By Jason Vansell, Morgan County R-1
I am in my 19th year of teaching – I spent 18 years at Morgan County R-2 and recently started at Morgan County R-1. I converted to a layered-curriculum style of teaching about five years ago after being introduced to the concept by someone who I consider to be the best teacher I ever worked with, Darren Koelling of Eldon High School. It was like discovering a way to take my teaching, interaction with kids and student comprehension of the material, to a whole new level. This new technique opened the door to opportunities for students that I would have never dreamed of before.
Layered learning is really just a different way to assess students – you can choose a variety of ways to complete work for each unit. Each student-elected project must be verified by the teacher with a full explanation of ideas. This concept accomplishes many things including eliminating cheating, tailoring learning to meet strengths and new ways to show progress. Instead of simply being passed along, this allows students to feel successful by doing meaningful work. This is where the life skills kick in.
For grading purposes, I use the following model:
• The C-Layer is worth 75% of their “layers grade”. This is the base knowledge material for each unit. It is the largest percentage of the layers and consists of basic material, like definitions, people to know, etc.
• The B-Layer is where students must create a project to show their knowledge about C-Level concepts. Creativity can flow here, but to start B-Layer, C-Layer must have already been completed. Completion of a B-Layer project will earn an 85% for the “layers” grade.
• The A-Layer usually consists of an academic paper where the students use critical thinking to solve a problem. This layer brings all layers together. Students can choose how far to go, but they have to take a zero for what they choose to not do. The more work they do, the higher the grade they’ll get – as it should be.
This system teacher responsibility, time-management, accountability and how to communicate effectively. These are all qualities that many students find themselves struggling with, which can affect them in the real world.
Being a teacher who is active in my community, I was always looking for ways to get my kids involved as well. I prided myself in teaching my students not just the history of our country, but our local county and town history as well. This is something I feel is a weakness of most social studies departments in this country, nobody teaches their local history. I wanted my students to create a unique experience every unit that they would be excited to learn about and remember the rest of their lives.
I push my students to find an expert on whatever topic they were learning about and try to bring them into the creation of their projects. I feel that Covid, as negative as it has been, did actually open doors to a new way of learning. Now, more than ever, people all over the planet are accessible by Zoom, Google Meet, etc. I encouraged my students to think big and try to connect with the biggest expert they could find. This made their projects richer, deeper experiences, and allowed students to develop skills like writing great questions and conducting real interviews by looking people eye-to-eye. Some great experts were brought in for student projects through Zoom, and some were done in person as well. Here are some examples:
• A student created a project about how the Klan changed over the last century and the importance of stopping the spread of hate. They contacted a nationally renowned speaker, who was once a member of a neo-Nazi group in Germany and the Ku Klux Klan in the US. This man got out of the hate group life and now speaks out against hate all over the world. My student tracked down his contact information online and hosted a zoom interview for the entire class to witness. This was one of the most fascinating interviews I have ever witnessed and was a valuable learning opportunity.
• One student researched the Alcatraz prison and created a way to bring in a park ranger from the prison as part of her project via Zoom.
• A student who loves country music created a project about the New Deal. They contacted the small town of Dyess, Arkansas, which is Johnny Cash’s boyhood home. The town was a New Deal colony created by FDR, and Johnny Cash’s father was one of the farmers allowed to be a part of this government town. A representative from Arkansas State University and the town Mayor were both interviewed about the New Deal, as well as the beginnings of Johnny Cash, which was of interest to the student. The student learned a ton about the New Deal and a musical legend as well.
• While studying the Holocaust, a student was able to bring in a death camp survivor to our school. This student created a full set on our Performing Arts Center stage and did a sit-down interview with the survivor. Our video production classes filmed the interview, and it was broadcasted on Facebook as well. This project required the student to plan, organize, construct journalistic questions and rise to the challenge of conducting an interview that they were extremely nervous about.
• A student wanted to create a project about how American pop culture helped end the Cold War. They were able to speak with a former roadie who toured with the legendary rock band “Queen” for 41 years.
• A student researched a film about the Ozark Music Festival that rocked Sedalia, MO into the history books in 1974. They met with the film’s producer and conducted a fascinating interview with him, as well as a man who attended the concert as a kid and is now a Hall of Fame radio announcer.
I will admit that these experiences created by my students are not typical of every student. Not every student is interested in creating projects like the examples I listed - but the wonderful thing about layered curriculum and experienced-based learning is that it fits students of all types. This style of learning allows everyone to be successful by showing off their strengths.
I know there are a lot of great teachers doing similar things in their classrooms elsewhere. I do not claim to be the inventor of anything, but I do try to take something from every great teacher I meet and find a way to implement that into my teaching. When I ask most adults, “What did you learn in high school history?” they always say the same thing...“Nothing”. I figure that if you can get a student to create an experience for themselves in your class, they will never forget it. Learning is more meaningful and personal to them when they have control over what they create. As a teacher, it allows you to know that you will always be remembered by that student.