emPOWER
 |
| image by Giphy |
When I see or hear this word, it automatically makes me sit up straighter, breathe in, and then take on the world. Ok, so this does seem a tad dramatic, but what if we made our students feel this way as soon as they entered into our classrooms, even from a technological aspect? What if they had the confidence to feel as though they could take on the world simply by showing up?! I'd like to think it would drive them to want to succeed, no matter what obstacles they may face.
em·pow·er
"make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights."
Wow! The very definition of this words gives me goosebumps! I recently read the book The Interactive Class: Using Technology to Make Learning More Relevant and Engaging in the Elementary Classroom by Joe Merrill and Kristin Merrill and wow did it strike a chord with me! The very first page left an impression because of this simple, yet powerful, statement:
"Educators, on the other hand, should wake up every morning and know they are making a difference, know they are empowering the future leaders of tomorrow, and know they are profoundly changing the world one learner at a time" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, Foreword).
I mean, no pressure or anything! If we want to empower our students, we must empower ourselves and let's be honest, teaching ain't easy! We must believe that we are the teacher we want to be and then spread that enthusiasm and determination to our students. If we want our students to see the greatness in themselves, then we have to make sure we are displaying our greatness. Learning is an enduring and collaborative experience and is far more than just a lesson plan and checking off that a standard was taught (Merrill & Merrill, 2020).
Most of my blog posts have been touching on student engagement. Well, spoiler alert, this one does too! Without student engagement there is no empowerment! If they are engaged, their voices are amplified and then they feel empowered to accomplish anything (Merrill & Merrill, 2020)! Students have so much they want to share and letting their voices be heard and encouraging dialogue is one of the easiest things a teacher can do to empower their students and is a win for everyone (Ostroff, 2020). Empowering students in the interactive class doesn't mean a classroom that is focused on becoming the next Steve Jobs, it's about rigor and creating tasks for students that challenge them but doesn't frustrate them because it is engaging and interactive (Merrill & Merrill, 2020)! Interactive lessons actually allows students to "process sensory information in a way that will lead to better overall retention" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, p. 10-11). Ultimately, we must give students a voice so that they can discover the power in their words and thoughts which will develop their desire to learn (Merrill & Merrill, 2020). Empowerment leads to relationships and these relationships can then become interactive.
How do you create an Empowering, InterACTIVE Class?
Two Words: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS! Connecting with your students on a personal level and knowing what's in their "backpacks" creates a sage, loving atmosphere in which you will be able to identify your students' needs and frustrations. Seeing the connection between your relationships with students and their engagement in the classroom is the first step which then leads to "how" you will develop and nourish these relationship (Merrill & Merrill, 2020). Interactive relationships must be "personal, positive, and proactive" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, p. 45).
"Cultivating personal relationships with students is the foundation to keeping them engaged in the interACTIVE classroom" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, p. 45).
Teacher Postcards/Letters- At the beginning and end of each school year I make it a point to mail a postcard or letter to my students. This isn't anything lengthy, but it's a simple gesture to make them feel loved and appreciated and they form a sense of connection from the get-go. Birthdays- Everyone wants to feel some love on their birthday but it doesn't require big elaborate gifts. Students, especially younger ones, love the smallest little treats on their birthdays. In my classroom, I would take a picture and send it out on ClassDojo so everyone, including parents, could wish them a happy birthday. It's the small things that mean the most!
Acknowledgement- ClassDojo was how I communicated with parents regarding things happening in the classroom. Taking quick snapshots of students working on projects or just being kids was a huge hit and made the things they were doing in the classroom feel even more important and relevant.
"As a teacher, it is your job to be the encouragement for your students when they can't seem to find it themselves" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, p. 47)
Classroom Community- What better way to encourage dialogue than giving every student a moment to shine? "Young students are inventive questioners and naturally divergent thinkers, and they are engaged and empowered by exercising their voices" (Ostroff, 2020, p. 14). This is imperative in building a positive, loving, learning atmosphere. At the beginning of the year every single person gets to be "Person of the Day" and their classmates interview them and ask them questions (what's your favorite color, food, etc.). The answers are written on chart paper and then the students get to pick one sentence to copy on their own paper. They then draw a picture and I compile everyone's papers into a book for the Person of the Day. The kids keep these in their reading bags and seriously read through them all year. Teacher Tip: This is a great way to get them writing at the beginning of the year and to see where each student is academically!
For some students, the only way you will build relationships with them is by "being proactive and seeking out positive interactions with your students" (Merrill & Merrill, 2020, p. 51)
Morning Greeting- Greet students in the hallway before they even enter the door. There are several resources out there that allow students to pick their greeting each morning (fist bump, dance, handshake, wink, etc.). My kids loved doing this every morning and it really did create a positive change. Grumpy students who hated mornings were suddenly transformed and at least didn't despise being at school and the shy students felt as though they had a voice and a special moment with just me.
I Wish My Teacher Knew- This is such a powerful writing prompt. I do not give any direction when giving this prompt to my students because I want to truly see and understand what they want me to know about them. Just a warning- be prepared with tissues!
This has probably one of my favorite topics thus far and it is something that really speaks to my heartstrings! I hope you found it "empowering"!
References
Merrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2020). The interactive class: Using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary classroom. Elevate Books Edu.
Ostroff, W. L. (2020). Empowering children through dialogue and discussion. Educational Leadership, 77(7), 14-20.
2 comments
April,
ReplyDeleteOh how I love this blog. As your former "work wife" I can attest to several of the ideas you mentioned. I think my favorite ones are Student of the Day and Morning Greetings. Empowering teachers to empower students packs a powerful punch. According to Dağgöl (2020), "learner empowerment paves the way for autonomous learning". When students feel empowered then their willingness and motivation to learn will increase.
I know this blog is about empowering students and teachers, but I think the main thing that stood out to me was your mention of using Class Dojo. Connecting parents to the classroom is so important. Using this platform or one similar to communicate the learning and happenings in your room "empowers parents to reinforce and set similar expectations at home (Dowd & Green, 2016, p. 66). Having the involvement of your parents and the roll-over at home allows students to be the best learner they can be.
References:
Daggöl, G. (2020). Perceived Academic Motivation and Learner Empowerment Levels of EFL Students in Turkish Context. Participatory Educational Research, 7(3), 21–37.
Dowd, H. & Green, P. (2016). Classroom management in the digital age: Effective practices for technology-rich learning spaces. Dowd Green Edu
April, this is so good! I bet your students love you to pieces! I can relate to a lot of what you discussed, and I am definitely stealing your postcard and your writing prompt ideas for my juniors and seniors :) It is so heartbreaking to me when I see teachers not taking the time in the first week of school to get to know their students on a more personal level. It really does make your life easier when you can relate to them personally; and the students respect you more for actually caring about them! Being proactive and building rapport in the beginning is by far the most important component of being able to have that welcoming and fun classroom environment (Merrill & Merrill, 2019). I also really like the idea of moving toward using Google Forms as a way of receiving and providing feedback, and these can be used for writing prompts as well. Turner and Hicks discuss several strategies regarding the collection of data and learning from peers, but it's also just a great way to keep all the student responses organized, private, and in one place so that we can quickly reference a response later if needed (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p 134-135). Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed reading this!
ReplyDeleteMerrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2019). The interactive class: Using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary classroom. ElevateBooksEdu.
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Heinemann.