As many people know, my teaching partner and I capture a lot of learning during the school day, and share it through my Twitter page. We then put all of these tweets together in our Daily Shoot Blog Post. This is a way to share learning with parents, but also reflect on this learning during the school day. The process of tweeting, also causes me to sit back, often re-watch videos, or re-look at photographs, and see things differently. Sometimes these personal reflections lead to conversations throughout the day with my teaching partner. Sometimes they act as my reminder to “speak less” and “listen more” (I can always use the reminder 🙂 ). Sometimes they cause me to see a developing interest, and even use that period when my partner is on her lunch, to look at some of this documentation with the class and provoke some different — or evolving — thinking in the afternoon. All of the students know that I tweet. They’ve almost all looked at our class blog with their parents at home, and they often ask us to share specific examples of their learning through this blog. The blog is important to them. It’s important to us too, and the process of blogging and tweeting often helps me self-regulate: it’s both seeing those positive moments and writing about my thoughts that make me feel calm. And it’s this self-regulation component of blogging and tweeting that led to my little “office” in the hallway. 

While I just started teaching at a new school this year, I think all of the staff members, some of the parents, and most of the students have gotten to know me because almost everyone can find me, for at least 48 minutes a day, sitting in this little corner of the hallway right by the front doors. 

I have the radiator for a desk, the floor for a chair, and a little peaceful time for reflection. Best of all, the wifi signal in this area is perfect for uploading photographs and videos. You see, in certain areas of the classroom, I seem to run into problems, and I realized recently that it really stresses me out not to share photographs, videos, and work samples until I get home. Then I’ve lost the opportunity to reflect on some of this work with my teaching partner and with our students during the day. I also feel behind with organizing and sharing our daily blog post, and this just causes me more stress.

After a couple of days at the very beginning of the year just living with this stress, I stumbled upon this wonderful work world right outside our classroom door. Sometimes I spend some time on my prep sitting down, watching, and sharing media. Sometimes I spend one of the nutrition breaks. I see and talk to many people as I sit here. I know that many wonder why I spend my time here. I’ve shared about the wifi connection. I’ve explained that I like to upload and share photographs and videos during the day. But this afternoon, as I finished my last upload minutes before the end of the nutrition break, I felt so good knowing that our sharing was up-to-date and remembering what a great day it’s been. 

A little corner in the hallway may not be for everyone, but thinking more about why this space matters so much to me, made me realize how important it is to give students and staff a chance to find those different spaces that work for them.

• Maybe it’s a standing desk.
• Maybe it’s a beanbag chair.
• Maybe it’s a quiet table facing the wall.
• Maybe it’s a computer desk.
• Maybe it’s a little nook, off in the corner, on the floor. 

My little space helps me reflect, it makes me feel calm, and it’s always the perfect prelude to another happy part of the day. What’s your space? How do you give children a chance to find theirs? Tonight I feel grateful for being a part of a school that supports me as I sit in my little corner of the hall.

Aviva

Yesterday, we had our first PA Day of the school year, and we spent our morning looking very closely at the new Board vision — “curiosity, creativity, and possibility” — and the five priorities it includes. Much of our time was spent in our P.L.C.s (Professional Learning Communities) exploring the first and second priority — “positive culture and well-being” and “student learning and achievement” — and what they mean for us in the classroom. Just this morning, Bill Forrester, an instructional coach with our Board, shared his blog post on his PA Day reflections, and his comments made me think again about areas that continued to grab my attention yesterday.

Todd White, the Chair of our Board, discusses the new vision in this recording below. It’s his comment at about the 1 minute and 46 second mark that I continue to think about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=109&v=G_vDIOJDzMw

Our Board is really emphasizing the importance of “positive culture and well-being,” both for staff and for students. As a Kindergarten teacher, I reflect on our team’s decision to really make the beginning of the year about “building relationships.” Students need to feel safe, loved, and respected in order to learn. Adults need to feel the same way. I’ve taught all grades from JK to Grade 6 in some regard, and I’ve heard this comment about “relationships” in every single grade. But then I think back and wonder, until last year, did I ever really spend the time on creating this “positive classroom culture,” or did I just quickly move to academics?

As we sat in our Learning Community teams yesterday and discussed this first Board priority, I couldn’t help but realize how many of our student concerns link back to academic areas. Children’s “mental health” and “feeling of success” seem to be currently tied to how well they do in reading, writing, or math. Looking back now at the detailed description of this first priority, I can’t help but wonder if as educators we feel the same way. Back in Bill’s post, I see his description of the “what,” and the number of ideas that link with “student achievement.” What would the ‘what’ be for “positive culture and well-being?” Does it differ from “student achievement,” or do these ideas need to be linked?

This morning, I find myself sitting in front of my computer and re-reading this blog post that I wrote early in the summer, where I start to question my own success from last year. I knew that our students improved tremendously in social skills, problem solving skills, and self-regulation, but many students were still below in academic areas. If my results were flipped, would I question my success as a teacher, or celebrate the strong reading, writing, and math scores? While it bothers me to say so, I have a feeling that I would do the latter. But in the long run, if the results were flipped, would the children continue to succeed, or do they need these other skills in order to do so?

