#ALedchat is a weekly chat on Twitter about education topics. It is held each Monday from 9-10pmCST. While the discussion on #ALedchat continues on Twitter well beyond our weekly one-hour chat session, this platform affords us the opportunity to extend, expand and share the conversation with an even greater audience. Educators from across the state of Alabama, and the world, can come here to find encouragement, support, resources, professional growth opportunities and advice, while providing the same to their colleagues.
I'm Jennifer, co-founder of this chat & the quarterly #USedchat. Tweeting from the beach tonight, sitting next to @dpk933, President of @nassp! #ALedchat
Amber Pope, joining from Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach! Former classroom teacher, social studies, current Alabama Regional Manager for @tealsk12org#aledchat
Amber Pope, joining from Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach! Former classroom teacher, social studies, current Alabama Regional Manager for @tealsk12org#aledchat
A1 - Authentic learning is taken in and ready to be applied to new situations. Yes, you've mastered that objective but you can then see how it relates to and can be used to solve other problems #ALedchat
A1: Any learning that makes a connection to real world allowing students voice in what they are learning with an end product that impacts community and beyond. #PBL#ALedchat
A1: Authentic learning is learning that is meaningful & applicable to real-world problems. Kids don't have to ask "Why are we learning this?" #ALedchat
A1: Authentic learning is learning applied in real-life contexts. To ensure authentic learning, we must connect learning to real life. Teach in ways relevant to students. #ALedchat
A1: authentic learning is all about application. Taking what we know and applying it, testing it, seeing if our ideas hold up, and bouncing back if they don’t. #ALedchat
Authentic Learning = Real life learning. Learning that can be transferred from the classroom to REAL situations. Learning that extends beyond the textbook and beyond the screen to enable students be successful in whatever they choose to pursue after high school. #aledchat
An instructional approach that allows students to explore, discuss, & purposefully construct concepts & relationships in contexts that involve real world projects & activities meaningful to them. #ALEdchat Engagement, collaboration, 🎯 taught & accessed.
Authentic Learning = Real life learning. Learning that can be transferred from the classroom to REAL situations. Learning that extends beyond the textbook and beyond the screen to enable students be successful in whatever they choose to pursue after high school. #aledchat
A1: authentic learning is in my opinion when students can take the information and utilize it in application beyond the classroom, know the know, the why and how #ALedchat
A1: To me, authentic learning allows Ss to construct knowledge, ask critical questions about content, & see the value of learning beyond school #ALedchat
A1: authentic learning is in my opinion when students can take the information and utilize it in application beyond the classroom, know the know, the why and how #ALedchat
Key incorporation of transferable here, Christy. Our students must be able to take lessons learned from classroom tasks and apply them to different situations #aledchat#application
Key incorporation of transferable here, Christy. Our students must be able to take lessons learned from classroom tasks and apply them to different situations #aledchat#application
Great points; we have to get out of the way and let Ss get their hands on the learning, this requires the adults to be comfortable to relinquish some of the control #ALedchat
An instructional approach that allows students to explore, discuss, & purposefully construct concepts & relationships in contexts that involve real world projects & activities meaningful to them. #ALEdchat Engagement, collaboration, 🎯 taught & accessed.
