course is the second in the Masters of Education in Digital Leading and Learning at Lamar University. The focus of the course in developing and learning about ePortfolios in education. ArchivesCategories
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