Tag: student reflection

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What ELSE I’m emailing myself (updated)

This post has not been around long enough that I can really justify re-posting, from any sort of blogger strategy perspective. 

But, I think teachers deserve motivation and encouragement. Always … and especially this year when the news can seem dystopian, and many of us are *starting* the school year feeling  more than a little worn down. 

And, when, many of us are living and working and teaching largely through our devices, I could use some positivity in my inbox. 

And, for me, making things is self care.

So, self-justification accomplished: I made a new resource for not-quite old post: a free one page guide to send your future self some love.

Image of a computer screen with email open, a fire in the background. Text: Student Notes + Schedule Send = Teacher Self Care

Originally published Dec 2019, updated and re-posted Fall 2020.

There are many paths to positive teacher energy.

Breaks are good, so is breathing and mindfulness, and chocolate, or tea. Good colleagues help (a lot).

Usually, not email.

Except… My favorite hack for this year: gmail schedule send + student notes.

Every term I have my students write notes about what they want me to remember. (update: new digital version) They’re awesome and inspiring and give me such a boost.

This year, I thought, I want to *actually* remember this. Not just now in the shiny, exciting start of the term, but later. Like say, the week before winter break when it’s always dark out and everyone is tired and very ready for break and there is So. Much. To. Do.

So September-me scanned my students’ notes, and to say I wrote myself an email would be exaggerating. I typed in my own email address, attached one inspiring note’s scan, and hit “schedule send” for a random Monday some time in the future.

And now, on random Mondays. I get sweet notes from my students full of hope and goals and fresh September energy.

The rest of my inbox is still the rest of my inbox. But, I read them, and remember the shiny new year feeling, and feel much better about email than I do on most random Mondays.

And then, I hit ‘reply’ and schedule send it back to myself for another boost on some future random Monday.

Resources

My schedule send tips guide on TPT

Or, sign up for my newsletter and access all of my subscriber resources

“Dear Teacher…” Notes forms PDF OR Digital

And, for all the other non-email teacher-care strategies:

Resilient Educator Toolkit (Concordia University)

How to Practice Habits of Self-Care When you Have No Time (Angela Watson/Truth for Teacher <– who has been doing lots of good thinking about teacher balance lately)

And, I started a board on pinterest to save even more

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Thinking about Metacognition….

Metacognition is in my blog name because it’s one of my absolute favorite things. (See metacognitive routines , and tips and reflections and goals)

But, it sounds daunting, if you’re not already doing it.

Or, you’re many teachers, and you’re already doing so many other things, that adding anything else sounds daunting, doesn’t matter what it is (if so, stick around, I’m also working on a workshop about self care and balance)

But, I would (do!) argue that adding metacognition to your teaching doesn’t have to be hard.

One of the easiest ways is by adding a log to something you’re already doing.

My classes use two logs a day for our spiral review and for our homework and they’re super simple, no frills, but really helpful.

Why logs?

They build a habit of stopping, reflecting, checking in on learning. But also, gaining the insight that comes from the metacognition.

Bonus points: They document patterns of progress or challenge (especially valuable that it’s in a form that students can see, because, ummm… they wrote it. This is helpful for the folks in my classes who insist on doubting their own abilities)

Bonus, bonus points: As a teacher, its so helpful to get insight into students experience/thinking about their learning.

Free metacognition teaching resource! Classroom log. Date, What I did, how it went, next steps

How to:

Decide what to log:

Anything you do repeatedly, that you want your students to thinking about is fair game: homework or independent studying are great because it also loops you in to a students progress but you could do a general log every Friday about the week, or at the end of every unit, or convert your exit tickets to a log entry, or, or, or…

Set up:

I love folders. They keep things just that much neater and easier to find. (Also, I have bright yellow for one and bright green for another and the odds that a log accidentally wanders home in the bottom of a backpack have decreased.) But, folders are totally optional. A chart is nice. I made one for you. But if you don’t like it, make a simple one you do like, or use lined paper.

Here’s a (free!) reflective log template to get you started.

Content:

I go for frequency rather than depth. You might want more specific questions, but a good starting place is:

  • Date
  • What I did (What homework? What unit? Whatever thing this entry is about)
  • How’d it go? (Self assessment and reflection)
  • Next steps? (Planning and organizing)

I like to keep the entries small, to keep the intimidation factor down, just a line or two.

Want some more support? I made a (Free!) teacher planning guide

Adding Metacognitive Routines: Classroom Log Planner Preview

( PS. This post is inspired by a workshop I planned for the Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education Network Conference in April.

NETWORK has been cancelled for public health reasons. I respect the decision, wish everyone good health… and am going to be offering a digital version.

n up to receive information about a digital workshop from mathacognitive: “Thinking about Thinking: Easy Tips to Boost Metacognition”

Here’s the workshop description: Many adult learners enter ABE programs with big goals, and a desire to achieve, but little understanding of how to learn/study effectively. We’ll explore low-prep classroom routines and activities to help students understand their own learning, practice metacognition, and become more skillful, independent learners. 

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Oh, back to school time.

I am engaging in some pretty heavy denial that summer could ever possibly end. Clearly I am going to continue plucking cherry tomatoes and waking up without an alarm for ever and ever amen.

IMG_5403(1)
No, really. My view as I write.

And, simultaneously, I’m enjoying the space to think about my teaching without having to make copies for the class that’s starting in 3 minutes. I’ve designed a whole new class, a new class website, set up spreadsheets and calendars and routines.

I am, in short, channeling Whitman:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

 

I am also, making things. And in full, multitude-containing form. I have both the efficiently practical and the sweetly reflective. This, I think, is the nature of back to school season.  We handle a hundred details, and we carefully launch the relationships that will carry us through the term.

 

Teacher Tips: Designing Worksheets in Google Slides

First Day of School Reflective Notes