Reflective Memo

   The Tale of Two Kinds of Goals

   When thinking back upon MGI 2016, it seems to be the perfect storm of having to do a great deal of reflecting, and having focused my Action Research Project on reflection!  I'd better walk the walk here and practice what I am going to be asking my students to do this year.  When I say two kinds of goals, what I mean is that I approached the blog writing/formal post goals one way, in the academic way, but realize that I also had personal goals that did not get expressed or reflected upon in a post. So here it goes...

   Academic Goals

   I was much more confident about what to expect academically from MGI this year.  Last year having been my first year, feeling out of place as an elementary teacher, and not having done the action research kind of work before, I was swimming in a place of discomfort.  When the time came this year to write goals I though only of the academic part.  Wasn't that why I was here?  I jumped right into it with goals for my project, even written in the SMART format!  Such a good student.
Here is the link to that first formal post:
Formal Post 1
   I didn't change much about these goals over the course of the week.  They seem to match what I hope to accomplish this year and I feel confident about the way they were written.  The work towards those goals was the part that was pleasantly surprising as I look back on the week.  "Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right", sings Jerry Garcia, and I think that I saw light that I did not expect to include in a discussion about my academic work.

The Quipu Beads

   I don't make jewelry or do much art.  I'm a word kind of guy, especially in writing.  I can get all twisted up when speaking at times, so I rely on written word.  This Quipu bead task was unexpected and provided some anxiety.  But I went with it, just like I would expect students to do.  Each day adding a new set of beads provided some well needed breaks but also a chance to try and showcase what I was feeling in a different way.  Professional readings about the multiliteracies was not something I thought much about during the week, yet here I was, forced to communicate in a different way.  I think the symmetry of the beads is noteworthy as that is the kind of brain I think I have.  Make a random collection of beads?  No way.  So what do the beads mean for my week?

Purple = wishing our new team name, Tenacious D, had something to do with Prince.  It's the anchor of my Quipu though, just like my Team would prove to be.  A place where new connections were made, old ones reestablished, and chances could be taken.

Blue stars = the multiple pathways I had learned about early on in the week.  The 3 Pillars, PLPs, and student led goal setting.  If I was going to focus on having students reflect on goals, I'd better embrace this fact they might not focus on what I wanted them to.  Sitting with students and having them wish they had more say in their work, more time to make it their own, and more relevance to themselves. As I heard numerous times during the week, it's not where you start, it's where you finish.  It's about the process of reflection, not simply what the goal is!

Silver = Lots of jumbled and bumpy significance.  Multiple pathways are not clear cut, nor is the work going to be easy.  I met with two students who came to talk about their PLP work with me.  Here's the reflection post:

Student Conferring 1

I was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm in the students and was fearing for my own teaching pitfall of starting something and not giving adequate time to do it correctly and well.  So I found myself wanting to stick to my academic goals, yet feeling a bit unsure of how to go there.  Which digital format do I use?  Do I have students reflect on new goals each week?  How much does the goal matter?

Pink = Cloudy yet round.  Signified an evolving clarity in what I was thinking about at the end of this day.  Abstract was written.  My goals had not changed.  What continued to change was my thinking about students and forming relationships with them.  Now I think I am particularly good at the relationship with student part, at least on a personal level.  Academic level?  Hmmmmm...not so sure. Last year I did a lot of goal setting but it was rather directed from me.  "Be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage" said a professor of mine.  Ok, but can I do that with goals?  What if they pick something I don't feel is worthy??  See the second part of the reflective post:

Reflective Post 2

Particularly the part where I was reminded to listen to your students, and don't be afraid to let them suggest changes in your practice.  Many MGI staff helped me begin to see the significance in focusing on the reflection process, and not so much on my thoughts on the goal.

Clear = I'd like to think it was all clear as the week neared it's end, which it wasn't, but it seemed like a fitting bead to put.  I had gained clarity on how to phrase my Action Research question and clean up my abstract.  I did have an excellent conversation with Life about my idea and how to begin structuring my thinking about writing the meat of the work.  What is the academic benefit of reflection?  Are there more than one?  What is significant about how students communicate their thinking.  All of these were part of my thinking this day.  Connecting with colleagues, just like connecting with students, really matters.  That was some clarity.

Green = It's go time!  That was an easy choice.  I really enjoyed sharing the beads at the closure parts of each day because it forced me to face the fears of talking about something I had never made before.  It forced me to talk about myself.  Wow, it really is about where you end up and not where you started.  It really is about the process of reflection, and maybe not so much about the specific content of what I am reflecting on.

