Principles of Learning

Children's Principles of Learning

As teachers we become mothers, fathers, nurses, phycologists, friends and many other roles.  There are so many aspects of teaching that have an effect on our student's success. Because of that we need to honor certain principles that go above opening a book and teaching from it. It is important to build relationships and take care of student needs before any academics can take place. Students need to feel comfortable before they are going to take risks in any classroom. Establishing these relationships and feelings will enable more success for students. Teachers not only need to get to know students personally but academically as well. Students need to learn at their level and build off what they already know. This will ensure success and growth in every student which is the overall goal for teachers.

I have implemented many things in my classroom so I can accomplish the ideas from my list of principles. After I made the switch to a new district I really questioned some of my practices and had to decide what is important. I knew I had to keep things like morning meeting, modeling, cooperative learning etc. Morning meeting has been a change for my students because they are not use to that but they are responding really well. I know a lot about my students and their lives because of the things we do during morning meeting. The students have also been able to get to know each other and I feel like we have created a caring community already. I've made changes to my curriculum like including a variety of assessments to see what my students already know and to see what they have mastered. I've implemented things like reading conferences and guided math to make sure each student has the opportunity to learn at their level.

I make 99 mistakes a day...

The reality of teaching is it is always changing. We may have done something one year but the next it just may not work. Perseverance is something every teacher needs to have or they are going to get burned out real quick. I’ve been in those positions where I felt like I’ve tried everything and even been in those situations where I know I need to constantly change things up because that is what works. It can be exhausting but it is worth it when you’ve accomplished your goal and students are learning. As I’ve grown I’ve learned that making mistakes is a reality; it’s the only way I’m going to learn. For some reason my mistakes stand out more than my successes. I feel like I learn a lot more when I make a mistake which makes it even better the next time when I (hopefully) don’t make that mistake again. I think it is so powerful when I make mistakes in front of my students.

            I tell my kids I make 99 mistakes a day and embrace them when they point out my mistakes. I tell them we are all here to learn from each other so it’s great if you help me fix something I’ve made a mistake on. Of course the students love it when they find a mistake I’ve made but it also gets them thinking instead of always going with what I say is correct. I’ve also used the words “you’ve made a smart mistake”. At first they are confused by it but they realize that making mistakes is part of learning and it’s normal in our classroom. It is always better to make mistakes than to not try at all. Through this modeling and talking my students learn about perseverance and know it’s ok to make mistakes. Sometimes I think it’s important to explicitly model perseverance through an activity (that usually is non academic like solving a rubix cube etc). This way we can always come back to this activity and talk about how they pushed through and those actions will be instilled in their mind.

Virtues

My top virtue was empathy. I feel this fits me very well with how I feel with many situations. I am very perceptive to how people are feeling and sometimes it takes over my thinking. I’ve alway been relatable and approachable to others. As a teacher empathy was a skill I stressed. I was very explicit with teaching empathy. I always point out when students are using kind words, helping others and having a sensitivity to other’s needs. My other top virtues were enthusiasm and humility. Other’s have told me that I am usually positive and passionate about what I do. Sometimes I think my passion needs to be spread out a little more. I tend to focus only on work when I need to save some enthusiasm for family. As an Med learner I feel my empathy and enthusiasm has been useful especially when we share stories about students or giving advice on what works in my room.

There are many connections to the virtues I possess and to the AGAPE concepts. Empathy fits very well with the concept of generativity. I feel because I have empathy I make sure everyone is involved and make sure we create a respectful environment. My goal is for everyone to feel comfortable and feel like they belong in the classroom. My enthusiasm relates really well with the concept of adaptation. When I have passion and enthusiasm my students can see that and feel like what we learning is important and engaging. Enthusiasm can give students the confidence to believe in themselves and know that their input is important. Their thinking is welcomed and I get excited when they come up with innovative ideas.

ROL Culturally Responsive Teaching

For my ROL I chose to focus on Culturally Responsive Teaching. This was an extensive topic which had great teaching ideas especially for me since I taught at a very diverse school. I chose to focus on teaching strategies that are culturally responsive. There were some strategies that I think every teacher needs to incorporate. Cooperative learning was an effective strategy that had many benefits. Kagan had some great ideas on how to implement cooperative learning in the classroom:

This article has some great cooperative learning activities:
http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/279/Kagan-Structures-for-English-Language-Learners

Also: this site I saw a few people had pinned on pinterest but it has to do with CL:
http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/co-op.php

One easy way I incorporated cooperative learning with homework was using numbered heads together. 4 students get into a group and go over each problem and make sure everyone in the group knows how to explain the answer. Then I randomly choose a number and that student from each group explains their answer. This way everyone is prepared to share their answer but they don't know who will be picked.

