Often, after passing a test or quiz back we simply go over the answers and check for understanding. We many times, due to time constraints, neglect to actually analyze the results and discuss the grade and how to improve next time. I know as a teacher this is what I do most of the time. At the beginning of the year I had students write goals for the year, we do discuss these goals at progress report and report card dispersal, but often I do not delve deeper into the reason why some students have an A for me while others a B. I forget to go to the next level and discuss strategies for achieving a higher grade. Study more is not a strategy. Sketch notes, mini ISN, or podcasting are strategies. Looking at data is one thing, breaking it down with students and reflecting on personal growth and reform is another.
Getting students to recognize their need to integrate different strategies can be a challenge. They have a B and many students feel a B is acceptable so why change their study habits? But to me a letter is not progress and a GPA is not growth. I talk to my students about this all the time. An A on a test can occur for many reasons, studying and memorizing facts, understanding the deeper concepts and having a great grasp of the knowledge needed to master the unit, or simply they are a good guesser. This is why many standardized tests, I feel, are not a true indicator of mastery or understanding of concepts. Lessons need to incorporate different levels of understanding: tactile/kinesthetic, auditory, verbal, artistic, writing, STEM, inquiry etc. Students learn and retain information best when it is presented in a myriad of ways.
Reformation of knowledge for me comes when I have applied different strategies to the same concept. When I see the new idea formed in an artistic way, through the maskerspace, I get to create a physical review for myself either sketch notes or Cornell notes, even a comic strip or cartoon. Then I write about it, discuss it with a partner, analyze my notes, reform my idea through inquiry and STEM and then make larger connections with other concepts from the unit and beyond. Until I, personally make these connections the concept is not a part of my schema. This is the same for students. I need feedback, maybe for reassurance that I am getting it but also to see my areas of unfocus or confusion so I can reconstruct my information. Feedback and reflection are critical to solidifying new information.
Whether in class or reading a book, or just observing our surroundings we obtain new information constantly. While some we deem important others we dismiss almost immediately. How can we train our brains to retain the data that academics requires? Relevance, interest and frequency. Say it once, it can't be that important and students will dismiss it. Bring in real world scenarios and discuss how this information applies to every day life, things begin to feel more connected for students. Repeat this and apply this data in various ways: active, authentic learning experiences, students will understand that this information is important and will make room in their schema for it. This is only part one. Reflection and reformation are vital to assimilate this deeper into our way of thinking in order to build on it and construct new pathways.
Reflection is the best way to see how our new ideas and concepts fit in with our understanding of the world around us. Reflection helps drive us forward, find our interests, see our strengths, and recognize the strategies that work best for us as learners. When we feel confident and expand our growth mindset we take more risks, overcome failure quickly, seek challenging opportunities and look for ways to collaborate and share our ideas. Thus a student-centered classroom is born. Reformation allows us as individuals to use our reflection to understand ourselves better. When we see our strengths and weaknesses as merely stepping stones and not boulders pinning us in place, we follow our educational path willingly. While some excel in certain fields others may struggle but no one is great at everything. We all struggle at something but with reflection and rethinking the way we gain and use new data we can create the best path possible for our individual academic journey. Reflect, reform and growth this is what makes us all human.
Data circles and remediation tables are the best way to allow students to look at their data, highlight it, discuss it, interpret it. When they circle or underline what they missed and discuss it with a partner they can recognize where they went wrong, the "illogic "in their thinking. Taking the time to delve deeper into our misconceptions is critical to overcoming them. We as teachers, can't get away with saying "go home and make corrections and retake the test." We need a check-in time to go over the test with them personally, so they can understand why? not just that they missed a problem. When we give students opportunities to work together and one-on-one with us to overcome any hurdles then when they retest it is not simply a correction game but a reformation process. The information has truly been reformed into new knowledge, the correct concept, deeper meaning. This is when reflection: making corrections, reflecting on why you missed the question and reformation: taking this new insight and recreating or reconstructing your knowledge base, when added with teacher input and feedback is how we as learners grow and change overtime, evolve as scholars and students.
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