How Do You Plan to use COVA to Create Significant Learning Environments?
So, how will I continue to use Choice Ownership Voice and Authentic learning opportunities to create a significant learning environment in my classroom? What I’ve learned over the course of the past year, is that I’m already using the COVA method to a large extent in my classroom. My research, which can be found >>>here<<<, has shown that using project-based learning, along with the flipped classroom, which we would consider a hybrid learning model, allows kids the opportunity to have Choice Ownership Voice and Authentic learning opportunities. What I need to do now is incorporate a COVA style project into every learning unit that I have. My innovation plan has been re-focused to Geography and Government. As I have spoken about in other posts, in our Geography PLC we started off by allowing each teacher to come up with a one-week lesson plan. At the time, there were nine teachers and so the lessons are a mix of styles. As a result, I believe that our PLC needs to go back and redefine what we consider a valuable and valid lesson plan. This will allow COVA principles to be put in place at a greater level.
How Will You Give Learners Access to COVA?
I’ve talked at length about how projects present an opportunity for students to participate in the COVA learning method. I want to take a moment and just talk about a COVA assignment that I do that is on paper. I would not call this assignment a project. This is part of my 2nd Amendment assignment.
If you look at the two sides of the sheets, there is a pro side of the paper, and a con side of the paper. The question that comes about now is, how does this assignment give students Choice Ownership and Voice through Authentic learning opportunities? This assignment is the second amendment, which is a California State Standard, so it’s required teaching. The first box on the pro side of the sheet asks kids for their own argument in favor of gun ownership. The first box on the con side of the sheet asks kids for their own argument against gun ownership. The kids have to argue both sides and because they have choice, they put more voice into the side that they agree with. They have an authentic learning experience because they are talking about the Second Amendment and how they feel about guns, this is a choice that they will have to consider as they go through their adult life. Student motivation is an issue, and I have discussed this issue in the past. However, for the kids who are interested in learning, their voice comes through via the effort they put into each box. They don’t have to convince me what side they’re on because their voice comes through. Many students find this assignment authentic because it deals with decisions that they make regularly.
Again, I am trying to illustrate with my 2nd amendment sheet that COVA doesn’t always have to be tied to a major project. You can create a significant learning environment by making kids apply the knowledge, strategize, and extend their thinking by applying the concepts to real life.
How Do I Prepare My Learners for the COVA Approach?
In terms of preparing my learner’s for the COVA approach, I try to let it happen naturally. I do tell the kids this class is probably going to be a little bit different from what you expect. However, I don’t promise the kids that they’re going to have fun, I don’t promise the kids that they’re going to learn a lot, I don’t promise the kids that we’re going to be amazing everyday. I just start my class off with a project, and then they get it. When they ask me questions, I ask them questions back. When they ask me if they are doing something wrong in the assignment, I ask them if they are following the rules. That often is not enough, so they ask me again, am I doing it right so that I will get points? I ask them if they have solved the problem according to what is right for them.
How Do I Prepare my Colleagues to Create a Significant Learning Environment
As it relates to my Geography PLC, our PLC needs to reconsider the make-up of our units. The units have minimal flow. The lessons follow the book, and there isn’t anything innovative . I’m going to have to use the principles that I learned in the >>>4 Disciplines of Execution<<< to try and influence the PLC. I don’t want to spoon-feed the other teachers the projects. As I take a moment to reflect, I need to point out that we had a discussion earlier in the course regarding “passing the baton” of an initiative. If I start an initiative, I must prepare the people who are working with me on that initiative to be able to carry out the initiative after you’re gone. If I don’t, the initiative will end when I stop fighting for it. What I’ve noticed over the course of the past seven years is that people want to give the projects to their classes, but they don’t want to do the work required to build the projects. So what happens? They ask me for the projects, and what I have started doing is giving them the projects that I’ve attempted that had some roadblocks. What purpose does this serve? It’s simple, if they just want the project they’ll do the project and they won’t come back to tell me that there were issues. In short, I am really going to have to implement my >>>Influencer Model<<<.
Student Motivation, Yet Another Challenge
Another challenge that I face is motivation. Let’s be very clear, >>>student motivation<<< is extremely important. On Wednesday, I had a student say that he would just rather do his work on paper. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do your work on paper, but he didn’t want to do the project. Why? The reason why he didn’t want to do the project is because he wanted to be on autopilot. He wanted to be able to just talk with his friends without having to think, contemplate, plan, analyze or evaluate a situation or circumstance. The COVA method goes against years of what students have experienced.
References
Harapnuik , D. (2017, October 31). 4 keys to CSLE+COVA. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/9fQTesktinM.
Harapnuik, D. (2015, May 8). Creating significant learning environments (CSLE). YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/eZ-c7rz7eT4.
Harapnuik, D. (2015, May 8). Creating significant learning environments (CSLE). YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/eZ-c7rz7eT4.
Harapnuik, D. (2017, October 31). CSLE+COVA explainedDwayne Harapnuik. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/lby4-CQhIvI.
Harapnuik, D. (2018, February 13). Cova approach. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/-Ft__0LE3qQ.
Harapnuik, D. (2020, December 24). Assessment as learning. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/WLmxREQLizk.
Harapnuik, D. (2020, May 24). Who controls learning LM stories EP05. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/qyAaMF0IMuI.
Harapnuik, D. (2021, January 8). What to expect from ADL. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/g2tkEhaICy4.
Harapnuik, D. (2021, September 19). EDLD 5318 deeper learning. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/pYl_Ihns2P4.
Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux, T. (2018, June 19). Outcome-based education vs competency-based education. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://youtu.be/ctEqxCr7ZUg.
The Journey 