Ms. Heather's Stories

At the start of every school year, teachers are bombarded with new initiatives from district administrators, some helpful, some…less so. My first year teaching Pre Kindergarten in CPS, one of the numerous mandates that came down from on high was daily reflective journaling. Journaling…no big deal. Preschool classes journal all the time. The difference was, this directive focused on teachers. They gave us each a cute, spiral- bound book with 2 columns o n each page, and we were supposed to carry these around to take anecdotal notes about students in the left column. At the end of the day we were supposed to read over these notes and decide upon next steps, then district administrators were going to collect and read them at the end of the year. This was pretty much all the guidance we were given, so of course, the backlash was swift and severe. I don’t know anyone who kept that practice up until the end of the school year. Except me. I knew the administrators were onto something whether they explained it properly or not…whether they knew it or not. So I tried, but…let’s just say it would have been easier with a plan.

Fast forward nearly 20 years and reflection is back with a vengeance, but this time in a world where data is king -where everything must be quantified or it serves no purpose. The good news is, we are knee deep in guidance these days. This is also the bad news. With access to so much information, it’s easy to go too far, which is why I like Graham Gibbs’ debriefing cycle and adapted it for use in my classroom. Today, my reflections are a far cry from my primitive, pre-millennium musings. They’re much better, and they help me strive to “visit distinguished” in my daily practice as Charlotte Danielson says we all should. In fact, Domain 4 of CPS’ Framework for Teaching (FfT) says a distinguished teacher “makes an accurate assessment of a lesson or unit’s effectiveness… and is able to analyze…his/her practice.” Here’s how I do it:

Map your reflection cycle

(Gibbs’ Reflective cycle via I’m Stian)

Gibbs (1988) suggested the cycle above for reflecting upon experiences in order to learn from them, and it’s a good place to start, but it’s a personal choice, so you do you. Modify to fit who you are and what your day looks like. For me it looks more like this:

Reflect on your teaching

If I’m reflecting to improve my practice, I have to practice first. As a teacher this works two ways; I think about what I’m teaching and how, and I think about the feedback I’m getting from my students. That means that sometimes, my reflections happen on the fly, DURING teaching! I’m not journaling about it, but if something is really working (or really NOT working…) it’s worth a minute to improve the experience for me and my students.

Teach students to reflect on their learning

Reflect on what you learn from your students’ reflection and start over

This is where the process becomes a cycle. What’s happening during your lesson? What are students telling you, verbally OR non-verbally? What does all of it mean for your practice? Only you know, but many agree that we can always improve! The purpose of reflection is to do a better job next time we attempt something, so use what you learn to become a better teacher, then keep the cycle going.

Resources:
Gibbs’ Cycle
Mind Tools

Setting goals for learning is the first step in metacognition -thinking about one’s own thinking. Teachers set goals for their students, seek to help students build this critical skill themselves, and design instruction that scaffolds their ability to plan, execute and reflect on their work. They facilitate as students become adept at taking ownership of their learning by teaching the basics of setting goals and helping students repeat the process as goals are met. Finally, Teachers encourage students to recognize the value of their learning process and encourage them to take pride in and ownership of the work they do. These photos demonstrate one method for teaching early childhood students to choose, set, articulate and evaluate their own goals.

So how can we help the youngest learners to set goals and reflect on their own learning? Follow these steps to get started!

1. Create a set of goals based on standards. In the beginning, choose goals that are easily understood and visual. I started with name writing because not only is it easily measured, it’s a goal Pre K teachers commonly have for their students, but also one which children can become deeply invested in meeting. Because preschoolers are interested in the next grade, I also name “Kindergarten” as the pinnacle of goal mastery to get kids excited about meeting goals.

Goal: Name writing

Levels: Beginner (lowest)
Preschooler (middle)
Kindergartener (highest)

2. Create 2 rubrics for each goal; the first for yourself so you’re sure of the criteria for success, the second, a visual or picture rubric for your students.

Teacher’s Name Writing Rubric

Student’s’ Name Writing Visual Rubric

3. Make an oversized version of the rubric available to students and help them set goals. Many will choose the highest possible goals to set! They may also rate themselves at mastery when they have not yet reached it. It’s important to explain that they may not yet be where they want to be.

