"I" questions

[isobel_williams]

I was working with a teacher recently in a 7-10 school. He said he had changed the way he wrote in Canvas for the students and he felt this had had a big impact on the way the students interacted with the content.  He had framed the content around "I" questions.

• What am I leaning?
• What am I doing?
• How will I show my understanding?
• What will I do next?
• What can I link my learning to?
• What do I need to know?

I think this way of presenting content to students has the potential to increase engagement through enabling them to understand what they are meant to be doing on a particular page (Learning intentions)  and letting them know what is needed for success. 

I have put together a unit of work and I found writing the content in "I" statements changed the focus of my writing from a general whole class style to a much more personal style - where I was using the voice of the individual student.  It made me think much more about what I was writing! 

"What am I doing?

I am watching this video and I am writing 5 main points about biodiversity"

instead of

Students will watch this video

Students will write 5 main points and answer the questions here

(This is what I see teachers new to Canvas writing)

What do others think about this approach?  Is it a good idea?  Will students be more engaged? Does it talk down to students?  

Thanks