Planning

Another goal this term is with my planning and making sure that my planning is not only at level 4 but that I can successfully break down lessons so that Level 4 is achieved and I haven't skipped key steps in their learning.

How am I going to achieve this?

Step 1	Look at exemplars at Level 4 in order to guide me
Step 2	Speak to colleagues for feedback/ideas on planning
Step 3	Using the yr 7/8 targets to guide my planning
Step 4	Start with the end product and work back from there
Step 5	Observe colleagues during release time

Colleagues will help me through observing my lessons and giving me feedback on my planning. I want to make sure that all of my students are challenged appropriately. Meaning that it isn't too overwhelming that they have no idea where to start and yet it isn't so easy that they are not accelerating their learning. Finding that sweet spot is my goal for this term. I know that this goal will be ongoing as there is always ways we can improve. 

How Is Your Teaching Voice?

One of my goals for term 4 is around behaviour management...tone of voice. The reason I chose this as a goal to work on is because it became very apparent that my students didn't follow through with instruction unless I raised my voice. It was if they said to themselves " Ms. hasn't raised her voice yet so I don't need to follow through just yet" 

In an effort to manage this I involved my students in process. Just like they have goals, I have goals as well and I needed their help with one of them. I told them that one of my goals was to not raise my voice. It seemed to work well. Sometimes all I would have to say is : "What is my goal"  or "You can help me achieve my goal by following through with what I ask the first time" There were days that I didn't achieve that goal. I now realise that I didn't stop to ask myself why or what could be done so that tomorrow I had a better chance of success. This term I want to work on this even more. 

The following are the steps that I am going to use in order to help me be successful.

How am I going to achieve this?

Step 1	Continue to ask students to help me keep my goal ( not raising my voice) - involve students in giving me feedback to help hold me accountable
Step 2	Reflecting weekly on how the week has gone in this area - what worked well? - what didn't work so well and why do I think this?
Step 3	Consciously using a calm, responsive yet firm voice when giving instructions or logical consequences.
Step 4	Pause for 2-5 seconds before responding in order to give myself time to remember what type of tone is appropriate to use.

Who will help me?

I will be recruiting the help of my peers and my students. Also friends & family. The more I practice and become aware of my tone, the better I will become with my ability to successfully communicate with others. 

Why is this a goal for me?

It is important to think about what your objective is when you speak to others. Do you just want to vent? Do you want for them to know how you feel? Do you want them to listen and follow through with what you have to asked? I think how one says something has a lot to do with how a message is received and the chance of eliciting the intended response. If I want people to actually listen and follow through with what I am saying then I have the responsibility of making sure I do what is needed in order for them to listen and respond appropriately. 

I have been doing some research about this. I have also been using what I have learned through PB4L to help guide me.  

QUOTE: If you  emphasise EVERYTHING, you  emphasise nothing. 

What do you discover about your learners from reading through their blogs?

 Ask any teacher and they will tell you that they usually have 7473623 things on their plate.
How many of you actually tried to read that number? 😊 
How often do you take the time to read your students' blogs?
When you do read them, do you notice any patterns? such as what they often like to blog about?

When I read my students blogs, instead of trying to understand who they are and what they are interested in, I find myself checking: Did they start their sentences with a capital?... What kind of vocabulary did they use?... Did they spell everything correctly?... Did they add enough detail? 

Yes those things are important, however, I think I'm missing a huge opportunity to understand who they are. Know thy learners right? When I stop to reflect, I realise that when I read their blogs it is more about assessing me. It has become a tool to view what their blogs say about me as their teacher more so than what their blog says about them.

Make it more about them Lesa and less about you! 

I also wonder how my students might view blogging.

Do they see it as a great way to express themselves? Like a digital journal/diary?

Do they see it as another task that their teacher is asking them to complete?

Do they only see it as a way to blog what they learn at school? 

What is the hook that I can use to engage my learners to blog more? 

It shouldn't just be about their learning in the classroom but also about what they are learning outside of the classroom.

What are they learning through the relationships they have with others? 

What they are learning in terms of what is happening in the wider world?

Are they even aware of what is happening in the wider world?
What are their thoughts about the experiences that they have, see or hear?

Do they feel safe enough to share? or are they worried about how it will be viewed?

 I continue to work on how I can give feedback so that it doesn't discourage them. Genuinely getting to know my students on a deeper level is important and a goal I would like to set for myself. Reading their blogs is one way that will help me to achieve that.
The question is, how do I do this without spending ALL of my time reading blogs? 

Something to definitely think about. 

7473629 things that need to be done. Yes, if you checked the previous amount of things I had on my plate, you'll see a few more things have been added since I've been writing this post. A teacher's job is never done. I am still learning.