Reclaiming the power

I start anew.

Another continent. Hence the pause in my posts as I have been adjusting to a new culture.

I have started work in a school with a distinct culture of its own. As a teacher, my aim is to make my students enjoy learning, and in the process, become confident thinkers and self-directed learners. If I spend my time contemplating how things are done differently and worry about how they should be done, then a lot of energy and time is wasted. It is not fair to the school nor to the students. This time could be better deployed. Blend in with your surrounding community and once you have found your footing, do what you do best. And in the process, if the school likes what you do, they will embrace it.

As an individual, I enjoy reflecting on my actions. I think things through (um, often) and try to engage in conversations with others in order to clarify my thoughts. I carefully choose my PLN. I choose not to engage with people who are set in their opinions. What a waste of time! Having said that, I recognize and cherish ideas that are different from my own, especially the ones that push my thinking. This I try to bring into my classroom.

Today I look around me and see the clean, sparkling, well-organized classrooms next to mine. Mine, I admit, is a bit messy at times, though we do clean up at the end of the day. What I like about my classroom (and I don't really mind if it does not look as pretty as the class next door), is that children's' work lace my classroom walls. These walls invite the students (and any visitor) to look more closely and engage with the displays. They are student-driven and showcase unique individual's work. Their feedback on post-it notes reflects a growing understanding of what constructive criticism looks like.
Hardly any laminated teacher prompts can be seen unless necessary.

I like the fact that the students have become active learners in the classroom. When they walked in the very first day, they waited for instructions for almost everything. Today, in just one month's time, they realize they can make their own decisions and waste less time waiting for the nod from me or my co-teacher.
If you happen to meet my Grade 3 students, you will be floored by them. They are funny, endearing and great to talk to.

I am lucky to be back in the classroom so soon!

Comments

Unravelling the inquiry cycle in a PYP class room

“ People can make choices to support the sustainability of the Earth’s energy resources .” Me to students : Does that make sense? Students to me : (after a while)...not really... Their understanding of "energy" during the pre-assessment task also reflected a superficial knowledge of the term. And thus our unit of inquiry started. As I was browsing the net, I came across this picture prompt- a map, which I thought would serve as a great provocation. The annual energy consumption per person . Kids love guessing where countries are, so it was a great way to address some geography at this point. I had also been reading Craig Dwyer's post which inspired me to change my inquiry cycle and use a simpler one. Wonder (while exploring)- Explore (while wondering)- Create (while reflecting)- Reflect (with subsequent wonderings). I was feeling more at ease now. The map allowed the students to make a lot of inferences based on patterns whi...

Generalization-Designing Your Lessons for Conceptual Understanding (Part 3)

This post is the third of our blog post series on how to design lessons for conceptual understanding. Part 1 here Part 2 here Strategy 3 : Generalizations You may have come across Lynn Erickson's diagram on the structure of knowledge. In my IB workshop's I always like to present the avocado model alongside this diagram when I am talking about facts. The intention of inquiry-based teaching and conceptually-driven understanding (or Concept-based inquiry- whatever terminology suits your fancy) is to enable students to make generalizations. In other words, can they transfer their learning to a new context because they have understood what they learnt. In order to make generalizations, we need to first plan lessons that help students acquire facts/topics that are interesting and worth knowing. Bringing in local and global issues that are relevant to the topic help students as they begin to compare the topics and see emerging patterns. Remember, facts and concepts have a syn...

5 classroom routines

Communication I plan to try and improve communication between our classroom, parents, and students. I'm not sure whether students or parents read my emails or get our classroom news. At times, they do not respond to the posts on Google Classroom. The silence from that side of the wall has been baffling, frustrating and a big challenge for me. I just may have found the solution. The App Remind is an excellent way to overcome this problem. It is a great tool which ensures everyone receives the message instantly on their phones, and it need not be an iPhone or an android! Community Last year, being new to Japan, I was unable to take advantage of the resources around me.This country's unique culture and history have much to offer. After reading Ron Berger's " An Ethic of Excellence ", and seeing the powerful learning that can take place with the help of the community, I plan to actively learn more about and reach out in order to seek expert help ...

Learning Never Stops

Search This Blog