This is a great read. The administration at my last school site sent this out to all the teachers, so this is my second time visiting it. It's great for those who have been out of school for a while and who have possible for the experience of being a student, but I am still in school - so I understand what these students are doing and going through. Our Monday schedules at the University are just exhausting and I always keep that in mind. Besides keeping it in mind, I also inform my students of what I do every Monday and that I understand how hard it is to sit all day. Because I am so fresh on what it is like to sit all day with very little mobility, I have been incorporating more and more activities that allow my students to move. Not necessarily a whole lot as they are freshmen and I have to be careful of just how much freedom I give them. My co-teacher and I have been scaffolding our lessons to allow more active group work and we see a significant improvement in the engagement of our students when we allow them to stand up and graph together or even coming up to the board to model a problem.
Schedule wise, my school site is very similar to the veteran teacher's schedule. But personally, I think it is necessary for students to sit and take some notes, doesn't mean it needs to be for the whole class period but some notes are very important and I find it necessary to deliver some before allowing the students to get up and move. Currently, my co-teacher and I teach 5-15 minutes of notes (maximum) a day. And some days we don't do any notes. We are constantly reading our students and what it is that they need and what it is that will make them more successful. If we see they're not understanding a concept through group work, we will bring their attention to the front for some key ideas. With us constantly monitoring and checking in for understanding with the students, we are able to really see where we can reach our students. But yes, that sometimes means we have a slightly less engaging day or it could mean that we have a crazy exciting day where students just develop their understanding of concepts through exploring. But one thing I am big on is a daily routine. I am always 100% prepared when they come into my classroom as I believe this keeps classroom management in check and we always have a warm-up. This allows kids to understand what is expected and to come to a classroom where they feel comfortable and I believe having a routine allows students to feel more comfortable.
I'm happy to say that a few of his takeaways are actually things I incorporate into my daily classes (i.e. the mandatory stretch breaks). I think the main theme I take away from this article is perspective. We can never be great educators if we do not understand our students' perspectives and what they are experiencing daily. I think it would be great if teachers could, once a year, shadow a student at their school. That would help teachers to constantly update their perspectives and keep their minds fresh.
"I have a lot more respect and empathy for students after just one day of being one again" - Grant Wiggins. This is the best and most important quote in the entire article. And he didn't say sympathy, he said empathy which is significantly different.
Schedule wise, my school site is very similar to the veteran teacher's schedule. But personally, I think it is necessary for students to sit and take some notes, doesn't mean it needs to be for the whole class period but some notes are very important and I find it necessary to deliver some before allowing the students to get up and move. Currently, my co-teacher and I teach 5-15 minutes of notes (maximum) a day. And some days we don't do any notes. We are constantly reading our students and what it is that they need and what it is that will make them more successful. If we see they're not understanding a concept through group work, we will bring their attention to the front for some key ideas. With us constantly monitoring and checking in for understanding with the students, we are able to really see where we can reach our students. But yes, that sometimes means we have a slightly less engaging day or it could mean that we have a crazy exciting day where students just develop their understanding of concepts through exploring. But one thing I am big on is a daily routine. I am always 100% prepared when they come into my classroom as I believe this keeps classroom management in check and we always have a warm-up. This allows kids to understand what is expected and to come to a classroom where they feel comfortable and I believe having a routine allows students to feel more comfortable.
I'm happy to say that a few of his takeaways are actually things I incorporate into my daily classes (i.e. the mandatory stretch breaks). I think the main theme I take away from this article is perspective. We can never be great educators if we do not understand our students' perspectives and what they are experiencing daily. I think it would be great if teachers could, once a year, shadow a student at their school. That would help teachers to constantly update their perspectives and keep their minds fresh.
"I have a lot more respect and empathy for students after just one day of being one again" - Grant Wiggins. This is the best and most important quote in the entire article. And he didn't say sympathy, he said empathy which is significantly different.