Last week, I finished another Leadership 2.0 session; the
week’s topic was on Instructional Leadership, led by Chris Wejr. Just before
the session began I was finishing up a two thank you notes that I was preparing
for a Kindergarten class and their two teachers who welcomed me in their
classroom for an entire day last Thursday! As Chris spoke about Instructional Leadership I realized how connected
his words were to my day in KC. Chris
and other leaders in the chat area commented on our role as “learners.” Spending the day in each classroom this year
is one of the many ways I am “learning about learning.” Observing, engaging,
helping, and reflecting throughout a whole day enables me to see the big
picture of each developmental age, as well as to better understand how each
piece of the puzzle (content area, time of day, transition, specialist class,
daily 5, writing workshop, enrichment, play, recess, lunch, snack……mood,
weather, celebrations!) neatly fits, or doesn’t into the overall program.
Through this learning and reflecting I can respond, encourage and when needed
provide “gentle nudges” either to the teachers or to other administrators that
could lead to positive change. I agree wholeheartedly that the focus of my
time in each classroom is on the “learning rather than the teaching.”
Another learning component of my days in the different
classrooms is to experiment with a variety of reflection techniques, and push
myself to explore new tools. For my first class, a fourth grade, I wrote a
letter to the students, which the teacher was able to email to the entire
class. For this second kindergarten class, I prepared a simple two-minute thank
you recording that I have asked the teachers to play for the students during morning
meeting. You can hear it below, or read the transcript. I included a thank you for the teachers as well.
As I continue this learning journey through different
classrooms, I am looking explore different reflection techniques. Do you have
any suggestions? I envision making an e-book of a day, or creating an iMovie
with snapshots of a day. Please comment and share your ideas on how to record
my reflections during these learning experiences!
Transcripts:
Dear KC Stars:Thank you, Gracias, for
allowing me to spend the day with you last Thursday. With all the talk and
activities around Halloween, Pumpkins and Spiders – I really began to realize
that Fall is really here. But what was so cool was how much you learned about
shapes, letters, sounds, weight, estimation and the variety of Spider webs all
revolving around the cool things that Fall has to offer. I also learned so much
throughout the day– I never new about the “funnel web.” I also had lots of fun
making my “Shape Scarecrow” which proudly is hung in my office.
And you certainly were all
Stars learning how to share, work together, and respect one another. I heard I
am sorry when a KC Star bumped into a KC friend, I heard Thank you when a
pencil was handed to a KC friend. I did see that taking turns was a bit of a
challenge at the listening center, but with a reminder you were able to take
turns. I saw so many smiles on your face and learning seemed to be great fun!
Keep it up KC Stars, you have
a wonderful year ahead. And remember to thank your teachers. They did so much
to prepare for that fun filled day of learning.
Thank you so much for
allowing me to spend the day in KC.
Happy Halloween KC Stars!
Dear Emma and Lisa,
Thank you for allowing me to
spend the day in KC. I had a grand time! I really enjoyed understanding the
pulse of 4-6 year olds. Very interesting that Daniel knows the age of each KC
Star! Should we hand him a copy of Yardsticks and ask him to comment on the
developmental differences of his classmates? You are both doing an awesome job in KC – it
is so nice to see how well you collaborate and seamlessly work together to plan
and carry out the day in KC. Some of the things that really caught my eye were
the following:·
Fabulous job
keeping those KC Stars moving! Within one hour Lisa directed 3 different get up
an move activities – which clearly the Stars enjoyed! And little to they know
how much that movement benefits them.
·
Recognizing and
providing a variety a sensory experiences to meet the different learning needs
of the students was clear: from writing on the mini chalk board, to using play
dough to make an O, to listening to books on tape reading with the teacher or
alone silently, all children needs were met.
·
Very in-tuned with
the learning needs of the kids and using responsive classroom techniques to
redirect was frequent: lots repetition of expectations and directions in a
direct and caring manner.·
I was very
impressed with the smooth transitions from center to center as well as from
homeroom to specialist class. The children moved with ease and I clear idea of
what was expected of them. They reached and left each destination with a smile
on their face.
No comments:
Post a Comment