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Teaching with Intention Link-Up: Chapter 4! "Promoting Student Thinking"

It's time for Chapter 4 of the Teaching with Intention link-up! This week (which I am joining just inexcusably late) is hosted by Schroeder Shenanigans in Second and Positively Learning:

This chapter REALLY got me excited (and nervous -- let's be real) about this upcoming year. I was reading this and thinking about how much I want my classroom to be a an environment that encourages students to THINK, and not only that but to SHARE their thinking... and then the nerves kicked in with that little voice asking me: "but how are you going to do that with Kindergarteners/Pre-K?" ... but I'm determined to teach with intention this year... and so I just need to keep that in mind! K and Pre-K kiddos are just as capable of thinking on their own as older ones... and what better time to get them started in "breathing in I can do it" and "breathing out 'here's how'"?! (I totally LOVED that quote from Debbie Miller ... "I can do it... here's how... I can do it... here's how!" what a great mantra to have buzzing around a classroom!)

This chapter was actually chock FULL of wonderful quotes like that. Perhaps the one that resonated the most with me (perhaps because I am Guilty with a capital G of "rephrasing" student answers to fit what I wanted to get from them) was this one:

I feel like Debbie is SO right in saying that perhaps the best way we can encourage student thinking and problem solving in our classrooms is by making students feel that their thinking is truly listened to and valued.  That is one of my big goals for this year ... and I'm thinking about printing this little guy out to stick in my teacher binder to remind me! (camera girl clipart from My Cute Graphics, font from KG fonts)

Clearly this chapter really got me thinking and pumped about creating that perfect, supportive classroom culture... so I'm using our lovely link-up hosts' questions to help guide my thoughts -- otherwise I think I could rattle on for pages about things I need to do to help promote student thinking in my classroom!

I think this is something that I'm pretty good at. In my second grade classroom this past year, I did a lot of Writer's Workshop, and I think I got pretty good at "think alouds" both during Interactive Read Alouds and during writing. I often find myself explaining my thinking out loud and asking my kiddos to "watch me" try out different strategies we've learned about in those areas. "I'm wondering.." is a phrase that I use a lot, and that I've heard parroted back to me time and time again! Debbie is totally right in saying that by thinking aloud, we are giving our students the words and know-how to explain their processes later.

I could definitely, however, improve in using this technique in other areas beyond literacy. I'm comfortable thinking aloud in literacy instruction, but need to push myself to do it more in math and even in daily life/problem solving situations. I think this will be especially important with my Pre-K/K kiddos this coming year... they are going to need to see me think through social situations, frustration... everything! Watch out kiddos, the think alouds are heading your way!

That said.. I also need to make room for more STUDENT TALK! Which brings me to the next question:

I did my best with this, and I'm trying not be too hard on myself when looking back at last year with my second graders (it was my first and/or second year teaching, depending on how you count... but that's a long story for another day!) One thing I can say for sure is that I made a point of giving wait time. I tried not to let those frantic hand-wavers jump in too quickly when someone was still trying to work it out... and I consider it a point of pride that at the end of the year students were correcting each other saying, "Guys! Give him (or her) time to think!" I was often saying "In our class, we give our friends time to think." So I guess that's a step in the right direction!

I will say, however, there is some definite room for improvement in this area, too. I often "redirected" kiddos who said things that I didn't quite follow, and found myself trying to force my thinking/the "right answer" on them too often. If I didn't quite grasp a kiddo's "golden nugget" as Debbie calls it, I replaced it with my own, rather than reformulating, asking questions, or giving time to allow that child to express his or her real thinking. I had one kiddo in particular who had knack for telling loooooong stories that never seemed related... but perhaps rather than shutting him down (for lack of a better word... I swear I wasn't mean!) or redirecting him, I should have asked deeper questions that made him think about what he was really trying to say, or at least why he felt that story related to our discussion!

I guess that would be my goal for next year, just as Debbie says. I want to be PRESENT and actually LISTEN (shock!! What a concept! Listening intently to what our kiddos have to say) to my kiddos, rather than just trying to lead them to where we "need to be." I found myself looking at that clock SO often during lessons (especially Writer's Workshop... I talked too much and listened too little!), and ended up rushing student thinking rather than taking time to let them get there on their own... and wouldn't time spent allowing students to draw their own conclusions be better spent than doing whatever activity we were supposed to do next anyway?

