How did we come to know and understand the ideas we learned this week?
Wow, this week seemed to fly right on by. If I were to sum the week up in one word, it would have to be "busy." Though "busy" is a four-letter word, it is not a bad word because the work was purposeful and students are blossoming into critical thinkers ready to take on the world through persistence, interdependence, and metacognition.
Students came to learn and understand that they may need a bit of direction, but mainly they need to trust in their abilities to communicate effectively. Many know how to do this well, but are timid.
I'm learning that I need to get out of the way of their learning more often. Sometimes I feel like a father who is holding on to the seat of a bike a little too long as his child learns to ride. My desire is to watch my students take off and ride on their own, but I like this stuff too and I want to be involved in the learning.
To that end, I decided to pull back on my comments and encourage collaborative thinking.
Students have been learning by doing this week and making adjustments based on the mistakes they've made. I've found that we are able to catapult to higher levels of understanding this way.
I have learned that writing is a powerful tool. We truly write to learn. I didn't always fully understand this, but when we write down our ideas, compare them to others around us, and reflect on the choices we become active participants in the process. And, for that, I am grateful.
Wow, this week seemed to fly right on by. If I were to sum the week up in one word, it would have to be "busy." Though "busy" is a four-letter word, it is not a bad word because the work was purposeful and students are blossoming into critical thinkers ready to take on the world through persistence, interdependence, and metacognition.
Students came to learn and understand that they may need a bit of direction, but mainly they need to trust in their abilities to communicate effectively. Many know how to do this well, but are timid.
I'm learning that I need to get out of the way of their learning more often. Sometimes I feel like a father who is holding on to the seat of a bike a little too long as his child learns to ride. My desire is to watch my students take off and ride on their own, but I like this stuff too and I want to be involved in the learning.
To that end, I decided to pull back on my comments and encourage collaborative thinking.
Students have been learning by doing this week and making adjustments based on the mistakes they've made. I've found that we are able to catapult to higher levels of understanding this way.
I have learned that writing is a powerful tool. We truly write to learn. I didn't always fully understand this, but when we write down our ideas, compare them to others around us, and reflect on the choices we become active participants in the process. And, for that, I am grateful.