Once again in my Masters class we have been asked to reflect and reply to some questions. Here they are for this round:
How do you typically instruct your students? other learners (e.g. teachers)? Have your instructional practices changed over the years? Why or why not? And if so, in what ways? First of all, I try very hard to think of the individuals within the group that I am teaching and then think of the learning goals. This does not change whether I am working with students or colleagues. I personally feel that knowing who I am working with has the single greatest impact on whether the learner will get anything out of my instruction. What this means to me is that I need to know the reason that the person needs to learn whatever I am teaching and how I can connect the concepts to them and their experiences. The second part of this question asks if my teaching practices have changed over time ... of course they have. I do not teach the same people the same content therefore I can not possibly teach the same way. I also feel that finding new ways to develop understanding is critical to an educator as our students are coming to us with a multitude of experiences that shape how they will learn. If a student comes to me with a lack of comprehension strategies to make meaning from written literature, I will need to take extra time with this student to determine specifically what the missing skills are (maybe why they are missing the skills) and develop an understanding of them to support them in their learning journey. Each student is a unique learner and making certain that I recognise their individuality is imperative, as connecting them to the learning goals empowers the student to take ownership of their learning. Over the years I have gone from more 'whole class' style of teaching to small group and individual instruction as I have come to recognise that the 'one-size' fits all mentality has no place in my classroom. The learning needs are too vast. What research do you use to support your instructional practices? What evidence do you have that indicates that your instructional practices help students achieve and be successful? As part of my undergraduate studies we learned a great deal about the impact of a variety of instructional strategies - specifically from Marzano. I have always kept a copy of his 'High-yield Instructional Strategies' at my desk for when I am planning. They are there to remind me that not all methods are equal, but that I also need to recognise the purpose of using any of the strategies. Further into my career I have read books about a variety of 'workshop' models and I have come to LOVE teaching using Daily 5 as my structure. It allows me to sit one-on-one with students daily, allows them choice, I am able to differentiate for individual students and make connections with students and develop personal goals that are meaningful for each student. The second part of the question asks what evidence I have that what I do helps students achieve and be successful, well ... the proof is evident in the engagement of the students, the reading comprehension growth that I see, and their ability to communicate through their writing. I love to see students go from reluctant readers to engaged readers. They may not all 'love' to read when they leave my class, but I have modelled a love of learning, goal setting, reading strategies, and engaged them in critical thinking and writing skills, all the while showing that they are worthy of my time and that they can be successful. What work do we have to do as instructional leaders in this area to ensure that students are receiving the best instructional practices in our buildings/districts? I just finished reading an article by Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee that states that the single biggest impact a leader has is through their own emotional maturity and how well they understand emotional intelligence. The reason they state that it is so important, is that the leader is the 'weather.' If the leader has an optimistic, sincere, and realistic outlook, that through the culture they are creating, the people they are leading will be more likely to share information, trust their colleagues, and be willing to take the healthy risks needed for change to happen. They then go on to state that through these behaviours all learning flourishes. This research implies that the most important quality for an instructional leader to have is emotional intelligence. I would agree that a leader that allows the teachers to 'practice and develop' their skills without feeling they are in jeopardy is key to people implementing best practices. No teacher wants to do their job badly, they often just lack the skill or strategy - so our instructional leaders need to develop the culture that supports a growth mindset.
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Shelly TreleavenLearning starts with a question and I am full of them :) Archives
June 2019
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