Part Three: Personalized for Student and Teacher
By Michael Krill
As we continue development of menus throughout the year we are ultimately attempting to offer choice and opportunity to really establish what it is that we hope to accomplish as advanced learning outcomes, for all students. We want to focus on outcome goals and allow students to make solid decisions so that they can be more self-aware and really work on self-efficacy. With this said, the idea of using menus became very apparent as we continued to explore how to share ownership with our students. We as educators decided it was time to really observe what students are doing at all times. We were stuck with the dilemma of wanting students to work independently, in small groups, making decisions, and yet we still wanted to feel confident in the time used at any given moment. Our Goal was to have clear indication of what the students were doing during the time they spent working on many of the unique pieces offered during our Language Arts block.
By Michael Krill
As we continue development of menus throughout the year we are ultimately attempting to offer choice and opportunity to really establish what it is that we hope to accomplish as advanced learning outcomes, for all students. We want to focus on outcome goals and allow students to make solid decisions so that they can be more self-aware and really work on self-efficacy. With this said, the idea of using menus became very apparent as we continued to explore how to share ownership with our students. We as educators decided it was time to really observe what students are doing at all times. We were stuck with the dilemma of wanting students to work independently, in small groups, making decisions, and yet we still wanted to feel confident in the time used at any given moment. Our Goal was to have clear indication of what the students were doing during the time they spent working on many of the unique pieces offered during our Language Arts block.
Using a menu with checklists, documented goals, agenda points, and a debriefing section all students are give real life decision making opportunities everyday. Menu usage provided us the freedom to make sure that we understood what students were working on at all times. It also structured our week to move from what we establish on day 1 to what we showcase on day 5. The framework we created as a means to address the procedures and learning each week falls directly in line with the use of menus as documented evidence demonstrating the steps taken by an individual. The menus also help support the goals and processes used throughout the week to establish documented understanding and achievement goals.
The main purpose for creating MENUS was to allow kids an opportunity to make proactive choices, create a healthy plan, and showcase what they are doing at a quick glance. We decided we wanted a way in which the students could hold themselves accountable in a way that we could monitor. The MENUS offer a very specific snapshot of what students are working on and they also allow anyone else to look and know exactly what the student is doing any given moment. This is a wonderful tool for conversations, tips, and collaborative opportunities. Our prototype provided space for a list of three things the student wanted to accomplish each day as they were creating a checklist to show and demonstrate what they were working on and the reasons for the decision. We soon realized that the next step was actually to create a menu for the day which allows them to know where we are meeting, when we are meeting, why we are meeting, and for how long. As we move forward we will attempt a matrix of menus to encapsulate a week, a month, maybe even the whole year. With every venture, we dream, discuss, research, trial, document, tweak, and implement. We are just beginning to see the quality MENUS offer a learning environment.
Using MENUS has become very beneficial not only for the students but for the teachers as well. MENUS hold everyone accountable. MENUS inform us as to when we are meeting, where we are meeting, and everyone already knows what the expectations are even before the day even begins. As students enter and leave the classroom due to circumstances beyond our control, the structures of the MENU allow for quick engagement due to the management system built into the procedures. Instead of trying to get help from the teacher or interrupting another student to find out what is happening or what they missed, a student is able to quickly view the menu and continue following the scheduled agenda. This is also very beneficial as we have other teachers that join us throughout the day to help, facilitate, teach or observe. Even teachers who stop in to aid with special needs of students both high and low can use a MENU to allow them quick glance understanding and knowledge of exactly what we are doing, where we are doing it, and why we are doing it. We use menus to really allow ourselves to be free within the classroom and know what we need to cover and how much we can cover in the lessons and materials in the given time and day. Menus allow us to personalize learning for both staff and students.
More to come from Goranson & Krill.
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