One of my student compared being a student to learning to dance with someone. You have to figure out where the person is taking you. You learn how the other person moves. You learn how to respond. You learn the boundaries.
Often students spend much of a class in figuring out this dance. They may not know the “real” course goals. They may not know how they will be assessed. They may not know how they are to complete assignments (the procedures and expectations). They do not know the limits (They have not seen an exemplar). They step on many toes in doing this dance; they stumble. We need to step back and show them the “secrets” of our dance so that they can spend time dancing instead of trying to figure out the dance. Let’s scaffold our class for success in each part of the dance so that the students can do a joyful dance of learning!
My book, Formative Assessment: Responding to Students, is available through Eye-on-Education.
I loved “learning as dancing” as a older student trying to return to college,I sometimes find myself feeling lost in class.