The nature of my position allows me the privilege to collaborate with teachers across grade levels. I was fortunate to be surrounded by passionate and engaged teachers that immediately stepped up to help form the STREAM Team last year. This team of educators created a collective vision of the Classroom of the Future. This valued feedback has led to a greater investment in our space and a shift in mindset. Positive Peer Pressure, encouragement, partnerships, and mentoring have meant that all students have visited the studio and participated in innovative lessons at least three times so far this school year. I have worked to maintain and strengthen those relationships by offering my time, finding or creating resources, and leading school-wide professional development. Recognizing teachers for their efforts to be innovative builds confidence and empowers them to take risks and support one another. Sharing my own epic fails allows others to see that I am constantly taking risks and trying to learn from them. Our shared Google Drive Innovation Folder houses grade level lessons and Seesaw and Flipgrid give other teachers access to lessons and ideas that are being used throughout our school.
Risk taking and failure is also celebrated in the classroom. Students know that “epic fails” often lead to the most learning. Tasks that require perseverance prove that with hard work multiple failures are just a part of eventual success. A recent project required some teams to make 50 or more attempts in order to program a bot correctly. Success was met with tears of joy and relief. As one student likes to say, “I feel so satisfied!” I also model risk taking by trying new technology and apps. As we all know technology often has a mind of its own, and even with our best efforts and preparation we often must problem solve to make things work. The students are champs about finding alternative solutions to our challenges. Last week I became inspired by a new technology and immediately planned a math lesson in which the students would be using the technology. The app worked well and the students were able to navigate it easily. The content confused them. Luckily they are comfortable with expressing their feelings and the teacher and I called it an “epic fail”. We reflected and brainstormed ways we could have improved the lesson with the students. The next day we followed up with a music and math integration to strengthen content knowledge and we will use that technology another time. I have built relationships with teachers through collaborative lessons and servant leadership (asking “How can I help?”) and I have built relationships with students by empowering them to become independent learners and valuing their feedback using SCRUM. One of the most important steps in bringing about a shift in mindset was building relationships with parents and community businesses. The Classroom of the Future Grant inspired us to reach out to local Girl Scout Troops, local artists, a local tree service company, and many parents for their assistance and expertise. The girl scout troop cleaned up and painted the courtyard. A former student artist designed and painted a mural. The tree service company donated their time and the wood necessary to build the outdoor stadium. Parents donated bricks and PVC pipe, and built hanging planters and see through planters for our Outdoor Classroom. Their hours of investment and dedication to our efforts will help maintain this incredible learning environment. After seeing the end result many more volunteers have offered to help this spring with our pond and planting. Students see that our community is an important part of our school and we count on and support one another. Comments are closed.
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Author“Challenge me! Inspire me! Listen to me!” This is the message in their eyes. I see myself in so many of the students I serve, because I was not easily inspired as a young learner. Now, as an inspired educator, I hope to motivate students to find joy in learning and to take pride in being part of a community of learners. Archives
March 2018
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