I’m an educator. In my 16 years of teaching, I’ve helped hundreds of students learn to read, write, and understand different math concepts. I’m not their sole teacher here. Parents support this learning. Other educators support this learning. Peers support this learning. And a variety of resources, used at different strategic times, have also helped with this learning. I know that students need these academic skills to meet with success in the future, and I also know the importance of developing these skills early. As the gap widens, the ability to narrow it becomes more difficult. But I also know that most students won’t take risks unless they feel safe enough to do so, and know that they’re surrounded by people that believe in them, support them, and will continue to encourage them as they try, fail, and try again. I also know that a classroom is not conducive to learning unless it’s calm enough for students to learn in it. If individuals don’t know how to self-regulate, they will ultimately struggle with learning. Finally, I know that basic needs have to be met first (I think of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs here) before academics can be addressed. So how do you create an environment that is conducive to learning with students that are ready to learn? Do you merge these first two priorities (i.e., “positive culture and well-being” and “student learning and achievement”), do you keep them separate, or do you do something different entirely? When schooling almost seems to be synonymous with “academics,” I wonder about some possible changes that might have to happen when the first Board priority is not an academic one. What do you think?

Aviva

For the past couple of years, I’ve determined a #oneword goal — with many other educators from around the world — to help focus my teaching and learning practices. While the thought behind the #oneword is that we update it every new year (i.e., the beginning of January), technically September is a new year of teaching for us, so forever being the rule breaker, I’ve decided to re-look at my word now. My word for this year was “hearing,” and back in July, I reflected more on this word. While “hearing” is still an important focus of mine, this new one word encapsulates that and just a little bit more. For this school year, my new word is “ishfully!”

To truly understand the word, you need to read Peter Reynolds‘ book, Ish. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApvQWsgS9NM

This is one of our favourite stories, and the word has truly become our word of the classroom. Even when my teaching partner and I sat down to determine our Flow of the Day, we included many an “ish.”

• We say “goodbye” at the gate at 9:05ish.
• We come in from outside at 9:40ish.
• We tidy-up before our morning meeting at 11:30ish.
• We get ready for our end-of-the-day routine — including another outdoor learning time — at 2:30ish.
• We dismiss for home beginning at 3:15ish.

You get the idea. And trust me, this “ish” is on every single one of our daybook pages. Why?

It’s not because we’re laissez-faire or don’t see the value in a plan. It’s because, if we’re truly listening to both kids and each other, then maybe we need the “ish.”

• We might want every child to say “goodbye” at the fence and move to the playground to play by 9:05, but maybe one child is really struggling with separating. Maybe one child needs another hug, a visit to a sibling’s class to say “hello,” or some additional quiet time with an adult to feel better.
• We might want to come in at 9:40, but maybe some children are having difficult “goodbyes,” and that extra time outside to breathe, to move around, to socialize with friends, and to calm down is what they need to truly be happy in class.
• We may plan on tidying up at 11:30, but maybe on some days, the children are so productively involved in play that they need some extra time to extend it. Maybe on other days, the children are struggling, and they need some additional time outside, a movement break, or even a quiet Brain Break to help refocus. And maybe, some children need one option and some need another one, and the two of us (and/or our prep coverage teachers) need to work together, embrace the “ish,” and support all children where they’re at. I’m so fortunate to work with such flexible and understanding colleagues (no “ish” needed here 🙂 )!
• We might plan on being outside for dismissal at 3:15, but maybe on some days, the children are taking longer to clean up. Maybe on some days, something so exciting happens that we have to take the extra time and be a little bit late because some moments have to be embraced. 

Sometimes there are things more important than tidying up. When it was time to clean up at the end of the day, these four brought the big wood pieces over to the shed. As they were sliding the pieces behind the shed, they realized that the pieces might be long enough for all of them to fit behind them. They just had to try! They worked carefully to line up all of the pieces and make sure that they could safely go behind them. Of course, they had to request a picture. Teamwork and collaboration is so evident here, not to mention math skills. There’s the science thinking here too with the creation of the structure. #teachersofinstagram #ctinquiry #iteachk

A photo posted by Aviva (@avivaloca) on Sep 21, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

I’m a planner. I like routine, and I function well on a schedule. There are many benefits to this, as routines do help people feel “calm.” But as I continue to spend my days with three-, four-, and five-year-olds, and learn from both them and my partner in the process, I begin to realize that living a little more “ishfully” makes all of us much happier. So for this year, I’m determined to embrace the “ish,” enjoy every special moment in the classroom, and not worry so much about the time it may take to do so. What impact would (or does) living “ishfully” have on your life? 

