Modern Classrooms revolve around meaningful assignments: standards-aligned tasks that challenge students to achieve authentic understanding, and that connect as closely as possible to students’ lives and interests. In this module, you'll have the chance to explore a meaningful Modern Classroom Unit from the perspective of a student, and then time to start a designing a meaningful Modern Classroom Unit for the students you teach.
By the end of this module, you will:
Complete an exemplar Modern Classrooms Unit, in the role of a student, and reflect on your experience.
Describe the unit you want to transform into a Modern Classrooms Unit, including:
A lesson-by-lesson overview of the unit, and
An exemplar end-of-unit assessment that demonstrates student mastery.
Start off by watching the video below.
We believe strongly in learning by doing. The best way to see how a Modern Classroom operates, therefore -- and the best way to jumpstart your own planning for a Modern Classroom Unit -- is to check out an exemplar unit from one of our classrooms. We will continue to update the list below with exemplars as our teachers produce them.
Choose one of the projects below, and explore it as you think a student might. We won’t be assessing your work, but we recommend that you watch a video or two, check out the assignments, etc. The more time you spend with this exemplar, the better you’ll understand Modern Classrooms -- and the more ideas you may have for your own unit!
Correlation and Crime (Probability & Statistics project by Kareem Farah)
Demographer (Functions project by Robert Barnett)
Once you've done this, please go to your Unit Planning Template (link here) and answer the Reflection Questions for Module 1.
It’s time for you to start planning your own Modern Classroom Unit -- a blended, self-paced, mastery-based learning experience that will be meaningful to your students. Below are a few resources that might be helpful in coming up with ideas for a meaningful student experience:
A Framework for High Quality Project-Based Learning -- A great place to start in designing meaningful learning experiences for students.
Resources for Project-Based Learning -- Guidance and examples from one of the leading supporters of project-based education. See also their post about the Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning.
Edutopia articles on Project-Based Learning -- a collection of pieces about meaningful learning experiences for students in all subjects and grades. See, for example, Summer Planning for PBL and Starting Small with PBL.
When you're ready, go back to Module 1 of your Unit Planning Template and start planning your unit! You'll need to create a lesson-by-lesson breakdown of your Modern Classroom Unit, as well as an exemplar student response.
When you've finished Module 1, please complete the self-assessment survey below.