ESTCA 2020

I have implemented a student-centered pedagogical approach in my high school ELA classes offering two semester plans to my students each focused around a different guiding question with different associated texts. This approach allows for my students to have autonomy in selecting the semester plan that aligns more with their personal interests, while still giving me the opportunity as a teacher to curate appropriately complex and intertextual literature. In addition to promoting engagement, the dual-guiding questions forced me to rethink and restructure how I was instructing in my class: moving away from teaching texts and toward stressing universal themes, skills, and competencies. Throughout this session, I will share the details of what my class looks like and how I am running it. I will also relay the noted benefits, challenges, and fixes. Finally, I will share with you my plans for the future which involves even more texts and guiding questions to further differentiate my practice.