A1: Authentic learning is passion driven...I think you have to spend time helping learners discover/develop passions FIRST. Then authentic learning that is student led follows. #ALedchat
Often the skills that determine success on an authentic assignment are the same skills that will serve students well long after the K-12 experience #ALedchat
A1: Authentic Learning allows Ss to take charge, to experience, to question, to strategize, to create, to share. They have buy in because it matters to them. #ALedchat
A2: What do the students already know? What is the end goal? How am I going to teach it in a tangible way so Ss can see how it applies to their life? #ALEdchat
I think it’s important to get to know students and go from there. Understanding their real world & incorporating challenges & activities based on their interests & tying it into lessons. #ALEdchat
A2: You have to facilitate students with your questioning; when could you use this skill, or where would this be beneficial in real life, gone is learning because you need this to graduate. We all want to know why we have to learn something #ALedchat
A2: How is the task connected to the target and applicable to a real world problem/experience? Are students interested in the task and passionate about it? #aledchat
A2: I try to put myself in my Ss shoes. "Who cares?", "Is this worth my time?", "When am I going to use this outside of Mrs. Jackson's classroom?" #aledchat
A2 What is the goal for S learning? What connections should Ss make? How can Ss partner to work through these tasks? What real-life application value does the tasks have? What will be Ss next steps for learning? #ALedchat#studentcentered
A2: How can I make this relevant to my Ss every day life experiences? How can we connect it to their interests? How can I avoid sound like the stereotypical old person who would say, "back in my day...?" #ALedchat
A1: Authentic learning is passion driven...I think you have to spend time helping learners discover/develop passions FIRST. Then authentic learning that is student led follows. #ALedchat
A2: It's very important to know exactly what you want Ss to learn and why. During the lesson, Ts can ask probing questions like, "What do you think?" "How do you know this?" "Can you tell me more?" If Ss can verbalize, they internalize. #aledchat
A2: When designing learning experiences, I try to focus on the end result being that students create something that will have an impact outside of our classroom. Not for my eyes only, but for their school and community. #aledchat
A2: For us, the first question is always "How can we engage them?" For me as the librarian, I always ask "How can I help make what they are learning in class come alive in a meaningful & memorable way?" #ALEdchat
Why do my students need this skill? How will they use it or how is it relevant to them? How will I deliver/introduce the problem so they care about solving it? #ALedchat
A2: Why do my students need this skill? How will they use it or how is it relevant to them? How will I deliver/introduce the problem so they care about solving it? #ALedchat
Productive struggle is so underrated! Everyone's project isn't going to turn out great, but there is value in the struggle. I love to have them reflect on what they learned at the failure points. #ALedchat
Often the skills that determine success on an authentic assignment are the same skills that will serve students well long after the K-12 experience #ALedchat
Right, Cherith. Digging into deeper learning with our Ss through the probing questions provides greater opportunity to support critical thinking #aledchat
I use power tools today for DIY projects, but I use the math I learned in school to make the measurements I need. Never got to use power tools in school. #ALedchat
Ha! Skill-saws and laptops.....both powertools but used for different purposes. Our job through the authentic learning experience is to guide students as to which option is best #ALedchat
A3: Hasn’t been recent, but when Hurricane Katrina happened & I was still a tr, boy...I believe I knocked that authentic learning out the park! Research, cross-content teaching, reenactments, written pieces, and Q&A. I could go on and on about the authentic learning. #aledchat
Use a skill saw to build one of those awesome @Jennifer_Hogan DIY's or use a laptop to build a professional educational repository that you can pull upon for many years #ALedchat
I use power tools today for DIY projects, but I use the math I learned in school to make the measurements I need. Never got to use power tools in school. #ALedchat
Out of the classroom now but one of my greatest authentic lessons was a project that required 11th graders to work in teams to develop and execute a strategic plan to increase voter turnout in their congressional district. @Powells_Library was beside me the whole way! #ALedchat
A3: I watch authentic learning in our makerspace lab daily. It's my new favorite place to visit in the school! I love seeing Ss think through, design, build, and test various creations. Perfect example of authentic learning. #aledchat
