Digital Learning Log - A Weekly Reflection

 

Each summer I come up with ideas of what I want to try in my classroom - some come to fruition and some do not.  One of the things I have wanted my students to do is to reflect on their work - but this reflection time just never seemed to make it into my classroom routine.  I finally decided that I must commit to giving my students time in class to do this and to, better yet, give them a template.

So, I committed to every Friday giving students time in class to reflect on their weekly work.  In addition, I found a digital notebook that students use (see below).

To date, this deliberate instructional decision has been really positive - from both a student viewpoint and a teacher viewpoint.  For students, this time allows them to take a deep breath, look a their math work for the week, and make some written statements.  For me, I now must deliberately allow students 15 minutes on Friday to complete their weekly learning log.

Another benefit that I have reaped from this instructional decision each week is that I learn even more about my students - both mathematically and personally.  Yes - personally as well.  I intentionally ask a question each week that asks students to tell me what they are planning on doing during the weekend.  I have learned so many new things about my students with this simple question - from students going to sporting tournaments to visiting family in Los Angeles to students riding a bull - it is all so great when the following week I can ask students specific questions about their weekend.  Just another attempt to make connections with my students throughout the year.

A few student samples:

Natalie - Period 1

Cristina - Period 2 (Newcomer Student)

Here is the original Digital Learning Log that I then modified for my classes during the first semester (sorry, I found it through my many Google searches and cannot find the original source at this time - I do know that it was free and when I find the source will update this blog to give credit to the originally creator.)

Original Digital Learning Log

I took this resource and modified it so that it looks like this now:

My Version of the Digital Learning Log

Students created a copy of my Digital Learning Log and linked it to my original copy so that when I made any changes then their copy also got the changes - big shout out to Ms. Mary-Elizabeth Quan for sharing this skill during a Coaching Collaborative Meeting earlier this school year!  Note:  if you would like to learn this valuable skill, then here is a short 5 minute video that she put together:

Digital Notebook Linking by Ms. Mary-Elizabeth Quan

My plan is to continue this practice during the second semester - as I find value in this practice from having students reflect on their work to learning more about my students on a personal level (in a low risk activity).  My hope is that students will value this experience as the year progresses and be able to take what they learn from it and apply it to their studies next year in high school.

Please reach out if you have any questions or want to come and observe my classroom.

Give yourself grace during these difficult times and when you have then give yourself more grace.

Teaching and still loving it,

Kevin Stott                         

De Anza Middle School    

Math 8 & Integrated Math I

Parent Communication and Building Parent Relationships

Parent Communication and Building Parent Relationships By Ashley Ewert

So we have built relationships and made connections with the students… What’s next?

A student's journey of learning begins the moment they are born. Their first teachers are their parents and families. Learning does not just happen in the classroom but also at home. Many parents are the best models for a child. The importance of active parent involvement in their child’s education promotes a positive impact on academic and social performance of a child. Parent involvement in education included communication between parent and teacher, and the relationship between parent and teacher. Parent teacher communication can be challenging at times due to working parents and language barriers. I have found a way to help keep a strong, positive and open communication system with the families of my students. Students show greater success in the classroom when teachers and parents are on the same page and parent and teachers respect each other’s environment. I always make it a priority to build relationships with the families from the beginning of the school year. As a teacher, knowing the environments students are coming from helps a great deal in making connections and building relationships, as I discussed in my August 2019 blog (Building Relationships and Making connections)

Effective Parent Communication

Families have busy lives; communicating with their children's teachers just adds one more thing to their plate. Technology has helped this barrier. Ever heard of the saying "there's an app for that." well let me tell you there are apps out there that promote parent teacher communication. I want to share with you one of my favorites.

ClassDojo is a communication app that connects parents, families and teachers to things going on in the classroom. ClassDojo has many features but for the sake of this blog let's focus solely focus on the communication aspect between the parents and the teacher. This app offers effective communication with parents and teachers. It allows the teacher to be in charge of when he/she will receive messages. The teacher may also post pictures of activities going on in the classroom so families have conservation starters they can use at home. The best thing about this app is that it will translate into most any language the parent sets up their profile to. The parents and message and comment in their native language and the teacher can see a translated version of the message or comment. What better way to start success in the classroom than building that effective parent communication through an app that promotes connecting families and teachers. 

