The one week trial of ignoring the bells in our class has concluded, with mixed success. On the first day, the freedom went to their heads and I was really surprised with the lack of maturity and focus on their learning. The lesson was learned by most in time for the second day, but a new problem … Continue reading »
I’ve found it difficult to portray the intricacies of My-learning to fellow educators. People tend to pick up on the self directed part of My-learning only, which is really a relatively small part of the entire pedagogy. So I started down the road to putting it in diagrammatic form, which I hope will clarify what My-learning actually is in … Continue reading »
At the very beginning of the year, I suggested that we did without bells – that we just went to lunch when we were hungry or needed a break. This suggestion was met with outrage! The students hated the idea and I was forcefully opposed! Two terms later and the children have suggested it to me. I guess … Continue reading »
There seems to be a bit of tension between personalising learning and encouraging collaboration in the classroom. I would like to argue that, to ensure our students are successful learners, we need to have both personalisation and collaboration in our classes. Personalisation is integral in allowing students to learn at their own pace, to learn what they need to, … Continue reading »
The question “why?” is vital for us as teachers. For students to ask teachers. I try to keep this in the back of my mind at all times – if a child was to ask me “why are we doing this?” I should have a decent answer. “Just because” doesn’t cut it. Nor does “because … Continue reading »
I believe it is imperative that teachers consider themselves to be learners (and to practice what they preach!). To engage in conversations, proactively look for professional development opportunities and to expose themselves to their students as fellow learners is vital to improving practice and creating a culture of continuous and ongoing learning for all in the school. I follow the “What Ed … Continue reading »
This week, the Year 6s have been doing their Student Led Conferences. There have been a few differences this year that I have noticed, in comparison to previous years. Firstly, the students have found it comparatively easy and it has been a much faster process in preparing for the conferences. I think this is because students are really used to talking about their learning. … Continue reading »
