Ego Check....COVA Edition

Recently, I experienced a huge ego check. I have always had intense pride in that I often gave students choice and voice in their assignments. However, at the end of those lesson cycles, I would find myself disappointed in the fact that I had 150 Google Slide presentations with regurgitated information. Fast forward a couple of months to the first assignment in EDLD 5302. I stared at the instructions for a full 30 minutes before I began.....There were a list of guiding questions and then the statement "You can use a document, Google doc, presentation, video, infographic, blog post or any other format to present your ideas to your audience."

Umm wait, what??

Where is the assignment template? Where were the boxes for me to type my answers? Where were the links to click on for research? It wasn't until after it turned in, and we received word that many people had missed the point of the assignment that I realized how although I believe in COVA, I was unfamiliar with the actual process. I have been so used to the traditional methods that when presented with an opportunity to express choice, ownership, voice, and authenticity, I struggled. Since then, I have been able to wrap my mind around this method. I so badly wish I could go back in time and better respond to my kiddos. I wish I would have known then how to guide them without giving them such restricting instructions. I wish I would have been able to show them grace and patience as they simply tried to complete the assignment in a way that they were familiar with. I can't do that, but I can move forward and share the COVA model with others. This has been a "failing forward" moment. Although I struggled at first, I am learning. I am growing. I won't stop. I will relentlessly continue to grow and share my experiences with others! For more information on COVA, see my page or watch the video below.