So my goal for this coming year to help promote student thinking is going to be to be IN THE MOMENT and LISTEN to my students. I am going to try to remind myself that their thinking is the most important thing going on at school, and everything else can wait. So forget the clock, the timers, etc... and start reacting to actual learning that's happening. And maybe I might give Debbie's notebook a try... I wish I had had one to help me answer this next question!

I have quite a few catch phrases in my class... but here are  a few that stand out as I think back over my year in second grade:

"Give him/her time to think" - see above!

"Put a bookmark in your brain." This one is a bit problematic. When I felt that we had to move on because of time constraints or some other pressing factor, I often told kiddos to "put a bookmark in [their] brain" and tell me on the playground, after school, or during independent work time whatever it was they are thinking of. I wish I could find a better way (I do use turn and talk, but they don't seem to share the same things with their partners that they want to share with me! Maybe this is something I will fine-tune with experience) to move things along without making kiddos feel like they didn't get to share their thinking.

"Be a problem-solver." Much like Ashley at Schroeder Shenanigans in Second, I try not to give students the solutions to their problems... so I often hear myself saying "be a problem solver!" "I need you to be a problem solver." "Can you tell me how you might solve that problem on your own?" ... I guess this is a good one!

"I'm wondering..." See above -- love those think alouds! (Yikes, I talk too much... :s )

"I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm asking you to tell me how you know/why you think that" I think this one has the right spirit behind it, but I need to erase that first clause. I want them to be so confident in their answers (and perhaps more importantly, so used to deeper-level questioning) that the thought that I might only be asking because they're wrong doesn't even cross their mind. They should know that their thinking should always be followed with a why or a how... I need to make "BECAUSE" the key word in our classroom. :)


I'm sure there are many more things that I say over and over, but these are the big ones that jumped out at me as I read and then reflected on this chapter.

I'm glad I wrote this blog post, even if I'm WAY late in joining the link-up, as it really helped me to digest. After reading this chapter, I felt inspired, but also overwhelmed. I thought, "there is so much I have to do/change to make my classroom like this!" But this post has helped me to realize that just a few changes can make all the difference:

... culture of critical thinking, here we come!

Feeling inspired,

<3 Ms Fliss

Teaching with Intention Chapter 3 Book Study: Classroom Environment

I'm so excited to be linking back up for Chapter 3 of the Teaching with Intention book study! I am totally loving reading this book, and this chapter is all about (as the title suggests) classroom environments!

I was both excited and weary about the reflection for this chapter of the book. Classroom environment is SO important to me, and I think making the classroom feel welcoming, inviting, and student-owned can lead to a much smoother year. Take a look at my classroom from last year (2014-2015):

My meeting area with easel, focus wall for math/reading anchor charts, and a spot for student work to be displayed (left):

My classroom library, (somewhat) well organized and equipped with comfy kiddo-sized chairs.. I admit if I were staying at the same school/in the same classroom next year I probably would have reorganized the library a bit better: 

My "Super Improvers" wall (blue) with a card for each kiddo, the writing wall for Writers Workshop anchor charts (green), and my "Q&A board" waiting for student questions and answers (brown): 

As you can hopefully see, I worked hard to make my classroom welcoming, inviting, clean, and organized last year. I admit that these pictures are from the beginning of the year, so the room wasn't always this tidy. I tend to have trouble with those dreaded "paper stacks," and my desk typically looks like an explosion by the end of the day. (My kids often joked that the desk fairy would come to everyone in the class except for me :s.. ) So that's one of my goals for next year's classroom environment: staying organized, even in the craziness of the day. 

This seems like a good place to explain why I said "excited and weary." I'm a bit nervous about how preparing my classroom environment is going to go this year, because I'm changing schools, and at my new school, I will be sharing my classrooms with 3 other teachers. Some of you may be backing up to re-read that. Yep, I said classroomS and 3 other teachers! I will be teaching in a French immersion school (which I am SO excited about -- hence the new blog and title), and will be splitting my time between pre-K and K. My school provides for 2 teachers per grade level in the early grades (preschool through K), so I will have a coteacher with me all the time, and then there are 2 French teachers who will have each of my groups of kiddos for half the day. 