Personal Learning

   I have to include this part as MGI has been as much about taking personal risks for me as it is about academic work.  Personal meets content.  That's the beauty of teaching.  It's super scary being in a place with such amazingly talented people.  For the second straight year I found that the growth and risk taking in that area is directly connected with the work I will ask students to do.  Walk the walk.

Take a chance and walk through the door.  If you don't take the chance, then you never can get the benefits of what is on the other side.  This applies academically, from taking chances to meet with students and ask them about their work, to really listen to them as they make their next steps.  It's also personal, like asking others to throw a frisbee or sing in front of a crowd.  You never know, and getting past that door is the first part.  

Sometimes you take a risk and you actually succeed!  Put your best foot forward, be brave, be silly, work together, and you may just win even when you thought there wasn't much of a chance.  In the classroom I can tell students that I tried, and I hope they will too.  In the classroom I can have students just begin with one step, and then they are off and learning.  Who knew how that scavenger hunt would turn out!?  Who knows what students will realize if given the chance.  Coffee and donuts may await! 

Colleagueship.  Yes, take time to listen to your students and take time to get to make those relationships.  Making connections with colleagues is just as important.  What you learn from others is as strong as what you can learn in class.  Sometimes, though, you won't be feeling so successful and you will watch others shine.  Others will always be better.  It's ok to watch, but it may have been better to give it a go with what you have to offer.  Again risk taking.   

And sometimes what you have to offer can make you feel good.  Bring yourself, your own set of skills, your own talents and participate.  Do it your way but make sure it's your best effort.  

Two kids of goals, academic and personal.  I guess it shouldn't be surprising now that it's happened but the interconnected nature of this year's experience really is special.  This blogging has been what I want it to be for my students as they dive into collecting evidence and reflecting on it.  A natural place of individual expression of thinking and work.  Let it evolve, let it represent you.  

Formal Reflection #3

   The biggest feeling of success that I feel as this year's institute wraps up is that I was more comfortable with the process of creating an Action Research Project.  Last year I was a fish out of water, not sure how an elementary teacher fit in to this Institute.  Writing a researchable question and abstract was a foreign task to me.  So this time around I was more familiar with the process and it allowed for more time spent in other ways.  I really enjoyed the connection making time and the time to talk more big picture.  Not something that I usually do as a thinker.  I also found that I had more mental space to make sense of what Middle Grades is.  I look forward to continue to connect with people from the Institute digitally and in my own building on the PLP thinking and work that I have done and that they are doing.  I look forward to sharing the work that my class does on their blogs around goal reflection with colleagues and other classrooms.  

Abstract:

 I will research how student reflection on goal setting improves with the use of structured digital tools and intentional instruction around evidence collection and reflection.  Students will use personal blogs to record content and transferable skills goals, collect specific evidence on their goals, and reflect thoughtfully upon their learning progress.  Students will collaborate with each other through their blogs and the commenting process as well as share work with a wider school and family audience. Student data will be collected using a variety of means to allow for a broader range of student expression and ensure access to the work for all students. Instruments will include student surveys, individual student interviews, and student work analysis.

Learning Plan Revision 2

  Today is indeed Moving Day.  It's been enjoyable to continue collaborating with colleagues, reading and meeting with students.  It's been easy to create reflection blog posts and think big.  So it's time to move on for sure, with the destination of the Action Plan in mind.  Moving isn't easy, but it's all about modeling the risks we hope that our own students will take so here goes...

  Research Question:  Does student reflection on goal setting improve with the use of structured digital tools and intentional instruction on evidence collection and reflection language?

  See the screen of my revised learning plan below for the abstract and follow this link for the post that will house my Action Plan.  The screen shot only has the most recent changes and the addition of the title and abstract.

