Student Improvement with a Partnering Pedagogy

The book Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning by Marc Prensky is a wonderful resource for teachers. As a pre-service teacher, I found there was a great deal of useful information. Prensky did a great job of explaining how our world is changing and how technology is a key component of that change. He included wonderful and explicit ways to use technology in the classroom and to give digital natives what they are asking for in the classroom. 

One thing that stood out from the book, was the way Prensky discussed student and teacher improvement. Teachers want to see their students improve and with partnering, there are several ways to help students see continuous improvement. Prensky tells us there are levels both for students and for teachers. 

PARTNERING LEVELS FOR TEACHERS

(as stated in Teaching Digital Natives:Partnering for Real Learning)

Level 0	All teaching is done by lecturing (i.e., telling, direct instruction), and all student practice is done using worksheets.
Level 1	In addition to lectures, other presentation modes, such as DVDs or videos, are introduced periodically. Worksheets are still the primary mode of in-class practice for students.
Level 2	The teacher lectures while using interactive whiteboards and showing PowerPoint presentations and videos. In addition to worksheets, some computer and search-based student activities are introduced in class or in computer labs.
Level 3	The teacher tries to keep lectures short, using a rule of no more minutes per lecture than the grade level. Students do a variety of in-class activities, many on the computer.
Level 4	Partnering (i.e., guiding questions given, students work on their own, followed by presentation and discussion) is done on some days, with some topics. Lectures, explanations, and worksheets are still used for some material.
Level 5	All teaching is done through partnering. The teacher never tells or lectures, even when giving instructions. Students always work on their own or in groups, always have clear goals that they know where to find, and accomplish the goals regularly using a variety of tools. Discussions and critiques are student led, fully participative, and lively.

PARTNERING LEVELS FOR STUDENTS

(as stated in Teaching Digital Natives:Partnering for Real Learning)

Level 0	Students are expected to listen, take notes, hand in assignments and homework on time, and pass frequent tests.
Level 1	Students engage in some active doing, non-listening-only activities in addition to those from Level 0.
Level 2	Students spend at least half their time doing partnering activities, finding their guidign questions and goals on their own, and selecting activities from a teacher-provided menu.
Level 3	In addition to the activities from Level 2, students discuss upcoming lessons with the teacher, help create guiding questions, suggest activities and tools, and do their own research. There is still some listening and note taking.
Level 4	Students are expected to, and do, find or create guiding questions, do research, make presentations, self-form into groups when necessary, complete self-designed projects, and lead and participate in critiques and discussions.
Level 5	Students do everything from Level 4 and also help the teacher design classes for maximum engagement and teach their peers whenever necessary.