This is the first installment of a three-part series. Be sure to check out part 2 and part 3, available now.
What does an actual school leader use to inform their work as they implement student-centered practices, instruction, and professional development for their staff? This Student-Centered Learning Podcast series gets to the heart of this very question in a compelling conversation between host Arthur Baraf, who is also principal at The MET School in Rhode Island, and instructional leader, Alin Bennett. Baraf, an educator for over 17 years in student-centered schools, shares recommendations for resources for educators who want to hit the ground running with student-centered instruction as they begin their careers. Bennett adds the teacher perspective and details how these resources have been useful to him as an instructional leader at The MET. The resources are actionable tools and strategies that have been field-tested by Baraf and his staff and have proven to help improve student agency and bring deeper learning outcomes for their students.
Resources
1. The Question Formulation Technique
This resource is a useful tool to help students ask more and better questions that can help them find meaningful connections to the content in lessons.
2. Essential Questions: Chapter 1. What Makes a Question Essential? By Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
This resource defines what an essential question is, and explains how it can drive lessons and improve student inquiry and critical thinking skills.
3. Buck Institute for Education
This resource is useful to understand what the “gold standards” are for project-based learning and offers great visuals and tools for implementation.
This resource offers research on project-based learning as well as videos to see project-based learning in action, in a user-friendly interface.
5. Work that Matters: A Teacher’s Guide to Project-Based Learning
This resource offers explainers, examples, and resources on how to do multiple drafts, critiques, and exhibitions, and how to ensure these modes of learning are most meaningful.
This resource is useful for seeing examples of exemplary student work from K-12 students which includes writing, lab reports, and art, which can be a proof point for the effectiveness of the project-based learning model.
This is part one in a series developed by the Student at the Center Hub team and Arthur Baraf, a Students at The Center Distinguished Fellow, principal of The MET, an innovative public school in Providence, Rhode Island and the host of The Student-Centered Learning Podcast. Subscribe and stay tuned for more episodes or check out the archives for a variety of SCL topics on Podomatic, Stitcher or iTunes.