Routines and Procedures:
Everything that we do together, all of our daily routines and procedures are designed to help our students feel a sense of belonging, inspiration and care. By creating and establishing consistent routines we are able to create a supportive learning environment which highlights and fosters caring relationships. In doing so, students have more opportunities for meaningful expression and engagement.
Starting the day off by conducting mellow morning practices is at the foundation of my classroom practice. My students will enter the classroom with calming music playing, low lighting and relaxing images being broadcasted from the smart board at the front of the classroom. It is at this time I will conduct our weekly one on one meetings to check in with everyone. This gives me a chance to listen to them and gain valuable insights into their worlds. Woven throughout our daily lessons, I will include mindfulness activities, breathing practices and outdoor learning moments to help serve as transitional tools.
Each mindfulness activity will focus on helping my students stay grounded and ready to face the next task. Breathing is one of the most powerful tools we have as human beings and I recognized the beneficial relationship it can have with my students. This can help students through difficult times of anxiety or uncertainty.
The mental well-being of each of my students is extremely important to me. All of the materials will be provided by me (pencils, scissors, glue, etc). The only homework I ask of my students is to review before a test and gather some information whenever we have a project. At the end of the day, my students will complete an exit ticket where they can simply tell me one thing they liked about their days (favourite part, coolest thing learned). This can be written down in a journal or in a shared google doc.
As we get ready to say our goodbyes, I ask my students to self-assess how they felt about their efforts in class today. There will be a poster hung by the door that has different categories/levels of effort (did my best, I really tried, I was tired) and they can tap it on the way out.
Instruction and Assessment:
Assessment and instruction must be embedded and derived in our shared experiences. It is my job as an educator to unpack and connect the material to my learners. My students and I must co-create our success criteria; this will help us create quality assessments where the students are directly involved in the learning process.
I believe that purpose needs to guide our direction and to frame our learning context and goals based on what the students need (Student Achievement Division Ontario, 2013). I will organize the curriculum expectations around themes of care so that my students can expand their cultural literacy and connect on deeper levels with the materials (Noddings, 1995).
I believe that if my students are directly involved with choosing the materials that mean something to them, we can cultivate a deeper impact in our learning. We are a team, and must build our assignments in a way that involves the differentiation of assessments to better engage the diverse learning styles and intelligences of all.
I must be flexible and adaptive to change both my instruction and assessment. Every grade 6 class is different, presenting with different needs and goals. This needs to be reflected in our day to day interactions and lessons.
Student Engagement and Motivation:
“What we do doesn’t matter nearly as much as how kids experience what we do” (Kohn)
Who are my students? How can I plan for diversity? These are two major questions that I am constantly asking myself when I think about how to best engage my students. It is important that I see my students for who they are and that I provide them with a safe environment to express themselves freely. I don’t want my students to conform, but to just simply be who they are (Dewey’s Democratic Classroom).
Freire’s conscientization focuses on critical awareness and engagement. I recognize the importance that my teaching isn’t just about the curriculum but that I am also helping respect and care for the hearts of my students. If we accept the challenges that come with self-actualization, we care able to create a more engaged pedagogical approach that engages our learners (Hooks, 1994).
I believe that we need to welcome and embrace our errors and misunderstandings in the classroom. I like to follow John Hattie’s 8 Mind Frames as a base to help me better engage my students. I believe in the power of choices for my students. If my students display behaviours that don’t meet the expectations we selected, I like to reference Glasser’s Choice Theory as a way to understand them and offer them a choice or suggestion on how to redirect that behaviour to help them accomplish their goals/needs. Working in tandem with Glasser’s Choice Theory, I like to incorporate elements of Ginott’s method.
I think it is important for me to not criticize my learner’s for their behaviours but rather separate the behaviour from the student (Drew, 2021). I will use a vast array of culturally responsive materials that reflect a multitude of perspectives and view points in my class. There will be a steady stream of guest speakers in our class to help us better learn about diversity.
It is important that every student feels they have an opportunity to connect with different identities and perspectives during the year.
Ms G's Classroom 