   I think the parts of my day that had the greatest impact on my decision to pose the above abstract was meeting with another group of students and my interview with Mark from Tarrant.  I know that I wanted to build upon my work with goal setting from last year and move further into working on student reflection.  The conversations with students and seeing their PLP work really helped me understand that digital collection tools are an excellent way of showcasing and cataloging student work and thinking.  They allow for personal creativity, style and content.  I also learned that without intentional instruction on how to collect quality evidence, the time to do it, and allowing for the creativity and individual choices of students, buy in and interest in the PLP process will suffer.  That has led me towards the idea of structured use of digital tools and intentional instruction and scheduling of PLP work.
   The second part of my day that had a great impact was meeting for an interview with Mark from Tarrant about my previous work with goal setting and reflection.  It was good to reflect!  His questions helped me see the parts of what I did last year that worked well and how my approach changed over the year to goal setting.  I realized that reflection work was not nearly as intentional as my work with goal setting.  That further pushed me towards this idea of reflection work.  I realized that through this conversation I had learned to listen to the children and work with their ideas.  Be a guide, not the one pushing down ideas upon them.  I need to take that approach to this reflection work, allowing students to follow their own path and process.  They DO need intentional instruction and tools though.
   So my biggest Ah-Ha from the week so far comes from a combination of work and conversations.  Perhaps Don summed it up best after he was listening to me talk with students about their PLPs - Listen to your students!  If we listen to them, then we can start to understand their needs.  We can start to understand their interests.  We can start to understand their process and how they can become excited and invested.

Action Research Plan

Improving Student Reflection and Documentation Through PLPs

Abstract:

 I will research how student reflection on goal setting improves with the use of structured digital tools and intentional instruction around evidence collection and reflection.  Students will use personal blogs to record content and transferable skills goals, collect specific evidence on their goals, and reflect thoughtfully upon their learning progress.  Students will collaborate with each other through their blogs and the commenting process as well as share work with a wider school and family audience. Student data will be collected using a variety of means to allow for a broader range of student expression and ensure access to the work for all students. Instruments will include student surveys, individual student interviews, and student work analysis.

Introduction and Rationale:

At last year's MGI I created an action research project around goal setting and reflection where I investigated how direct instruction on goal setting improved students' abilities to perform those skills. After reflecting upon the school year and my work on this project, I found that student goal setting skills, and their ability to write using the SMART outline, improved noticeably. What did not get addressed as planned was student reflection and metacognition. This realization has led me to this action research project where I will investigate how direction instruction in reflection and evidence collection improves students' abilities to perform those tasks.

With recent legislation requiring that students demonstrate proficiency in being self directed learners, student reflection is at the forefront of teachers' minds. According to the Performance Indicators, students must be able to, "Identify, manage and assess new opportunities related to learning goals." Student must be able to, "Demonstrate initiative and responsibility for learning." This is the driving force behind why I chose to take on this project. I also feel that with the goal setting work I did with my multi age class last year, one half of my class will be practiced in this area, ready to move into reflection, and be able to mentor and teach my incoming students. Our school has done a great deal of work around teaching the essential concept of having a Growth Mindset. We employed the phrase "not yet!" as a way of changing our thinking about perceived failure and motivating ourselves to persevere. The time is right for moving into quality reflection through writing, speaking and documenting work evidence on those goals.

Learning Plan Revision 1

  Today has been quite helpful in sharpening my focus on my goals and project.  I had been thinking that the digital platform that I would use was important, and while it is, conversation with two students and Life has changed my thinking.  My students are proficient and comfortable with Kidblog.  Why create a new platform for my goals of improving student reflection and documentation?  No need and that has refined my thinking.
  So how have I refined the project idea?  Last year I spent most of my time on goal setting and improving the quality of the goals using the SMART model.  This proved to be effective.  I was having students set a goal each Monday, then reflect upon it Friday.  Then students had the chance to set a new goal the following Monday.  While some kept the same goal, they were in the minority.  The majority just moved on and set a new one.  I now realize with conversation with the students and Life that I need to try something different.  Extend the amount of time that students have to work on one goal.  Give them the chance to reflect, confer with them each week, have them document, but continue to use that same goal the following weeks to truly have documentation of growth over time. Then have a culminating task for them to post and summarize their thinking over that longer period of time.  What difference does that make in students' ability to think critically about their learning and evaluate their progress?  I see this working well within the structure of my multi age class because half of my class will be comfortable with goal setting after the work last year
  Strengths this week so far for me have been colleagueship and taking risks to do work/play that pushes comfort level.  If teachers do not do this, then how can we ask children to?  Taking chances to ask others to come talk about blogs and for help refining my goal ideas, discussing social media tools, and talking to students candidly were areas of professional work this week.  Playing music and connecting socially have been examples of personal risk taking.  All of this matters as I will be expecting my own students to take risks with their learning and facing fears - we as educators need to do this!
  A question I have as I continue to refine my thinking is about student goal setting.  Can I guide them towards specific areas of learning?  Does that defeat the purpose of student directed learning?  Can they still create their own learning goals within a particular content area?  Perhaps it's one content area at a time?

My updated Learning Plan:

Learning Plan

Here is the first take on my goals for the week and possible Action Plan to follow.