Yesterday after school I was in the hallway at Inquiry Hub, talking to a student about an idea he is launching with one of our teachers, iHub Talks. These talks, organized by students, will be presentations on diverse topics aimed to have appeal to a variety of students and community members. During the hallway conversation another student approached us and waited for a polite time to interrupt. He told the student I was talking to that he ‘hit an error that put him in a loop that he couldn’t get out of’. The student I was talking to finished off the conversation and excused himself to go help this other student.
Educators get interrupted like this all the time. However, it is usually us that have to go help the other student. It is also usually during the school day that this happens.
I remember being asked, “How do you know when your students are learning?”
My quick response was, “When they are asking the right questions.”
Thinking about it now, I would add:
“When your students become the experts.”
“When students seek the appropriate help when they get stuck.”
“When students are motivated beyond confines of the school day.”
“When students are co-constructing or designing their own learning events and activities.”
These are subtle but important shifts in creating a personalized learning experience in a school. How do you know when students are learning?