This week marks the last FULL week of school and the sense of accomplishment is palpable. The teachers and the students are all ready for the break; but as we wind down for the summer, I am already thinking about next year. With the thoughts of more student-led learning in the future, what is best? Do you limit the number of students? Do students get to pick and work with their friends?
This is the point where your teacher instincts should take over. One, you should be having numerous performances throughout the year as to ensure that students get as many chances as possible to perform in as many configurations as possible. What we have to realize as teachers is that sometimes allowing the students to “fail” allows them to learn the most. We should allow them to work with their friends. We should allow them to experience the unequal work load in order to express the importance of sharing the workload and working to better the team.
There are still so many aspects to allowing students to choose their path that provides them with a multitude of learning opportunities. Of course, this is just the beginning of a conversation and we are each allowed to carry our own opinions.
ChadBMusic 