To help encourage conversations and dialogue about self-reflection, growth, and understanding of one's own learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What have you learned about yourself this year as a learner? Learning About Oneself (Week of 6/4/17) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
With just two weeks left of school (who's counting ?!), I have to admit that the Vaughn family has felt as though we are in a whirlwind of a schedule - balancing end of year celebrations with sports with homework with work - yikes! Friday night was a nice entry into our weekend, enjoying s'mores by the fire pit with the kids and then both boys had sports on Saturday. Our Sunday was spent chipping away at our to-do list (trying to wrap our heads around it at this time of year!), while also trying to simply catch up and breathe a bit before the week began.
June is such a busy time of year - trying to wrap things up, plan for the next year, maintain structures, and sustain the energy that is needed for our students, ourselves, and one another. Although it is a real challenge, as one who is a planner and overthinks, I am making a concerted effort to sustain a spirit of reflection during this final stretch. As we are really in the culminating timeframe of the 16-17 school year right now, in many ways, there is much to celebrate and recognize - spring concerts, art show, Maker Faire, Blake mini-marathon, and other special events that are coming up as well. I am incredibly proud to be part of a learning environment that is willing to take the time to come together in the service of students and community. Events such as our Maker Faire and the mini-marathon are indicative of a spirit of creativity, innovation, camaraderie, community, and education - thanks to all.
The pace of June can certainly catch up with me and drown out the reflection, but I hope to be able to 'slow it down' and simply be present. At this week's faculty meeting we are taking some more time to reflect on our Advisory model and I look forward to the ideas that will be shared - the intention with this discussion is not to overload or add to the plate, but to allow a reflective discussion and collective brainstorming to provide the forum for reflection. As with all of our work, I want to make sure that we maintain the energy and direction of traditions, relevance, and presence for our entire learning community. And, at the end of the day, holding ourselves accountable - are we learning and making progress? And, are the structures that we have in place appropriate platforms for fostering the learning, progress, and growth?
To hopefully capture the spirit of reflection as we move forward, I am sharing four posts below...
The first two posts (by Sonnemann and Hogan) are recent 'finds', and they are ones I have come back to a few times since my first read. They capture a spirit of reflection and focus on the student that is critical at all times of year. The second two posts (by Kerr and Ripp) are ones that I have shared in past years and are certainly worthy of an annual read (You will see that the captions/quotes are lengthier, but I think they are necessary!)...
The Child Behind the Grade
by Mark Sonnemann (@MarkSonnemann)
I love Sonnemann's post as he boils it down to an essential question - what do we know about the student? - and walks the reader through the need to focus on the student as a learner, rather than simply the summary of 'accomplishments'. The focus on feedback must begin with the student and it is a great framework to capture as our school year comes to a close - thinking about the student's 'personal learning journey'.
I always begin with the same question: what do you know about the student? The answers to this question tend to start with an emphasis on grades. Sometimes there is a reference to specific skills in core areas like Language Arts and Math, and then there is usually some commentary about Learning Skills, behavior, effort, and attendance, which might also include some thoughts on home support for the work being done in the class. I always listen, without interruption or clarification, to the entire description. When they are finished, I ask them: what else do you know about the student? I usually get puzzled looks the first time I have this conversation with a teacher. Looks that say—what do you mean? What else is there? It is as if we have become so accustomed to assigning grades that we have come to equate the student with the grade itself, and consequently that when we utter the number or letter that represents it we have both defined and described the human being who sits in our class.
Why is this? When did we become a system that was more interested in what arbitrary age-defined standard a child could demonstrate, than in the child herself? Or, perhaps more correctly, when did teachers become more concerned with the curriculum than with the learner?
The teacher’s role is to, in very simplistic terms, get the student from skill A to skill B. A teacher does this through the learning opportunities they create with their pedagogy, the tracking mechanisms they build in that inform their assessment, and the feedback they provide to bridge the space between where students are and where they want to go. Good pedagogy in teaching is that which engages students authentically and enables them entry into tasks in ways that show us what it is they know and what they can do with this knowledge/these skills. It is flexible and adaptable, and it flows from our knowledge of and relationship with our students. Consequently, good evaluation is a set of practices that allow us to see all of the elements of the processes generated through good pedagogy: what students know, what they can do, and what they need to grow. It is the triangulation of observations, conversations, and products. No one side of the triangle is privileged (finished products are not, for example, more valuable than a student conference), and a significant part of the art of teaching is being able to locate a child’s growth and progress relative to and in light of these points. Good feedback is that which connects task and assessment. Feedback is what creates growth. It supports, challenges, refines, and enhances learning. It must be ongoing, timely, and relevant to students.