Pocket Chart Visual Rubric

Red=Beginner (lowest)

Yellow=Preschooler (middle range)

Green=Kindergartener (mastery)

4. Offer opportunities for students to reflect on the goal regularly, and encourage them to consult the rubric when working on a related task. This will require a lot of coaching for the smallest students. Be prepared to explain the concept many times, and keep the rubric consistent or similar until they understand what self-assessment means.

Students Self-assessment Of Their Name Writing

5. Teach students to make genuine comparisons to the samples or pictures on the rubrics and to be honest with themselves about their levels of mastery. Reinforce that it’s okay to begin at the lowest levels and that hard work will help them move toward mastery. Conference with them several times for each skill or standard to be sure they are thinking about their learning as they work, they understand the process of self-assessment and they are beginning to rate themselves with accuracy. For skills like name writing, conference the entire year.

Next steps? Choose a skill and dive in! Use the accompanying template as a starter, then tweak it to make it your own! As students get comfortable with the process, incorporate less tangible SEL goals like sharing and taking turns. When they get really good, encourage them to notice their strengths or needs then set their own!

Self-Assessment Conference

Teaching at any grade is isolating, and preschool teachers often have it the worst, but I say educators can be more effective when they find ways to collaborate. I share my own success stories and lessons learned, as well as practical guidance for schools to initiate the collaboration that is essential to strong teaching and student achievement.

I was so tired of nagging my preschool class to clean up after their free choice time. No amount of sternness, no threat could make them do it faster or more efficiently. I was at my wits’ end. Then I realized; I couldn’t make them do it. They had to want to do it for themselves. Now, they can clean up in a snap, but I had to appeal to their motivations to get there. Read on to find out how I did it.

The Theory Intrinsic motivation theory asserts that students learn best when they have a choice in what they are learning and find the material interesting. Wouldn’t it be great for every student to choose what they want to learn and how they want to learn it? If they could, no doubt everyone could be a successful student and learner. This idea fits neatly with the various theories about learning, learners and how teachers can best reach every student in every class. How can teachers access students’ motivations to help them move forward through content? Let’s start with some background…

Learning Styles are the different approaches each of us take to learning about the world around us. These may be naturally occurring and are not mutually exclusive…some of us have different learning styles for different learning. Visual Learners learn through seeing. They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays like diagrams, illustrated text books, projections, videos and handouts. Auditory Learners learn through listening. They learn best through lectures and discussions and can benefit from reading text aloud and listening to recordings. Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners learn through moving, doing, touching & actively exploring the physical world.

Multiple Intelligences is Howard Gardner’s theory suggesting seven different ways to demonstrate intellectual ability. It is closely linked to the above mentioned Learning Styles and consists of 7 types of learners: Visual/Spatial: a preference for learning with pictures, images, and spatial understanding. Aural/Auditory-musical: a preference for sound and music. Verbal/Linguistic: a preference for learning with words, both in speech and writing. Physical/Kinesthetic: a preference for learning by using the body, hands and sense of touch. Logical/Mathematical): a preference for using logic, reasoning and systems to learn. Social/Interpersonal: a preference for learning in groups or with other people. Solitary/Intrapersonal: a preference for working alone and using self-study to learn.

Learning Styles & Academic Motivation Ken Bain describes another set of learning styles -those that relate to motivation- in three ways; intrinsically motivated deep learners who respond to the challenge of mastering a difficult and complex subject, surface learners who are motivated by a fear of failure, and strategic learners who are a blend of the two, and are motivated primarily by rewards, competition and the opportunity to beat others and “win”. Knowing what kind of learners are in front of them can help teachers to reach every student by appealing to each one’s style.

Reaching Students By Appealing To Their Motivations Teachers know they have to differentiate to reach every student, and are increasingly called upon to plan curriculum which teaches the same subject matter many different ways. So how can teachers plan work that will motivate their students? Bain suggests “hitting them where they live”: *Know your students. When you know what makes them tick you can plan accordingly. *Offer choice. The more options you offer students to practice and master content, the more likely you are to reach every kind of learner. *Clarify purpose. Even the most tedious tasks are easier to face when there’s a good reason.

