Project Description.
For a few years now I have been stuck on the idea and concept of building a “classroom culture”. I have many ideas about how I want my classroom culture to look, feel, sound, be, etc. but I’ve had a hard time narrowing down exactly how to accomplish these ideas. My dream is to build a classroom culture in which learning is organic - I want students to be collaborating, communicating, evaluating, and creating their own meaning for mathematics consistently.
I recently stumbled upon an idea called mastery and gamification. These ideas quickly sparked my interest and I began planning my new flipped-mastery-gamification environment. My project will develop this environment in order to foster the 21st century skills that students need: Self-knowledge, Explanation, Application, and Perspective. Students will work collaboratively in groups and/or individually to learn at their own pace.
One of the biggest problems that stands in the way of kids collaborating is the classroom design. The way my classroom is currently set up does not allow for the collaboration and movement necessary to produce these results. Students are confined to groups of four with chairs that are very difficult to move. In order to build a culture that is purely collaborative, I need to redesign my classroom by purchasing rollable chairs with attached desks and a few standing desks. I want to provide students the opportunity to learn in their own way - whether it be individual, collaborative, or whole-class - without being confined to a specific structure. This will break the traditional layout of the classroom and allow students to create a structure that is more conducive to their individual learning style.
I recently stumbled upon an idea called mastery and gamification. These ideas quickly sparked my interest and I began planning my new flipped-mastery-gamification environment. My project will develop this environment in order to foster the 21st century skills that students need: Self-knowledge, Explanation, Application, and Perspective. Students will work collaboratively in groups and/or individually to learn at their own pace.
One of the biggest problems that stands in the way of kids collaborating is the classroom design. The way my classroom is currently set up does not allow for the collaboration and movement necessary to produce these results. Students are confined to groups of four with chairs that are very difficult to move. In order to build a culture that is purely collaborative, I need to redesign my classroom by purchasing rollable chairs with attached desks and a few standing desks. I want to provide students the opportunity to learn in their own way - whether it be individual, collaborative, or whole-class - without being confined to a specific structure. This will break the traditional layout of the classroom and allow students to create a structure that is more conducive to their individual learning style.
The base of Node school chairs provides a unique storage solution for backpacks and student belongings that usually clutter the aisles. This allows quicker and easier transitions between teaching modes.
Even the arms serve a storage purpose. Aside from a place to rest your elbows, they are designed to hold a backpack or bag, keeping personal items safe, secure, and close at hand. |
Key Benefits Swivel seat allows students to shift focus throughout the room. Books, laptops and other information remain at their fingertips as the personal surface swivels in tandem. |
The Node school chair is mobile and flexible. It's designed for quick, easy transitions from one teaching mode to the next, unlike traditional school desks and chairs.
The Node chair has an adjustable worksurface, providing a perfect fit for students of all shapes and sizes. The Node chair’s worksurface accommodates both left- and right-handed students. Ergonomics of the seat bend and flex with the student. |
Project Outline.
In order to create a classroom culture of collaboration and community, a few key items need to be addressed. My ultimate goal with this project is to encourage students to develop the skills of perspective, application, explanation, and self-knowledge. I strongly believe that redesigning my classroom and incorporating elements of flipped learning, mastery learning, and gamification (FMG) will allow students the opportunity to collaborate and discuss their ideas in a more organic nature.
First and foremost I will need to set the stage for my new pedagogical approach. Although I have already put the flipped learning side of things in place, it will take quite a bit more work to introduce mastery and gamificaiton into the mix. My plan is to begin the year by taking the first few weeks to walk students through the format Schoology, and talk about how the mastery-gamification fits in to this piece. One of the main things I’d like to work on with students is goal-setting. This goal-setting and reflection will help build student’s self-knowledge. In a mastery setting, self-knowledge is extremely important because students need to know when they are ready for an assessment, and when they need to practice a bit more. For the first few months I will need to guide students through this goal-setting approach so that they can begin to reflect on their metacognition.
After students have begun to take on the responsibility of setting clear expectations for themselves, we can begin to develop their perspective. Mastery based instruction will help students realize that everyone is at different points in their mathematical journal - and that is ok! In order to celebrate this diversity, I will create a “genius board” where students can post topics in which they feel comfortable helping others with. Seeing that each and every person is different in their mathematical knowledge will allow students to further develop their perspective and appreciation of the diversity within the classroom. They can all help each other to succeed!
My last goal is to push students to develop their skills of explanation, interpretation, and application. After developing a culture in which every student is cherished for their diversity, I can begin to push students to think critically and deeply. When students feel comfortable in their surroundings they are more apt to discuss and collaborate with others. In assessments, students will need to use the Claim Evidence Reasoning model to explain their understanding of a topic. In order to measure whether or not students have developed these skills, I will create mastery-based assessments using Schoology. Final assessments for each chapter will be more application-based and require students to have a deep understanding in order to explain, interpret, and apply their content knowledge. Because the course is mastery-focused as well, students will be able to try many times in order to create the best possible explanation. Being able to hear many different viewpoints and compare/contrast ideas will foster the skills necessary to explain, interpret, and apply concepts. Along with a FMG environment, purchasing Steelcase swivel chairs will allow students to quickly and easily collaborate whenever they need without feeling confined to a specific desk/area in the room. Students will begin to work together not based on groups, but based on levels of knowledge and abilities. They will finally be able to differentiate themselves because of this non-traditional design.
First and foremost I will need to set the stage for my new pedagogical approach. Although I have already put the flipped learning side of things in place, it will take quite a bit more work to introduce mastery and gamificaiton into the mix. My plan is to begin the year by taking the first few weeks to walk students through the format Schoology, and talk about how the mastery-gamification fits in to this piece. One of the main things I’d like to work on with students is goal-setting. This goal-setting and reflection will help build student’s self-knowledge. In a mastery setting, self-knowledge is extremely important because students need to know when they are ready for an assessment, and when they need to practice a bit more. For the first few months I will need to guide students through this goal-setting approach so that they can begin to reflect on their metacognition.
After students have begun to take on the responsibility of setting clear expectations for themselves, we can begin to develop their perspective. Mastery based instruction will help students realize that everyone is at different points in their mathematical journal - and that is ok! In order to celebrate this diversity, I will create a “genius board” where students can post topics in which they feel comfortable helping others with. Seeing that each and every person is different in their mathematical knowledge will allow students to further develop their perspective and appreciation of the diversity within the classroom. They can all help each other to succeed!
My last goal is to push students to develop their skills of explanation, interpretation, and application. After developing a culture in which every student is cherished for their diversity, I can begin to push students to think critically and deeply. When students feel comfortable in their surroundings they are more apt to discuss and collaborate with others. In assessments, students will need to use the Claim Evidence Reasoning model to explain their understanding of a topic. In order to measure whether or not students have developed these skills, I will create mastery-based assessments using Schoology. Final assessments for each chapter will be more application-based and require students to have a deep understanding in order to explain, interpret, and apply their content knowledge. Because the course is mastery-focused as well, students will be able to try many times in order to create the best possible explanation. Being able to hear many different viewpoints and compare/contrast ideas will foster the skills necessary to explain, interpret, and apply concepts. Along with a FMG environment, purchasing Steelcase swivel chairs will allow students to quickly and easily collaborate whenever they need without feeling confined to a specific desk/area in the room. Students will begin to work together not based on groups, but based on levels of knowledge and abilities. They will finally be able to differentiate themselves because of this non-traditional design.