Giving Students the Opportunity to Reflect

I will admit it, I love a Twitter Chat.  I put my favorite ones in my calendar so I can get reminders, and frequently miss my favorite shows to participate (thank goodness for DVR!)   I started thinking the other day about WHY I love Twitter Chats so much, and I realized it is because I use the opportunity to reflect on my own practice through answering the questions and chatting with others.  Although I try to take time to reflect each day, sometimes there are meetings and mundane tasks that take that time away.  I know the power of reflection, and this year one of my goals was to help students be more reflective of their own learning in my class.

Up until this year, I did reflection sporadically with students, but there was no specific format or routine to it.  Although students completed the questions, I don't know if they were really doing much purposeful reflection.  I realized that in order to make the reflection worthwhile for students, I needed to devote time to it each week.  I also need to give students some instruction in setting goals that they can work towards and reflect on.  Each summer I pick one thing to create or totally revamp for the following year.  This past summer I created a student Learning Journal for students to work in for more purposeful reflection during the entire school year.

As I was creating the Learning Journal and looking at my year-long planning, I realized that there are 3 perfect times to reflect on the progress that are the most meaningful times: end of the week, end of the unit and end of the marking period.  I created 3 different templates to be used, with different but connected purposes.  At the beginning of the unit, students are given time to create a marking period long goal and an action plan.  It can be related to science or any other classes but needs to be academic in nature.  We follow the SMART goal design, which I talk about at the beginning of the year with students.  

Periodically students reflect on their progress towards meeting this goal during Friday reflection time.  I created a place in the back of the journal to reflect on a question or two each week.   I don't grade this, but I  walk around and do check-ins and pick random journals to read each week and give feedback. 

At the end of the Marking Period, students go back and reflect on whether or not they met their goal, and what they can do differently in the future.  I think this is the most important part because if students don't meet their goal, they need to think about WHY they didn't meet it and what they should do next.  

   

At the beginning of each Unit, students are asked to create a specific goal for that unit.  They have to identify roadblocks to their success and how to overcome those obstacles.  I try not to steer them too much in a specific direction, but if they get stuck I suggest they consider homework completion, test and quiz grades, or quality of work.  These 3 issues seem to be the biggest hindrances to success for many students.  

Some Fridays I have them go back and reflect on their Unit Goal, assess their progress, and what they still need to do to reach their goal.  At the end of a Unit, when they get their tests back, they complete the end of Unit Reflection which is formatted as a "3-2-1" and bring the journal home to have it signed by parents.

As with anything new that you implement, I have already discovered things I will change for next year.  Overall I think I accomplished my goal of being more purposeful and organized in the manner in which I have students reflect.  Goal setting is a skill that ALL people should be doing, and middle school is a great time to start that process.  Students need to know that any goal you set needs to have a plan behind it in order to increase the chance of success.   

I tell my students that a goal without a plan is just a wish, and I am not a fairy godmother.   I am instead a teacher who wants students to set their own goals and then work hard to reach them.  My job is to do what I can to remove roadblocks and give them a boost when needed.  The path to reaching goals is not always easy, but in the end it should be worth it.

Student Choice: Stop asking why?....and start asking why not!

A few years ago as I was sitting in a Differentiated Instruction workshop, the instructor was talking about the power of giving students choice.  I had heard about choice before, but I always thought about it in the context of things like choice boards and project topics.  Instead, she talked about the small things that we impose on students each day, for no other reason than it is how we do it.  For example, when students are asked to write their responses to a question we give them lined paper. What about the student who would prefer to write on unlined paper?  or type it?  Does it really make a difference what type of paper the student records the response on?  Probably not.  As teachers, don't we just want students to be producing content and embedded in the process of learning?  Then the bigger question came: Is the lined paper hindering the ability of some to produce the best product?

