My response to Chapters 7-9 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 7: Creating Significant Learning Environments - CSLE
"You must move beyond knowing the names of things like 'student-centered' or 'authentic learning' to doing the things is takes to be student-centered and to facilitate authentic learning opportunities" (Harapnuik &Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 72).
As I previously discussed in my last post about COVA here, a significant learning environment must be similar across the board in order to keep the learner from getting whiplash from the differences in the styles of learning. The freedoms you give your learners through voice and choice must also be authentic to the learners world and must help the learner create meaningful connections between the new academic content you are exposing them to and their own experiences within their world. You can't just give students "freedom" or "choice" by allowing students to pick from a menu of options about a specific topic. While this choice can be more palatable for learners it does not promote deep learning because the thinking necessary is still at the regurgitation of facts level. It did not force the learner to delve into their passions or world view to connect what they are learning to any aspect of their own lives.
In order to see the benefits of COVA you must implement the essence of self-guided discovery by following a line of questioning generated by the learner themself based on their own passions and interests outside of formal education. The magic happens when you harness the natural curiosity of the learner to seek out an answer to the problem or thought provoking question in order to create something new and personal to their life. This is how lifelong lessons are learned and this is the process that will teach students grit to follow through on their inquiry and thinking until they discover something about the topic they are pursuing or even just learning something new about themselves.
"The challenge today is cutting through the information overload and discerning what information is useful. If you are using lecture to deliver content or flipping your classroom to deliver your lecture online you need [to] consider if you are actually helping your learner or if by adding yet more information you are contributing to the problem of information overload" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 79).
Technology is not going anywhere. We will always be one Google search away from finding a wealth of information about anything we could possibly think of. It is impossible to remember every fact about everything we could come into contact with in our day-to-day lives because we are so immersed in a ton of ever changing information. A well known fact today could be proven to be a misguided hoax of a biased researcher tomorrow because of how readily we can change information and begin to start circulating it. Once learners reach a certain age they know this too and are apathetic to any attempt to force them to remember a "stupid fact that I'm never going to use again after the STAAR test". Learning to learn a random fact is not a worthwhile endeavor to the generation of learners that are currently in K-12 schools and you can see that very clearly in the quality of work they turn in.
By cramming more information in their heads we are only adding to the noise that they are dealing with everyday. Technology is pushing more and more information at them and they don't have the resources and life experience to tell fact from fiction. Unless you give students the tools to learn how to find quality information in the sea of overwhelming misinformation, you will never truly reach a learner.
Chapter 8: Choice, Ownership, & Voice Through Authentic Learning
While information overload is a unfortunate side effect to increased access to information, it can be a valuable tool in helping educators reach learners. Not only has technology increased access to ideas, explanations, and demonstrations by top education and field specific experts to an increasingly larger audience, it has created a system in which any passion or interest can be researched in depth regardless of physical resources and infrastructure. Students in rural districts can be exposed to the most high tech tools and equipment that would have never been possible before. With all this access to information educators have never been in a better position to capture students' passions and ignite them in the scope of the classroom.
Every student has some hobby or passion and even if you may not know much about the topic when you first hear of it you can research it more in order to build a relationship with the student. I think this kind of relationship building is one of the most beautiful parts of teaching, so if you combine that process with an actual learning experience through COVA the possibilities of exploration and rapport building is limitless. Instead of fighting for the attention of learners' focus we can harness the power and intrigue of what may distract them from the learning and just incorporate it into the classroom content without sacrificing the quality of the learning that is happening.
"Authentic projects work because they not only give the learner choice and ownership over the world they live in, but they also give the learner the ability to find and use their voice and show the world what they have created" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 86).
There are several studies circulating that are reporting lower reading levels in K-12 students than ever before. I have personal experience teaching students with low reading levels that really struggle with their self-confidence. As a result these students typically don't try as hard to learn and they give up more easily than their peers. By giving students a chance to learn in the context of what they are familiar with they will be able to learn much more than they would compared to more traditional teaching methods.
This year I had a student with a reading level several grade levels beneath their grade level. This student had given up on ever being considered "smart". This student gave up on ever being seen in a positive light by any adult or authority figure. He was biding his time in the school system. I continually worked with him throughout the year and found out his hobbies. Once I knew his hobbies I started to use examples I knew he would be familiar with and excited about. The strategy worked. He got better scores, completed a project, and after a good report back to his mother (she was so excited to hear something good instead of the constant stream of negative things she was accustomed to receiving) he started to hang on my every word. He sought out my guidance by coming up with his own example or explanation of something and asking me if that was the right track instead of just giving up. If all this could be achieved with the small gesture imagine the power COVA will have in the classroom.
Chapter 9: Choice
Choice does not refer to choosing from a list. Choice in this framework is much more complex. In this context choice is most synonymous with freedom. As the educator you are giving the learner the freedom to decide the path and shape their learning will take.
"The choice or selection of the authentic learning opportunity is a crucial part of the learning process. Learners are forced to explore, ask questions, and research what they may or may not be able to accomplish" (Harapnuik & Thibodeaux, 2023, p. 100).
Many times learners will have set notions of what they are capable of and will shut down if they are given a task they believe is too far out of the realm of their capabilities and talents. By allowing them the opportunity to let their research in the scope of their learning shape the methodology of the final product, you are more likely to see students push the bounds of their own knowledge and capability. If they come to the conclusion that the best way to present their information is through video production it is much more likely that when a challenge or problem arises in the process the learner will stay the course to find a solution because they see the value, whereas, if they were forced to make a video the likelihood of giving up at the first sign of struggle is much higher.
Conclusion
Middle school educators everywhere know that we are handling a very delicate group of students that are just beginning to discover their voices and are dying to be heard by those around them. At times this can cause frustration, but the COVA method can take their need to be heard and explore their own voices and channel it for something good and educationally valuable. COVA is the thoughtfulness that project-based learning missed when that was the hottest new toy in educational strategies.
Learn more about COVA in my blog posts COVA Chapters 1-3 Response and COVA Chapters 4-6 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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