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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Collaboratory Vision
I stole the term "Collaboratory" from David Thornburg. I think he would be happy that I am trying to so transform my classroom. In the same webinar where this term was used, Alan November added some thoughts as to what the realization of a collaboratory might be like. I took the nuggets of his remarks and added my own spin. Here is the grand vision:
The overarching goal of the 2012-2013 year is to transform
the ELA classroom into a “Collaboratory”. A collaboratory is a learning
environment that transcends classroom walls and campus schedules. It is a
secure space where students are welcomed to explore their passions and gain
meaning from applying knowledge and skills toward finding solutions to real
world problems. The collaboratory is secure as failure is not feared but
embraced as a necessary step on the path to individual and team success. In the
collaboratory, the nurtured and valued attributes to be exhibited by all
learners are courage, persistence, resilience, and empathy. To the greatest
possible degree, the collaboratory eliminates the distinction between teacher
and student and moves toward mentor-mentee and co-facilitator
relationships.
In the
collaboratory students are encouraged to engage in relevant work with friends.
Students are allowed to demonstrate mastery of curricular objectives through
the creation of products of their own design or those created through teamwork
and collaboration with others. The collaboratory will operate to insure to the
greatest extent possible that students get constructive and on-going feedback
through a combination of positive peer review and critique, thorough self
evaluation and reflection, and adult mentor/facilitator guidance and support.
The adult mentor/facilitator will manage the operation of the collaboratory
filled with enthusiasm for learning and committed to both the gathering of
student input and acting upon that input.
At the
heart of the classroom to collaboratory transformation is the insistence that
no negative stigma attaches to any learner in regard to current level of knowledge,
ability, and/or skill. Learning and growth in the collaboratory begin where the
students find themselves. Similarly, no
judgments in regard to past performance from previous years, months, or days
will be entertained or tolerated. Each
new day is a fresh opportunity for every learner’s innate abilities to be
discovered, developed, applied, expanded, shared, and celebrated.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
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