Questions

After thinking about my non-negotiables and going through workshop week I am questioning a lot of things. Others on my team don't do morning meeting and I can't imagine not doing it. I'm wondering if there will be time for it in the morning??? I'm also wondering how incorporating responsive classroom strategies into a school that has never used it is going to work. Will my students respond well to it? Other questions I have are: how often is my team going to collaborate once we get into the swing of things? It seems like the other teacher are so curriculum directed where I am more relationship, community building direct so I'm wondering if I will be able to find a good balance. Also, will I be able to deliver instruction at the rigor 5th grade demands? All these questions I'm sure are common when starting at a new school. I have to stay strong to my non negotiables and everything will fall into place.

Teaching with the non-negotiable in mind

Thinking about my non-negotiables (morning meeting, brain breaks, giving something time, teaching with the end in min and collaboration) I have started to think about my plans for the year and how these fit in. 

When thinking about morning meeting I know I will need to be very explicit with this. My students probably did not do a morning meeting last year so I will directly model what it looks like and we will practice many times. Once we have the routine down I know the students will see the benefits of morning meeting. My hope is that morning meeting has a positive impact on my students, myself and the classroom environment. We will spend time getting to know each other and morning meeting will be used to extend our learning at times. 

They say students should be able to focus for as many minutes as they are old (or maybe a few minutes over). Keeping that in mind I know using brain breaks will impact how much time my students are able to stay focus. If I use short brain breaks periodically my students will be able to get back to learning instead of checking out during the middle of a lesson (hopefully). I know I will need to plan these transitions intentionally and make sure I model and make them as smooth as possible for my students so they can continue learning. 

When trying something new I know there will be times when it goes well and times when it doesn't. I need to keep my goal of giving something time in mind and stick to it. Just because something doesn't work once doesn't mean it won't work all the time. Being reflective and thinking about what went well will allow me to make the changes I need after really trying something. This will impact my teaching because I will have a better picture of how something works since I have given it plenty of time. 

When planning my lessons I need to be very intentional about what the goal is and where I want my students to end up. The curriculum we have available is nicely laid out and has multiple ability levels available for small group work. I need to remember that students may take different paths to end up at the same goal. I will keep the standards in mind and use the essential questions so my students have bigger understandings of concepts. 

Collaboration will have a huge impact on my teaching this year. I know I will need help from veteran teachers and I hope I can give them some ideas as well. Being able to talk through ideas on lessons and students will help me meet the needs of my 5th graders. Being able to get ideas from other teachers who have done these lessons before will better prepare me for the best way to teach at this level. 

I know for all of these non-negotiables going slow to go fast will get me far. I need to remember to take baby steps at first and really model, teach and set up expectations so students clearly understand what to do. For my own teaching going slow will help me dive into my new setting without taking on too much too fast. 

Things I Won't Change!

As I start my journey as a 5th grade teacher in a new district I am faced with ALOT of changes. They really do things differently than I'm use to and nothing gets you thinking more than when something in your life changes. I can't help but think about the old ways of doing things but I know I need to be open to change. While I'm thinking about the differences I will be faced with, there are a few things I know I will not change in my classroom even though some may not do them in my new district.
1. Morning Meeting: My new district is not a Responsive Classroom district and most don't do a morning meeting. When I heard this I was shocked because it seems to natural for me. I made the decision to fit it in because I have seen how important it is for kids. Morning meeting is a nice transition into the school day and a great way to build community.
2. Brain Breaks: As I get all my new teacher's manuals for curriculum I feel a little over loaded with how much we have to teach. Especially since the curriculum is intense I know I need to fit in brain breaks for my students (and myself). I know they give the kids a chance to relax and it will help them stay focused when we get back to work.
3. Giving something new time: When I usually implement something newI tend to over think it and am quick to change it if it doesn't work right away. I know giving something time will let me see the big picture and really allow me to reflect on if it is working after giving it multiple tries.
4. Teaching with the end in mind: I know this will be hard to do this year since I am learning a whole new curriculum in about 2 weeks but I need to remember the goal of each lesson and unit. I know taking the time to plan a path and vision for where I want my students to end up will allow me to teach with focus and give the kids more of what they need to get to the goal.
5. Collaboration: I am the kind of person who likes to talk things through with people so teacher collaboration is a must for me. Thankfully I have found someone who has a similar style to mine and we have already been bouncing ideas off of each other. I think we grow more and get more ideas when we talk to teachers who have done similar things.