Listening for the Learning

Let me set the scene. It is guided reading time in late October and I am working with a group of students on the guided writing portion of their lesson. A boy and a girl are working on writing three sentences, which I have dictated to them. The first sentence reads, "She looked in the grass," The second sentence, "She looked at the pond." I have just given the third sentence, "She looked in the barn." Both students have written the first two sentences without error. Suddenly, the girl stops and opens her guided reading book to the back page. I look at her third sentence and it says, "She looked in the brn." She looks at me, obviously feeling the need to explain what she is doing, and says, "I know that every word needs a vowel, and I am not sure what the vowel is in the word barn." This is kindergarten, folks--in October.

Had I not been sitting across the table from this girl, I may have missed this very important glimpse into her mind. I have no doubt I have missed countless other opportunities to capture the learning and thinking of children throughout the years. However, I am getting better. I am trying. I am learning to listen. I am learning to listen for the learning. The opportunities surround us every day, but often, we don't take the time to hear them. Often, we don't take time to see them. Often, we are too worried about "measuring growth" that we forget to see the growth occurring right in front of us.

Call it what you will--pedagogical documentation, taking anecdotal notes, observation, whatever. What I am trying to say is TRY IT. Stop talking, stop directing every action taken in your classroom and LISTEN FOR THE LEARNING. It is all around us, and it is magical.

Here are a few examples that I have captured. 

Student: "Mrs. Zeidler, look at my pattern."

Me: "Awesome! Tell me about your pattern."

Student: "It goes up like this."

Me: "How do you know it is a pattern?"

Student: "I don't know..."

Me: "Well, you told me it was a pattern. How did you know?"

Student: "It is a growing pattern."

Me: "How do you know that?"

Student: "Because it goes up by one each time."

Me: "What are you doing to your fort?"

Student: "It keeps falling down right here, so I am putting more weight on top of the sheet so it will hold it in place. We tried it with just one block, and that didn't work. Two blocks will be heavier."

Me: "Tell me about your gingerbread trap."

Student: "Well, the gingerbread man comes into the trap and is blocked in by the cardboard on the sides. This part in the front keeps him from getting out. And then (points to taped straw in front)...this part falls down to lock the whole thing in place so the gingerbread man can't escape."

Student: "Mrs. Zeidler, do you see my butterfly?"

Me: "What can you tell me about your butterfly?"

Student: "It is red and yellow."

Me: "What else can you tell me about it?"

Student: "It has antennae."

Me: "Interesting. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Student: "It is symmetrical."

Me: "What do you mean by symmetrical?"

Student: "It is the same on this side as this side."

Student: "Mrs. Zeidler, come look at my tower. I made it three dimensional. See...it isn't just flat on the light table."

Me: "Tell us about your picture."

Student: "I drew the stem brown, because it looks brown. On the bottom I noticed a round part, so I drew a a circle. These green parts are marks I noticed on the pumpkin (where a mouse chewed on the pumpkin). I drew dots all over the pumpkin, because I noticed there were spots on it."

Note: One of our science standards is "I can observe and describe objects in nature and share those observations and descriptions with others."

There is learning happening around us every day. Often, we are too busy "teaching" to capture it. I am getting better. I am trying. I am learning to listen. I am learning to listen for the learning.

Intentional Teaching

After receiving her children's first semester kindergarten report cards, a colleague with twins recently shared her astonishment over the amazingly large number of standards children in kindergarten are required to master. Our report card assesses 14 literacy standards and 17 math standards. In addition, we are required to teach multiple science and social studies standards as well, all while meeting the social and emotional needs of children who have entered school with a wide range of skills and behaviors.

As the number of academic demands placed on our youngest learners has increased, the need to be intentional about everything we plan and do as educators has increased as well. The challenge has been to find ways to get rid of the "fluff" while still making the kindergarten classroom an engaging place to play and learn. 

Intentional teaching means that teachers are deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful about the decisions they make and the actions they take in the classroom. It involves foresight and a deep understanding of the standards. It also involves using the classroom as a "third teacher" in order to reach all learners.

