Students Are the Best Teachers

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Recently, students in my Creative Writing Class gave presentations on teaching figures of speech. Projects included PowerPoint demonstrations, dramatic videos, live active quizzes and Kahoot quizzes. The variety of instruction engaged students and they did well on a follow-up Mimio quiz. Students in my English classes have been conducting themed PowerPoint vocabulary reviews all year and will create grammar presentations as well. They utilize both peer and within group participation evaluations. The repetition and active learning has helped retention of knowledge as supported by rising grades on follow-up quizzes and even recent state assessments.
More and more students have been required to become active participants in their learning, and as instructors, it is essential that we give them the tools necessary to collaborate with us in obtaining instruction that is both classic and current, and engaging and enhancing in its presentation in order to result in true and lasting knowledge. Already high school students are required to participate in at least one online course, and due to testing and assessment demands from both county and state, this mode of educational presentation will certainly be required of all grade levels in the future.
Currently, Broward County Schools has purchased and required that its teachers utilize Canvas as a means to organize, record, present, and assess course curriculum. Mastery of this program allows instructors to utilize exemplary course units created by other teachers, but also to use creative application of discussion units, quizzes, and developed content as well as create new quizzes in various formats. Students could also utilize this program to create their own teaching tools and assessments.
It is not that this is a new concept. Fifty years ago a common fifth grade project would be for a student to create a detailed notebook with facts, maps, and picture about the history of Florida. It might be surprising to find out how many grandparents still remember and even possess these projects that they proudly presented to their classmates. Sometimes this would even coincide with a class trip to the state capital, Tallahassee. The point is that students derived lasting knowledge from this project and its presentation that went far beyond any that a single teacher could have “instructed.” Now, with current technology, students themselves are even developing their own 360 degree virtual reality walking tours of the capital by coding video, pictures, and facts utilizing Go Pro Cameras, drones, a VR headset, and Oculus technology. This is currently available in some Broward County classrooms.
All teachers have the opportunity to find a creative way for students develop exciting additions to classroom instruction that lies somewhere between the handwritten and drawn Florida histories and the advanced and expensive technology that produces virtual reality for all grade levels and all curricula.

OUTCOMES
MEASUREABLE:
• Students will create instruction, practice, and assessment for a particular educational focus.
• Students will engage in cooperative learning groups to produce a digital presentation for
classroom instruction.
• Students will assess within group participation and other group presentations.
• Students will create a lesson plan for other teachers to use in their instruction.
• 85% of students will show mastery in these areas according to a focused grading scale (rubric).


LESSON PLAN
This is an example of a lesson plan on “Students Are the Best Teachers” for an English class. This can be adapted to other curricular areas.
Title: Students Are the Best Teachers
Curriculum Area: Creative Writing, Language Arts, all curricular areas and grade levels
FLORIDA CORE STANDARDS
Students will:
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.1b: Determine which piece(s) of evidence provide the strongest support for inferences, conclusions or summaries in a text.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.2a: Determine the central idea of a text.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.2b: Determine how the central idea develops.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.2c: Determine how key details support the development of the central idea of a text or an adapted grade-appropriate text.
• LAFS.910.RI.2.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.2d: Provide/create an objective summary of a text or an adapted grade-appropriate text.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.3a: Analyze key points throughout a text to determine the organizational pattern or text structure.
• LAFS.910.RI.1.AP.3b: Identify connections between key points.
LAFS.910.RI.3.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums.
G.K12.5.3.3b Technology - Understand: Demonstrate the ability to propose new uses for
current technology.
SP.PK12.DH.3.7b Use a variety of specialized telecommunication technology
SP.PK12.US.11.1 Use tools and/or assistive technology to complete daily routines and tasks.
SP.PK12.US.3.5 Use instructional and assistive technology to locate and access information
SP.PK12.US.7.1 Use technology and assistive devices as needed to communicate or enhance messages in a meaningful and functional manner
SC.68.CS-CP.3.1 Select appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety
of tasks and solve problems.
Depending upon particular content area, other standards will apply. These are the ones
that applied to the particular English and Creative Writing projects I used.

Subject Area: Creative Writing, English, Drama, Audio/Video, (all curricular areas)

Materials/Equipment: Go Pro/video Camera or smart phone, Computer w/internet access, projector, can use Mimio Teach/Mimio votes
Technology Computers with internet access
Color Scanner/Printer with ink and paper
Digital camera/ camcorder/ Smart Phone
Editing program (PowerPoint, Prezzi, Keynote,Google Slides, iMovie, Windows
Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro)
Learning Outcomes:
• Students will create instruction, practice, and assessment for a particular educational focus.
• Students will engage in cooperative learning groups to produce a digital presentation for
classroom instruction.
• Students will assess within group participation and other group presentations.
• Students will create a lesson plan for other teachers to use in their instruction.
• 85% of students will show mastery in these areas according to a focused grading scale (rubric).
Evaluation/Assessments:
• Instructor and peers will evaluate work, using rubrics.
• All viewers of the instructional projects will fill out a peer evaluation rubric to
serve as feedback to determine the effectiveness of the student projects. The instructor
will use the rubric to determine a group grade.
• All groups will evaluate each member within the group for their particular participation. The
instructor will review these as part of her evaluation.
Adaptations: (For students with exceptionalities)
• B14 Demonstrations
• C7 Cooperative Learning (Peer Evaluation)