For PD tomorrow & Thursday, giving educators sandbox time to create and explore in @CanvasLMS using mastery learning & outcomes. Will be doing so with a standard they plan on teaching so the task will be productive & beneficial. #ALEdchat
A3: Last year and this year we have used Serial Season One as a gateway to information clues and context and learning about the judicial system and how prejudice can play a part. Directly ties into their own understandings & expands their horizons. #ALedchat
A3: Soc. Story. Shared news article on 25 yr. woman w/ Autism & Downs. She is accomplished painter, yet non-verbal & fully life dependent. Application= all Ss have gifts & value #ALedchat
We’ve had some wonderful maker challenges this year in all grades K-5. Kids are so tuned in and excited to deepen their learning and refine what they’ve done. Couldn’t do it without a tremendous teaching team. They make me proud every day. #ALedchat
A3: I taught teachers 5 low-prep ways to incorporate writing in a lesson. Ts wore their "student hats" then put on their "tchr hats" to debrief. #ALedchat
A3: My Ss are about to begin designing Tiny Houses, similar to the shows on HGTV. Lots of geometry and real world applications as they must describe the cost of the building process as well. #aledchat
It was a cool project! They got to see direct impact. And it started a much bigger conversation about the importance of showing up to vote, even on a local level! #ALEdChat
A3: No longer a classroom T, but I designed PD relevant to my Ts today. Walked them through reading/writing cycles allowing them to experience what Ss will experience. I try to design all PD that way. #ALedchat
A4: Our Ts have common planning daily. That makes it very convenient for them to work together to create authentic learning experiences for their Ss regularly. #aledchat
We’ve had some wonderful maker challenges this year in all grades K-5. Kids are so tuned in and excited to deepen their learning and refine what they’ve done. Couldn’t do it without a tremendous teaching team. They make me proud every day. #ALedchat
This is great, Alicia - making professional learning immediately applicable for Ts is a necessity that we should begin with each time we design our sessions #aledchat
That can be a dangerous quote, though...I would love to just sit and get from an expert...that goes against what I'm 'supposed' to want in my classroom...#ALedchat
A4 We can’t teach it authentically unless we know it intimately. You have to know a thing inside out to be able to teach it authentically or at least inside out for that level. Knowledge, understanding, then teach it #aledchat
A4: Start with the end in mind. Then, reflect throughout the process. Make changes as needed. Be flexible and prepared for change. Facilitate learning during the process. #aledchat
A3: Love Qs that provide specific take-always! @bruno_beth@kmcgough69@JenniBPeters & I designed literacy PD that includes specific strategies that can be used w/colleagues in their turnaround training #ALEdchat
In reply to
@mkiser2, @bruno_beth, @kmcgough69, @JenniBPeters
A3: I taught teachers 5 low-prep ways to incorporate writing in a lesson. Ts wore their "student hats" then put on their "tchr hats" to debrief. #ALedchat
A4: I think it requires more work on the front end but results in less work as the project/lesson progresses because you prepare the students to own the learning. Planning for authenticity requires enough flexibility to let students get in the driver's seat. #ALedchat
A4: lecture/worksheet/teacher centered is efficient (for the teacher). Authentic, personalized, student centered is effective. What kind of learning do kids need and deserve? #ALedchat
A5: Decide if the lesson going to require Ss to dig deeper and extend their thinking. If not, how can you get it to that level by enriching the activity? #ALedchat
A4: I think it requires more work on the front end but results in less work as the project/lesson progresses because you prepare the students to own the learning. Planning for authenticity requires enough flexibility to let students get in the driver's seat. #ALedchat
A4: #realtalk Struggling with this this year! 1st year LMS in a new school (from 3rd grade). Only see classes 30 mins/week. I know I've got to plan collaboratively with the Ts more! #ALedchat
True thoughts, by @DrJimmyShaw - this process requires a time investment to plan and prepare high-quality learning experiences for Ss - meaningful T planning for meaningful S learning #aledchat
A3: Love Qs that provide specific take-always! @bruno_beth@kmcgough69@JenniBPeters & I designed literacy PD that includes specific strategies that can be used w/colleagues in their turnaround training #ALEdchat
In reply to
@mkiser2, @bruno_beth, @kmcgough69, @JenniBPeters
A4: I like to function as an idea bouncer. My teachers to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and I try and make them happen.
