'Twas the night before school ...

By -
It's the night before school starts and it amazes me that even after 9 years teaching I still get the back to school jitters. I know I am not alone in feelings of excitement, apprehension, and restlessness. The tangible and intangible drawing nearer - Are my introductory lessons prepared? How will they be received? Do I have all materials ready? How are the students feeling? What barriers will have to be overcome? How can I best make connections with these new individuals - based on trust, respect, kindness?

This year is slightly different, as tomorrow marks my first day teaching in the intermediate division. After a summer of reading and reflecting on overarching pedagogical practices, I am attempting to put a vision to life. Part of this reflection has included thoughts on how to establish community with students at this grade level. I made a conscious decision to leave the walls bare, desks pushed to the side, and chairs in a circle. It is my hope that together we can create a wonderful space for collaborative learning. Blogging has very much become part of my personal reflection and I want to share this with my students this year. I hope being open with them, sharing my mistakes and reaction to them, and showing vulnerability will have a positive impact on their sense of self and efficacy. The screen capture below highlights my thoughts to them as we begin this journey together. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Thoughtful Note (on Building Thinking Classrooms)

By -
Image
This past week I attended a PD session facilitated by  Peter Liljedahl   entitled Building Thinking Classrooms. Two things I noticed right away: 1) No mention of the word mathematics in the title. It's about the thinking. 2) Participants were tossed into the role of learners. It's about the students. (We were thinking about mathematics but the thinking proceeded the math) During his consolidation piece, Peter Liljedahl discussed the role of note taking and suggested that perhaps we encourage students to write notes entitled "A letter to my future dumber self" (or otherwise known as thoughtful notes). So here it goes... A letter to my future dumber self, It wasn't too long ago that you saw the acronym #VNPS and thought really?, isn't that just a whiteboard? A gentle reminder to dig deeper before forming an opinion. Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces represent a shift in the learning environment that directly impacts the student experience. The name me...
Read more

Puzzle Cube Project: Spatial Reasoning & Design Thinking

By -
Image
The first 6 weeks with our 3D printer centered around experimentation and debugging. We familiarized ourselves with TinkerCad, conducted research, and spent many hours grappling with our failed prints and mishaps. With our new motor installed, and heightened appreciation for the functionality of this amazing tool, we got started on our first design project. I brought a few wooden mind puzzles into the classroom for interest and relaxation, but also for their value in developing spatial reasoning. They provided us with the inspiration we needed for our first project! My purpose for integrating 3D printing in the classroom stems from a curiosity of students' spatial reasoning abilities and how designing and creating in a virtual 3D world might enhance their thinking. These capabilities are essential in many STEM careers (science, technology, enginering, and math) and are linked with overall mathematical performance. Spatial reasoning is an area in mathematics education that is a...
Read more

[Summer Reading] Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action

By -
Image
"And today, fresh discoveries in cognition, inquiry, and collaboration show us even betters ways to help learners engage with ideas and drive each others' thinking- not just to remember information, but to build knowledge, to care, to act" (Harvey and Daniels, 2009, p. 7). How does what I know about teaching and learning in primary apply to the intermediate division? What structures and supports are necessary in the classroom environment to evoke the kind of thinking required for learning? My own "puzzle drive" led me to this book written by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels.  It came highly recommended by  @JennyLoebsack , a friend and mentor who I consider to be an inquiry-guru! What struck me instantly about this text, is the manner in which theory and practice are examined and explored. The authors share information and their own thinking in a highly conversational way. Part 1 lays the foundation, explains the why , of small group inquiry projects. ...
Read more