Building Parent Relationships

Parent and teacher relationships have an advantage on student success. Parents spend a lot of time teaching and teachers spend a lot of time parenting. so lets face it there tends to be a lot of overlap. When teachers and parents are on the same page students achieve better in both settings. When teachers and parents build positive and strong relationship being on the same page tends to be more achievable. Here are three simple ideas to help build healthy parent and teacher relationships:

1. Communicate Regularly: Open communication is essential on both sides. Email and classroom communication apps (ClassDojo) is a great way to maintain an open connection. Even students struggle with life situations (like a parent’s or sibling’s illness, pending divorce, parental stress) at home. Communicating with families will help to understand why students are performing in the way they are.  Students who are unhappy and kids who are excited are often distracted from school work.
2.  Lead With Good and Positive News: Give positive praise first when calling parents or meeting with them to discuss a concern. Every student has something good about them. Find it. Share it. Then share your concern. Adhere strictly to this rule.
3. Smile When You See Parents: Greet them with intention. Most parents only occasionally interact with teachers so be sure that encounters with them are positive, warm, and friendly. The impressions last a long time especially first impressions. :-)

"To teach is to touch a life forever." -Anonymous

Ashley Ewert

Building Relationships and Making Connections

Building Relationships and Making Connections

Welcome back to a new school year, filled with endless possibilities! The hardest part of starting a new year is the unknown (or known) of who your students will be and how we, as teachers, will connect with them. Too often, negative student behaviors often force teachers and school staff to have interactions with students. When things are going well and students are positively working at teacher expectation levels, interactions between students and teachers are minimal in some environments. Students are successful in the classrooms where they feel cared for and trusted. I always make it my priority to build relationships with the students from the first day of school and find connections with them that can help me better see the individual needs of each student.  

Making Connections Improve Classroom Environment

Take a moment to think about your first day as a student in one of your college classes. What did you what the most from the class? For me, it was a connection with the professor and/or other students in the class. I wanted to tell and divulge my life experiences just to see if anyone had similar experiences and connections. When I made connections with the professor and other students in the class I felt motivated to being successful in the class. When I see my students the first day of school I see they are nervous and looking for ways to connect to their new environment and the people around them. 

Building relationships and making connections with students can be a remarkably effective way to improve the classroom environment. As teachers we don’t usually know where the students are coming from, what they have been exposed to, or what their experiences in life have been. Students who get attention from negative situations (out bursting, physical, verbal, etc.) often long for attention of any kind due to lack of attention in a different environment. It is essential that teachers begin to make connections and build relationships from the first day of school.  Some teachers are more natural at connecting and building relationships with their students than others. Teachers can make connections and build relationships with students by implementing a few simple strategies into their classroom on a daily basis. 

“Teachers who put relationships first don’t just have students for one year. They have students who view them as “their” teacher for life. - Educator Justin Tarte 

Ways to Build Relationships and Make Connections in the Classroom

In the article "Relating to Students: It’s What You Do That Counts," Marzano notes, “Positive relationships between teachers and students are among the most commonly cited variables associated with effective instruction. If the relationship is strong, instructional strategies seem to be more effective.” (Marzano, Pickering, and Hefelbower, 2010) A teacher’s goal is to promote student learning, build bonds and make positive relationships. This month I want to share with you a few three of the things I do to help build relationships and connections with my students that take a small investment of time, but has a big pay off in the classroom environment. 

1)Say hello and good-bye to every student every day. 

I like to use different greetings each week and when students have learned a handful of them they can pick how they want to be greeted each morning. Check out Kindergarden Smorgusboard for morning greeting ideas here: https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2015/08/kindergarten-smorgasboard-of-13-morning.html

2)Speak to students with respect.

I firmly believe in the saying “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” When teachers model respectful behavior then students are more likely to use the same respectful behaviors back to them as well as with their peers. 

3)Let students in your world and pay attention to their interest.

In my classroom I have pictures of my family and places I have been on vacation. I get very excited when students ask about the picture. I let them know who is in the pictures and why I care about them so much. I tell them about the place I have been to and why I enjoyed going. During conversations like these, teachers can ask students questions about their interest or extracurricular activities. When students feel that teachers are interested in things they like the bonding and relationship building comes at an ease. These small gestures help show students you care about things that they care about. 

“It's the little conversations that build the relationships and make an impact on each student.” - Robert John Meehan

 "To teach is to touch a life forever." -Anonymous

Ashley Ewert