Turning Students into Teachers

I found a blog post this week by Sam Gliksman called Turning Students into Teachers that outlined the potential of student learning when we turn the tables on our students.  It reminded me of Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience that was so frequently referred to in my undergraduate courses.

Cone of Experience

I realize that the percentages and such are hotly debated in the Cone of Experience, but I still believe that the ability for a student to accurately teach something to someone else is a great display of their knowledge.  Students love the opportunity to teach their peers and students also love the opportunity to learn from their peers.

I try to use this strategy in my classroom especially through research, projects and problem solving situations.  The learning that comes about when students are teaching one another is tremendous and it allows for students to put their own creativity and personal spin on things.

I also wanted to share this video from TED about Thomas Suarez who is a 12 year old App designer.  I think this is a very inspirational video that shows the potential that students can have when given the opportunity, support and encouragement to become lifelong learners and teachers at a very young age.

Thomas is a perfect example of the learning that can occur when students are given responsibility for their learning.  Thomas would have enormous amounts of knowledge to share with his peers!  (It also provides inspiration for myself to look more into app development and the potential in my own school or classroom setting)

Thomas Suarez: A 12 Year Old App Developer