The Director's Cut: Designing Learning Experiences That Work!!

I had the opportunity to work closely with our Visual Performing Arts Department last week during our Plan, Observe, Debrief sessions. This was the first time that the VPA was part of POD. It was a great experience. I was able to see that even though each teacher within VPA teaches something different there were many similarities across the classes. Ultimately, each class is working towards an end culminating product such as a piece of artwork, an original webpage, a musical performance, a theatre performance, or a coordinated marching event. The content standards are very specific yet allow for creativity and expression. Students are working as a larger team in each class. Therefore, instruction is delivered to better not only the individual but the group as a whole. Students see a greater value in investing time and energy in their piece because the whole is only as strong as the weakest link.

This keeps bringing me back to our XQ Super School redesign proposal. Students want their instruction to have purpose and want to be part of something more than just a classroom in isolation. My challenge to you this week is to reach out to colleagues in other discipline fields and see what content is being delivered. How could you partner together to bridge the two content areas and create a learning experience for the students that could be even more meaningful and richer than if you just planned in isolation?

In planning for each day ask yourself this question: What do I want my students to learn today? Then from there the sky is the limit with how you approach the instruction that fosters the learning. The more relevant and meaningful the instruction, the more your students will be engaged and walk away knowing more than when they walked through your classroom door.

Take advantage of the Pineapple Room and share your ideas!