GRIPS During a Pandemic- Reflections From Students
I have so many thoughts to share about this process but I want to begin with the most important thoughts and those are from my students. We brainstormed a list of the things that they had learned and they completed a google form to share their favorites and their challenges surrounding GRIPS.
GRIPS During a Pandemic- Reflections From TEACHER
This entire year has been a learning experience for me. Teaching virtually and in person at the same time is no joke! GRIPS in particular has been challenging. I was so relieved to see that the students did enjoy and learn new things during GRIPS. Cultivating a love of learning is my number one goal! In future years, I would like to see GRIPS integrated into the Language Arts block. GRIPS is a celebrated tradition in elementary schools in Goochland. Through collaboration with the teacher, the librarian , and technology coach, it could become part of a research unit. We could provide direct instruction in research, citing references, paraphrasing, summarizing, organizing writing, and using technology for presentations. Students could maintain their freedom of topic and voice throughout the process. So many of these areas I barely touched on and it would have made the experience more meaningful. As you check out the projects, notice some were much more ready to tackle this type of independent project and others are still growing. Some interviewed experts and others did not. Some provided a long list of references while others were still working. I accepted and appreciated the enthusiasm and effort each student gave to their topic. Thank you so much to all those parents out there who helped their students with GRIPS. Thank you to all those who made arrangements to pick them up after school. Please take a moment to check out the incredible experts who gave their time to GRIPS.