So my friend, Knela, is the master of student-led EdCamp. She inspired me to try it out with my 6th graders. I was so nervous, and I will admit, reluctant to turn them loose on this.
Our first EdCamp was held on the Friday before Thanksgiving Break. Students had about 15-20 minutes per day for about 7 days to prepare. Students were to pick a topic of interest to them and be prepared to share it with a group of peers. I wanted the presentation to be about 15 minutes long. I was not expecting much. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! Although we had lots of room for improvement, students were on task and interested in what their peers presented. A major win for my group!
As I often do, I presented students with a self-reflection to do after presentations. They were honest about how prepared they were and how they felt about other presentations. I decided to give it another go.
We are in the process of preparing for EdCamp December Edition and the kids are so excited. It is the highlight of their day and I already see much better presentations being prepared. Topics are more interesting and interactive and students are really thinking about what would make an engaging presentation. I am really pleased and can't wait to see what they have ready for next week.
You know it is a winning activity when students are already planning their topics for EdCamp January Edition.....Thank you Knela for your guidance and untiring support and question answering!
