I started this blog because of how much innovation was rocking my world with teaching. I just needed to “dump” my thoughts, but I also wanted to craft my thinking. I had so much swirling in my mind that I needed to get it out to organize it and save it.
I still feel like that. I still feel these huge jumps in my thinking.
My students read this blog now. A lot of them do, anyway. Once in a while, while I’m walking around the classroom, I see them reading it. I keep a link to it and to my current writing drafts on our agenda.
As I’ve stepped away from the “teacher” role and further into the facilitator role, I watch with fascination with what my students choose to engage in to further their learning. Back in the old “workshop” days, I couldn’t keep up with exemplars and resources. Now, there is no end.
Here is what I see students doing daily:
Here is an example of what students do daily. The settings don’t allow you to see all of the self-evaluations, but you’ll get the idea.
Here is an example of a self-evaluation in my students’ weekly email. Of course, not all students reach for this daily, but this is the beauty of this structure. This student, all students, can.
I could go on. It’s beautiful. The expansiveness of how they approach their learning is breathtaking.
And all those who aren’t answering the question...well, they do eventually. Sometimes, as all good teachers do, I have to nag or re-direct, or just ask the question that has become my mantra: “Will that help you learn?”
Gratitude: A job that humbles me daily.
Goal: Teach until I’m 90...or maybe 80...depends on my knees. Well, I hope it depends on my knees!
I still feel like that. I still feel these huge jumps in my thinking.
My students read this blog now. A lot of them do, anyway. Once in a while, while I’m walking around the classroom, I see them reading it. I keep a link to it and to my current writing drafts on our agenda.
As I’ve stepped away from the “teacher” role and further into the facilitator role, I watch with fascination with what my students choose to engage in to further their learning. Back in the old “workshop” days, I couldn’t keep up with exemplars and resources. Now, there is no end.
Here is what I see students doing daily:
- Answering the daily question so thoroughly that that’s all they do.
- Answering the daily question as quickly as they can so that they can work on their own writing.
- Answering the daily question as quickly as they can so they can read their own mentor texts.
- Answering the daily question as quickly as they can so they can research about the topic more and then do some more work on answering the question further.
- Answering the daily question quickly so they can research another topic they care about.
- Answering the daily question and clicking open links on the agenda (student exemplars, my writing, “funny similes”, serious articles,...whatever is there.)
- Answering the daily question and then engaging with their peers on the Padlet the entire class period.
- Not answering the daily question because they want to write.
- Not answering the daily question because they want to read their peer’s writing.
- Not answering the daily question because they want to read or research.
Here is an example of what students do daily. The settings don’t allow you to see all of the self-evaluations, but you’ll get the idea.
Here is an example of a self-evaluation in my students’ weekly email. Of course, not all students reach for this daily, but this is the beauty of this structure. This student, all students, can.
I could go on. It’s beautiful. The expansiveness of how they approach their learning is breathtaking.
And all those who aren’t answering the question...well, they do eventually. Sometimes, as all good teachers do, I have to nag or re-direct, or just ask the question that has become my mantra: “Will that help you learn?”
Gratitude: A job that humbles me daily.
Goal: Teach until I’m 90...or maybe 80...depends on my knees. Well, I hope it depends on my knees!
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