In 1976, I can remember going to the movie theatre with my mom to see Freaky Friday. It starred Jody Foster. Jody’s character, Annabel, and her mother are struggling to understand each other, as per the stereotype of teenagers and parents. When they both wish that they could be the other for just one day…their wish is granted.
What if we organized and orchestrated a “Freaky Friday” school day? Students could submit course proposals, and a committee of student leaders and faculty could select a course catalog of classes. Many students would remain students, but some would become the teachers for an entire school day. The normal faculty would register for classes and take on the role of students for the day. Empathy all around and some great education!
[Cross-posted at Connected Principals on September 3, 2012.]
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This is really getting interesting. What if you did something tied to the 1-1 initiative. Have the students develop a small curriculum of essential things they wanted teachers to learn, taught it, and gave them feedback on their learning?
We have a group of students who may (operative word, “may”) use their Senior Project time to design an elective course for our upper school students. But, what if they were to design a course for teachers? Could be interesting.
I agree with Grant: students should be engaged ever more intentionally in the design process, particularly the summative assessments (and mastery rubrics) to encourage more joint ownership of the objectives and demonstrations of mastery.
Let’s do it!
Or maybe integrate it more often…students creating the exams that they think will focus on the aspects of the course they most care about?
What a fantastic idea! I’d do it in a heartbeat and would love to see what the kids would offer for classes. This would be an excellent supplement to our LEAP days. If the other grades aren’t willing, could we do it for 8th? I’d think the HS would be an excellent place as well.