Moving Forward in March

March has been a month of ups and downs and ins and outs. I have learned so much and have grown so much as not only an educator over these last few months but have extremely grown as a person. The experiences that I have gone through in the classroom over the last month has shown me how it is never too late to implement new ideas and concepts in the classroom especially if something hasn’t been previously working in the past. In looking over my TiP chart (my FINAL TiP chart) I have been able to identify so many celebrations for myself and my girls and also a lot of places that are left for growth. In this final analysis of my interactions from this past month, I will synthesize the overarching themes that have been prevalent in my findings.

Re-Inventing Mathematics in the Classroom through Cognitively Guided Instruction

Since we have begun to really dive deep into teaching addition, I was more than excited to teach students this concept through the use of number stories. When I first began this venture, I was not focused on the number stories that were being used, but I was only concerned with the strategies that students could use to solve the problem. I realized that the actual number stories needed to be more relevant to my students and because of that I decided to personalize the number stories using my student’ names and interests in the problems. I reflected back to the math class and remembered “Children do not have to be taught that a particular strategy goes with a particular type of problem. With opportunity and encouragement, children construct for themselves strategies that model the action or relationships in a problem. (Stein, Grover, & Henningsen, p. 3, 1996). I started having the students explain what was the story being solved before heading off to solve the problem. I also, encouraged the students to focus less on getting correct answers and more on their thinking behind how they solved the problems. “Opportunities for student learning are not created simply by putting students in groups, by placing manipulatives in front of them, or by handing them a calculator. Rather, it is the level and kind of thinking in which students engage that determines what they will learn (NCTM, 1991)” We have now created a ritual in our class that at the end of our math block, we reserve time for a “math talk” where students have the opportunity to discuss their thinking behind solving the problems.

Strides in the TICC Project

I have been amazed by how far my students have come in our TICC project. I remember when we were first presented with the task and I feared how students would be able to tackle such a challenge. Our Critical Pedagogy class has really inspired me to discuss issues that are serious with my students and for them to consider their roles in the world. My students and I had a conversation about power in our school and I found it to be extremely heartbreaking that my students felt powerless in our school. This conversation made me reflect on the quote, “I wanted students to feel empowered, capable of creating change through their peaceful actions.  My job as their teachers was to “provide students with a  conceptual framework” (McLaren, p. 80) so they could then respond to their burning questions and feelings of injustice.  The students needed to see that people are not powerless in the face of injustice.  They needed to see action” (Neher and Smith, 2013, 28) because that is the exact message that I wanted students to walk away with.  We continued our conversation to have a guided discussion for my students to realized how much of impact that they actually do make on the school and how much more they could do. My students used this conversation as a means to develop what eventually became our TICC project.

When we first began, one of my biggest concerns was the fact that we wouldn’t have enough time to discuss our project in class. I started out only allotting time in the morning for us to discuss what we were going to do and how we were going to do it because I didn’t view student advocacy and social justice a part of the “standards” that we were required to teach. I soon was able to realize that are TICC project was really connected and embedded within our learning because it addressed all of the overarching themes that were supposed to have been being taught in other subject areas. When that realized came about, I began analyzing other areas of my instruction that could be improved.

Introducing the Daily Five and Re-Implementing Writer’s Workshop

As I analyzed the current instruction that I was doing in the classroom, I considered what I was currently lacking and what I could do more of. I then thought about the engagements I was doing in reading and I felt as if I wasn’t doing enough. In consideration of this, I remembered that many teachers used the Daily Five as a means to teach reading. I was interested but I was unsure of what this may look like in my classroom. Because of this, I began to research what other teachers have done to implement the Daily Five in their classrooms. I found some really great ideas and decided to implement it in my classroom. I think in the past, it would have been really hard for me to admit that I don’t have all the answers and that it’s okay to solicit the help of others. Now I am much more comfortable with using available resources and have really seen how I can benefit from it. The Daily Five has changed how I teach reading completely and this is the most engaged and excited that I have seen my students about reading in a long time.

One of the greatest things that I could’ve done in my classroom was re-implement writer’s workshop in my classroom. Although I had still been teaching writing, I felt as if the way I was teaching it did not provide a lot of choice and autonomy for my students. My students who once were very excited to write and looked forward to it began to loathe it and produce low quality writing. As I pondered on how to get my students back excited about writing, I realized what was different, we were no longer using the structure of writer’s workshop to engage in writing. I then decided to take some time out to read the Lucy Calkin’s resource that I had on opinion writing and all of a sudden a light bulb went off and I suddenly realized that this style of teaching writing just felt right. Also I began to read how I could connect this type of writing to so many other concepts that we had been currently discussing in class. Although my students are just now getting back in the groove of things, I have been able to see a significant difference. The greatest difference that I have noticed is the fact that our writing conferences are no longer conferences but they are now conversations. “Conversation about the work the child is doing as a writer and Conversation about how the child can become a better writer” (Anderson, 17, 2000). In having these conferences with students, I have been much more resourceful to them in their writing.

Moving Forward

In closing, I am so excited to end this year out with my girls. We have made it so far together and we have so much further to go. I am much more insightful and encouraged moving forward because I have gone through so much this school year. I think my biggest accomplishment thus far is the simple fact that I have not given up hope and each day I am currently seeking out ways to learn and grow. My students also possess this same drive and it is evident in their learning. I can’t wait to see how much more I learn and grow alongside my girls and I am extremely thankful for all of the experiences and realizations that have occurred this year.