The Power of Collaboration

Having students work in small groups not only helps them develop important team-building skills, but it also enables students to share and construct knowledge. Adding a novel, hands-on component to the task deepens engagement and makes learning fun.

Students studying Grade 11 Biology had the opportunity to work in this way during a class on genetics. The class was introduced to the concept of inheritance patterns by having them build fictional animals named "Reebops". 

Students learned how information is passed from one generation to another, and how genes code for physical traits. They also explored how meiosis creates variation between individuals, which is why parents, and offspring have similar traits, but are not identical. 

As you can see, our students were pleased with their creations!

Make It Relevant!

One of the best ways to engage students in learning is through the exploration of relevant issues and ideas. Allowing students opportunities for sustained discussion guided by the use of personal goal setting also enhances student engagement.

The Grade 11 FSL class depicted in this entry are exploring global communities, like Canada, that have Francophone cultural roots. In this instance, students read an article on Rwanda and listened to a song performed by a Rwandan musician who now lives in Montreal.

Before initiating the discussion, students set three individual goals to ensure that the discussion remained focused and personalized. The group used the Harkness Table framework, which encouraged students to take greater ownership of their learning, a desired outcome of engagement. When debriefing the activity, students indicated they really liked the topic, as well as the format of the lesson.

Prompted to Make Connections

While writing effectively is a skill that has long been emphasized in schools, having students learn how to learn is something that features more prominently in the set of 21st century skills.

Teachers at Greenwood use writing as part of the process of learning at various points in a lesson. English teacher Connor McFarlane likes to have his students start each class by responding to a writing prompt. These prompts connect with one of the big ideas of the course and allow students the opportunity to focus, make connections and get ready to learn.

Using their laptops, students write for 10 minutes with an emphasis on making as many connections as possible.

After the 10 minutes are up, students have an opportunity to share their work with a few peers. The thinking expressed in their writing enables students to then focus on the larger topic of the day, which in this case is an exploration of how anomie or social disorder is developed in the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower.

By engaging in an activity at the outset of the class, class time is used effectively and learning is enhanced.