Reflection on how to provide the best lesson for my students.

Somedays you have to STOP and THINK about how as a teacher you are doing your job.  

As a teacher, I don't receive a report card from my students telling me if I accomplished my objectives that year.  So as a teacher I have to reflect on the lessons I teach and try to determine what is the best way to teach and can I improve.

This summer while taking a class on integrating technology into the classroom, I had to think about one lesson that I teach in 6th grade; and determine how I could make it better through the use of technology and integrating the ISTE Standards and Multiple Pathways of learning.

So I thought about it

The one component of both the ISTE Standards and the Multiple Pathways of Learning that kept coming back to be with importance was STUDENT CHOICE.  Students that have the opportunity to have a choice in their learning have ownership in their learning and ownership in learning has a greater outcome of learning.

I continued to reflect on lessons that I already provide student choice.  Last year my 5th-grade students were able to choose the Newbery Award or Honor book they wanted to read for a literature group lesson.  Students also had a choice in an ELA lesson to work collaboratively to create a 60-second commercial on for PSSA review. Our PBL on Black History month was all student choice, including who and how to present the information on how one person could change the lives of African-American in history.

Kelsey created a cake that had images and information on all the pieces.

Bessie Colman had a poster board, plane, and landing strip.

Students had a choice in how to present their information, and then the class completed an inquiry form during a gallery walk.

Colin made a baseball diamond with facts on the backboard, flag poles, and field about Jackie Robinson.

After reflecting on these lessons, I needed to decide how I could give more student choice in the classroom throughout the entire school year.  My decision was to start with GRAMMAR.  Grammar is a lesson that NEEDS to be taught and reinforced, but I have found that all students in 6th-grade are not on the same level with all the different grammar skills.

CHANGES

Some changes needed to be made to give students choice and ownership of their education with regards to grammar. The change will start with choice, students will have the opportunity to choose the order that they complete the 12 grammar lessons taught in 6th-grade.

One of the biggest and hardest parts of this change will be giving up me "teaching" the whole lesson to the group with me standing in front giving the lesson.  As a teacher "we" think it is the best way for students to learn, although evidence shows that for many students this is NOT the best way to learn.  So not only do I need to stop being the person upfront teaching but I also have to have all this learning prepared ahead of time through screencast, videos, and Nearpod.  THIS IS A LOT OF WORK, but I know that it is what is BEST for my students and I will always try to provide the best education for the 50 students sitting in my class every fall

So here is what it will look like, this is the Nouns lesson plan for students.

I am excited to see this experience take place and students to learn at their pace on their schedule.  I will be able to provide direct instruction on different grammar skills to various students on writing days based on the skill that they are working on.

OWNERSHIP of Learning coming to 6th-grade students.