Intentionally teaching with my non-negotiables

As I tackle planning for a new school year, in a new grade level, I'm so much more intentional about how I will begin my year with my "non-negotiable" concept of class community building. Using my community building plan, and the activities posted by fellow SCB2ers, I feel very prepared to begin the year off on a very positive note that will set the tone for a successful year! I also took into consideration the physical layout and how it met the needs of the various learners I have in my class. Knowing my students ahead of time was a huge benefit as I know there are some who need to be in a row, some who need a small group setting and some who need the chance to get out of their desk, move around and work in a different "setting" within the classroom. To meet these needs I set my desks up in rows and groups and provided my students with places like a book corner with comfortable seating, a few scattered singles desks for individual work areas and a small table in the corner for group work. 

The concept of teaching with the end in mind, while guiding them to make connections and broad understandings, has also really impacted me as a teacher. I've shared MANY of these ideas with my new teammates (who have all been teaching for 15-20+ years) and they are very excited about this new "wealth of knowledge on the team." :) 

You can't make me give them up! My classroom non-negotiables...

There are things in life you simply can’t live without. Family, a beautiful sunny day every now and then…chocolate J When it comes to my teaching philosophies and my classroom practices there are also some non-negotiables I’ve developed over the past 4 years as a teacher and year as an SMU learner.  To organize my thoughts (and keep my list concise!) I’d like to present these non-negotiables using the IDEAL acronym: Instruction, Discipline, Environment, Assessment, and Leadership.

Instruction: One thing teachers are always lacking is time. Each day, week, month, we wish we had just a few more minutes or just one more day to “fit it all in.” However, through the St. Mary’s program I’ve been exposed to many practices that help me to hone in on the big ideas and understandings that truly matter. One concept I’ll continue to use in my classroom is the idea of planning my year around Backwards Design Units. In doing this, I am forced to focus on the standards and select activities and lessons that will guide the student to true mastery and application of that standard and make continuous connections to other standards throughout the school year.

Discipline: How I teach has also been greatly affected throughout this past year. Not only have I come to see the importance of teaching using high-yield strategies (such as movement and the use of compare and contrast) but, through my prior action research, I’ve seen the strong gains that can be made when students are having FUN and are engaged in what they are doing! As I enter into a new school year with my same students, I’m sure I’ll be forced to continue using such strategies as Reader’s Theater and poetry when working on our fluency. They won’t let me forget them if I tried! Also, through my elective course on Cooperative Learning, I’m also very adamant about incorporating more group-work opportunities and movement while we learn.

Environment: In the area of classroom environment the non-negotiables for me consist of community and classroom relationship building and using a more constructivist, student-centered approach. I’ve always seen the importance and necessity of building relationships in a classroom and this concept has been reiterated through my most recent research on best practices of writing. Much of the reason for a student’s success can be linked to them feeling safe and supported in their learning environment. Knowing this, and the fact that my students have already spent a year getting to know each other, I feel that the type of community building we’ll be doing this year will be more centered around getting to know and support each other as learners.

Assessment- Following a constructivist approach, one thing I will be doing more of this year is allowing the students to guide my instruction through formative assessment.  I feel this will help to focus in on exactly what they already know and where any misconceptions lie. I also see the strong need to vary the forms of assessment I plan to use. With the variety of learning styles that occur amongst my students comes a variety of ways in which they are able to best show what they know. By varying the assessment formats, I feel I will provide all my students with an opportunity to succeed in showing me their understanding.

Leadership-While it’s okay to be the “lone nut” dancing up in front of a classroom, you’re truly not a leader if you have no followers! I will keep this concept in the forefront of my teaching this year as I now see the necessity of having followers if you want a “movement” to be successful. The more my students are buying into what we’re doing, and feel as though they have equal importance in what we’re doing, the more likely we are to have a successful year.