Sunday, May 1, 2016

3rd Annual #NoWorksheetWeek - Looking For Inspiration?

During our #NoWorksheetWeek Twitter chat last week I was inspired by all of the energy and innovation of the teachers who participated. I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see the learning that takes place in the classrooms of these teachers May 2-6.

If you every wondered how students react when they hear that a teacher is throwing out worksheets check out the reaction from @MrsHolley2011 's class:


Click here to view video


So, what is a worksheet? It is NOT just a piece of paper. Going worksheet free does not mean going digital. A digital worksheet is just as dismal as a paper one.

A worksheet is an assignment you give students that:
  • is mass-produced, either by the teacher at the copier, a publisher in a workbook or shared on a device.
  • is given to every student in the classroom.
  • contains questions with black & white, right or wrong answers.  For example, they may be fill-in-the-blank, true/false, multiple choice, or math computational problems.

Should you question the worksheet? YES!
Ask yourself if students are motivated to complete the worksheet, or are they doing it out of compliance. Is there another way to teach this information that is more relevant and authentic?

As adults, we have to fill out complex worksheets each year for taxes. We avoid it, procrastinate and even pay people to do it for us. How would you feel if you had to do multiple worksheets weekly or even daily?

Teachers are ditching worksheets and finding better ways to motivate and inspire students to learn. 

Here are a few examples:

+Matthew Weld's #noworksheetweek Ideas and Resources
Rae’s Thinglink image that takes on a 4th grade worksheet about sentence rules
Share your own ideas on our collaborative Padlet wall
Here is an example of a worksheet free math activity in Kindergarten

You can also see my previous collaborative post with the creator of No Worksheet Week: (Wûrk’ shēt)

If you want to be involved in the movement join our Badgelist group and Google+ Community and share your learning.

You can learn about the origin of No Worksheet Week:  here, here or here.

Also, check out all the tweets about it from last week in the Storify below.