The Classroom Experience

Photo by Sergei Akulich on Unsplash

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As professional educators, we curate the classroom experience. A year of pandemic teaching has taught me that the content + community + universal design + creativity = the classroom EXPERIENCE that is essential to learning. This experience can happen virtually but middle schoolers crave the authentic classroom connection experience.
The "authentic experience framework" requires a classroom to be a place of inquiry, curiosity, exploration, practice, feedback, discovery, and creation. 
In 2021 I believe we need to declare the end of the old model of lecture, take notes, and write a paper or pass a test (at least for middle school. Please!)
​Let's face it, social-emotional competence is not triaging for 2021. When we go "back to normal" our middle school mission must be social and emotional health first.
Balance just might be the most important SEL competency we can teach.
Let's think of the classroom experience as our framework:
1. Upon entering your classroom students are welcomed. 
2. You've established a brave space that is safe and inclusive. This reduces stress and anxiety.
3. Instead of a bell-ringer think of each day's start as a warm-up. This is a gentle stretch for the mind or a meditative moment in the classroom space. 
4. Strive to make the warm-up a time when everyone participates. No-stakes or low-stakes questions. Middle school is about joy. It's about seeing where you fit in and taking risks with a safety net.
5. Lay out the agenda for the day.
6. Although some would argue for a structured, regimented schedule, I think a menu of activities works really well for middle school. Each week we do some inquiry, some knowledge building, some skill practice, some collaboration, and some exploration. Every week we try to connect to art or music. 
7. Curiosity can be kindled through choice, support, second chances, and encouragement. This is the framework for learning.

As the curator of this classroom experience, I have the same internet information resources at my fingertips that students do but as a professional educator (and a professional public historian) I know how to find balanced sources. I teach children to source, close read, contextualize, and look for bias before building an argument. 

Yes, the textbook is rarely the centerpiece of my curated classroom and although this may frighten some, my expertise in curation is actually one of my most important skills as a 21st-century educator. To meet the needs of students with vastly different reading levels, attention levels, interests, motivation levels, and multilingual capabilities, I need to universally design with multiple access points to information. I also need to consider the capabilities of students with special needs, those with learning disabilities, and other exceptional learners. I value the inclusion of every learner and want each to succeed. This means trying my best to find the source that will build confidence when needed or stretch their skills whenever possible.