https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4 Share a brief anecdote of a personal and successful teaching experience, with you as a teacher. Unpack what you think made it successful. en-us 2018-11-16 05:48:49 UTC 2025-02-18 01:03:38 UTC hello@padlet.com MsBell https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307162529 Details of a successful learning experience you planned for your students involving collaborative and/or individualised learning. 

What made it successful was ...]]> 2018-11-23 03:57:05 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307162529 jasonrsimon https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170695 Not a recent story necessarily, but some of my biggest successes as a teacher have involved letting go of control over everything that happens in the classroom, devoting less time and effort to meticulously planning everything and giving students the space and time to learn in unscripted and unexpected ways. It has made my life easier and less stressful and, more important, has led to a better learning experience for students.

In practice, this has involved giving students way more opportunity to learn from and with each other instead of just from me and my activities. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:44:58 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170695 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170704 I love those experiences when I'm team teaching and the other teacher is on the same wavelength. I'm thinking of one specific friend that I worked with like this, but it has happened a couple of times throughout my career. 

It's almost like improve, where we are both winging it, telling jokes, connecting with students and complimenting each others stories. We have a plan, but we might adapt to the situation and head down uncharted waters to make the lesson as meaningful as possible.]]> 2018-11-23 05:45:06 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170704 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170883 This is a small example from last week in grade 8 science. I have students work in pairs (randomly assigned) and they were completing a neutralization task which involves chemical indicators that change colour when in different pH concentrations. The task was to get to neutral by adding compounds together and I could tell the students liked this and could get immediate feedback on their success because of the colour changes. At the end, I decided then that we should make a class rainbow and each pair aimed to get the pH to a certain colour. I know this was successful as at PTSCs on Tuesday and many students were able to explain the science behind this to their parents clearly and said it was 'fun'. Upon reflection, this was successful because I was able to see the student response from working in pairs and in the moment I could find a way to bring the whole class together for a common goal. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:48:07 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170883 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170930 It is tempting at times to think that adults learn differently than kids, and that if we pump them full of information, they will be ready to go off and act in alignment with what we have said.

I've learned, over many years, that adults need what kids need--movement, a variety of stimuli, time and opportunity to process, protocols and structures and an environment that encourages risk-taking. It seems obvious, and yet sometimes as a leader it feels like we can't give the time to the creation of these experiences that we should.

If we know that kids and adults learn in similar ways, we can look to the cauliflower (one of my favourite vegetables!) as a model for how to think about our approach to adult learning experiences. Learning is replicated and scaled--the whole cauliflower is composed of teeny tiny cauliflowers that, taken together, make the larger cauliflower complete.

It is critical that these conditions for intentional and structured collaboration happen for adults, just like for kids--because if we want them to happen in our classrooms, they must also happen in our departmental meetings and our professional learning sessions. I've learned over time to completely rethink what I do with adults so that I can be comfortable with sacrificing speed for depth. This means more time spent on planning, more creativity with how to engage adults and more transparency with outcomes. It also anticipates, though, that the outcome of rich and dynamic adult learning experiences will be replicated as smaller cauliflower florets throughout our school.]]> 2018-11-23 05:49:01 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307170930 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171008 I love when I see my students' confidence blossom in my art class. In the first days of school, I often hear a lot of self-deprecating comments from kids about how they are just not good at art. It's wonderful to see them go from that to recognizing themselves as an artist. I always love to conference with them at the end of the unit. I remember one student in particular said, "I never thought of myself as an artist, but maybe I actually am!"]]> 2018-11-23 05:50:41 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171008 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171053 One thing I have felt quite successful at as a teacher is during the development of a studio piece in Visual Art. Most likely students will begin to encounter challenges in the process as their visualisation of their end product with inevitably evolve and change as they make it. Often a student will come and say 'it's not working' or 'I'm stuck, I don't know what to do.' and it's been important to realise this point in the process it is vital for me to not give the answers, but to lead a discussion to help them talk out solutions to their problems. By focusing the questions to 'What specific areas do you love? What makes them work?' and facilitating the conversation to help them realise they have their own answers and knowledge is always a really nice moment. When the student also recognises they do know their answers and they can do it, I feel really successful as a teacher. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:51:45 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171053 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171086 For a recent Crit C assessment in Sciences, my team has decided to provide students more voice in which lab data collection they would like to carry out, and if they would like to collect data independently by themselves, or as a team effort.

It took us a long time to plan out the different lab options, ensuring to give students sufficient time in selecting which lab they would like to carry out, synthesize that data, and inform school lab tech in preparing sets of equipment for each one of the lab choices (we provided 7 different options).

Almost all students chose to carry out the data collection collaboratively, ensuring each student is responsible to two sets of data, and students on the same team could collect a unique combination of data to analyze. Then the students would work on their Crit C writing piece independently towards completion. 