For now-ish 🙂 ,

Aviva

We have a finalized Kindergarten Program Document that I absolutely love. I have already blogged about many of the highlights in this new document, including the value of play-based learning and an inquiry mindset for children and adults. To support this, the document emphasizes that literacy and math should not be taught in blocks of time, but integrated in meaningful ways throughout the day. I embrace this approach, and was even vocal about it last year when we were still using the Draft Kindergarten Program Document. All of this being said though, I’ve come to realize that sometimes what seems simple in theory is far more complex in practice.

My teaching partner and I have talked a lot about literacy instruction (in particular) over the past couple of weeks. Since the school year began, we’ve made some significant changes to our classroom program. These changes initially stemmed from some Kindergarten team reflections. There are two Kindergarten classes at our school, and both classes have 32 students in them. The classrooms are attached, and due to the location of the cubbies, there’s only a partial wall between both classrooms. With two full classes, this means that there can be a lot of noise. We realized that the noise was a stressor for many students. To reduce this stress, we decided to make more use of our outdoor classroom, split both classes in half (as much as possible), and support smaller groups of students instead of always supporting larger ones. 

We’ve definitely noticed the value in these changes. Both the indoor and outdoor classroom environments are a lot calmer. With smaller groups, there are also more opportunities to model play and problem solving, which helps all children when interacting in the larger groups. Even when all 64 students are between the two classrooms, the noise is less, and the play is far more productive. Clean-up time can still be a challenge, but there’s definitely been a lot of growth in less than a week!

While this part is wonderful, my teaching partner and I continue to contemplate how we can use our small group time in the classroom. Play is definitely how the majority of this time is used, but should it be all the time? This is where we’re struggling. Right now, when I bring in the first group of students, we spend about five minutes, looking at, reading, and discussing books. Yes, I do ask every child to get a book. 

• Students can sit anywhere.
• They can look at a book alone or with friends.
• They can spend the whole time looking at one book, or select multiple books to explore.

I should say that all of our students know how to open a book, track text (even if they’re making up a story to go along with it), and tell stories based on illustrations. They love books, and taking a few minutes to explore one after running around and playing outside, seems to calm them down. I’ve noticed that many students go back to looking at books during the day and/or refer to the books around the room as they play. I wonder if a little time exploring a book in the morning, helps with this.

After this reading time, we connect together on the carpet for a quick morning meeting. This meeting time is 5-10 minutes, maximum. It’s the instruction that happens at this meeting that has my teaching partner and I wondering if there’s a better option. At this point, I’ve used this time for a reading or writing mini-lesson. 

• This IS NOT about a letter or sound of the day program.
• This IS NOT about reviewing sight words.
• This IS about showing how writing allows us to communicate with others, and how we can write in many different ways: from pictures to conventional spelling.
• This IS about trying to create more confident readers and writers that are willing to share their thinking and ideas, even if they’re not perfect.
• This IS about highlighting a few decoding strategies (not naming them, but showing how they’re used), with the hope that more students will start to use them as well.

I don’t have a mandatory follow-up activity, and I don’t have reading, writing, or math centres set-up around the room. I do encourage students to apply what they’ve learned as they play, and then I circulate, observe, and look for opportunities to encourage and/or support this reading and writing during play. 

My intention is not to forget about the other frames, and I definitely observe learning that happens beyond reading, writing, and math, but I wonder if I capture enough of this other learning. Does this kind of morning mini-lesson run contrary to the play-based learning approach? I keep thinking about the fourth point in Kristi Keery-Bishop’s recent blog post: “We need the check ins and instruction.”  While her post was not about Kindergarten, it does speak to the fact that we need to support students to move them forward. From the data we’ve collected these past few days (i.e., work samples and group contributions), can we better support this learning through play instead of through a group mini-lesson? What if we used this meeting time to provoke thinking around a topic of interest, and see where children go next?

We’ve already seen an interest develop, and maybe digging deeper into this topic, developing vocabulary, asking and answering questions, and observing how children share their knowledge with us, will also give us opportunities to read, write, and develop math skills in a meaningful context. Tomorrow morning, I will still bring in a group of children. We will still spend a few minutes looking at books, but after that, we’re going to look back at some photographs and videos on the blog, discuss an evolving interest connected to them, and see what happens next. My teaching partner and I feel better about this new plan, but we still have some nagging questions, and would love to hear about your experiences.

• In a play-based learning environment, is it okay to have a “book time?” How do you decide?
• How do you handle group instruction? 
• How do you inspire children to extend learning beyond this instruction? Do you use provocations, leave them with a question, just wait and see what happens, or do something else entirely?
• How do you support reading and writing during play? How do you determine the right time to do so? 

I know the value in oral language. I understand the need to develop social skills, problem solving skills, and self-regulation … usually before academics. But when we have a group of learners that are ready — and even eager — to read and write, we want to capitalize on this interest. Every book that I’ve read on inquiry, also speaks about the value of direct instruction. I think this would also hold true for our youngest learners, but what does this balance look like in a play-based, Kindergarten environment? Let’s extend this important discussion.

Aviva