Each week when I plan, I try to find ways to "kill two birds with one stone," as the saying goes. For example, recently, I shared the book Snowmen at Night during quiet story time. My students loved the story and it fit nicely with the snow related provocations I had set up around the classroom. During my weekly scrolls through Pinterest, I saw many extension activities to do with the book. The old me would have chosen the cutest activity to do simply because it was cute. However, the new, intentional me found an activity which would allow me to assess my student's ability to meet the following literacy standards:

• I can put spaces between words when I write.

• I can sound out words and write them phonetically.

• I can capitalize the word I when writing.

• I can recognize, use and name end punctuation.

• I can read and write kindergarten high frequency words.

In addition, the students would strengthen their fine motor skills as they tore the paper into small pieces and they would work on persevering through a long project, which is a skill we have been working on. And if this wasn't enough, I could also see which skills students were using, but confusing--such as this boy's use of a second vowel in order to make the long i sound in words like by and myself. This would give me something to focus on during our word study lessons, along with the teaching of the inflected ending -ing. And you have to admit--the project is pretty stinkin' cute!

Early in the fall, when the students were adjusting to the long days of school, I tried to get outside as much as possible. As much as I would have loved to use this time to play simply for the sake of playing, I also found intentional ways to sneak in some learning--such as this activity where we practiced demonstrating positional words on the playground equipment. After printing the pictures and mounting them on card stock we worked on beginning writing skills by labeling the pictures with the positional words.

Rigor does not have to replace play. We can be intentional about the activities we plan so that we can help our students meet academic goals while meeting their emotional and social needs as well.

Recharging

/rēˈCHärj/: To regain your energy or strength

Teaching is a rewarding, yet draining, profession. In order to survive in the field year after year, a teacher must find ways to recharge. I know that, for me, winter is especially hard. The days are shorter, the temperatures are colder (a LOT colder) and the students have reached a comfort level in the classroom which seems to spur them to test boundaries. This could also be due to a week of indoor recess, but let's not split hairs...

Everyone is different, but we all need to find ways to recharge when our energy and strength are dipping. The following things seem to do the trick for me:

1. Finding a way to relax. This year, I was fortunate to take a week-long vacation with my family to Mexico. There is nothing more recharging than lying on a beach soaking up the sun's rays and letting your body produce some much needed vitamin D! However, I know that I will not always be able to fly away to a tropical vacation when my energy stores are low. In these cases, I find other ways to relax and take my mind off school related things. Reading is a big one for me. A good book transports me to another time and place. When life is particularly stressful, I will read 2-3 books in a weekend. 
2. Enjoying the great outdoors. I am not a self-proclaimed outdoor enthusiast, especially in the dead of winter, but I have to admit--it does help. I try to go for a walk each morning before work. Even though it is dark, and I need a flashlight, I find it to be extremely relaxing. Not only do I get some much needed exercise and fresh air, but I also get a chance to mentally plan out my day. Sometimes, I just simply let my mind wander of its own free will. I arrive home relaxed and ready to face the day ahead. Today, I went out snowshoeing in the woods surrounding our house. It was quiet and peaceful and being in the midst of nature had a calming effect.
3. Taking a nap. Yes, a mid-winter, Sunday afternoon nap can be just what I need to recharge. 
4. Talking with a colleague. Just the other day, our school occupational therapist stopped in at my request. I had wanted to share some books I had just received with him. We are able to chat for about ten minutes, and it was just enough time to remind myself why I do what I do and how important it is. Surround yourself with people who inspire and challenge you, and you will quickly be recharged.
5. Progress Monitoring/Assessing. This may not sound relaxing or rejuvenating, but when I take the time to assess the progress of my students, I find that it inspires me and focuses my energies on what I need to accomplish next. Seeing how far they have come gives me the strength to find ways to meet the needs of the students who aren't quite there yet, and to challenge the ones who are. Call me strange, but it works for me!
6. Preparing for the next school year. I know, you are thinking--"Didn't she say she was trying to find ways to recharge from a demanding profession?" For me, beginning to think about the next year is recharging. I love to visualize how I can change the layout of my classroom, or how I can find new and exciting provocations to use during Discovery Time. Since I am a person who continually worries about doing things better, it is a time to think about what could be. I will typically think of one or two things I want to do differently and begin researching ways to improve. I also find that reading professional texts recharges my energy levels and gets my creative juices flowing. In fact, my principal recently let me order three new professional books that I can't wait to dig into. They are:

