This is a question that at first read made me stop and think about the play on words and I could easily blow it off as semantics; only that the question has played around in my head over a couple of days, clearly, no blowing it off!
We all have dynamic classes, with mixed abilities, diverse needs and individual personalities who all deserve the best that they can get out of a day, a week, a year of school. So we can be driving the train, ploughing forward hoping everyone is in for the ride; or we can do something more than hope. As the year begins; we have start with a new class, wide eyed hopeful students accompanied by families who have expressed their hopes for a great year; improved learning outcomes for their children and experiences that will stimulate thinking and curiosity to lead them to being fully engaged. We begin the journey to get to know the children. Each one an individual with interests, passions, curiosities, fears, strengths, needs and challenges who has a place in the class. The challenge we face is to build relationships with each child, to create a trust that they will know we care, we are interested and that together we will work to create an environment that is safe, that feels welcoming, where they can shine, they can be brave and where they feel they belong. We will develop past individual relationships and will build a community that respects one another and is there for the whole group. Together Everyone Achieves More So the journey goes . . . the 'in-house' jokes have started, new routines are established and we are building the 'culture of Grade 5' . . . so how will this be any different to last year and the year before ? The dynamic nature of a group of students means that as teachers we can feel that we have to be 'the show' that students are waiting for a 'delivery' . . . but thankfully I work in school that does not subscribe to that idea. We encourage students to follow passions and curiosities, to ask for help and ask again and again and again if that is what they need. To be agents of their own learning. To develop their wonderings into meaningful inquiries. As teachers we need to demonstrate creativity - creativity in the way we manage student needs, the way we reduce the wait time they experienced; in the way we transition students; how we engage them in learning; and in the way we gather data, encourage action and document as we go. Creatively managing within school schedules, managing to multi-outcome one task without creating overload and providing time for deep learning. It is at this point when the 'hum' or 'the flow' or 'the music' starts and students are really in a place where we can engage in teaching and learning that is relevant, inspiring, challenging and engaging. This is a constant focus; expecting to achieve it I means I feel I step closer to that point every time I question how I can change, how I can improve, what I can develop and what would make something more productive, would waste less time or would create an opportunity for students that would allow for deep learning. Comments are closed.
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AuthorTeaching in an IBPYP school; interests: student agency, technology integration, growth mindset & the continuous cycle of improvement that is the world of education, learning and being! Archives
June 2018
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