Experiential Learning

In our biotechnology unit we encourage students to understand how people working in biotechnology have a direct effect on their lives and why these careers are exciting. Each yeah we have a Career Day that allows students to dress out in the attire of the biotechnology career of their choice and give a presentation detailing the life of an individual in that field. Students appreciate the opportunity to not wear the uniforms, but they also become very engaged in the standard and have shown how our daily tasks lead up to their proficiency in the unit. I have included a few pictures of my students and the work they presented.

Through the utilization of choice boards, I can give my kids more control over the way they demonstrate their understanding or choose to deepen their understanding of content. When creating choice boards, I ensure the tasks are scaffolded, appeal to various types of learners, and are still challenging. As they make their way through each task students must get my signature once they have completed a section. This allows me to check for any misunderstandings and provide feedback.

Choice boards are a great tool in my instructional strategies because they give students more control over their learning and allow them to deliver standard aligned responses in non-conventional ways. If a student is able to summarize the prevention and treatment of a disease in a rap or sonnet versus in a paper, I am still able to analyze their level of content understanding. I use choice boards during the independent practice time or for homework assignments since they can be lengthy depending on the selected activity.