This means I have TWO spaces to think about and several other people's needs and wishes to meet with the classroom space. As I'm new to the school, I'm not quite sure yet how that is all going to work, but I will answer how I would like things to be, knowing that compromises will happen and changes will be made. The words of the year are: FLEXIBILITY and ORGANIZATION. I can feel it.

These are mostly the same for both pre-K and K. 

I need a large meeting area, and would like an easel for creating anchor charts/doing shared writing with my kiddos. I know this area already exists in both classrooms, complete with adorable little benches for the kiddos to sit on at meeting time! :) The one thing it doesn't have, but that I think I can pretty easily acquire without stepping on any toes, is an easel with chart paper. This will be a great space for read alouds, morning meetings, calendar time, songs... the list could go on and on! 

I also think a library corner is important. This is something that doesn't currently exist in either of my classrooms. I think it's important because it shows how important literacy is, and creates a comfortable environment for students to enjoy books. There are many bookshelves in our current classrooms, but no reading "space." I'm trying to think about where I could carve out a little nook with some pillows and maybe a rug for kiddos to curl up with a good book! Space is limited, but I plan on talking to my colleagues about whether we can make this an important space for both languages. :) 

If not, 

I need areas for students to play to learn, including blocks, dramatic play centers, and a variety of spaces for them to use different materials, such as on the ground, on the carpet, on tables, on counters, etc. My pre-K classroom has a kitchen center, which I think is wonderful for that age, and both classrooms have lots of toys and space to keep them organized in a way that is accessible for students. I observed this past week and they are clearly able to find the things they need to play and put them away on their own. Wahoo! :) 

I need tables for students to work in groups or on their own. Check! :) 

I need space to keep my teacher materials organized as well as all student supplies.  This is definitely the case in the classroom, where things seem relatively organized. I am not quite sure where I will put my binders, etc, yet, but I am confident we will be able to find a little space in a cabinet or a shelf somewhere.

In pre-K, this is a little more difficult. With pre-K comes a LOT of art supplies, etc, so our cabinets are very full. I am SO excited about all the materials we have, but would love to take a stab at organizing them in a way that makes them a bit more readily accessible. 

I need space for student work to be displayed. I was recently told that the administration doesn't want us hanging student work because they don't want parents to compare students to each other. :/ I plan to make my case for why I think displaying student work is important to creating a classroom community and a welcoming environment. If not, anchor charts created as a class will still help students to take ownership of the space! 

Overall, my spaces have a LOT of what I need/want for my students. I am so excited to get to work in this collaborative environment... I just want to get IN there and start leaving my little mark! Too bad I can't until Aug 21! 

My teams really seem to have this down to a science. Kiddos will keep their backpacks, lunches, etc in cubbies. Most supplies (scissors, markers, crayons, etc) are shared and kept in cups on a shelf in the middle of the classroom. On this shelf, there is also a bucket of pencil bags, each one labeled with a student's name. In these pencil bags, students keep a couple of pencils, a glue stick, and an eraser. The system seems to work well. 

For workbooks, textbooks, etc, the students have sterilite drawers lining the walls of the classrooms. They have one drawer for English and one drawer for French. Again, this seems to be working, so it's fine by me! :) 

There are 5 tables in each classroom. Currently, the students have assigned places at tables, which is denoted by a list of names in the center of each. I would like these to be flexible, changed from time to time, but will need to discuss with my colleagues how they would like to run this. Overall, I like that they are shared space, and only used when students need a flat, designated workspace. :) 

In the end, I am SO glad I read this chapter and did the reflection. It helped me realize what my teammates aready have in place that is successful (which is A LOT!) and what non-negotiables I need to ask for. That way, when the school year starts up and we are planning/preparing our rooms for our kiddos, I know which things I can be flexible on and which things I really need to explain my reasoning and express my need for. Basically, it helped me get a better picture of my "deal breakers" and the things I can just roll with. This will lead to better collaboration with my wonderful team. Overall, I'd say that's a good chapter study! 

... Now to tackle my paper problem.... yikes! 