Using the library as a transformative space for extended classroom learning has allowed us to create engaging learning opps. #ALEdchat
Take data & what you know about students to plan engaging activities, higher order thinking questions, incorporate vocabulary & literature, possible tech & project, & your PJs! 😂 #ALEdchat
A4: You have to think like the learner! When we design PD, we ask ourselves, "How will teachers respond to this? What questions will they ask? What can they take away to implement?" #ALedchat
Absolutely. Maybe this is all the “21st century learning” I’ve been hearing about… Engaging, authentic, and personally invested for the kids. Love it! #ALedchat
What grades?? I'm a 1st year LMS at a new school (K-5).. on a fixed schedule. Trying to find my place! and help make this happen! Did carboard challenge with 2nd grade.. #ALedchat
A4: Balance the focus on standards w/ learning targets and big picture relevancy to ensure Ss will understand the "why" of the lesson to create long-term learning connections #ALEdchat
Very true.....Gotta realize that perhaps the authentic learning game isn't as strong as it needs to be; usually has to be an epiphany a T has on their own; once this is realized make the change.... #ALedchat
That can be a dangerous quote, though...I would love to just sit and get from an expert...that goes against what I'm 'supposed' to want in my classroom...#ALedchat
@Powells_Library THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT YOU DO. It truly was transformative to work with a media specialist who saw herself as a partner and co-planner of learning experiences. She brought skills to the table that I wouldn't even know to want in a teaching partner. #ALedchat
A4: I like to function as an idea bouncer. My teachers to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and I try and make them happen.
Using the library as a transformative space for extended classroom learning has allowed us to create engaging learning opps. #ALEdchat
Also, if you want kids to buy in and truly engage themselves in learning because they know you want what’s best for them, stick to authenticity. #ALEdChat
A4: Balance the focus on standards w/ learning targets and big picture relevancy to ensure Ss will understand the "why" of the lesson to create long-term learning connections #ALEdchat
Old school pedagogy, but true...ensure that your lesson/activity covers each realm of the learner (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic). #aledchat
A5 provide a variety of opportunities for all to learn; we are teaching future professionals in something, have to remember that we all deserve to experience learning. #ALedchat
Always be sure to implement activities that include all learning styles. Collaborative grouping based on styles of mix it up. Always engaging & productive. If it’s boring, it won’t hold their attention. #ALEdchat
A5: Conference with your students. I truly think taking the time to meet with students and determining what will challenge them appropriately. Knowing your students is the key to everything in the classroom. #ALedchat
What grades?? I'm a 1st year LMS at a new school (K-5).. on a fixed schedule. Trying to find my place! and help make this happen! Did carboard challenge with 2nd grade.. #ALedchat
A5: Plan EVERY aspect of the lesson, from LTs to embedded texts, to discussion Qs, to formative assessments, to end-goals and summative assessments #ALEdChat
Well...that wasn't exactly what I meant with my statement, but that's ok. My classroom, for the most part, is sit and get with low-stakes quizzing thrown in. I guess it's authentic because psychology is so applicable to life. #ALedchat
A5: Know your Ss! Most important! Scaffold the lesson. Enrich with hands on activities. Provide extension activities for those who are ready. #ALEdChat
A4 By not attempting to tch topics in isolation anymore which requires one to be more thorough in planning bc you have to look for meaningful conn. btw topics in order to pull them together into one AL exp. That time on the front end gives you back time in the end. #ALedchat
A5: Plan 4 Ss to have choice in the problem they are solving & Intentionally group teams with different strengths & weaknesses. #teamworkmakesthedreamwork#ALedchat
Knowing your students will ultimately lead to growing them....Without conversations with Ss, Ts are just throwing darts; a focus approach will ensure efficiency #ALedchat
A5: Conference with your students. I truly think taking the time to meet with students and determining what will challenge them appropriately. Knowing your students is the key to everything in the classroom. #ALedchat
Old school pedagogy, but true...ensure that your lesson/activity covers each realm of the learner (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic). #aledchat
