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| How do you tailor the learning program to "fit" children. |
The fine art of tailoring also holds a place in education--programs that "fit" the children succeed.
This week I said to students, "We don't fit you to the program, we fit the program to you and that's why, in these first few weeks of school, we keep making changes. We're learning about you, and we want the teaching/learning program to be a good fit."
So how does this education tailoring happen?
What are the goals?
First, there's an understanding of the community goals. What are the learning expectations for these students?
Who are your students?
Then there is the student data--what do these students look like on paper; what are their stats? Who is meeting the goals, and who is still reaching for the identified goals?
How do your students act?
After that, comes observation. Who are these students? What do they like, and what don't they like? How do they learn? What makes them smile, grimace, get to work, ask questions, and engage?
Choreograph Learning
Next, choreograph the learning experiences and day's schedule. Watch, take notes, and identify what works and what requires change. Reflect, tweak, and try it different ways. Eventually create patterns--patterns that maximize engagement, empowerment, happiness, curiosity, questions, and learning.
Engage Students in the Process
Frame new learning experiences with patterns that work for the class. Continue to reflect, revise, refine, and review. Stop now and then to have a class meeting, and ask students What do you need? What do you want? and What do you desire? Respond to their needs, and enlist their help (and possibly the help of the learning community including families, colleagues, leaders, and citizens in the response).
Converse and Continue
Continue the conversation as you tailor the program to the students, and not the other way around. This is what good teaching is.
