Using Students to Plan Lessons and Evaluate Progress - Co-construction with GCSE History

In my mind co-construction is the process where students are used to help plan lessons and to evaluate the progress that has been made. The picture above shows a group of GCSE historians discussing the lessons that have been taught and proposing ideas for the future lessons.

This process has got many many benefits. It is a process i have become a big believer in but rather than read my thoughts watch the video below and listen to the students.
In my mind the three main benefits of this process are:

1) Using students to help plan lessons has a huge impact on learning.

• The students involved feel part of the lesson, are more engaged, and feel as if they own the learning.
• The results are very creative and take the pressure off the teacher to keep coming up with interesting ideas.

2) Using students to reflect on the learning that has taken place is a brilliant AfL tool.

3) The relationship between the students involved and the teacher is altered. Barriers are broken down. This has a really positive impact on the atmosphere within the classroom.

If you are thinking of setting up this kind of co-construction I offer the following advice. It is by no means concrete and is simply a reflection of my own experience.

• I have always used this with GCSE but try to pick a group where things are not quite going as you'd like perhaps where students are not achieving their potential.
• That said pick a group you are confident that you can work with.
• Choose you students carefully. Try to pick students who are able to empathise with the learning needs of others in the class.
• Pick about 4 or 5 students and meet them once a week perhaps at lunchtime.
• Keep changing the students involved every half-term.
• Begin with a general discussion about education. What do they like in lessons? What don't they like? What's good about your lessons? What's not? This allows a relationship to be built up. Once students see that they can be really honest and that you will listen to what they say they will feel confident in offering advice/ideas.
• Look forward and back. Think about how the lessons could have been improved that have already been taught but also discuss how the students would like to see the coming lessons being taught.

Discussing education with students in this way was something completely new for me. I have seen the benefits of the process and will be continuing to develop this into 2012.