A5: The leaning experiences should contain aspects that afford the opportunity for all types of learners to be successful. For example, different levels of inquiry, student discourse, different levels of thinking, and various end products. #aledchat
Kids have to know that school is more than a test, more than grades and they deserve highly skilled adults with high expectations. This is how we foster a love of learning. Kids need the opportunity to enhance their passion and learn from adults living theirs. #ALedchat
A5: My epiphany about this came when I let go of the idea that every kid is going to learn the same thing. Students bring different strengths to the table and by letting them access a topic/concept/skill through their own strength, they can learn more deeply. #ALedchat
A5 Have to consider S learning styles, interests, and learning goals - must ask what real-life connections we want to make explicit, so that Ss see them immediately and what other connections we want Ss to make that may require deeper thinking #ALedchat
A5:One good thing about authentic learning is it's a setting that allows for student's uniqueness to be highlighted. So if it is planned effectively and truly authentic....Ss need will be met. #aledchat#CESLEAD
Exactly....authenticity is not determined by the modality; it is the product. At the end of the day is the learning something meaningful outside of the lesson of the day #ALedchat
Well...that wasn't exactly what I meant with my statement, but that's ok. My classroom, for the most part, is sit and get with low-stakes quizzing thrown in. I guess it's authentic because psychology is so applicable to life. #ALedchat
A5 Differentiating the "HOW" Ss should be allowed to collaborate by interest to accomplish your intended obj. What's AL for one might not be for another if they're "never going to use this." #ALedchat
There was a time I planned a lesson during summer because I expected students to know the material. Because they didn’t, they weren’t engaged. Moreso confused. Sometimes planning ahead isn’t beneficial. #ALEdchat
A5:One good thing about authentic learning is it's a setting that allows for student's uniqueness to be highlighted. So if it is planned effectively and truly authentic....Ss need will be met. #aledchat#CESLEAD
A5: My epiphany about this came when I let go of the idea that every kid is going to learn the same thing. Students bring different strengths to the table and by letting them access a topic/concept/skill through their own strength, they can learn more deeply. #ALedchat
A6 It went wrong when i@had knowledge of how to do a thing but I didn’t have a clear enough understanding to explain to students or other teachers what they were doing wrong, specifically, to do it correctly #KnowledgeVsUnderstanding#aledchat
A5:One good thing about authentic learning is it's a setting that allows for student's uniqueness to be highlighted. So if it is planned effectively and truly authentic....Ss need will be met. #aledchat#CESLEAD
A6: It tended not to work for me when I did not do enough planning. Students have a hard time going straight into sorting through chaos, so ensuring that they are equipped with the skills needed for each part of the learning experience is critical. #aledchat
A6: Ha ha ha-only one example? Who hasn't had this happen? Designed poetry lesson that focused more on activities than the poem! The most important aspect of lesson became a footnote. Of course, huge flop. The authenticity was in the text! Realized it, made revisions. #ALEdchat
A6: I taught HS prior to becoming an Elem AP. The biggest problem in creating AL for my Ss was ME! I got in my own way. Tradition has taught us that Ts have all the knowledge and they have to pour it into Ss. It's amazing what Ss can learn when Ts get out of the way! #aledchat
A6 when I had it planned and got that one S that asked a relevant question that I had not planned to get, a true good S question that I was not prepared for, didn't go as planned 🤦🏻♂️ #ALedchat
A6: Got a quite a list. 😊 I was the problem! Not being flexible enough and not providing the appropriate time to execute correctly bc "I had to stay on pace" with my own plans. Shameful, but I learned. #aledchat
A5: Tap into and cultivate Ss passions and unique interests. To meet their individual needs, utilize what they are interested in andinform your instruction with them in mind. #wholechild#ALedchat
Q6 #ALedchat
It has been my experience that working with experts in the field isn't always easy. like the time I landed myself in big trouble when I allowed a student to send letters to all the air force post in the US at one time. #stickysituation
