Get out of the way! Let students do the teaching with tutorials

One of the best parts about my job as a coach is learning from amazing teachers. Each week, a teacher hosts a Learning Round which focuses on any subject or teaching practice of their choice.  There are always great take-aways, so each week, I will share them here.

At this week’s Learning Round, I didn’t get to observe one teacher, I was able to observe 24 teachers! This was because the Learning Round host, a 2nd grade teacher, let the students take over. She demonstrated that, sometimes, it’s best to just get out of the way, and let the students do the teaching and learning for themselves!  Tutorial Design is one of the 5 iLearning Workflows, because it is essential that students are able to clearly communicate their understanding in a variety of ways. Tutorials are a great way to do this!

Students watch tutorials all the time on YouTube, on everything from “How to Make Slime” to “How to Build a House in Minecraft.” Tap into their prior knowledge by brainstorming what a good, professional quality tutorial video should look and sound like. Of course, it helps to have some scaffolding along the way, too. This was provided with a Slideshow, outlining the steps that students should follow for the tutorial.

When the tutorials are shared, they provide a great way for teachers to formatively assess students and plan ways to provide support. The tutorials can also be used as a way for students to learn from each other.  You could create a YouTube channel to house your students’ tutorials and share them with a wider audience. Students will be much more motivated and engaged when they are in control of their learning and given the opportunity to become the teacher, too!