Tag: Reflection

I am finally writing about reflection. My students have had the chance to really reflect on their learning. The reflection process turned out to be very meaningful and empowering for my students. I introduced the activity by letting students know that I also stop and reflect on my teaching and learning twice a year with my Head of School. I explained that we all have areas we need to grow in, and it is good, to be honest about where our strengths and weaknesses lie.
Both of my classes were honest and open with their reflections and so many meaningful conversations took place. I had the opportunity to really get to know and understand my students on a different level. Shy and quiet students admitted on their papers that they don’t seek assistance from teachers when they need it. Students who were strong in the area of science and math opened up that reading and writing does not interest them too much. One student talked with me and let me know that he really has trouble getting his ideas into writing. The most powerful reflection came from a student that has had a difficult time getting along with classmates in the gym and at recess. I have been going the extra mile for this student for the last year and a half. She came up to me and showed me her sheet and pointed to the word flexible and told me how being flexible is so hard for her. We talked together and I told her that I would help her work in this area and she smiled the biggest smile.
I am so pleased with how this reflection went so smoothly with my students. They felt safe, to be honest, and open. Hopefully, this first reflection sets us on the right path with growth mindsets for a terrific year. Will I be doing ongoing reflection throughout the year? Absolutely!

October is almost over, and I find it is a perfect time to stop and reflect on the school year. I had so many great ideas of things I wanted to implement into my teaching practice. Reflection was at the top of my list; ongoing reflection for my students and myself. I find myself wondering what kind of ongoing reflection have I done. My classes have accomplished so much academically so far, but we have not taken the time to reflect on the learning.

The classes have reflected on their actions and behaviour. We have had many meaningful conversations about being kind, using positive words, saying sorry, and performing acts of kindness. I have also talked about leadership and the importance of making a positive difference every day. During this time, we have also strengthened our relationships as well.

As I sit back and reflect on the last few weeks, I smile because there have been a few amazing moments as I have watched my students being so kind and caring. During our monthly visits to a nearby seniors’ residence, I watched with pride as my students made real connections with the residents. Another moment happened at a track meet. The students supported each other by cheering for every student. The good sportsmanship that was on display was amazing, and our classes stood out amongst all the other schools. Teachers and parents from other schools even noticed our tremendous support for each other.

The most recent moment came during our class speeches for class representatives. We had 13 out of 22 students who wanted the coveted position of class rep. The speeches were sweet and sincere. I listened to each child talk and express their true interest in working for their classmates and bringing their ideas to the student council. I looked to my teaching partner, and we shared a secret smile to acknowledge this special moment.

The personal reflection and relationship building done with the classes has helped to build a community of kindness and support where it is safe to take risks. I am pretty confident that the students are ready to take risks in their learning this year. I know that I am ready to take risks too. Academic reflection will start this week. My personal reflection will continue on this blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new school year is about to begin. I am dreaming of what the future holds for my students; the sky is the limit! I am so fortunate to be able to play a small part in my students’ lives. I will inspire them to become life long learners, and hopefully, catch a glimpse of their gifts and passions along the way.

Two years ago, I had the chance to be part of a school team to work with No Tosh to develop our school’s North Stars. As part of our initial work, we interviewed students, teachers, and parents. The interviews with students have stayed with me to this day. It was during these interviews that I saw eyes light up when the students talked about what they would like to learn at their ideal school. After the interviews, I wanted to give my students more opportunities to work on what they are truly passionate about.

This past spring I read The Element by Ken Robinson. The Element talks about how finding your passion changes everything. Ken Robinson tells many stories of how people found their true talents and passions and also describes how people had their gifts and talents overlooked when they were young. There is one story of how a teacher overlooked the talents of Paul McCartney and George Harrison in music class.  After reading the book, I realized that I have the best seat in the house, a front-row seat to see my students’ true talents and passions shine during the school years.

This year I am lucky enough to be teaching the same group of students that I taught in Grade Three. I did see many eyes light and twinkle up last year. One student has shared that she would love to be an engineer. Another student built his own computer and loves any type of science experiment. There are natural storytellers, physicists, doctors, and mathematicians in our midst. It is amazing to see what students are really passionate about. There are also talents and passions that I have yet to see. I am ready to start a new school year, give my classes plenty of wonderful learning opportunities, and hopefully see the sparkle of many eyes lighting up!

 

I have heard so much about reflection over the last year. I wanted to do lots of reflection with my classes and really have students thinking about their learning. Some students took this process seriously and some did not. Most of the reflection was done ar the end of projects or units. At the BLC’19 conference, my colleagues and I talked about reflection a lot. Ongoing reflection is key for the growth mindset. We all resolved to do ongoing reflection this year.

This summer I have been reflecting on my reflecting. Do I refect as much as I should? Could I do more reflecting to improve my practice and grow myself professionally?  I read about a blogger who felt writing blog posts allowed for deep reflection and a place to organize thoughts. Perhaps I should try to keep blogging this year and see what happens. I am beginning to understand that if I want my students to reflect on their learning I have to start reflecting first. This blog is the perfect place to reflect, share my ideas, and to be vulnerable. Wish me luck!

This summer, I had the privilege of attending the Building Learning Conference in Boston with four of my colleagues from the OJCS. We spent three days together attending different workshops, making connections, sharing what we learned, and spending meaningful time together.

It was apparent on the first day that our school in Ottawa is well on its way to being the best school. The messages we heard at the conference of letting students be the problem finders, the problem designers, take risks and learn from failure and most importantly own their learning, were part of conversations already taking place at the OJCS.

I came away from this experience feeling inspired and so excited for the upcoming school year. I plan to put much of what I learned at the conference into my teaching practice this year. Digital citizenship will be embedded in the curriculum naturally by making global connections. The students and I will be documenting our learning and making our thinking visible through the blogging process. Learner driven inquiry will hopefully be the norm in Grade 4 this year.

I made some excellent connections with the presenters of workshops. One presenter Dr. Marialice Curran, created the first course on digital citizenship at a university. I was lucky to connect with this professor at the workshop. She gave me her book and has offered to help me this Fall as I start to connect globally. Another presenter Alisha Collins has promised to send me her Science curriculum for some teachers to try out this year. Our school will also be part of the World Peace Song Project with schools all over the world. We will be the first Canadian school to join this project. This opportunity came about as I chatted with a teacher in another workshop. Silvia Tolisano gave an amazing workshop about documenting learning and student portfolios. She urged us to start our own professional blogs before we start them with our students.

The most meaningful part of the experience was spending time with my colleagues. We all went to different workshops and shared what we had learned. We got to know each other on a different level and appreciate one another. It was nice to discuss our craft and brainstorm ideas.  It is upon reflecting on the whole experience that we come away feeling inspired to design authentic learning experiences, encourages students to take risks, to ask rich questions, to fail to learn, to collaborate, to think critically, and to learn along with your students. We have made new connections and learned new things. We are excited to share with our colleagues and start collaborating on new projects/prototypes.

It is worthwhile to send a team to this conference every year. The team will bond, learn new things, make connections, get inspired, and more importantly come back to share and inject their enthusiasm into the school culture. Each teacher and administrator deserves such an enriching learning opportunity.