Final Project and Reflection

My 40 minutes of class fly by each day.  A typical class is a whirlwind of activities and I am always left wishing I had more time with the kids.  My goal for this year was to really focus on providing opportunities for students to extend their learning outside of the classroom.  Through Google Classroom, Edmodo and our Pearson online text website, I have been able to post different activities for the students to do on their own time if they choose.  The activities include You Tube videos, songs, Smart Notebook games, QUIA and Quizlet games, and anything else I can find related to what we are learning.  I always encourage the kids to take advantage of these activities at home, and teach someone else about what we are learning.  I wonder "does learning stop when they leave my classroom? Do the kids really look at what I post?" They really do! Maybe not every student, but I have had some great moments realizing they are learning when they leave my classroom door. I have had students come in with their new vocabulary words already filled out from Google Classroom when I have posted them the night before.  I have parents email me telling me about the songs their student is teaching them at home.  I have put games up on the SmartBoard and students have told me they already played this game the other night. Students have rated and left comments for me on Edmodo on my posts. This makes me happy to see that I can reach students on some sort of level when they are not in the classroom with me. The problem is, I have many students (180+ per day), so how else can I reach out to them?

When I survey the students at the beginning of the year, one common theme is that they are worried about learning Spanish because it will be hard and they don't want to fail.  It is something new for them and most do not have any prior knowledge to draw from.  I wanted to do something to help relieve this worry for them and help them realize they can be successful and we are in this together.  How could I create a culture in my room where students feel comfortable and are willing to take risks?

Today I tried something new.  I invited any of my 7th grade students who had study hall to stop by my room for a review session for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz.  I had visions of a room packed full of kids, but only three students came.  At first I was disappointed, and felt like my idea failed. As it turned out, I had a great time with these three kids. All three of the students who came are very similar in personalities. They are quiet and sometimes overshadowed in the classroom by others. In this small environment, they shined.  They were talkative, laughing, asking questions, and working with each other to extend their learning.  I didn't need a room full of kids for this to happen. It was a more impactful experience for these students because there were only three!  They all were thankful for the chance to study with me and with each other, and have their questions answered.  They left feeling more confident and they had fun!  This idea is a definite keeper for me.

My plan is to continue to do this so I can continue to build relationships with the kids outside of our regular class time, and to allow them opportunities to take control of their own learning.  In the words of George Couros, "Spending time developing relationships and building trust is crucial to moving forward as a whole. Without culture, there is no culture of innovation. It all starts by creating an environment where people feel cared for, supported and nurtured-the very things we know that impact learning for students in the classroom." (p. 79)  It is my hope that the three students who came during study hall time left my room feeling cared for and supported.  If I was able to build their confidence even in the smallest amount today, it was 40 minutes well spent learning together.

Some photos from today...

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