When I first saw the syllabus for this class I was EXTREMELY intimidated. There seemed to be an abundance of work that I was not quite sure how to conquer. However, after participating in the coursework with readings, discussions, and participating in coaching, I feel that this class may have been the most beneficial class thus far in the program for me.
I think the biggest take away for me from this class was letting my guard down and letting go of the fear of people seeing me teach and knowing that I would receive feedback. Through this course I got use to videotaping myself and then reviewing it back myself. Seeing what I do and say on a personal level was a way for me to personally grow. Reading and researching elements of lessons such as learning targets with success criteria, cooperative learning, and the end of the lessons were my favorite areas to read and research further on. These elements and terms are thrown around so frequently through conversations and PDs that I still really believe that we do not have a complete focus and grasp on these concepts. In having to read and develop lessons on these areas, it allowed me to reflect on what I already know and what I am doing, plus it encouraged me to research and find new ways to approach. I have always received very high praise for how I present my learning targets to my students with the emphasis of academic vocabulary words. However, through this course, I was able to dive in deeper with the area of communicating the Success Criteria with my students. This opened the door for me as my student’s teacher to think about “how will my students be successful? And how will they know it?” This provided the opportunity for my students to become involved as well with the setup of the success criteria-having them personally think about how they will know if they met the learning target for the subject block.
Hattie also talks about the ending of lessons, and how the learning does not stop there. The end of a lesson is often due for the teacher to be very reflective, but also open of receiving feedback from different perspectives-such as coaches, administrators and even the students themselves. Through part of the coursework for this class, we were encouraged to further research in focus areas. I found an article from Edutopia entitled “Let it Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing.” It explained that the end of the lesson we often think of it as a time to slow down and prepare ourselves for the next lesson. Or if you teach the upper grades, a chance for you to regroup and prepare for the next group. However, the author brought up a great point and perspective, that the end of the lesson is actually a time for students who need time to process, the quiet thinkers, to finally articulate their answers or thoughts that have been "marinating" during the lesson itself. It also allows students to self-reflect and evaluate. The article provides a couple different reflection and closing prompts that I also really appreciated.
Then, allowing myself to read and receive feedback from my cohort members was another huge step for me. As part of the course readings, we read in the Hattie text and discussed the importance of feedback. In reflecting on my personal experiences with receiving feedback as a student growing up, I was always nervous and afraid to read or hear it. Knowing that some kind of criticism was going to come with the feedback. I am not sure where this development of fearing feedback from teachers or my peers came from, but it has stuck with me for quite some time. The fear of feedback and criticism even followed me throughout my student teaching experience with my supervisor. I think it really roots down to how the feedback was given. Too many negatives right out of the gate and not enough positive and critical feedback. However, my experience with my principal over the last 3 years, my team members at work, and my classmates with this course, have really put my fears to rest. That there is a correct way to deliver and receive feedback.
I personally love the section of ‘Errors need to be welcomed” in the Hattie text. I think that it is so ingrained in students that it is bad to make mistakes. That if they make an error, they will be viewed as stupid or incapable of completing tasks. It is important for us as educators to relay the message that errors are opportunities for further learning, and should not be seen as embarrassments, signs of failure, or something to be avoided-so they don’t participate (139). Which goes back to previous chapter readings of, creating a learning environment where it is safe. A place where students are respected and know they can trust their peers. Hattie informs us, that we need to consider the ‘nature and dosage’ of feedback. He states that “…it is more effective when provided in incremental steps…So often, feedback is dished out in long screed, encompassing so many different ideas and prompts, and this allowing the receiver to be selective or to miss the priorities, and possibly leading him or her to become more confused. Feedback needs to be focused, specific, and clear” (151). There is an importance of delivery, in which we need to teach our students to value and appreciate the feedback they receive, such as taking it as a new goal or challenge to complete, not as a criticism towards them as a person, something that I had to learn very recently myself.
Another topic that we covered that I took to hear was the Elements of the Cooperative Learning Model that is referenced and talked about in Dean's Chapter 3. We were able to watch a lesson for a discussion board topic that really had the elements woven throughout the lesson. Her lesson provided a way for students to have an individual task (finding a quote from the text), in a group setting (small group table), where they were allowed to share their personal findings AND THINKING with their peers and have a face to face interaction with them and their teacher. Also she followed the ideas in Dean's Chapter 4 of Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers. She provided an initial cue at the beginning of her lesson with her activity on where the lesson was going to go and what it involved. She also provided a whole group advanced organizer for them to share their work and thoughts-also in a tangible way with sticky notes. You can tell these items within her lesson where successful because the students completed the task, had conversations with each other based on each other’s thinking, AND they all accessed at some point in the lesson prior knowledge and personal experience. This teacher and her students have established what Hattie refers to as "Positive Classroom Control." The teacher-student relationship is strong in this room. You could observe that the students and teacher all care, trust, cooperate, respect, and have team skills to support the learning throughout the lesson. Seeing strong examples of these sorts of elements, allowed me to see first-hand what it looks and sounds like, and take those observations into my own room. I feel strongly that within my own room, that I have established “Positive Classroom Control.”
Overall, this class provided a variety of different avenues for us educators to learn new concepts, dig deeper with research and conversation, step out of comfort zones, take on leadership roles within our schools when we developed PDs, and provided many opportunities for us to learn and grow from each other.
