Strategic Collaboration

I chose to analyze HMH into Reading on a 3rd grade level. This curriculum integrates social studies into its reading and writing curriculum. It was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and co written by 10 authors: Kylene Beers, Joyce Carrol, Dr. Nathan Clemens, Dr. Anne Cunningham, Dr. Shane Templeton, Dr. Martha C. Hougen, Carol Jago, Erik Palmer, Dr. Robert E. Probst, and Dr. Julie Washington.

Reading through the curriculum scope and sequence, HMH lends itself to an essentialistic philosophy. Essentialism values strong cognitive and intellectual educational goals where knowledge travels from the teacher to the student.

Students are expected to learn and regurgitate what they have learned via an assessment. This forms a predictable pattern that students can rely. While this format of curriculum is trustworthy, the application of knowledge is often found lacking in regards to student engagement. Students are absorbing information without building upon previous experience or developing new schema.

When one analyzes the work of John Locke and Lev Vygotsky, there is strong emphasis on learning through experience. They both theorized that educators need to give students concrete problems that encourage independent thought and authentic learning. Vygotsky noted “that when students worked in small groups to solve problems, by discussing problems, the learners were able to talk each other through to the solutions, which is to say that by helping other group members, they collectively solved problems more efficiently than they could solve them when working alone” (Henson, 2003). Providing students authentic assessments that promote critical thinking skills will deepen their comprehension of a subject as well as hone in crucial life skills. As Vygotsky also stated, by allowing students to collaborate, the problems were often solved more efficiently; should an educator utilize collaboration more commonly, they may find extra time to dig deeper into standards and topics.

HMH into Reading did provide some moments of collaboration, but it was often weak and more of a quick discussion before working independently. . Educators need to provide students the opportunity to truly discuss, to produce debates, presentations, and open-ended questions. When students leave our classrooms, more than likely they will face these social scenarios in their career path and institutes of higher learning. We will be preparing our students with both the knowledge and the skills to enter a world outside of general schooling.

Not only will learning be deepened by students grappling with the information, but “students are also more likely to be engaged in inquiry when, in addressing an issue or problem, they entertain alternative perspectives as to how to address that issue or problem as opposed to just choosing between an either/or set of propositions based on limited information (Litman & Greenleaf, 2017 as cited in Beach, 2019, p. 11). Instead of yes and no scenarios, educators ought to present information as a building block on what they know and asking questions that potentially have more than one answer to them. We will be honing in on our student’s critical thinking and questioning. Primarily, we will keep our students engaged.

Presenting information in an environment rich with inquiry and collaboration will deepen understanding; it will also reach more of the students than a simple lecture style. Allowing the students the chance to problem solve and rationalize in a safe environment will promote autonomy and deeper critical thinking in their future endeavors. Students can lead the way in their learning, while being safely guided by the educator. The educator can ensure that the proper knowledge is garnered as he or she mentors the inquiry process.

To illustrate this point, Willow McCormick studied a first grade classroom who took a small observation and turned it into a community project. In his article, Broken Beaks: Inquiry and Activism in a First-Grade Classroom, he notes how a class discovered a dead bird on the playground next to their brand new school. The teacher mentioned how she saw a similar bird dead the other day in the same spot. Students were immediately spewing curiosity in the forms of predictions and questions on how this could be. The educator led the students on a journey of investigating the bird and its demise as well as determining why the death happened in the first place.

McCormick continues to observe this class and notes how the teacher brought in various bird experts, and allowed his students open inquiry and debate on the topic. In the end, it was discovered how glass windows had a detriment on bird species. This class then brainstormed multiple ideas on how to fix their windows to reduce any bird calamities. The students also wrote letters to their superintendent about the dilemma and how to solve the problem on a larger scale than just their school (McCormick 2019).

This educator had every opportunity to shut down this learning experience and stick to the curriculum script. Instead, he chose to use the student’s interests and a path and lead the class through authentic and meaningful learning that made a stronger impact than any essentialistic pattern could create. Collaboration. “Following the passions of the students requires critical listening, thoughtful planning, and strategic collaboration. It doesn’t mean throwing curriculum maps out the window, but recognizing and growing moments that serve as vehicles for real-world learning” (McCormick 2019).

When students are engaged, learning occurs. A simple observation of a bird led an entire class to change the way some of society functions for the equity of all species. Their awareness for their surroundings increased. The educator was able to bring in experts to deepen study as well as a lesson on writing formal letters based on student engagement. As educators, it is our duty to teach life skills and knowledge necessary for their student’s and society’s quality of life. We must find the method that teaches our students best. Based on research, children learn through experience and hands-on curriculum; debate and collaboration foster deeper understanding and enrich lessons. The essentialistic pattern of teach and assessment need to be remedied.

Did you like this example?

455

24