Our social studies Wiki and our reading blogs are up and running. We had them up for 2 weeks before Christmas break. And the mood in the classroom has changed. Students are asking Stephanie and I, "Can we add to the Wiki at home?" "Can I post a blog on what I am reading over the weekend?" "Be sure you check my blog tonight and leave a comment!" Students are starting to become more proactive in their learning, and expecting us, as teachers, to provide them feedback. I am beginning to feel that students in our class have truly begun to see that learning is journey...they feel that their thoughts and comments are meaningful. They have a voice, and people are listening.... This is powerful.
Our road bumps now:
- ensuring ALL students are able to access the wiki and blog (some have had difficulty becoming a member of the wiki)
- once all students have access to the wiki, ensuring ALL students have a voice
- mentoring students on how to be critical "colleagues" - teach them how to push back on each others' thinking with civility and without hurting feelings
- keeping the excitement and the momentum of the wiki and blog going throughout the rest of the year
- setting up the reading blogs so students provide each other with feedback using our reading rubric that the class created
- ensuring that each student has another student to provide feedback
I am confident, with more thinking, the above can be accomplished...
Noel
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