This blog has become a way for me to share what my students are doing, but it has also become a way for me to reflect on my practice. I don't always take time to recharge the way I should. Getting my thoughts down in print has reminded me why it is important to do just that, and I invite you to do the same.

 

Play vs. Academics: Finding the Balance

It sat in my son's closet for years. I remember watching my children play with it at our dining room table when they were younger, but it had long been forgotten by them. On a whim, I brought the plastic marble run to my classroom and set it out at our classroom makerspace. I would be gone the first two days after Christmas vacation--returning from a family trip to Mexico, and I wanted something novel for the students to explore in my absence.

After returning to the classroom, I found myself sitting at my teacher table during Discovery Time. It is nearing the end of the semester, and I was knee deep in assessments. The students in my classroom know that during Discovery Time, they may use one of three voice levels: Zero, which is no voice at all; one, which is a whisper voice; or a quiet two, which is a quiet talking voice. This system allows me to work with students at my table without interruption. However, today, it wasn't working. I silently berated my substitute, who no doubt let them talk freely while I was gone. Now I would have to retrain them...

My eye caught a frenzied movement from over near the makerspace area. Looking up from assessing the student I was working with, I noticed a boy jumping up and down in excitement. I stopped what I was doing and watched. The first thing I noticed was the near constant chatter. These students were fired up! Small groups, ranging from 1 to 4 students each, were busily constructing marble runs of various shapes and sizes. They were figuring out what worked and what didn't. They were making adjustments and trying again. They were arguing with one another about what to try next, and then working together to follow the plan of one or a compromised plan of a few. They were playing. They were learning. They were happy.

I soon returned to assessing various students and was thrilled to discover how much growth they had made since I last assessed them in November. I wasn't the only one, however. The students I was working with were proud of themselves when they realized how much they had accomplished. As I listened to students read during a benchmark assessment, I could see the excitement and pride in their faces as they discussed stories they had read. They were learning. They were happy.

As a teacher of young children, I often find myself worrying about what is developmentally appropriate. I worry that children these days are not given enough time to play. As I see what appears to be an increase in disruptive behaviors from year to year, I worry that children are not learning to work with others or to problem solve because they are not allowed to play, make mistakes and solve problems with their peers. 

So I let them play. Twice a day, for 45 to 60 minutes, my students have Discovery Time. Sometimes I worry that it is too long, that the students are missing out on important academic learning time, that they won't measure up when the year is over. Then, I remember balance. I remember that, while they are playing, I am engaging in valuable teaching time with small groups of learners--and those students are learning.  Sometimes, I don't even know how they are learning as much as they are. After all, I am not focusing all of my time on academics. I am not pushing them to learn more or placing worksheet after worksheet in front of them in an effort to "close the gap." 

These are the times I wonder: How does this happen? Then, I remember balance. The children are learning because they have found balance between play and learning. Because they are having their need for play met, their minds are open and eager to learn. After all, playing is learning. They are happy, and research shows that happy children learn better. 

It is still hard to let go of the doubt, however. I know there are children who will not meet every academic standard by the end of kindergarten. They are simply not developmentally ready to do so. Shoving more academics down their throats will not get them there faster. Time, maturity and brain development will get them there. I have learned to accept this, though it is difficult. I know these children need to play, and I cannot tip that balance.

As I was lying on the beach in Mexico, I was so relaxed I couldn't imagine ever going back home. Not once did I think of school, which is rare for me. I returned to school energized and ready to tackle the remainder of the year. I had found time to play, and it made all the difference...