A6: Authentic Learning hits roadblocks when we don’t allow learners freedom to make it their own, when we don’t give learners time and voice, basically we need to give the learner more control #aledchat
Same with me; I have been an AP at HS for almost a decade with 2ys in elementary; I have learned SO much from my elementary folks regarding AL. #ALedchat
A6: I taught HS prior to becoming an Elem AP. The biggest problem in creating AL for my Ss was ME! I got in my own way. Tradition has taught us that Ts have all the knowledge and they have to pour it into Ss. It's amazing what Ss can learn when Ts get out of the way! #aledchat
Lessons rarely go well when they are not planned well. I literally practice PD, rehearsing possible questions from Ts. I tend to think classroom lessons should be planned with the same degree of purposefulness. #ALedchat
Key leadership lesson, Michael. We must internalize our responsibility that the end result depends on us. We must be purposeful in our work to ensure the greatest chance of success for our Ss #aledchat
A6: Ha ha ha-only one example? Who hasn't had this happen? Designed poetry lesson that focused more on activities than the poem! The most important aspect of lesson became a footnote. Of course, huge flop. The authenticity was in the text! Realized it, made revisions. #ALEdchat
A7: On the teacher’s part, preparation, planning and research. I always recommend that teachers engage in the activity that they are assigning their students to complete. #aledchat
A6: I taught HS prior to becoming an Elem AP. The biggest problem in creating AL for my Ss was ME! I got in my own way. Tradition has taught us that Ts have all the knowledge and they have to pour it into Ss. It's amazing what Ss can learn when Ts get out of the way! #aledchat
A7: As a LMS, work more collaboratively with Ts to plan! My goal right now is to have one authentic "project" with each grade level, may not happen all this spring, but we'll get there! #aledchat
A7: Foster teacher-led PD to enable Ts who are SO good at planning authentic lessons to share their process for lesson design (EdCamps perfect to provide these opportunities) #ALEdChat
I want to follow up with Ts after we coteach lessons & get feedback from students on how the lesson went and what they’d like to have seen or learned that they didnt. #ALEdchat
A7: I want to pass by classrooms and hear less teacher voice and more student voice. @DavidGeurin says, "Whoever is doing the talking is doing the learning." #aledchat
A7: continue to keep authentic learning at the core of what we do; things get lost in the fast world of education, keep the eyes 👀on authentic learning #ALedchat
A7: My goal is to ensure my Ts have what is needed for authentic learning that engages & allows students to create meaningful outcomes. Ensuring they can provide the learner with opportunities to connect directly with the real world. #aledchat#CESLEAD
This is uber-powerful; we have experts in every aspect of quality teaching within our walls; gotta find a platform for them to spread the knowledge to make everyone better #ALedchat
A7: Foster teacher-led PD to enable Ts who are SO good at planning authentic lessons to share their process for lesson design (EdCamps perfect to provide these opportunities) #ALEdChat
As part of the team responsible for adult learning which impacts student learning, our goal for spring PD is to make all learning as authentic as possible for our staff. We want to engage them in ways that make it relevant to their practice! #ALedchat
Q7: For Math, have Ss figure out how to relate their interests/aspirations to curric. & collab. w/them to design a project that will grow organically. An electrician, fashion designer, app dev., etc. can find connections making it relative/meaningful/personal to them. #ALedchat
If it's authentic, it will be relevant; if it's relevant it will be memorable; if it's memorable it will be applied; if it's applied everyone wins #ALedchat
As part of the team responsible for adult learning which impacts student learning, our goal for spring PD is to make all learning as authentic as possible for our staff. We want to engage them in ways that make it relevant to their practice! #ALedchat
FA: My ultimate passion is student empowerment and authentic learning leads to that. It gives them the confidence and competence to contribute to their community & world. #ALedchat
FA: we all face the same challenges, when in doubt remember relationships matter, and this is the fastest hour of twitter #beachchatfromorangebeach#ALedchat
FA: So many! Authentic learning is a must. Observe what's happening in classrooms and provide feedback to teachers with specific examples of how to create AL experiences. #aledchat