Process:
1. Students will choose an idea, concept, formula, vocabulary term, or specific focus from the course curriculum from which they can create a lesson, presentation, and assessment for the entire class.
2. Projects may incorporate utilizing Go Pro/ video/digital cameras to create video or slide presentations, incorporate panel discussions or debates, or PowerPoint projects with embedded music/video. Students may even create procedure for which peers may operate a learning center, or serve as a mentor/teacher for that center. Teachers or students may videotape students giving the lesson and save in Google Docs or OneDrive that students may access as the need for review arises. Presentations may also be saved on jump drives that students may check out for instruction.
3. Students will present projects to their class and each member and the instructor will fill out an assessment rubric for evaluation.
4. Projects may be saved for future use by students for review.

EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
• All viewers of the created projects will fill out a peer evaluation rubric to serve as feedback
to determine the effectiveness of the student projects. The instructor will use the rubric
to determine a group grade.
•All groups will evaluate each member within the group for their particular participation. The
instructor will review these as part of her evaluation.
• While instructors will include benchmark assessments throughout the planning and creation
of the project, the final grade will be on the project assessment utilizing the grading
rubric.

Peer Evaluation Rubrics
CATEGORY 1 2 3 4 5 COMMENTS
INFORMATION/CONTENT
The information is correct and
clearly presents the focus concept.
PRESENTATION
The presentation is organized and
illustrates thoughtful planning and
execution.
CREATIVITY
The project is creative and unique
in its presentation.
OVERALL IMPACT
The presentation engages the
audience by being both educational
and entertaining. It is helpful in allowing
the audience to remember the primary
source material from which it was taken.

Peer Evaluation of Group Presentations 1=poor 5= excellent
18-20 A
16-17 B Evaluator
14-15 C
12-13 D Name of Presentation ____________________________________________________
Peer Participation Rubric

CATEGORY 1 2 3 4 5 COMMENTS
PLANNING

The student was an active
participant in the planning
of this project and a strong
contributor of ideas.

ENGAGEMENT
This student was consistently
active in working on this project
and turned in all required work.
COOPERATION
This student work well with peers
and was respectful of the
contribution of others.
OVERALL IMPACT
This student was a driving force
in the planning and completion of
this project.

Peer Evaluation of Group Participation 1=poor 5= excellent
18-20 A
16-17 B
14-15 C
12-13 D Name of participant ____________________________________________________


ROOT WORD GROUP WORKSHEET
Name_________________________
Root Word_____________________________________
Root Definition____________________________________
Word _____________________________________________________
Part of speech___________________________
Definition______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usein a sentence ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Name_________________________<br>RootWord_____________________________________
Root Definition____________________________________
Word _____________________________________________________
Part of speech___________________________
Definition______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usein a sentence ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Name_________________________<br>RootWord_____________________________________
Root Definition____________________________________
Word _____________________________________________________
Part of speech___________________________
Definition______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usein a sentence ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Name_________________________<br>RootWord_____________________________________
Root Definition____________________________________
Word _____________________________________________________
Part of speech___________________________
Definition______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usein a sentence ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Name_________________________<br>RootWord_____________________________________
Root Definition____________________________________
Word _____________________________________________________
Part of speech___________________________
Definition______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usein a sentence ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
ADAPTATIONSTO OTHER CURRICULA
Grades 1-5: Groups can design their own lessons and as a group present them to the class. The lesson would include key elements of a concept, examples, and an assessment. Canvas includes several quiz formats to create assessments. Students can utilize projected quizzes made in Canvas or PowerPoint or create paper quizzes for peers. They can also utilize phones and make Kahoot quizzes. https://kahoot.it

Math: As math depends upon building an understanding of foundation addition, times tables, formulas, and concepts. These often need to be repeated until mastery is achieved. Students could create teaching tools of a one particular concept that could be accessed and repeated until mastery is achieved. They could be uploaded to You Tube or saved on jump drives for students to check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0_TWQTrJ-k

Geography: Students either as individuals or as a group can teach about their native country. There can even be a panel discussion with predetermined topics such as education, fashion, music, literature, activities, culture etc. where peers could ask questions about these areas. Accompanying PowerPoints could add visuals and audio to these discussions.

History: Students as individuals or groups can pick a decade of American history and present it like Ken Burns, a Powerpoint, or series of videos showing the daily life, music, art, theatre, literature, scientific discoveries, and key events and people.

Science: As individuals or groups, students can present a scientific concept to the class. Students can even give a live presentation of their science project.