Packaging Content: Moving Past the ‘What’

Cross-posted from Student Engagement Blog- Chris Young

“The packaging that educators wrap around the content will have the single greatest impact on student learning.'”

When I think about “packaging” a lesson, a story comes to mind. Last spring, I did a BreakoutEDU lesson with a 2nd-grade classroom. I had the principal deliver the locked box wrapped in some leftover birthday wrapping paper. The students’ curiosities were sparked, and they were excited to see what this mysterious gift was. The lesson was amazing! Collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity was spreading throughout the classroom and also the students.

Later that day, we used the exact same lesson with another class. However, we had run out of wrapping paper. In a jam, we wrapped the box in black butcher block paper that we had found in the hallway. The principal delivered the package just as she had done earlier. Except for this time when she left, a student voiced his concerns that mysterious package wrapped in black could be a “bomb.”

Two minutes later… multiple students were crying, and a frantic call to the principal had to be made to assure all of the class that the package was safe and fun. If the BreakoutEDU box had been wrapped in rainbows and butterflies as it was before, the nefarious thought that it could be a bomb would have never entered the student’s mind. The packaging that educators wrap around the content will have the greatest impact on student learning.

“Oh my gosh- we are a quarter of the year in, and I have so much more to cover.”

As educators, we tend to get wrapped up on ‘what’ we are teaching. After all, it is possible that our journey to education began with a love of writing, science, social studies, etc.. To further the push toward the ‘what’, PLC (data) meetings where we delve into test scores with our colleagues is becoming the norm. In such a high stakes world of education, the ‘what’ is at the forefront. If we want our students to truly learn and connect to ‘what’ we are teaching, then we must shift our focus to some other question words… Enter ‘why’ & ‘how.’

The Why

If you are lucky enough to attend an EdTechTeam Summit or other educational technology conferences, you will likely learn about the power of ‘why’. If the content you are teaching is given a purpose, then students will take ownership, and the learning then becomes a partnership between student and teacher. Powerful.

This video from Michael Jr. does an amazing job at demonstrating just how impactful the ‘why’ can be

The How

If we take a look at the Richard DuFour’s PLC (data-driven decision making) process, they are traditionally driven by four very strong and valid questions.

1. What do we want students to learn? (The What)
2. How will we know if they’ve learned it? (Assessment)
3. What will we do if they didn’t learn it? (Reteaching)
4. What will we do if they already know it? (Differentiation)

The PLC process, by design, turns the child into a data point to determine the path of learning. Consider the PLC process as a GPS to determine the roadmap for ‘what’ needs learned. What good is GPS if you don’t know ‘how’ to use it? Furthermore, what good is a GPS that doesn’t update or respond to traffic or construction? (Bless you, Waze!) What if before we even considered ‘what’ we want students to learn, we shifted to the ‘how’ our students will best learn?

Teachers that seek to determine how to best teach their students should start with student engagement. All students walk into the school building each day with the potential to be hooked! This essentially makes the educator a salesperson of the curriculum.

As an educator, what are you doing to get students to invest? Each child has their engagement for sale, but the real challenge in teaching is that each student may have a different currency. What are your students’ engagement currencies? Without student engagement, everything we teach is nothing.

Pivoting The PLC

Would PLCs become more personal and thereby effective if these were the driving questions?

1. What do we want students to learn? (The What)
2. Why do students need to learn it? (The Why)
3. How will my students best learn? (The How)
4. How will we know if they’ve learned it? (Assessment)
5. What will we do if they didn’t learn it? (Reteaching)
6. What will we do if they already know it? (Differentiation)

As educators, we all know that our students are more than a score on an assessment. We must consider the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ in our lesson design to make learning both personalized and personal for students. This package of engagement will allow us to cultivate those important connections with and for our students.

Take a page from my failed BreakoutEDU lesson and wrap your learning experiences in rainbows and butterflies or whatever wrapping paper that is going to fit your students.

The Student Engagement Challenge

Are you a teacher that always wants what is best for your students? Do you believe in the power of growth mindset? If you answered yes, then you are ready to take the “Student Engagement Challenge!”

Print these custom Plickers cards (double sided) to get instant student engagement feedback. This is the data that will help you custom-package your curriculum for students, which will ultimately lead to results in the classroom!