Written by “Fast learning is not always the best and deepest”- this quote really resonated with me as I tried to summarize and reflect on my action plan to date. This is also a quote that I have put up in my classroom for my students to refer to. My ultimate goal for my action plan was to encourage my Grade 6 students to think critically about the themes and messages in the novel ‘Wonder’. I wanted my students to break the habit of being “fast learners” and learn to slow down, digest information and process it.
I wanted students to really think about what they were reading, reflect on the themes and messages in certain pieces of literature, immerse themselves in a book, and learn to use a variety of tools to reflect and analyze information. I would love to say that over the course of my action plan my whole class has accomplished all of this and they are all brilliant critical thinkers… but that is not realistic. What I can say is that as of this week, my students are able to think for longer periods of time before answering a question. They are more comfortable with visible thinking routines and have transferred these routines into their writing. I have a very quiet and introverted class who cringed at the mention of “class/ group discussions” but now get excited to talk with their peers and share ideas.
I have learned a tremendous amount through this process and I am aware that my plan is still at its beginning stages. Some things I have learned along the way..
1) Critical thinking does not happen overnight. Students would hit road blocks with their thinking, express frustration, but with guidance and prompting learned to use strategies to persevere.
2) As a teacher, it was challenging to get students to step out of their comfort zone and push themselves to think at a deeper level. Patience was a key component throughout my entire action plan.
3) Reflection time was a crucial component for students success. Students have started using their blog as a tool to help them reflect and share their thoughts with their peers.
This is not the end of my action plan- I still have not tried everything I wanted to try and know that there are areas that need to be improved and refined. This experience has been an eye-opening and empowering one for me and my students. We have experienced success and worked through challenges as a “team”.
I am very appreciative for all of the support and encouragement within the Cohort community. I have stepped out of my comfort zone in ways that would not have happened had I not joined Cohort 21.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/125756306[/vimeo]