“I’m finished! What should I do now?”
It’s the inevitable question in every classroom. And our response reflects our philosophy. So, a little bit about that first.
A LITTLE PHILOSOPHY ~ WHAT ARE WE ABOUT?
One of our primary goals to model a love of learning. So, when a first-grader has just discovered that cows have four-chambered stomachs and excitedly shares that with you, you act as if it’s the first time you’ve ever heard it! The excitement of learning is more caught than taught.
We like to say that students learn by doing, so learning how to learn and how to think for oneself is another key goal. Self-direction in learning is a life skill. We want to guide students into initiating, monitoring, and reflecting on their own learning.
Together, these goals have led me to favor two main strategies for dealing with “I’m finished” that allow students to decide for themselves how they will extend their thinking and learning.
STRATEGY #1 – PET PROJECTS
This was my main strategy, and it worked pretty well for me. Before Genius Hour was a thing, my students worked on independent studies and projects that they chose and that I approved. We called them “PET projects” because we had a set Personal Exploration Time.
Most pet projects involved diving deep into topics they found fascinating. One year, each of my 4th graders investigated ONE question! But students also worked on all kinds of projects such as math investigations, poetry writing, original puzzle creation, or other projects that contributed to our school or community in some way.
They were always allowed to work quietly on pet projects when they had completed other things. So, they usually did thinking, research, drawings, writing, etc. related to their project. Most years, they kept their notes and drawings in their Learning Logs (read more about that here), but we also used pocket folders so they could take them back to their homeroom classrooms to work on as they had time. This helped some of the homeroom teachers, too.
All projects were shared in some way, mostly on our class blog. Some were displayed in the classroom, hallway, or library. A few were actually published in magazines! The benefits of sharing with authentic audiences are numerous!
STRATEGY #2 – CHOICE BOARDS / EXTENSION MENUS
Choice boards come in many forms and are used in a variety of ways. When they’re used to complement lessons or units, you might call them extension menus.
Recently, I ran across “THINK DEEP” boards created by Chamonix Mann, @GiftedGlowUpStudio. Chamonix wanted her students to do more in-depth thinking about topics they are already studying, so she developed these meaningful extensions and uses them in various ways. “They’ve been especially helpful during inquiry blocks, independent work time, and would even work for sub plans,” says Chamonix. “The shift in conversations and student ownership has been huge.”
Chamonix graciously agreed to share the 4th-grade one shown here– free of charge. You can find one for each level, K-5, and one for middle schoolers, in her Glow Up Resource Library, so definitely check out all of her resources and follow her on Instagram!
Some teachers provide choices for ongoing enrichment in bins or stations around the room. As students finish an assignment, they might visit a logic center, add to an interactive bulletin board, work on a math investigation, or other ongoing challenges. There are certainly times when these kinds of choices work well. Lisa van Gemert, @GiftedGuru, explains her philosophy and shares what she deems meaningful early finisher extensions and ideas in this post.
A WORD ABOUT QUALITY CONTROL
“You can’t have dessert until you’ve eaten your dinner!” This is the Premack Principle, and I’ve shared here how it helped me with quality control.
There will always be students who want to rush through projects and assignments, so over time you have to find what works for you.
Here are three tips that I can offer:
- TIP ONE: Make sure your expectations for any assignment or activity are clear and specific. A visual (perhaps even a previous student’s work) is helpful for this.
- TIP TWO: Monitor and provide feedback as the students work. Catch students who are rushing before they get too far into the work.
- TIP THREE: Provide an authentic audience for the work, including parents. Students will produce better work, in my experience, if they know the teacher’s not the only one who will see it.
Hope this gives you food for thought! In our FB group, we love to have conversations about what is working in our classrooms, so join us there!