Connecting Students to the World with Authentic Learning Experiences

A middle school student once asked me whether homes and schools in the U.K. have walls and roofs. To my class, it was a perfectly reasonable question. To me, it was a wake-up call about how little my students know about the world outside our zip code.

 

I teach in a rural district where our school is the center of the community, and I take that responsibility to heart. Many of my learners do what’s expected because they’re respectful or because they know a diploma holds power. As an interventionist, I also know that all my students are below grade level and that school is hard for them. For many, it’s an uphill climb, and doing what’s expected is not the same as being engaged.

 

To help my learners move from compliance to engagement, I connect their learning to the outside world. For years, I spent time finding texts, word problems, and scientific examples where my students could see themselves in their learning. Now I look for ways for them to see others as well, and I seek out opportunities to bring the world into my classroom.

 

Authentic Opportunities

My students have the digital world at their fingertips, but it can be daunting to tell what’s authentic from the misinformation they encounter. Here are some authentic learning experiences that I bring into my classroom.

 

“Visit” National Parks for Free.

Thanks to Expeditions in Education, my students can experience National Parks, with learning materials available through Crossing America. They can join live or watch the recordings, meet a Park Ranger, and engage with Dr. Drizzle to learn more about the challenges our parks are facing. They even get a chance to help solve those problems.

 

Provide an Out-of-this-World Experience.

 My students also participate in Growing Beyond Earth and complete Level 1 NASA research. They help carry out the scientific process while testing different crops in a growth chamber. They are shocked to be doing work connected to NASA, and they are so invested in their plants!

 

Bring History to Life.

I seek out opportunities for my students to study primary sources or hear from those who experienced historic events. RetroReport is one incredible resource. You can create a free RetroReport account and access lessons, videos, and interactive timelines and maps which are very popular with my students.

 

Interview Holocaust Survivors.

 I use Dimensions in Testimony from USC Shoah iWitness so my learners can interview survivors of the Holocaust. Through technology, students have their own questions answered by someone who lived it. These individuals share their stories, and I find that when my learners hear personal experiences rather than just facts, they’re not only more engaged but also more likely to remember and connect it to the rest of their learning.

Mapping the World with StoryMaps.

To show students more of the world, in and out of the U.S., I began with pre-made StoryMaps, but you can make your own, too. The challenge is the depth of material available. With help from the Morpho Institute's downloadable worksheet, I created my first StoryMap. The guide at the bottom of their site was a huge help. I also use National Geographic's StoryMaps. One caution: make sure there’s a purpose for using StoryMaps beyond the fact that it’s different. Stopping to consider the full picture is important.

 

Choosing Texts with the World in Mind

Text selection is another great way to help students learn about the world. When choosing a class text, I try to be mindful of where the book is set, using maps or images of what homes and schools look like in that area to help my students gain a better understanding. For example, when students read Fever, 1793, we trace some of the movement through Philadelphia by pulling up a Yellow Fever map as well as images from various museums and trusted sites.

 

When I know the setting for a text in the i-Ready Teacher Toolbox is not an area my students are familiar with, like a city, I often pull up Google Earth. I use Street View to help us visualize the setting. Other times I make what I need ahead of time thanks to Google Earth Tutorials. There is something truly incredible about combining maps, images, and text to build context for students.

 

Making Learning Relevant

I have learned that I should not assume my students know basic things about other countries or places. When students can connect what they’re learning to the world around them, school starts to feel relevant, and that shift from compliant to engaged is what I’m working toward.

 

There are many resources out there, so the best way to decide what to use is to ask yourself what will supplement your teaching and support your learners authentically. Authentic learning experiences for students are not about adding more to the day. They’re about showing students that the world is bigger than our zip code and that they have a place in it.

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More Resources for You:

What 18 Years of Teaching Taught Me about Motivating Middle Schoolers

How to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom

Rural School Leadership and Student Relationships