Exactly one year ago, I was presenting at the 3E Learning Conference in Ho Chi Minh City and it's crazy to think how much has changed since then. During my Inspire Talk at 3E, I spoke about change and the opportunities that come with it...in education of course! One year on though, I'm thinking there are some important lessons in there for me personally! So this year, whether you are headed back to the classroom or embarking on new adventures in life, let's be sure to view every moment as opportunity. Who knows what wonderful things might come as a result!
I am experiencing some major shifts in life. In March, my first child was born. In June, I moved back to Canada with my young family after 12 years away from "home". And for the first time in 8 years, I am not going back to the classroom this August/September. Right now it feels like my life is all about change, change, CHANGE!
Exactly one year ago, I was presenting at the 3E Learning Conference in Ho Chi Minh City and it's crazy to think how much has changed since then. During my Inspire Talk at 3E, I spoke about change and the opportunities that come with it...in education of course! One year on though, I'm thinking there are some important lessons in there for me personally! So this year, whether you are headed back to the classroom or embarking on new adventures in life, let's be sure to view every moment as opportunity. Who knows what wonderful things might come as a result!
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Before every school year starts, I try to reflect on what has been successful in my classroom during the previous year and what I would like to change, expand on or even omit. Every year of course there are tweaks to be made and shifts to consider. One of the most important things I reflect on are the routines that organize the day, including the functions they have and purposes they are serving. I like purposeful routines. In fact, I require them. For me this means routines that are developmentally-appropriate, yet complex. Routines that address basic curriculum components and desired learning outcomes, yet also respect students as people, individuals and learners, and reflect their participation as class- and community-members and citizens. Over the last few years I have continued to take this criteria into consideration, continually fine-tuning my approach. The ultimate goal for me is that all aspects of my work with children - including the daily routines - align with my philosophies about learning and my image of the child. This approach has led me to make some pretty significant changes over time in how I implement and address some common-place classroom routines. Here are a few major things I've evolved since I started teaching:
So, the routine needed to be re-thought. There is still a calendar in my classroom. Months, days and dates are still marked. This time though, it's all of them. Now our calendar is a co-constructed piece which evolves every day. The main purpose is not counting and temporal time, but rather reflection and the recording of community events. We look at our calendar in our Afternoon Meeting and discuss what happened during our school day. The Special Helper chooses one or more significant events and draws a picture on the date card. The biggest difference? Now children are engaged in self-motivated and personally-meaningful dialogue around this shared tool - not just memorized songs and scripted conversations. Check out these great reads on classroom calendar routines for more inspiration:
Try it and see how the self-regulation and interpersonal skills that are discovered and demonstrated through the process are also extended to other areas or learning and interaction.
We still have one 'Special Helper' everyday who leads our class line and organizes the Morning Meeting. This person also lends an extra helping hand to any other incidental tasks, but, in general, the culture in our classroom is that everyone is responsible for everything all the time. We are all responsible for recognizing when the recycling needs to be emptied. We are all responsible for keeping track of when the plants need to be watered. In the past, I found that designated classroom jobs didn't really work to support the class community and environment I wanted. While they did give everyone a sense of responsibility eventually, they narrowed it to one area and encouraged those without classroom jobs to 'check out'.
A few key issues I noticed about the chart:
Now, there is no behaviour chart in my classroom. No traffic light, no stickers, no happy and sad faces. Instead, we emphasize supportive group dialogue, private conversations, and trusting relationships. Check out these great reads on class management for more inspiration: What routines have changed and evolved over time in your classroom?
Have you taken the time to reflect and adapt?
This year, the 'Action as Service' committee* which I co-chair has been discussing how to ensure that our students are empowered by and connected to the projects we undertake to the fullest extent possible. (Each grade level from Kindergarten 1 to Grade 5 has a service project connected to one of their units of inquiry.) Our committee meetings and discussion kept this aim in mind. Through all of our conversations we continued to return to the idea that projects and actions must be age-appropriate, and not extent students too far beyond their sphere of influence. We also maintained the standpoint that certain attitudes and dispositions need to be in place for this to occur. These dispositions included (but were not necessarily limited to):
Ultimately, we determined that we could be doing more to develop these dispositions before expecting students to participate meaningfully in service projects. Thus, 'The Gratitude Project' was born, with two main components:
The project is simple, but strong enough to connect a community and develop the capacities and dispositions we believe need to be in place for meaningful action and engagement with service to occur.
How do you approach service learning with young children? Sources we consulted on our learning journey:
*Thanks to our Action as Service Committee for their continual work and thinking on developing these types of projects: Julia Alden, Delores Duly, Sue Skye, Shanez Cabraal, Hugh Maclean, Janice Vanhaltren.
Last weekend I participated in a #globalclassroom Twitter chat about action and empathy. So many great ideas were shared. I definitely recommend following this hashtag on a regular basis! The chat gave me an opportunity to share how I have been using the Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking Routine 'Circle of Viewpoints' as a format for reflection on conflict in my classroom. Conflict is a natural part of working and playing together in the classroom. How we work through the conflict and move forward is what defines us as a class community. In my classroom, students and teachers have the opportunity to suggest a class meeting in order to verbalize and process the conflict as a group when they feel it is appropriate. One of the tools we use to support our discussions is Circle of Viewpoints. The Circle of Viewpoints thinking routine asks participants to consider different perspectives, as well as their own point of view on an issue. First, we define the problem. In the example below it is a verbal argument between two students over a team-building game called Toxic Waste. We then take the perspective of the students involved, "unlocking" our thinking using the PYP key concept (or "concept key") Perspective. We imagine and visualize what the people might think using the "I think..." sentence starter and also ask any questions we have from their unique points of view. This process of perspective-taking creates a culture of critical thinking and empathy in our classroom that is well worth the time it takes for the discussions. We begin to understand why people do what they do and believe what they believe. We learn that by expressing our own thoughts, feelings, and questions, and listening to and imagining those of others, we find ways to work, play, and communicate together more sensitively. As these strategies become more embedded through repetition of the thinking routine, students manage conflict more independently and effectively, and, in some cases, even preempt it. What tools and strategies do you use to solve conflict and build community?
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I'm a PYP educator passionate about visible thinking, learning environments, Reggio Emilia, arts, technology, pedagogical documentation, visible thinking, nature & play. Always inquiring, always reflecting, always learning!
View the About Me page to learn more. Contact MeRecent PostsEmbracing Change
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