Adam Schwaninger Teaching Strategies Course Final The Learning Classroom I am an Art Specialist at Schoo Middle School in Lincoln,

NE. I am fortunate to be working with an excellent staff and administration. We are entering our 3rd school year this August and as every school, we have been working to improve learning for our students and help ensure that a quality education is given to every student at Schoo. In reading the section structural features of schools that support learning I recognized some areas that our building could improve on. The three structural features I selected to discuss are: emphasis on authentic performance, structures for caring, and support for democratic learning. Emphasis on authentic performance is one structural feature that jumped out at me right away. As an art teacher I have students creating, demonstrating, and performing to show their knowledge every day. I feel this is one of the reasons students are drawn to my class as well as the other specialists in the building. Students, especially middle school aged students, like doing things. They are antsy, fidgety, and bursting with energy. I feel that if students were playing more of an active role in other classes their interest and performance level would increase dramatically. Having students perform will not only allow them to become more actively involved in

their learning, but it more closely recreates the style of involvement and critical thinking that will be required of them in the workforce. Structures for caring are another feature of education that is very important, and could be improved at my school. Students, especially middle school students, like to push boundaries and are defiant by nature. A teacher who has spent time to develop relationships with their students will get more compliance and better performance from their students. Our students are at the age (11-14) where they dont like their parents, their teachers, or anything that distracts from their social life. Teachers need to get a view into that social life, and take an interest in their students. I have often asked a student to do something and heard a response; Ill do it for you. Students know the teachers that are here for them and care about them and are much more likely to peacefully comply with a request or put in extra effort on a project for those teachers. I often see teachers taking an authoritarian approach to their students and spend more time yelling orders than asking questions. I would love to see a shift of momentum at our school focusing on caring. Democratic learning is another facet of learning-centered schools that I would love to see implemented more thoroughly and successfully at Schoo. When students are involved they have personal investment in the assignment, project, and even the school. This empowers students at the same time encourages them to perform. Teachers that

give students a voice are also making steps towards promoting an atmosphere of caring. Students respect teachers that value their input and will undoubtedly respond with more enthusiasm to a call of action from a teacher where they know they have a say in the matter as well. Promotion of a democratic learning environment is also an excellent way to prepare students for life beyond academia where they will be a member of a democratic nation and most likely have to make use democratic dialogue in their professional and social lives in adulthood. As a school I feel that these are issues we need to improve on. As an individual I feel that I have the some concepts within these structures down but still have room for improvement, especially in creating a democratic learning environment for my students. I allow a lot of choice and manipulation of the projects allowing students to make their own creation from my guidelines. I feel that the introduction of democratic discourse with my students concerning content, coursework, and projects would give them even more involvement in their learning and create a classroom of motivated students immersed in self discovery, application and creation. I asked my self, How can interactions among the learner, the classroom environment, and the teaching/learning process produce motivation to learn and build strong learning communities? I created a three-step action plan to facilitate interactions of this nature that will produce a strong learning community in my classroom. The action

plan is based on the three structural features introduced as school improvement issues. Step 1 will be introducing my students to the style of learning and interaction that will be taking place in the classroom. After a brief discussion informing students how they will be an integral part of determining the direction, emphasis, and projects in the class we will get to know each other. Right away I want students to know that their opinions and interests matter (structure of caring) and that they have the power to direct the movement of the lesson, project, section, and ultimately the class (structure of democratic learning). I would provide the students with some examples of behavior expectations when debating topics in class, and have students design a lesson plan/activity/project for their first activity based on the standards required for them to learn. Step 2 would consist of the students actively researching, discussing, and re-designing their project ideas (authentic performance) to share with the class, and vote on the proposed project ideas. In the student led presentations, kids would be in charge of explaining the project requirements, and how it ties into the required standard(s). The class vote would determine the first project of the class. I may allow students to choose from the top two if there are some good ideas and time/materials allow. Students would help develop a rubric for assessment and any questions would be cleared

up. At this point I may have to help the class design the project, to make it do-able within time/materials/budget contraints. Step 3 students would create art based on the selected project(s). Students would be creating art based on national/state standards. They would be following through and creating something that they designed from the bottom up and collectively debated, discussed, and agreed on. Step 3 would include mid-way critiques of the project, reflection journaling, and finally assessment. I would ask students to discuss in small groups what went well, what we can change, and what we learned form the experience. This would be a challenge at first, but after the students have designed and carried out a few projects I believe that they will have a much deeper appreciation for the subject, be thinking and problem solving at much higher levels, and will have developed a classroom culture that is motivated, confident, and supportive.