<3 Ms Fliss

Teaching with Intention Book Study: Chapter 2

I am so excited to be linking up again for the second chapter of this book! First, I have a confession to make. I somehow missed the chapter divider on my kindle and accidentally read chapters 1 and 2 at the same time last week :s. As a result, the quote from Debbie that I cited as being from the end of chapter 1 was actually from chapter 2... I know I know, I'm sorry! I'm a newbie, ok?

My second confession is that I've been somewhat putting off this post. Not because I don't want to think about my belief statements--quite the contrary! I've been putting it off because condensing my beliefs abut teaching into a few belief statements sounds very, very difficult to me... and I can't help but think that after only 1 year of teaching, I am not quite yet equipped to make sweeping statements about my beliefs about education.

So here's what I have come up with so far, thinking about my past year as well as my upcoming year of teaching:

I believe that students can only learn when they feel respected, loved, and safe in their classroom, with their peers and their teacher.

I believe that structured, literacy-rich play is an important part of early learning. 

I believe that students should be able to make choices in the content and structure of their learning in order to increase engagement and motivation.

I believe that foreign-language learning should happen in the early childhood classroom, where students are sponges for language. 

I believe that math learning should be hands-on and based on solving real problems. 

I believe that while there is a place for fun and learning through play, students should be taught to seek out that "hard work well done" feeling. I believe the learning IS the fun, and we should respect students enough not to pander. 

I believe that classroom management should be mostly about building community and learning to live in the world. 

Woo! I did it! I'm sure there are more I could add and/or change, but for right now I'm happy  with basic tenets. My goal now is to look back at these basic beliefs as I prepare for my first year teaching Pre-K/K! :)

Now be sure not to miss the chapter 2 posts by the hosts of this book study linky!

  

Ready to teach with intent,

Miss Fliss <3

Teaching With Intention Link-Up

I am SO excited to linking up with "real bloggers" for the very first time and to kick off my brand new teacher blog! I've read tons of blogs for a few years now, but, while I post about my own life/experiences on my personal blog, I've never considered myself "a blogger." So, I'm super pumped to be taking one step in that direction by joining the "Teaching with Intention" book study started by The Kindergarten Smorgasboard.,This week is focusing on Chapter 1 of Debbie Miller's book, and you can check out the hosts' responses at Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten, Primary Possibilities, and Enchanted Kinder Garden.

First, can I just say how much I love Debbie Miller? I think her books are so easy and fun to read. But maybe that's just the teacher nerd in me! 

Anyway, when I stumbled across The Kindergarten Smorgasboard's post about this book club, I got super excited about the book, and decided I just had to read it. So I downloaded it on kindle, read the first chapter last night, and here I am, ready to discuss! I'm especially excited about the prospect of this book study and of giving thought to my "ideal classroom" and how I'm going to get there because I'll be changing grade levels next year. I am switching from 2nd grade at a public elementary school to Kindergarten at a private French immersion school. I'm excited but nervous about the change, and I feel like a little planning with intention is just what I need. So without further ado...

My ideal classroom... get comfy kiddos, this might be a long one. Let's be organized about this:

LOOK: My ideal classroom is warm and welcoming, with a consistent color-theme that makes the whole space feel tied together, despite clear areas for different kinds of work. There would be a comfy, inviting, and organized library corner where students could cuddle up with a good book. It would be clean and organized, but it would also be a kid-owned space: their work would decorate the walls, and they would have choices about where to work on different activities. 

SOUND: A quiet buzz. There would be light music on in the background, and students would be working individually, with partners, and in small groups on engaging tasks. You would hear quiet, on-task, engaged chatter.They would be so enthralled by the topics they were discussing that they would hardly be interested in veering off topic. There would be giggles caused by funny books, and you wouldn't hear me voicing over all the time. Overall, it would be the sound of a group of kids and one teacher all united by common learning and shared interest! 

FEEL: Welcoming. Inviting. Safe. Kids would want to share because they would feel respected. There would be that sense of urgency the sisters talk about in the Daily 5. That said, while we would feel like we need to learn now, we wouldn't feel rushed. Someone walking into our classroom would feel like real work is being done here. Students would feel like learning is important and interesting. Visiting adults would feel like students are making real contributions. 

