What does progress toward the course outcomes look like? How will I know if I’m on track?<\/p>\n

The assignments are vague, and the grading criteria even more so. I’ve struggled to infer what my professor is looking for in each assignment. I’ve spent hours trying to decipher the journal articles and scholarly work from this field. (Is it this hard for everyone else? Am I the only one who feels like I’m learning a new language? Who knows! Because we don’t talk about the readings, or anything else, with each other.)<\/p>\n

I feel like my grasp is tenuous.<\/p>\n

I feel like I’m on my own: it’s sink or swim.<\/p>\n

I recognize some of these practices. As a teacher, I’m sure I’ve perpetuated some of this on my students.<\/p>\n

Now, standing in my students’ shoes,\u00a0 I can see more clearly the ways we, as teachers, can make learning more engaging and impactful for our students. And why we should.<\/p>\n

And I can feel how much it matters to be seen and valued by the leaders of our learning.<\/p>\n

A few truths that have been revealed to me in my life as a student. Here are four takeaways that I will (re)apply to my classroom practice.<\/p>\n

1. Learning is socially constructed<\/h4>\n

Meaning-making is deepened when students are able to be both receptive and expressive learners. As an educator, I need to weave opportunities for social learning into my instruction.<\/p>\n

That urge I have to whisper to a classmate, to ask what something means, to react to the material that was presented: that is a missed opportunity to deepen understanding.<\/p>\n

What if our leader asked us to use a strategy like a turn & talk?\u00a0 Not only would this help me gauge my own learning, but it would also improve the social vibe in the classroom. Win-win.<\/p>\n

2. Connection is key<\/h4>\n

Learning happens best when students feel safe and connected.<\/p>\n

My role as the leader of learning in a classroom is also to be the leader of community-building. Students are looking to me to establish a safe and connected learning community and to model the norms of the learning environment.<\/p>\n

Making space to get to know one another is a valuable use of time. Creating a safe space where students can try (and fail) is essential.<\/p>\n

3. Clarity is kindness<\/h4>\n

Students want to do well. And in order to do so, they need clear expectations about outcomes and processes. Models and examples help too.<\/p>\n

Some students (ahem) may be focused on success criteria (grades) and would benefit from understanding how to best demonstrate their learning. And…<\/p>\n

4. Feedback is most effective when it is timely and applicable<\/h4>\n

Students benefit from do-overs. We all do! Despite popular rhetoric that ‘real life doesn’t offer do-overs’ I’d argue that it does. As adults, we are constantly given opportunities to improve on our work. (Heck, even this blog post has been improved by feedback from my amazing colleagues.)<\/p>\n

Learners need guided opportunities to hone their skills. They need to explore and experiment before they are ready to perform. When we offer our students feedback on how to improve their work and give them a chance to apply it they are growing and learning. Not just sinking or swimming.<\/p>\n

Now what?<\/h4>\n

As a teacher, each student arrives in my classroom with their own learning styles and preferences, and my job is to find ways for each student to access learning and to help them better understand themselves and their needs so that they can be advocates for their own learning.<\/p>\n

How might I advocate for myself in this situation? What about you?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This experience has been powerful. And I wish I’d done it sooner because experiencing learning from the other side of the (sole left-handed) desk has given me fresh insight into good teaching and<\/em> learning. What about you?<\/p>\n