An ASCD Study Guide for The Relevant Classroom: 6 Steps to Foster Real-World Learning

Most of the questions contained in this study guide are ones you can think about on your own, but you might consider pairing with a colleague or forming a study group with others who have read, or are reading, The Relevant Classroom. If you have additional insights or questions, please e-mail the author at eric.d.hardie@gmail.com.

Chapter 1. The Case for Change

1. What are your own thoughts about why education needs to change?
2. The author asserts that "school doesn't always work for teachers, either." To what extent do you think this is true?
3. What ideas from the chapter most resonate for you in your own practice?

Chapter 2. Make Meaning Central to Student Work

1. What is the current state of meaning in your classroom? To what extent do you start the planning for the learning with meaning at the core?
2. How does the learning environment change when the focus is on meaning, rather than on grades?
3. To what extent do your students see themselves in the learning they are doing currently?
4. The author identifies that students themselves are often initially resistant to change because they are comfortable with the system that they know. What steps could you take to lay the groundwork for making changes in the learning environment?
5. What ideas in the chapter could you implement to bring more of your students' interests to the classroom?
6. What challenges could you issue to your students that would both engage them and provide opportunities for meaningful leadership?
7. What are some easy first steps you could make to bring the "real world" to your classroom?

Chapter 3. Contextualize the Curriculum

1. How would you characterize your current use of the curriculum: as a checklist or as a toolbox?
2. How might putting the curriculum second to a meaningful idea allow you to structure learning that students see as more relevant to their lives?
3. Have the students in your class seen and worked with the curriculum? If no, how might you get started?
4. The author talks about going from simulations to the real world. Do you currently use simulations in your classroom that could be expanded on?
5. In what ways could you use the question "Why do we have to learn this?" as a jumping-off point for more meaningful planning?

Chapter 4. Create Space to Learn

1. In your current planning, are you considering how to leave room for students to find the autonomy, mastery, and purpose that Daniel Pink tells us is so important?
2. Recognizing that students might struggle initially to use the space that you are making, and understanding that this shift in the learning environment will require practice on both your part and that of the students, how will you manage the implementation of this strategy?
3. How might redefining failure help with both the learning environment of the classroom and student mental health and wellness?
4. In your own classroom, what are one or two key priorities for your students, and how could you start to shift the environment to help to achieve the desired state?
5. What are some classroom resources that students could have more discretion over in their learning?
6. Do your students see you as a lifelong learner? What do they know about your learning, the challenges you have faced, and how you have overcome them?

Chapter 5. Connect Student Work to the Community

1. How many community partnerships do you currently have?
2. List some potential community partners that could really engage your students. Which partner on the list seems like the best fit, and how could you begin foster a partnership with them?
3. What would be an easy way to give students an audience for the work they are doing that would increase their motivation?
4. Why is the philosophy of prioritizing publishing over grading important? How does it change the learning environment?
5. What tips in the chapter could you use to enhance group work in your classroom?
6. How could you use good-natured competition to improve student performance?

Chapter 6. Follow the (Student) Leaders

1. What are your students currently learning about, and how could it be leveraged in the classroom?
2. How might you change your classroom practice to ensure that you don't come to the students' rescue too early?
3. What steps will you need to take in your practice to ensure that you don't fall back into a traditional teacher role?

Chapter 7. Reenvision Feedback and Evaluation

1. How can building a relevant classroom allow you to provide better feedback to students?
2. Do your students currently know a strength and a next step in each subject area?
3. Are students involved in discussions about what good looks like? Can they engage in purposeful peer and self-assessment?
4. In your classroom, what's the current balance between feedback and evaluation? What tangible steps could you take to build toward a point where there is more feedback than evaluation, if that's not currently the case?

Chapter 8. Final Reflections

1. Are you currently considering both students' intellectual and emotional needs and interests in your planning? How might you adjust the process to build more excitement and curiosity?
2. What are the major takeaways from the book for you in your own practice? What changes will you commit to trying?

The Relevant Classroom: 6 Steps to Foster Real-World Learning was written by Eric Hardie. This 160-page, 7" x 10" book (Stock #120003; ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2767-8) is available from ASCD. Copyright © 2019 by ASCD. To order a copy, visit ASCD's Online Store.