A Midway Reflection

So what is going on with the craziness that is our classroom?

The Key Competencies still take centre stage in all our learning.
The children are confident creators on both iPads and iMacs.
More and more, the quieter students are finding their voice amongst the over abundance of "character" in the room.

What is next?

With such a focus on Key Competencies, we've let slip the focus on the students becoming monitors of their own learning.
I still strongly believe that such young learners can, and should be, in full control of their learning - They may just need some assistance.

So term 3 is calling for a greater awareness of learning content and also fostering the motivation needed to be able to identify and strive for those next steps in the journey. It is one thing to know what you are to do next, it is another thing to be motivated to achieve it and to know how best to get there.

The class Google Site will still play a major role in providing the visibility of learning the students need. Also we will also begin to introduce a series of learning progressions developed by staff at Pt England and Stonefields Schools.
These progressions give clear and concrete success criteria at each level/stage. The students are therefore never far away from being to check on what could or should come next and where they've come from. Each child has an individualised set of progressions, really personalising the learning for each child.
Initially, this process of identifying where the students are working and what may come next, will be well scaffolded and directed. The plan is that through this scaffolding and assistance, we will develop students who are more self managing and intrinsically motivated.


I am still mulling over the current learners in our classroom. I scratch my head daily as we make great progress in some areas and yet still struggling in others.
Am I expecting too much of such young kids - is it related to age or maturity?
Or.....
Is it simply that I currently get to enjoy days with a class of individuals who are determined to leave their stamp on everything they do?

 

Angry Birds Teaching us Physics