Performance tasks make learning fun! They give students the opportunity to become actively involved rather than being passive receptors of lecture. With good resource materials, a meaningful task, and a good rubric, performance tasks can be the thing that helps students to get up before the alarm just to get to school and work. Parents can become involved, work can be displayed and shared, and students can proudly boast of what they have accomplished.
It is always important to begin with standards and what you want the students to achieve. Once these have been determined, there are a myriad of ways to turn them into performance tasks. The ideas listed below have been tried successfully and are just waiting for your adaptations. Remember that they can be used across the curriculum, at all grade levels and for different levels of achievers. Don’t limit yourself when applying them to your classroom!
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Like most of you reading this profile, I am a lover of children, a care-giver, and a dedicated teacher. I spent 32 years in the classroom before retiring several years ago. During my tenure as a teacher in the elementary grades, I was on a myriad of writing committees, including those that developed the benchmarks for the district. As a literacy coach, I was able to present at both local and state levels at both the Reading and Math conferences. I co-authored a book, Beyond Book Buddies, by Corwin Press. I have also written for the internet and been a critical reader for both Scott Foresman and Corwin Press. As a teacher I wrote and received many grants at both the state and local level. During these last years, I have been writing units of study for my daughter who teaches in Texas. She has been able to use and adapt them for her Special Ed students of high school age, a task for all teachers using units and lessons of study written by others. The method of teaching should be the decision of the teacher and should meet the needs of the students he/she teaches.
