About this time of year, I begin reflecting back over the past year, as you probably do. The biggest change for me this year has been my involvement with TeachersPayTeachers.com. I have just passed the 1-year anniversary of my store's opening. What a great place to virtually collaborate with so many dedicated teachers and therapists! I have been a learner this year, trying to figure out how to best prepare and post resources that I use in my classroom so that others can use them, too. My teachers have been other store owners. I can interact with them through Q&A, forums, and feedback. I believe I have become a better teacher in this process, more organized and systematic in my teaching, data collection, and progress reporting.
This all makes me think about how the students in my classroom learn. Are their questions being answered in ways that are meaningful to them? Do they receive the kind of feedback that motivates them to keep learning?
Here are some things I resolve to do more of in my classroom this coming year:
What are some things you'd like to change in your classroom?
Jean
This all makes me think about how the students in my classroom learn. Are their questions being answered in ways that are meaningful to them? Do they receive the kind of feedback that motivates them to keep learning?
Here are some things I resolve to do more of in my classroom this coming year:
- I will observe students doing things correctly and comment to them about it, e.g., "Nice standing quietly in line with your hands to yourself"; "Good job stopping even though you are not yet finished. You'll get to come back to this after Music Class."
- I will correct in a more positive way, e.g., "Let's erase this and try again to make that letter look like this model"; "You colored this balloon, filling in all the white spaces. Look for white spaces you left in this balloon and color them in, too."
- I will slow down and listen to words and observe behavior that give me feedback about how students are feeling and what they may be thinking so I can modify my instruction to meet them where they are.
What are some things you'd like to change in your classroom?
Jean