I’m aware, dated myself instantly. If you get the reference, we can kick it, for sure. As educators, I find that we take on so much, make so many decisions, and hustle through our day (“teacher bladders” are a thing) in such a way that there is little time for reflection. As much as anyone can reflect on their practice of herding bees, nailing jello to a wall, or any other euphemism you would like to utilize, the days just blend into one another. More time is spent reflecting on this student, that meeting, this deadline, that parent that should be contacted because their child did something that deserves praise. (I love calling home to explain why their child was a rockstar today!) Making time to stop, talk with other teachers, reflecting on the day, before another one rolls around, becomes a job in itself. We stress metacognition for our students, but are our own worst counselors.
As my journey into a truly student centered, proficiency-based continued down the rabbit hole, the realization hit that I needed to push forward mindfully. All the identified issues from the last post were not going to be solved instantly, so, slow changes, smaller experiments, and mindful changes were the order of the day.
Change one: Transparency. Even with provided learning targets, my students did not know what the expected outcomes would be for their studies. Yes, they were given a topic of study, completed the tasks, and took the assessments, but I kept finding a disconnect when it came to their own reflections and feedback on their learning. They were “playing school” instead of seeking out applications for the learning targets.
For example: A list of required task elements for the unit to meet the standard. Curated, differentiated, and ready to roll.
Earth’s Early Atmosphere Inquiry
Earth’s Early Atmosphere Reading
Heat Transfer Challenge
Cloud Formation/ Fronts
Greenhouse Effect Lab Inquiry
Passive Solar House
Albedo – Specific Heat Lab
What is missing? Go ahead, I’ll wait.
*gives requisite five seconds wait time*
Two things became glaringly obvious upon a little reflection. There is no true student choice, and it was just another “plug and play.” Students had little say in how they expressed their understanding.
The Big Questions:
Had the tasks not evolved with my thinking?
Was that what student centered meant?
What was the role of feedback in this system?
I was also finding that the learning targets were written with me in mind, not transparency for students. Proficiencies needed to be broken down, providing Learning Targets that were readily accessible and clear for students. I could focus them, but not at the expense of student clarity.
But, baby steps. Too many questions muddy the waters, and take up brain space that will only switchtask, opening 100 mental “browser tabs” (you know who you are) that will serve to keep the mind bouncing all over the place.
Clarify, clean out, and focus on creating a culture that values mastery and feedback, not just a way to achievement. Time to stop, collaborate, and listen to those around me.
Or, maybe it’s Hammer Time?
Here we go, 2.0.
Mr. H's Not So Secret Classroom 