Student Directed Learning
In AP Human Geography you will be directing your own learning. You will have choices and be able to decide how to spend almost half of your time in class. Read on to understand why.
"Genius Hour" "20% time" These are a couple of ways to describe putting people back in charge of some of their time while at work; and it is what success in the 21st century looks like.
Google allows their employees to allocate 20% of their time at work (1 day a week) to their own creativity and passion projects and this time is responsible for some of their most succesful innovations. In this class you will be able to choose a yearlong passion project, as well as choose from different learning tasks in within each level of learning, advancing from exploratory (vocabulary and reading) to application (current events, applying geographic models) and synthesis (Socratic seminars, challenging multiple choice and writing questions). My role will be to explain difficult concepts through direct instruction (notes) once per week, and to provide the choices for learning activities that will help you gain understanding of the material through activities that suit your learning style and interests. Our relationship will be supportive and my goal is to encourage you to do your best and help you understand anything that is confusing.
Our weekly schedule/work cycle will start on Fridays and will typically look like this:
Friday: Students choose their work tasks for the level of learning we are on (see sample grid) and begin working.
Monday: Students work independently on their chosen work tasks, with the goal of completing assignments by the end of class on Monday. Most assignments are saved in your portfolio so I can take a look, but there are no "grades" and work is either accepted or you will be asked to revise or redo it if it doesn't meet the standard.
Tuesday: Students will take notes and ask questions as I explain the new material for the week, at the end of class students will receive study questions to work on for block day
Block Day: Students will come to class having worked on the study questions and all students will be assigned a small group. Students will go over the questions in the small group and be assigned one or two of the questions to present to the rest of the class. For the last 45 minutes students will listen as small groups go over the questions up front. Sometimes this format will involve a full class Harkness discussion instead of small group work. I will announce this every Tuesday so you will know what to expect.
Friday: The cycle starts again and students will choose new work at the next level of understanding.
*Holidays, guest speakers, special schedules etc., will interrupt the cycle, but each unit grid will be your guide.
"Genius Hour" "20% time" These are a couple of ways to describe putting people back in charge of some of their time while at work; and it is what success in the 21st century looks like.
Google allows their employees to allocate 20% of their time at work (1 day a week) to their own creativity and passion projects and this time is responsible for some of their most succesful innovations. In this class you will be able to choose a yearlong passion project, as well as choose from different learning tasks in within each level of learning, advancing from exploratory (vocabulary and reading) to application (current events, applying geographic models) and synthesis (Socratic seminars, challenging multiple choice and writing questions). My role will be to explain difficult concepts through direct instruction (notes) once per week, and to provide the choices for learning activities that will help you gain understanding of the material through activities that suit your learning style and interests. Our relationship will be supportive and my goal is to encourage you to do your best and help you understand anything that is confusing.
Our weekly schedule/work cycle will start on Fridays and will typically look like this:
Friday: Students choose their work tasks for the level of learning we are on (see sample grid) and begin working.
Monday: Students work independently on their chosen work tasks, with the goal of completing assignments by the end of class on Monday. Most assignments are saved in your portfolio so I can take a look, but there are no "grades" and work is either accepted or you will be asked to revise or redo it if it doesn't meet the standard.
Tuesday: Students will take notes and ask questions as I explain the new material for the week, at the end of class students will receive study questions to work on for block day
Block Day: Students will come to class having worked on the study questions and all students will be assigned a small group. Students will go over the questions in the small group and be assigned one or two of the questions to present to the rest of the class. For the last 45 minutes students will listen as small groups go over the questions up front. Sometimes this format will involve a full class Harkness discussion instead of small group work. I will announce this every Tuesday so you will know what to expect.
Friday: The cycle starts again and students will choose new work at the next level of understanding.
*Holidays, guest speakers, special schedules etc., will interrupt the cycle, but each unit grid will be your guide.
What about grades?
Research is increasingly showing that grades are working counter to student motivation for authentic learning.
Grades sometimes encourage students to focus on meeting minimum requirements or "gaming the system" by checking off tasks, rather than on learning. Grades can create tension between students and teachers which serves as an impediment to learning.
How will you know if you are successful in this class? I will still be evaluating your work, but with you. We will conference every 2 to 3 weeks, and at least once per unit. You will share your portfolio of work, and because I am able to spend time circulating through the room we should have a better relationship and you should be asking questions every day. If the level of your portfolio work isn't acceptable, I will let you know and ask you to make changes or possibly even redo individual assignments. Portfolio items will either be accepted and receive a 100%, or you will be asked to keep working on it until it meets the standards. Learning is a process and you are being asked to embrace the process. You will still see items in the online grade book, including your tests and quiz grades, but the grade that is being calculated is feedback and not final until you and I meet for a grade conference at the end of the quarter. You will justify the grade you believe you deserve by sharing your portfolio of work. I hope to be able to agree with your self-assessment. If I can't I will explain why not in detail.
Grades sometimes encourage students to focus on meeting minimum requirements or "gaming the system" by checking off tasks, rather than on learning. Grades can create tension between students and teachers which serves as an impediment to learning.
How will you know if you are successful in this class? I will still be evaluating your work, but with you. We will conference every 2 to 3 weeks, and at least once per unit. You will share your portfolio of work, and because I am able to spend time circulating through the room we should have a better relationship and you should be asking questions every day. If the level of your portfolio work isn't acceptable, I will let you know and ask you to make changes or possibly even redo individual assignments. Portfolio items will either be accepted and receive a 100%, or you will be asked to keep working on it until it meets the standards. Learning is a process and you are being asked to embrace the process. You will still see items in the online grade book, including your tests and quiz grades, but the grade that is being calculated is feedback and not final until you and I meet for a grade conference at the end of the quarter. You will justify the grade you believe you deserve by sharing your portfolio of work. I hope to be able to agree with your self-assessment. If I can't I will explain why not in detail.
Absences
If you miss class, especially more than one class, it is your responsibility to keep up with what you should be learning. You will use the grid to see what your choices are for the week's learning tasks, and catch up in a timely manner so you don't get too far behind. Take some time to meet with me, especially after an extended absence, so you understand what the expectations are for getting caught up. Schedule a FLEx period to come in and get organized and back on track. All work must be completed before taking a unit test.