The Big Idea

I agree with the wisdom of William Glasser. To this end, I will invite my students to embark on their own self-directed learning odyssey. The grand idea is to have my students develop a learning goal, perhaps passing the CASHEE, learning to play the guitar, or even becoming a more compassionate brother, sister, or friend. This will be similar to an I-Search, but rather than being one project on the fringe of the curriculum, I hope to embed their learning goal(s) fully into our coursework for the semester. What the heck does that mean?
Well, when it is time to learn about writing compositions, reading comprehension skills, technology, literary devices, public speaking, and author's perspectives, they will demonstrate their learning through the work they produce as they pursue their established goals. I will use conferences and self-evaluation activities to monitor the learning process and create individualized experiences for each of my students. I hope they will find this strategy meaningful and rewarding.