As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, whenever I hear the term, “multi-level class,” my brain does one of those faulty autocorrects turning “level” into “resource.” For starters, schools in the country where I served were so under resourced, it was difficult to even determine levels. I was told my classes were grouped into differing levels based on “scores”; but in reality, the students’ parents’ ability to provide them with the most basic resources for learning like books and pencils, was a more apparent determining factor for the students’ class, scores, and in many cases, future. My most immediate challenge everyday was to find a way to reach every student in each class, regardless if they had the book the lesson was from or a pen and paper to participate.
Later, as a university professor teaching Academic Writing 101( a.k.a. “The Class Everyone Has to Take but No One Wants to Take”), my challenge was less multi-level and more, multi-interest.
So, I have long been fascinated about how other educators approach multi-anything in their classes. This is why it has been such a pleasure learning from the best educators on the planet who have been creating content that connects with their students, starting with their curiosities rather than levels to discover and design magical solutions to their multi-level classrooms.
For example:
In her Episode, “What Makes a Continent,” Colleen Skiles created an experience that engages multiple-level classes through a multi-perspective approach to how many continents exist on our planet.
Rather than the first step in the students’ experience being that of what they retained from previous content or can comprehend from newly processed information, she gives her students an opportunity to share what they think and think they know.
And Trevor Aleo uses several image and video questions to better engage all of his students at all of their levels in the Episode he designed called “Social Contract Theory” in his Series on the Human Condition.
But Trevor does not stop with just using images and videos as points of engagement for his students, he also uses them as tools for his students to communicate that engagement back.
And, as you can imagine, the responses he’s been getting have been pretty, well…
As Colleen, Trevor, and other educators building on Belouga demonstrate, the secret to unleashing magical solutions for multi-level classes is engaging, personalized communication. That’s why one of the strongest features Belouga supplies educators is the ability to communicate directly, one-on-one with every student response on the platform. That way, you can personalize your feedback you give your students in addition to the content you create for them.
What if you start engaging every student at every level in every class with unique content you create to meet your students’ varied abilities, perspectives, and curiosities?
We’ll see you in the CLC!