The point is, the most effective teachers are those who give the best feedback, and the best feedback has little to do with grades, just like the best descriptions of our students have little to do with grades.
I guarantee you that if you allow feedback to inform what you do and to support student growth you will have a richer and more holistic understanding of who your students are, what they can do, and what they need to know to improve. I also promise you that it will allow you to make better decisions about tasks and choice because you will understand what motivates, engages, and inspires them. Because you will know your students better, you will find that parents, students, and colleagues will have more positive, precise, and practical conversations with you. It will be easier to work collaboratively and it will be easier to have challenging conversations (and they do happen) with parents, and students, and colleagues. You will also find it easier to complete summative reports and to speak to the achievement of students, and you will discover that students will pay more attention to what you say, what you do, and what you write because they will know that all of it is in service to their personal learning journey.
Ending the School Year Well
by Aaron Hogan (@aaron_hogan)
Similar to Ripp's post below, Hogan encourages all of us to stay present and sustain the energy we brought forth in week one. Within the post are some nice ideas shared by other educators as to how they work to 'end the year well'.
The tone we set during that first week does more for campus culture and climate than maybe any other week. It’s absolutely right for us to be deliberate and particular about how we begin the year, but for all the fuss about how we start things off, I rarely hear much about ending the year well. We cannot afford to do anything other than continue to pursue our students. Our students and colleagues are worth more than our survival mode efforts. We can make just as great an impact in our last days with students as we did in our first hours together.
Never stop getting to know your students (even at the end of the year). Invest in them. Let them know that they are loved.
Posts from past years...
Finishing Strong…
by Dan Kerr (@DanKerr1)
I shared this post last year at this time and believe it is one that should be on the 'annual June list of readings' for both students and adults.
When I look back over the past year much of it seems like a blur, and I’m left feeling a little dizzy and overwhelmed, and a lot grateful and proud. We took on so much this year as a faculty and we deserve to take a few moments to revel in the positive changes that are transforming our community. That being said, the last few weeks of a school year can be tough…arguably the toughest of them all because of the fatigue that has begun to set in…because of the onslaught of emotions that comes along with saying goodbye to students and colleagues and friends, and because of all the culminating events that get packed into the last several days.
I’d like to reiterate a challenge that I put out to my faculty at a previous school a couple of years ago, by asking you all to re-commit to our students, their learning, and to each other over the next three to four weeks, and to dig deep to finish what we started...It’s an exciting time of the year I know, and the kids are happy and smiling…we all have one eye focused on our summer adventures, and we can see the finish line on the horizon…I’m asking you however to not lose sight of the importance of what’s still left to do.
For those of you moving on to new adventures, remember that you’re only ever as good as your last exit…….and for those of us returning, know that students remember the educators that we are in June…..so let’s make sure they remember the best of what we have to offer. The last few weeks are going to speed by everyone so please commit to making them count. Let’s all feel great about what we’ve accomplished so far this year…it’s been amazing…but we’re not done yet! Finish strong and wrap up the year with a beautiful bow.
Take the Time
by Pernille Ripp (@pernilleripp)
This is a wonderful post by Ripp, as it reminds and encourages all of us to find and 'take the time' with our students during this last stretch of school - a must read for all who work with students.
There seems to be no greater rush in school then these last few precious days before we say goodbye, before our time is up. I look at my own to-do list and wonder just how much will actually get to done. The pressure of it all nips at my heels as I wonder whether my students could possibly speak a little bit faster as they deliver their end of year speeches. Will we get through them all? We have so much to do still.
May we never take for granted that our year, while tough at times, was still a success and that all of those students did actually grow, even if it was not as much as we had hoped. May we never forget that for a brief moment in time we were a part of the future by being a part of a child’s life.
Taking these ideas individually and trying to synthesize them with direction, we want to make sure that we are fostering some self-reflection and asking our students a simple question: Have you learned more about yourself, and tell us that story? It's a question I encourage us all to think about.
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Take care.
Nat