Embrace or Retrace

As a learner myself, I of course at times feel frustrated and discouraged, while other moments feeling the mastery of a skill or inspired to take on more challenges. I see the world only through my eyes and my eyes can betray me or the vision they display can set the stage for personal growth. A growth mindset is a choice not taken by all. Fear and discouragement can lead many to a corner of fixed ambitions. But with a little nudging we can lure them out at least for a little while. Change can be scary. Chaos is not a goal of many. Upsetting the status quo maybe but not utter anarchy. Many teachers shy away from situations of rebellion or resistance for fear of such anarchy. But, uprising's need not be disorderly, only a disturbance in the force. This interference leads to change either subtle or boisterous. We can either embrace it or retrace and move in reverse.

Engagement does not always mean bells and whistles. Over my years of teaching it is often the quiet moments of a personal anecdote or an open-ended question that has brought on some of the best moments of engagement in my class. We can not have exciting, awe-inspiring moments of pure excitement every day in our classes. But we can have engagement every day. It takes the ability to embrace the lesson. To slow things down and allow your students to listen and process and relate. They are bombarded with so much every day their brains are simply in overload. Is this a grade? When is this due? Can I work with a partner? How long does it need to be? Does it need to be written in complete sentences? These are rapidly running through their minds as we are trying to be engaging. No wonder we lose them.

In my classroom these questions are all answered by them, my students. My flexible, student-centered classroom is a community of leaders with an educational guide. I, the often quiet, hidden, docent observing the needs of the group. Pushing them to move forward by standing in the rear. Pointing out the important sites, providing the direction but allowing them to detour when desired. They may need to retrace their steps if they get lost, or peruse the map to get refocused, but in the end I am a tour guide simply describing the museum and directing their attention to the exhibits. I mat leave a few bread crumbs for them to follow but the choice to embrace or retrace is ultimately theirs alone. Some of the group may need to embrace and enrich while others need to remediate and retrace but all should end up at the gift shop in the end.

Remediation or enrichment circles are a great way for students to self direct. I have two tables set up with handouts, review sheets or activities. Depending on what  they need students will go to either table and collaborate with their peers to accomplish the goal: get ready for the test by playing a review game, listen to review podcasts or go further and solve a lab activity or create a makerspace artifact. They usually choose wisely because they always know where they stand with their grade and their learning through reflection. They switch tables once they understand and feel prepared for the assessment. Students choose to embrace their challenges and overcome them through retracing their steps, going back over their notes and talking it through with their peers. They then embrace moving forward with confidence and the growth to tackle their next hurdle.