Why they share
1. Kate Fox is the school director of an independent mixed-age learning center in New York City and a middle and high school English teacher. At her school, student-led conferences and student presentations are held three times a year as an authentic assessment and celebration of learning each semester. She says, “We’ve found that involving parents and community members in our celebration and assessment of learning means that students are more engaged, more excited to show off their learning, more motivated to do their best, and able to do so with joy.” We love that Kate candidly shares that students are “less excited about student-led conferences, but at the end of them, they feel good about their learning.” When your parents and teachers meet with you to talk about you, students feel supported and cared for in their learning.” These practices may take time for students to feel comfortable with, but as Kate mentioned, one of the keys to success is to make sure students know that you care about their learning and want them to emphasize that in their own words.
2. Rachel Denny Poth, who teaches Spanish and STEAM to grades 8-12 at a school in suburban Pennsylvania, says her students “love to share what they’re doing.” This helps her students “become more confident, and they see the opportunity to share as taking their learning to a whole new level.” She goes on to say that by sharing, “students know that their work is valuable, which makes their learning more meaningful.”
3. Amber Chandler teaches English Language Arts to eighth graders in Hamburg, New York. Her students wrote an “I Believe” essay and then created a Google Slide show to present to classmates, family, friends, and administrators. At first, she says, most students think a five-minute presentation sounds “impossible” and there’s a lot of anxiety leading up to it, but students “secretly love having an audience.
4. Kelly Petross, an English Language Arts teacher for grades 6-8 in Phoenix, had an eighth-grade student help plan and emcee their first STEAM presentation night. She shared, “As a teacher, I have seen that students are more motivated and more proud of their work if they know it will be showcased. They work better in teams, and I have seen an increase in collaboration among all students during this time. I also think it is good for students to develop public speaking skills and be able to effectively communicate what they have created. It can be challenging, but the more they practice, the more confident and articulate they become.”
5 Christine Boyer teaches fifth grade and Christopher Casal is an instructional technology specialist at an elementary school in suburban New York. Their students have a capstone project in which they “conduct about six weeks of independent research on a topic of their choice.” They then share their learning through TED talks and Ignite presentations. They say, “It’s important to us that our students share their learning on a powerful platform because it improves the quality of their work and the depth of their investment. They recognize the value of having a voice and the responsibility that comes with it.”
6. In Oceanside, California, Adrienne Villarreal teaches sixth grade math and science. Her students did an earthquake outreach program, which was a collaboration with the UC San Diego School of Engineering. The UC San Diego students presented to engineering students and professors through a real-life shaker test (to see if their building could withstand seismic activity) and interviews. She explains, “I look at this exhibit as a celebration and I tell the students that they should be proud of what they have accomplished! I think it’s very reflective for them and it builds their confidence. It was important for them to connect to their learning as much as possible by sharing it with others (including their families and professionals/real world audience). It shows that they have a voice and that they are capable of creating meaningful, authentic, high quality work.”
7. Eric Ray also teaches fourth grade at Oceanside. His students explored “What can fossils tell us about what life was like a long time ago and how the earth has changed?” They took a field trip to a nearby beach and learned that erosion is a key process in discovering fossils. The students designed and built a fossil museum for the school community to visit. The museum features student sculptures, trading cards and fossil stories. He said, “When my students know they are going to be presenting to a master gardener or hosting a museum exhibit for the entire school community to see, they rise to the challenge with full vigor. Their work is meaningful. It’s real.”
8. Aleya Cunningham teaches first grade in Lakeside, California, where her students are exploring “How do we appreciate others?” Their final project is 18 posters that include a hand-drawn and watercolor portrait, an informative article about the staff member, and a collage representing the staff member/their interests. She said, “When students are held accountable for their learning, they own it. Everything they learn becomes more sticky and gives kids a power that most classrooms don’t promote. It is important for my students to see what they are capable of learning and what hard work can ultimately accomplish. It’s also important for families and communities to see what students, no matter their age, can create.”