It is hard to believe that this school year closes out in three weeks and it is challenging to describe this year in a brief statement. While the school year end is near it has also been a good time to reflect on a few positive changes that have happened. Before turning our backs on this year it might be beneficial to see if there is a silver lining. That potential silver lining has nuggets that will help with planning for a more usual 21-22 school year.
Here are a few ideas to ponder:
- I am still planning on using digital platforms like Desmos and Nearpod to engage learners in review and math exploration. Although screen time will be minimized compared to this year, I have found that teacher-paced digital decks have potential and the data that is collected in the process pays dividends for planning. On multiple occasions I have found myself taking screenshots of student work or quickly writing a note in the chat about a certain element of a student’s response.
- Every year I find myself thinking about how to curate a more organized library of resources. This year has encouraged me to be more critical in how I organize my Desmos decks. I have been using mainly Sheets for this and am hoping to be able to quickly retrieve this resource for certain skill next school year.
- Along with the curation of materials, I believe local assessment practices have improved this year. Since all assignments are online many resources moved from paper-based to digital. A large chuck of time has been dedicated to that this school year. My math unit tests have decreased in overall length which I think is a good thing and are more constructive in evaluating students’ understanding of the material. Questions that were not clearly aligned to a particular standard were eliminated in favor of tasks that were more robust. I cannot remember the last time the tests were re-evaluated and I am glad that my team analyzed them with a more critical eye before digitizing them.
- I have said this before and I continue to see the importance of having a brief “meet and greet” time as part of the daily schedule. Checking in with students and allowing them an opportunity to discuss what is important in their lives helps create a better learning environment. This year most classes have started with morning meetings or something like that to offer a listening ear to students as they traversed this long school year. This has become even more important as students came back to school for in-person learning
- One of the highlights his year was being able to meet with students’ parents over Zoom. The limited time on video has increased the effectiveness of these meetings and has also provided an opportunity to meet where transportation/timing was not ideal. I am hoping this is still offered next year along with professional development opportunities.
As I write this, boxes are sitting in my room ready to be filled up as I am moving classrooms again. I have to decide if items are worth putting in a box for reuse. While doing this I should keep in mind that there are a few silver linings that I would like to keep for next fall.
Educational Aspirations 