Student-centered instruction can help young students develop problem solving skills, independence, and a love of learning - but how do we do it? What does it look like and feel like in our classroom? How do we shift our practice from more traditional methods? There are MANY ways to make this happen - and it doesn’t mean that you need to change everything you do, but working towards, or improving your student-centered instruction is a great professional development goal.
One of my favorite times of the day in Kindergarten was Morning Meeting. We would do things like the calendar, sing songs, and talk about what our day looked like, but we also had a morning message. And that was sometimes written by me, and other times by students - where they could write a message to the class to ask about anything they found interesting, or wanted help to figure out. These moments of conversation helped us not only practice listening and conversation skills, but also brought out some of the most interesting and thought-provoking conversations and projects that I never would have thought of completely on my own.
The ‘morning message’ also became a useful tool at other times of the day- like to set the stage for a later lesson, or to introduce a new topic. For instance, I could ask students a question like, “How do you think a robot moves where we want it to?” and have them make a personal connection to lay a foundation for working with 123 later on that day.
What are some student-centered instruction strategies or “tips and tricks” that you have found particularly useful or meaningful in your classroom?
