My response to Chapters 10-12 of COVA: Inspire learning through choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences by Dr. Harapnuik and Thibodeaux.
Photo Credit: Harapnuik, D. & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA title page [Image].
The reading for EDLD 5303 focused on the concepts needed to improve students ability to discern credible versus not credible information and how to build an environment in my classroom in which students will learn through real world experiences for a lasting understanding and deep connections of the concepts that are taught within the classroom. By embracing each students unique passions and interests in the learning process deep connections will be made and students will learn far more than required of them. Everyone wants to feel that their effort is worthwhile and important and I think everyone despises "busy work" so authentic learning is the most valuable tool a middle school educator can have.
Chapter 10: Ownership
Ownership over the learning process allows students to become actively engaged fully with the content while they are making deep connections to the learning. When they take ownership of the learning their passion becomes the driving force behind the learning and allows for a richer classroom dialogue of the content because students will be able to share their unique knowledge and thoughts about what we are learning. The discussion will go from a basic discussion of fact at a very shallow level to a deeper level in which students share their personal beliefs, experiences, and thoughts or opinions as we learn. The enrichment of the classroom will teach life long skills in interpersonal relationship development, soft skills, collaborative skills, and most importantly will build more tolerance and empathy towards people with differing moral and cultural beliefs.
"The life lessons learned through taking full ownership of a learning opportunity cannot be matched by any form of direct instruction or teacher-controlled experience" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 104).
No amount of my direct instruction on social skills and science will be able to match the learning that takes place from real-world learning. Learners experiencing differences of ideology, cultural beliefs, and religious beliefs in a real-world discussion or problem solving scenario are so much more beneficial to preparing students for the globalized world they will be entering post graduation from the K-12 system.
"It is imperative that you focus on who the learner needs to become, or what they need to develop to face and meet the challenge of the authentic project" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, pg. 105).
While it is easy to get caught up in the pressure to just throw content at students directly to ensure they have the skills they need to be able to demonstrate on the STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) test, it is not going to be a skill that is highly valued in the long run. Passing a test is a vital skill, however, as adults learners will find that critical thinking, creative problem solving, strong work ethic, strong communication and collaborative skills, and grit will be far more important to their overall success or failure. We must accept that STAAR scores are not the defining characteristic of a good education and we have to be willing to focus on the important skills our learners will need for the world they are growing up in and the world they will have to survive in.
Chapter 11: Voice
"Once the learner's self efficacy grows, they recognize that their voice is not only valid it is important part of the collective experience of their learning community" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p.117).
The amount of times I have had kids labeled difficult or "unreachable" by other teachers completely turn around their behavior and academic capabilities and effort is incredible. Kids don't want to be "bad" and they don't enjoy failing. I told a particularly grumpy student this year that he didn't have to believe in himself, yet, because I believed in him enough for the both of us and I know he is going to make me proud. I had to tell him this same phrase for two months as I was encouraging him to give me just a little more effort and just make this tiny change here. By the end of those two months my words and his increased success in my class encouraged him enough to start working as hard as he could. Then that success grew and he started putting that same effort into other classes and his low grade averages in his core classes became A's and B's by January. He showed marked growth on his mid-year tests in ELA and math. He is a success story because he started to believe in himself after he saw that his effort in learning is paying off and not "wasted" anymore. He is now one of my best peer tutors and is able to make deeply powerful and meaningful connections with content and his personal experiences. His success has enriched our classroom in ways even I didn't think was possible.
Chapter 12: Authentic Learning Opportunities
Authentic learning is the end goal for learners. It is what they are working towards and serves as their reference point in the swarm of information that is thrown their way in the classroom and by mainstream media. Authentic learning frames the learning standards in the classroom into the proper context for the real-world. This learning opportunity allows students to learn exactly what they need to as they forge their path towards future careers and lifelong hobbies. Since the authentic learning is based on each learner's unique perspective and their passions and interests it is a lesson that they remember for the rest of their life; a core memory is formed.
Learners will look back on the impact an authentic learning project made on their lives or personal development with several new frames of mind and come away with a different outlook from the experience through various times of their lives. In this way, authentic learning and the lessons it taught an individual will evolve and change in their mind enriching their lives far longer than any fact or skill could ever hope to achieve.
The impact of authentic project on the learner and their audience is the most effective way to measure progress with authentic learning because it is the same way that we measure success in the real-world" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 129).
By empowering learners to create deep connections between content they were formally taught and the problems or questions they have about the real world we give students a chance to step away from the pressures of grades and academic competition and performance and instead focus on real problem solving. This process allows the learner to apply critical thinking, problem solving, and even collaboration in a very real way that they should become so comfortable with they can seamlessly do it in a workplace. Thus, authentic learning gives students a way to practice real-world skills in a real way and their success will be measured the same way it will be in their adult lives. This is what school should be for; practicing skills in a safe environment to prepare them for higher stakes real-world environments they will encounter later as adults.
Conclusion
COVA gives a frame to the learning process in which the learner can orient all their information and skill gathering around. The authentic learning experiences sets learners up to practice all the skills they will need to be successful in future professional endeavors, while enjoying the safety of a loving learning environment while exploring real-world problems, questions, and skills. I will leave you with one more quote that I feel summarizes COVA and the learning process best.
"When learners make choices and commit to taking full ownership of their authentic learning opportunities their voice reflects the learning transformation that they experience" (Harapnuik, 2023, p. 117).
Learn more about COVA in my blog posts COVA Chapters 1-3 Response and COVA Chapters 7-9 Response.
Resources:
Harapnuik, D., & Thibodeaux T. (2023). COVA: Inspire learning through choice, ownership, voice, and authentic experiences (2nd ed.). Learner's Mindset Publishing.
Harapnuik, D. & Thibodeaux, T. (2023). COVA title page [Image].
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