At the beginning of a school year, there is so much to think about.
We are preparing classrooms, learning new curriculum, studying student information, planning the first days, meeting colleagues, and thinking about the students who will soon walk through our doors.
This week, I read an article by Matt Renwick that brought me back to something even more foundational: What do we believe about teaching and learning?
Matt writes about the difference between beliefs and values. Beliefs name what we hold to be true about learning. Values make those beliefs visible in what we actually do.
I immediately thought about a question we have been asking in our work with schools:
What does teaching look like here?
Imagine the power of being able to answer that question together.
We believe students learn more when they know what they are learning and why, so we set a purpose for learning.
We believe students need opportunities to apply what they are learning, so we protect time for independent practice.
We believe teaching responds to the learner, so we observe, confer, meet with small groups, individually and adjust instruction.
We believe reflection strengthens learning, so we make time to share, reflect, and identify what comes next.
What we believe becomes what students experience.
That feels like an especially hopeful place to begin a school year.
And this doesn't have to be a schoolwide initiative. We can begin in our own classrooms.
Before the year gets moving, finish this sentence:
I believe students learn best when...
Then choose one way you will make that belief visible this year.
Maybe you believe students learn best when they know the purpose for their learning. Make setting a purpose part of every lesson.
Maybe you believe students grow when they have time to practice. Protect independent practice.
Maybe you believe the strongest teaching comes from knowing your students. Make time to observe and confer.
One belief. One decision about how it will show up.
As the year unfolds, that belief becomes an anchor for the hundreds of decisions we make as teachers.
And when an entire school can answer, “What does teaching look like here?”, we create something powerful together: a shared understanding of the teaching and learning we want every student to experience.
What a hopeful way to begin a new year.
Gail
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