This upcoming term is again promising to be a busy one with reporting, end of year preparations and ensuring that the kids are feeling empowered and confident for the upcoming year. It is also a time of trepidation as I begin to think about what next year may bring.
However I need to focus on the term ahead. Stopping this afternoon, I realised that I had gotten caught up in the routines of the school day and I was feeling a bit flat and some of the fun that I wanted to bring to my lessons everyday had been missing. That is a challenge that I have set myself for Term 4 - to have fun with my teaching and take risks. I had done this in the last two weeks of Term 3 when my mentor was sick - I did things that I may have been somewhat apprehensive to have tried earlier. Where did this apprehension come from? Was it a lack of confidence in my own practice? Was it me having a better understanding of my learners and their capabilities? Or was it the perception of my lessons by my colleagues? All good points to ponder on but not dwell on.
This term's goal is about growing the assessment capability of the kids by sharing assessment data, collaborating with them on success criteria and plotting out next steps and using the appropriate tools to help stretch their learning. This goal makes sense to me given the focus on reporting and making OTJs for end of year. It also feels right for the kids to start looking at our tools in more detail now that they have had two terms to learn how to operate the systems.
As a cohort, we have been challenged with making more links between curriculum areas and this is something that I feel will be a constant goal as I progress in my practice. However if I am to take risks this term, what better way to experiment with these connections and see what impacts this may have on both my practice and my learners!
Stay tuned - I have made it another mini challenge to try and blog more regularly. I admire people like Ashley and Georgia who do this so deftly!
I love how you have taken the time to reflect and are so open about the lack of enthusiasm and creativity you may of had at the tail end of Term 3, this is hard to accept and openly express but so important! More importantly, you have thought of potential ways to try and bring the excitement back into your teaching, so you look forward to every day and every lesson, I look forward to reading future posts about the steps and progress you take :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Georgia - like I said, I will endeavour to blog more regularly throughout the term. You guys do it so well!
Delete