Although it is almost the holidays, all that I can think of right now is The Little Engine that Could. Let's face it... 2020 has brought many challenges and obstacles. We are feeling the exhaustion of the last calendar year on our shoulders, and most of us can't wait for it to be 2021. Some mornings we may even be waking up wishing that we could close our eyes and pull those covers back up over our heads instead of heading into school. But, our kiddos are depending on us. They are depending on us to be there... to be eager to teach... and to be the light in their days. We've got this next eight days. Just remember that we need to start each one with the phrase, "I think I can!"
12 Days of Christmas:
This week we continue our 12 Days of Christmas. Keep on the lookout! We still have a few Santas that were not found on Friday. They are in some tricky places! We can't wait to have more fun with you this week!
Element 13: Reflecting on Learning
Last week at the Program Planner meeting James mentioned that there are two elements that we wanted to spotlight right now. The first was Element 26: Managing Response Rates. We focused on this element last week in our memo. This week we are switching gears to Element 13: Reflecting on Learning.
When we look at the rubric for reflecting we see that there are a few key components that must be implemented in the classroom to utilize this strategy with students effectively.
*Students reflect on their own learning and the learning process
*Students reflect on their effort
*The teacher monitors the extent to which students do this effectively
Reflecting on where I am in the learning sequence for a student and how their effort impacts where they are at is huge for our students. Last year we introduced you to the idea of grit. This is when our students "choose" to keep going when things get tough. This does not just mean that they are complying with behavioral expectations, although these reflect effort as well. Grit is when students are sitting in the zone of productive struggle with a challenging word, math problem, or question in front of them and they chose to reach out to resources and strategies around them to keep going even when they may feel like quitting. Without following the teacher's behavior expectations and showing grit, students may not advance very far on the learning continuum.
This year the idea of the Critical Concepts were introduced and last year we shared Standards Ladders with you. These are examples of ways that students can reflect on where they are in their learning. This is often an area where we see confusion for this element. One of the things that students need to be aware of is what skills they have checked off, where they are at right now in their learning, and where they are trying to get to and why.
Let's take a look at an example scenario:
In class, a student is learning phonetic skills in their kindergarten classroom. Currently, they are learning letter sounds. After they learn their sounds they will be blending these sounds to make CVC words. They will also learn some common sight words. The next step is to put these CVC words and sight words together to begin reading some predictable books. Each day the teacher may review with students what they are currently learning and where they are trying to get to (reading text by themselves). She may also review with students what they need to do when they get to a tricky letter or word (strategies and effort). At the end of small group or independent reading time the teacher may have students reflect in two ways: 1. What did you practice today and where is this at on our learning ladder? 2. How much effort (grit) did you show when you got to tricky letters/words? What did you do when you got to that letter/word that helped you?
Allowing students to see that their effort and use of strategies can help them advance faster to where they are trying to get to can be powerful. Teachers have been finding some creative ways to get their students to reflect on both of these areas.
With the implementation of standards ladders and Critical Concept scales we have seen students begin to prove where they are in their learning. They are checking off concepts as they demonstrate mastery and know exactly the key vocabulary and expectations of the next step in their learning that they are going to tackle. Teachers have done this with physical student copies of the ladders or scales, whole class large scale versions on which students clip their clothespin or place their sticky note, or through discussion with their partner at the conclusion of a small group. When checking off or clipping up a step on the ladder or section of the concept the teacher is requiring that the student prove their understanding. We often see this in the form of an exit ticket.
Teachers have also developed "Effort Expectations" anchor charts. These are charts where the class brainstorms what effort sounds like, looks like, and feels like. Then, students reflect about whether they met those expectations during the lesson and often place a symbol that indicates their effort onto their exit ticket or paper.
Reflecting on both of these areas in the classroom will take some time at the beginning when you first introduce the concept to your students. However, with repetition and consistent expectations for effort, the time that will be needed will greatly decrease and should only take a minute or two. These are also just a few examples and are not all inclusive of what can be done with students in your classroom for Element 13. We hope that this has brought some clarity and also sparked some ideas.
Weekly Schedule:
Remember... we've got this. Only eight more days. Continue to be the light for your students! Have a great week.
-Keli and James
