I put so much effort into planning lessons, learning about the "new" or renamed trends in education that rotate about in their cyclical fashion, incorporate them into my pedagogy, keeping abreast of the latest research on teen brains and what makes them tick, etc. So, why do I do this? This is a good question to pause and think consider; I'm usually so busy the "why" gets lost behind that mental to-do list that goes on and on in my head along with the flood of possible elements to bring into my teaching.
My why... I teach so that I can help young people leave high school with the necessary skills to be successful in adulthood. I'm a high school teacher, a Junior and Senior teacher at that, so I'm on the tail end of students' compulsory education. It's that last shot to make sure students have the necessary skills they've been taught over their educational careers, whether they're joining the military, going straight to work, earning a certificate, or continuing to pursue educational goals.
My beginning course in the DLL program has made me really think about how meaningful the lessons that I've developed have been for my students. While I've been working on bringing in student voice and choice and authentic assessments, it hasn't been to the point that COVA describes. I've focused on UDL, which in and of itself is a huge step up from how I used to teach, but it's not COVA. How meaningful is someone's coursework if I've picked the objectives and chosen the possible paths for students both in assessments and the work along the way? I've learned a most valuable lesson in my first course and that is this: students should be in the driver's seat and make these choices, not me.
Students need support, coaching, feedback, a teacher to work with them and help them figure out what they need and want to focus on for improvement; but, it's the student who needs to make the choices and own their learning experiences. While I'm excited to practice this pedagogy, I'm curious about how this plays out in a real classroom when teachers have 180-200 students in a day. How are teachers practicing COVA in comprehensive high school classrooms? What does that look like? I'm hoping that as I progress through the DLL program that at some point we study COVA in action at school sites.
Another valuable lesson that I'm taking away from the course is the ePortfolio and its usefulness beyond the coursework at Lamar. The ePortfolio is for me, not my instructors. I own it and as such, I'll continue to add to it and use it in my professional life. It's meaningful to me because I am in the driver's seat and am able to present my work, thoughts, and things I'd like to share with others. The ePortfolio is a tool that I can continually edit and improve to reflect my learning, teaching, and my pedagogical and technological paths. Its usefulness goes far beyond my coursework and is something that I will continue to use.
Having my students create ePortfolios, though the use of COVA, will be a focus for me as I continue my journey in the DLL program and thereafter.
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