Week 5 Blog - How have I changed as a result of ....

There have been a few effects that have really made an impression on me and are starting to show an immediate impact on my class. The biggest impact on me has also had the biggest downside on my class. I'm sure we are all right up against it, in terms of the end of quarters and years and all the curriculum we want to cover. So of course what I have been really trying to stress is the process that is necessary to go through to set up my kids to have success in developing creative solutions and making sure that when technology is implemented with the curriculum it is done so with a clear and definite purpose, rather than just for the fun of it. I have been pretty good in making sure technology has a role in my past lessons, but now I'm just more mindful.

For the processes that is a big change for me. I'm a pretty free and easy teacher and try to give the students a lot of leeway in making their own decisions and choosing their consequences. As a result of this mindset in the past I have set the goal, identified potential tools, and sources and have let the kids go to work. I'm embarrassed to say it out loud, but then I was always surprised when the kids didn't live up to my expectations. I know part of this is that I teach 7th graders and some of them will always choose the path of least resistance and do the minimum, but I also know that I teach 7th graders who need the process laid out for them more than I was and require more guidance in some of these areas that are new for them.

Now for me is the balancing act, I will always believe that even 7th graders need to have some independence and experience making their own good and bad decisions when it comes to their learning. Since taking this class, though, I do realize my responsibility to put them in better positions and give them a perspective on their decisions. I know some of my kids are just intrinsically more creative than others, but by giving them a clearer look at where they are going and the road map I can get more kids to feel safe to take some of the risks that come with creativity.

The downside is, I was barely making it before these new revelations. Next year of course this can all be built in right from the beginning, but it is going to make the pace for the end of the year pick up even more than it normally would.