Feedback from student is very positive, they felt being supported and everyone shared a similar goal. If one student did not manage to collect sufficient data - there is still someone else on the team to step in and resolve the level of stress some faces during Crit Cs.  ]]> 2018-11-23 05:52:08 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171086 crisgonsal https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171109 It is difficult to choose one successful moment of teaching. But I will choose one where learning happens through experiences. One unit that worked very well was the organisation of a trip to Spain that students have to do in class and put into practise in the country. Due to the purpose of the unit, students were really engaged and motivated to complete tasks assignments. The best success was seeing them practicing the language in Spain and exploring the culture. When students see the point of learning and understand the use of it, the really learn. I love when they inquiry more and more due to the needs of authentic interactions in the use of language. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:52:20 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171109 MsBell https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171119 Through mentoring an student environmental service group at school, initiated a few years ago by our curriculum, I have seen the insane growth students can achieve when they're given the space and time to pursue what they care about. The few students I have in mind within this 4 year long learning experience are articulate communicators, confident, well organised and problem solvers. They've collaborated with one another and with students in other year levels as the group has grown, engaged with our school leaders, community groups, city, country and regional businesses, and done so with such professionalism, because they want to accomplish their shared goals. We teacher supervisors truly act as facilitators or coaches, being there when they need us without really directing the action. 

]]> 2018-11-23 05:52:31 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171119 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171165 I have had the opportunity to lead many HFH (habitat for humanity) trips over the course of lots of years. One teaching experience came with a group I took to India, we were in a very remote village and we would bring our water bottles with us each day to work on the site. The . students for the most part were from quite affluent families. They thought nothing of the empty 1.5 liter bottles and left them all over the site. On our second day we noticed many of the villagers made use of these bottles and due to the limited amount of bottles we had, We created tensions in the community. (outright violence) obviously nor our intent. The students got together to decide how to police themselves, their waste, and the impact they had on the community as well as how to correct they problem they created. I admit I used it as a teaching moment. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:53:30 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171165 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171181 People like to cite research that literature fosters empathy in students, but I worry sometimes that some of the things that our extremely privileged students read are so far away from their experience and lives that it difficult for them to truly empathise, but they're rather showing sympathy or information gathering but unable to actually put themselves in the place of the protagonist. By using picture books (easy to read in a short period of time) and an empathy map, students can collaboratively assume the "5 senses" goals, mindset of the protagonist and bounce ideas off each other when they get stuck. Where there are 2 contrasting views it is also possible for them to take alternating perspectives. It's a lesson I've used for a variety of topics / audiences and each time there is an "aha" / "I used to think / now I think" moment]]> 2018-11-23 05:53:50 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171181 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171188 As an EAL teacher I often see a huge amount of growth in a short period of time. It is hard to nail down just one success but I think of all the kids who I have taught over the years and how much confidence they gain in using English academically and socially.  I actually am not sure how much of a role I play in this sometimes but know that the opportunities they get to collaborate with other students and that collaboration is helpful. We are all a team.]]> 2018-11-23 05:53:58 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171188 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171195 Joining a new dynamic team can be daunting but when you are trusted to share ideas that materialise into a whole Year level learning engagement this is exciting.
As a team, our passion for refugees was evident, authentic learning was paramount and developing empathy is the T&L experience was the rationale that drove the content.
The success of the main event the "Human Library" drew upon the  willingness of all participants e.g. parents, students, teachers and community members to communciate, collaborative and share stories that would enrich the lives of all involved.
We were all partners providing rich learning experiences which parallels the authenticity of what is happening in Bangkok's backyard.]]> 2018-11-23 05:54:09 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171195 sjtylr3 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171288 I love to teach and over the last few years of working on creating cultures of thinking I've had the language to describe and grow from experiences that have worked. The power of language in the classroom, or creating opportunities for students to develop units, collaborate with others and dive into their own inquiries. Being an active, connected learner as a teacher gives me many sources of inspiration and pauses for thought: purpose, intentionality and clarity. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:55:44 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171288 broughton_io1 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171305 I've had the wonderful opportunity to work with a small group of high school students who are passionate about Japan's aquatic environment and want to be part of the change that needs to happen to improve the world's aquatic environments. 

While I helped plant the seed, the group is now completely students led and I just have the opportunity to serve as a mentor and advisor. I take the time to meet just with the student leaders so that I can help them develop as leaders and grow as environmentalists. 

The group is now traveling within Japan and internationally to research and document aquatic issues and is working on ways to connect that to our YIS community. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:56:03 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171305 melissa_roosen https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171346 One of the ASAs I have offered here is a cooking class called, Let's Get Cooking! It's a middle school cooking class that ran for 2 hours once a week. We provided students with the ingredients and the equipment, and they worked in groups to create the dishes. Instead of telling the students how to cook something, we let them figure it out on their own.  More often than not, the most able chef of the group ("able" being used loosely here...) would lead, but all the students had to get their hands dirty and help cook.  Occasionally they would burn it all and throw it away, but usually the immediate feedback of the kitchen and the joint effort to figure out what they were doing led to real understanding of how to cook. 

Why was this successful?  Students all had a real interest in eating their results, and thus they had to work together to figure it out.  Cooking provides opportunities throughout the process to evaluate what they are doing, troubleshoot, and decide what the best course of action is.]]> 2018-11-23 05:56:35 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171346 https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171545 So the other day I taught a totally classic geography lesson on longitude, latitude, the tropics, the tilt, rotation, winds, currents etc.... we took notes, drew diagrams, figured stuff out - it was old skool. 

and the kids LOVED it. 

They asked for more "learning" like this, they all shouted the things they had learned at me before they left the room.... 

it was amazing to see the excitement... to see their excitement. 

Why was this a successful experience as a teacher? 
Because the kids LOVED it. They felt the empowerment that knowledge brings. 
And sometimes they just want to understand some content before they head off into inquiry. ]]> 2018-11-23 05:59:32 UTC https://padlet.com/MsBell/juoh98w0c8n4/wish/307171545