I touched on this a bit in"sound" and "feel," but I am excited about going into more detail. While we are imagining ideal, I also want this to be something I can truly imagine myself, as I actually am, doing. Students would be in small groups or in partnerships working on engaging tasks. Depending on the time of day, this might be science explorations, literacy centers, writing, or math tasks. Students would be talking about what they are doing, discussing their hypotheses, ideas, and discoveries. I would be sitting with a small group teaching a just-right mini-lesson for that group, circulating and assisting students as needed, helping them to make their own discoveries, or conferring with an individual to help him or her make sense of what (s)he is seeing, hearing, or doing. I would be taking meaningful notes that would actually help me with my planning, or providing the appropriate amount of scaffolding to help a child have an "aha" moment. Students would move from activity to activity efficiently, and would be respectful of others talking. They would feed off of each other and help each other to understand concepts. The discussion would be mostly led by them, with me there only as a facilitator. In short, they would be LEARNING in an pro-active, cooperative, collaborative way. :) 

This is a hard question for me to answer, as I just finished my first year teaching (2nd) at one school, and will be moving to my new school teaching Kindergarten in the fall. So, I will talk about what I already had in place in my 2nd grade classroom. 

Oof. This kind of hurts. Not much! I already have a consistent color-theme (I had a pretty cute jungle theme going on) and a great, organized library corner (although it didn't always stay organized; I didn't do a great job teaching the kiddos how to put books back in the right bin). There were 2 little chairs in the library and students loved to go in there and read. 

I also had small groups, partner work, and individual work all going on. I pulled small groups, and students worked on different tasks while I was working with a group. 

Finally, I put up a lot of student work. I wish I had a picture, but I'm awful about those things. My walls are typically covered in anchor charts, student work, and drawings/cards they've made for me. As a result of the work everywhere and the fun theme, I think "welcoming" and "inviting" are well on their way. 

Short answer: Student choice. The buzz. Less voice-overs. More student-directed learning. My own organization. 

Long answers: 

Student Choice:  When I read the Daily 5 for the first time last summer, I was SO excited by the prospect of choice. I wanted my kiddos to be able to choose their next activity to give them buy-in, engagement, and to minimize some of the behavior issues. However, I let fear and peer pressure take over, and ended up assigning centers.

In the future (starting next year I hope!) I want to implement more choice in my center time. I'm thinking either a form of the Daily 5 or a center wheel like Greg shared on Kindergarten Smorgasboard. I like the idea of "structured choice," and it gives me a good idea of how I could introduce it to my little kinder kiddos at the beginning of the year to make it manageable and successful. :) If you haven't checked out his center  hippopotamus wheel post, you should! Especially watch the go-pro of a kiddo in action! <3 

The buzz: I think this comes with everything else. When I have my routines in place and student choice in place, the buzz will come with engaged and interested kiddos. I can do this! 

Student Directed Learning: Debbie Miller really spoke to me when she said that she learned the "importance of slowing down and being present, of taking the time to think." I feel like too often I'm trying to GO GO GO GO and get things done, and I forget to slow down, enjoy my kiddos, and think about what they're saying to me. Oftentimes, I think they're begging to learn something, and I steamroll over it. My goal for this next year is to "Take the high road" as Debbie said at the end of chapter 1. I need to STOP listening to all the voices and mandates telling me what I have to do or "get through," and start listening to my inner voice and the voice of my kiddos telling me what we should get INTO. :) 

My Own Organization: My desk always starts off nice and clean at the beginning of the day, and by the end of the day, it looks like an explosion. On Monday morning, my files are put away, my papers are organized neatly, everything is in its place. By Friday afternoon, I have a mountain of those dreaded "paper stacks" a mile high covering my desk, bookshelves, and filing cabinets. I would love to get a system down that I can stick to and keep up with even in the chaos of the day. I guess that will come with time? I plan to get binders all set up this year and to try to put things away immediately (or at least have a dedicated time each day). 

Whew! If you made it through that whole post, THANK YOU. I know it was a long one! I am SO glad I decided to jump in with both feet and do this link-up. I'm already feeling more prepared and less anxious about starting my year as a French-immersion K teacher! :) 

Ready to teach with a vision in mind,

Miss Fliss <3