It is generally true that teachers teach in the way the WE learn best. I am not saying it is a good or bad thing, it just the way we know how to do things.  I started thinking about how many times during class I make decisions for students that could be left up to them to decide.  So I started making small shifts in how I approached an assignment.  I started asking the question, what choice could I offer students in this task.  Write or draw the response? Lined or unlined paper? Pen or Pencil?  I started implementing this right away with my students, often saying to them, "Choose what works best for your brain."  The first few times I did it, they were apprehensive about having a choice.  It is a sad commentary that students are trained to just do what they are told, and often have difficulty making decisions on their own.  They are afraid there is a "wrong" choice.

After about a week, students started asking if they could do it a different way.  When they started asking me, I stopped and really thought about it.  Instead of asking the students why I asked myself why not.  If the student is asking, they must have a reason for it.  What their reasoning is does not necessarily matter to me, but it matters to them.  If I couldn't think of a reason why their request wouldn't work, I should let them try it.  I decided to use the standard answer "As long as it will help you to be a productive learner."   As I reflected on it, I realized that I had empowered my students to set their own stage for success.

In a future post, I want to talk more about the choice I give in the year-long assignment my students do, creating their very own Science Encyclopedias.  All students do the same terms each unit, but the deadline is not until the end of the unit.  Students have class time and home time to work on them, and I give a suggested timeline for completion.  The biggest choice they have is the templates they use.  I started out with two choices and I am now up to four.

All templates have the same content, but the layout is different.  Students are free to choose whatever ones they want to use and can change at any time.  When surveyed students often tell me they appreciate the chance to choose the template and the flexibility of when they do them in the unit.

In my present day classroom, I try to give choice in as many situations as possible.  Students are free to sit on yoga mats on the ground or move to a table by themselves during work time.  When it makes sense students are able to work alone, in pairs or small groups.  Students can write with whatever makes them happy, even if it is a foot long pink sparkly feather pen with pink ink (true story).

With the focus on the work and learning, students are still able to maintain some of the control over the HOW of their learning while I determine the what.  Middle schoolers desperately need to have some control of their lives in their ever-changing topsy-turvy world.

So, next time a student asks if they can do something a different way ask your WHY NOT and see what happens.

Until next time,

Melissa

My #OneWord for 2018

Hello all!

My name is Melissa Asztalos, and I teach 7th Grade Science at a middle school in Upstate NY.  I knew I wanted to be a teacher as long as I can remember.  My favorite game to play was "school" with my younger brothers, and I loved going to school every day.  It was in 10th grade that I had a Biology Teacher, Mr. Sammon, who gave me a love for science.  I graduated with a degree in elementary education, and thought I was going to be a Kindergarten teacher. As luck would have it, I got a long-term substitute teaching position in 7th grade Science and have never looked back.  Middle school is my jam, and where I want to spend the rest of my teaching career.

As I reflected upon 2017, and what I wanted to achieve in 2018, I knew I had to take the leap and try something new.  I have been teaching for 12 years now, and have taken so many PD courses though my district, the Teacher Center and various other places.  I knew I needed to start taking my own path for PD this year.  I did that by first finally jumping with both feet into Twitter.  I had dabbled a few years ago, but I didn't really know the power it could have in my teaching.  As I started connecting with other educators on Twitter I have already learned so many new things, and validated many of the things that I already do in my classroom.   I also realized that we had a lot of common goals and interests.  It got me thinking about my own voice, and all I have learned in my years as a middle school science teacher.  I realized that I do have things to share to add value to the community.

So this led me to my #OneWord for 2018........EXPAND!

I am going to work this year to expand myself, both personally and professionally.  When I looked up the definition of the word expand, I knew it would be the perfect fit for me this year.

According to Merriam-Webster.com:
















I work very hard to improve my own teaching skills and am always seeking out new sources to learn from both in print and online.  Now I want to open up and share my experiences and musings with others in education by starting this blog.  I will be posting things from my own experiences as a teacher and learner.  My personal focuses of learning this year are on Growth Mindset and Brain Based Learning.  I hope that to those of you reading this will find value in what I have to say and share.  I also would love to have you join me on Twitter (@MrsAsztalos) and connect with me and share your own learnings.

Happy New Year and best wishes for a joyous and fulfilling second half of the school year.

Melissa