In the classroom it is my personal goal to make each day better than the one before, for both me and my students. Does this mean that every day is perfect? Absolutely not! But one thing I do is focus on what I can do each and every day that could make my teaching, management, or relationships better. Sometimes it is letting a student off with a warning, and sometimes it is NOT letting them slide. Sometimes it is calling a parent for a positive update- and sometimes it is calling a students bluff and contacting a parent about poor behavior.
MOST of the time, however, my reflections all focus on one thing- Student Engagement. Were ALL my students engaged? Were ALL my students actively participating on the assignment or activity? If the answer was no, then I’m back at the drawing board and working on trying to come up with a new approach.
Personalized learning has been a huge step toward 100% engagement and participation for me in my classroom
My students have to take responsibility in their learning. They have to CHOOSE what they will do. When I hand a student a text to read I often hear the complaints that “this story is boring” or “I don’t care about this” or “I don’t like to read”. But, give the students the chance to choose the story they read (from a selection of 2 to 6) and then, those complaints stop. They feel like they WANTED to read the story! And I get my students to end their complaints and actually start working through the content. Now I can see their true level of skill, when before, they may not have even been trying.
Personalized Learning Strategies
The following video is focused on ways to implement some personalized learning strategies in the classroom. I am still working through the process my self, and will continue to put out articles about what has worked in my classroom. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, leave comments below!