I am humbled....

I am once again humbled by my students.  This year has seem some significant change in my classroom.  I have new furniture, we have become a compulsory BYOD, I am using SOLO taxonomy and Google classroom like a manic, and have changed assessment practices to be more intuitive with learning.

My students haven't skipped a beat.

They have taken everything new in their stride, getting on with it as they always have.

The furniture has been a wonderful addition to my room.  I had the "cowards castle" front teacher's bench removed, making the room more open and accessible.  There is no more barrier between myself and the students, and no laptop to be distracted by while my students are working independently.  Now I am forced to wonder around the room bugging and distracting them (as they would say) - it's been one of the best thing I've done in here.  I am lucky to have a large room, there are more seating spaces than students. This gives them the opportunity to move around the room during the lesson to suit the learning the are doing at the time.  Groups are fluid and students can choose to join or move into their own quiet space.

The move to compulsory BYOD has been (I think) seamless.  We have spent the last 3 years building up to this point with optional BYOD and good communication with our community.  We focused on the improvements to student outcomes that access to the world of information and increased ways to communicate understanding to others bring.  No to mention the opportunities to teach our students to be good digital citizens.

I am still going strong with SOLO, and my students are using the language and rubrics so naturally.  They like the control and sense of agency that choosing their pathway, start points and end points give them.  I have also made the move to student readiness practicals in Level 2 Biology.  All the equipment for all the practical activities and experiment they can do is in the room at all times, and students can complete them when they are ready.  I has allowed me to have such rich conversations with small groups completing pracs, on their observations, and the relevant scientific explanations.  It feels more powerful than a whole class doing the same prac, in a pre-designated session, followed by a 'whole class discussion' in which probably half of them were disengaged.

Later in the term, in Level 1 Biology we are completing a project that will cover 2 internal achievement standards.  This is the first time I have tried this approach - setting up a learning opportunity, in which the students product of work will be used as evidence for standards, rather than a separate stand alone assessment event. Wish me luck!

Feeling pumped about what has so far been a great start to the year.




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