Determining Student Motivation What can teachers do to learn more about their students and appeal to each one’s learning style? Use this checklist to determine your students’ learning motivation styles, then make sure your classroom environment and lessons offer an entry point for every learner. Use this template to ensure each lesson you teach offers something for everyone and every style, every intelligence and every kind of motivation. Print the PDF or download the docx and customize it for your class. Planning this way can help move teachers toward distinguished practice particularly in Components 3a, 3c & 3e of the CPS Framework for Teaching Domain 3, Communicating with Students. As for me and my preschoolers? It took a schedule change to turn the tide of classroom clean-up; I moved our group game time to a slot after work time. It worked, because most of my class would rather lose a limb than miss a game of “Who’s Got The Bean Bag?” Of course they don’t clean up swiftly and perfectly every single day -they’re preschoolers- but most days a quick reminder of what they could miss if they dilly dally usually gets things moving. They know what they want, and they know how to get it, I just offer the reminders. The rest is up to them.

Want to know more?
Motivation To Learn: From Theory to Practice, Deborah J. Stipek

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions, Richard M. Ryan & Edward L. Deci

Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning, Thomas W. Malone & Mark R. Lepper

What the Best College Teachers Do, Ken Bain

There are moments when I notice I’m learning something, where I know that something significant has been revealed to me. For teachers these are the “teachable” moments we’re always looking for with our students, that sweet spot between not knowing something and knowing it. For our students, the moment is “learnable” and little kids don’t always know when it’s happening. We want them to; it’s called meta-cognition -thinking about ones own thinking- but it’s a learned skill that even adults use infrequently. I remember a few of these meta moments from my young adult life quite vividly…

In college my whole crew went to the Homecoming semiformal every year and took an awesome group photo. When it came time to order prints, one of my besties called with a plan…she and I would split a package to save money. The problem with the plan was I had already chosen a package which included an 8×10 which the package she wanted did not. I declined her offer and she tried in vain to force me to go along with her plan, eventually snapping, “Why can’t you just go along with this?!?!”

What I learned in that moment -and she did not- was the fact that to her, the only right way was hers. She didn’t see that her plan didn’t involve any compromise on her part, only mine, that she got what she wanted and I didn’t, that it wouldn’t hurt her to find someone else to do this with and leave me alone. I decided 2 things that day: that I would try NOT to force my wants on others and I would notice when I was seeing something-learning something- for the first time. Have I kept that promise to myself? Well…

A few years later I was living with a gaggle of roommates in a rambling old house. It was “bee season,” those few weeks at the end of summer when bees are everywhere and we had been fighting them for days, narrowly missing stings any time we opened the door. We had just moved in and were getting the place together, when my roommate -another bestie- and I noticed a bee on the window. She looked at me. I looked at her. She took her shoe off. We looked at each other again and hesitated, knowing something was wrong with our plan…then she smashed the bee. And the window of course. In that moment -aside from gaining one of my favorite stories- I vowed I’d learned my lesson about ignoring my gut feelings. I had heard and said the words before, but I learned the lesson that day.

The next year I was debating getting a car wash with that same roommate. I told her I was on the fence because there was a chance of rain, and the past 3 times I lay down my hard-earned, (pitiful, five job holding, graduate student) five bucks for a wash, the car was rained on the same day and I was frustrated. I really hate for my car to be dirty…anyway…She quickly retorted, “Well, I don’t think (emphasis hers) the rain cleans my car, so I’m going.” What I was saying -that rain falling on my newly washed car frustrated me because it made the car DIRTY- was interpreted to mean the exact opposite, and this was an actual, in person conversation, way before the ether of social networks and text messages. Behold, one of the most important meta moments of my life. People are not in your head, and might not always hear you clearly because what they hear is filtered through their heads, their lives, their experience…and in this case, their loose grip on their sanity. I learned that anytime I think I’m being clear, I should assume at least one person is hearing something totally different from what I mean.

For many teachers, what this means is -after every lesson- be ready to take a deep breath, assess for understanding and prepare to reteach. For me it means teaching my young students how to tell me they understand, to explain their thinking, to help them know they are thinking and to then think about that. And that’s no mean feat for someone who allowed a friend to slam a shoe into a pane of glass.