The Center of Gravity

Who should be at the center of gravity in the classroom? The teacher or the student? In the old education models it was the teacher, but in the 21st century classroom the teacher needs to let go of control and put students in control of their own learning. 

Often teachers struggle with how to teach students to research especially in the elementary grades. They end up assigning students a research project on biographies or animals; however, in 2000 I decided my third graders could choose their own research question. I felt they would learn to love research if they chose their own question rather than having it assigned. I would trudge to the public library and get a book for each chosen topic. Times have certainly changed and technology has allowed students to explore their research questions in deeper, more meaningful ways.
 
I read an article by Catlin Tucker, featured Keynote speaker at a MassCUE fall conference, called “More Than A Google Search.” She talks about the importance of teaching her 9th graders research skills. She described many of the things I have taught third, fourth and fifth graders, causing me to reflect on the importance of starting to teach young students search skills at an early age. 

Using BrainPOP as a resource, we watched videos and held class discussions on Internet searching, online safety, online sources, citing sources, digital etiquette, and plagiarism. On the SMARTboard I took the time to show students how to do an online search. We talked about using Boolean operators to limit our searches, power of key words, citing sources, the credibility of the URLs we are viewing (.gov, .org, .edu, .com), and how certain sources like Wikipedia are not trusted sources of information but can be used for fabulous images to support our research.
 
Armed with search skills, the learners set to work on a student designed research project called the Why Files. Catlin says, “The beauty of a student-designed research question is that it will lead to a more meaningful research project because students are able to focus on a topic that interests them. Asking good questions is a hard skill to master. But it is absolutely necessary to lifelong learning.” 

Children need experiences that give them real world exposure. They benefit from inquiry-based learning that requires them to access a variety of skills and strategies, and they need to be in charge of their own learning to develop a love of research.

Students began their work with fierce wonderings. They were asked to think about big questions that they do not know the answers to. We formed PLCs in the classroom based on questions being asked. Students then developed topics based on their initial question, and then formed higher-level questions about their topic. 

Examples of things students wondered about were ‘What happens after a star explodes? What are the differences between white and brown sugar? Why do pigs live in mud? What happens if two different types of blood mix together? Why should we study genetics? What are the threats to the rain forest?' 

In those questions alone I saw future veterinarians, doctors, scientists, engineers, teachers, and astronomers!  Students took notes and developed an expository piece that was turned into a Google site of their collaborative research. They reflected on their work, thinking about content, group skills, and leadership attributes. As Catlin says these “students were no longer consumers of information, but were also generators of information.”

My challenge to elementary teachers is to get students asking questions and answering them. John Dewey described the old education as an approach in which “the center of gravity is outside the child. It is in the teacher, the textbook, anywhere and everywhere you please except the immediate instincts and activities of the child himself.” It is time to place the students in the center of gravity and have their interests and purposes as a point of departure. I can promise you it is a lot more fun orbiting their universe than being at the center.