New Year--Fresh Start

New Year--Fresh Start!

I remember my excitement as a child at the

end of every school year. Teachers would

clear out their cupboards, closets, and

desks. I loved pilfering through the mounds

of discarded school stuff. Partially-

completed workbooks, dittoed worksheets,

teachers manuals, partially used crayons

and pencils. “You’re throwing THAT away?

Preposterous! It’s still good.” It all held

possibilities. I get that same feeling of

giddiness when I pass the giveaway counter at my own school.

In fact, that’s where I found this phenomenal book titled Summarization in Any Subject by

Rick Wormeli. I just started reading it, but already it has prompted me to take a closer look

at my practice. This sentence, in particular, stopped me dead in my tracks:

If you truly care about what your students take with them at the end of the school

year, then it’s easier to choose summarization and reflection activities

over coverage.

He then went on to write:

Unfortunately, when you don’t provide students with the time they need to

reflect on such topics and to reach and apply new understanding, you limit

their learning.

If you truly care about your students…??? Limit their learning…??? O.K., Rick. Now this is

personal.

Pause. Rewind. Wait. Read again. Take a deep breath. Reflect. Am I giving my students the

time they need to process information so that it can enter into their long-term memories?

Hmmm…? Good question. And the answer is Probably not.

In the classroom, time is both our greatest ally and our fiercest enemy. Every minute is crucial One fact remains. There is never going to be enough time. That is outside our

control. What we can control , though, is how we structure the time that we are allotted so

that it reaps the most benefit for our students.

My New Year’s Resolution is to stop talking and periodically Wait. Strike that frequently allow students time to summarize new learning.  Not affording students this time would be like eating a

magnificently prepared meal, but not taking the time to chew and digest. Our

students need to metaphorically chew and digest as they learn. This will provide my

students the opportunity to:

• process information with one another (This is a great time to use a Kagan structure)
• retrieve information from their mental filing cabinet so they can connect the dots.
• “empty out” their short-term memories.

Here’s hoping that my resolution will be part of the 8% that succeed. I’ll let you know next

January!

                                  

  Learning as I go,
Lola E. Jollie

lola.jollie@omsd.net