Ideas in Fallow Fields and Developing Your Teaching/Learning Practice

I am leaving a lot of ideas in fallow fields right now. While I desire change in multiple areas of school life, I cannot forward all of those ideas for lots of reasons. Therefore I'll focus the final years of my career on the following ideas--ideas that I can certainly support with my time, energy, and team.

Teaching Life-Long Learners
I use the popular adage, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he eats for his whole life." Then I say that the same is true with learning, "If we teach learning points alone, children learn discrete knowledge, but if we teach children how to learn, then they are able to learn for their whole lives." Hence, I'll continue to build my knowledge about how the brain works and the best ways to learn, and then impart that knowledge to children as they work to master discrete knowledge, concepts, and skills.

This effort will include developing the following efforts we include in our weekly program:

• showcase portfolios including student reflection and assessment
• student-led conferences
• learning menus
• using the class website as a virtual classroom
• embedding lessons about how the brain works, and how students' knowledge of the brain can support their optimal learning habits, attitudes, and actions.

Promoting a Robust Teaching/Learning Program and Routine

I will continue to work with my grade-level team to develop a robust teaching/learning program and routine. That program and routine will include the following:

• lots of active hands-on learning
• development of our knowledge as educators
• working with organizations in and around the school
• teaming with families, students, and colleagues to teach well
• assessing our program efforts with the learning/teaching team in an effort to continually improve and develop that program
• developing our field studies, STEAM projects, special events, and other engaging components of the teaching/learning program

Apt Assessment and Development of My Own Teaching/Learning Efforts

I want to continue to develop what I can do with and for students with the following actions:

• Using an optimal weekly routine of reflection, assessment, and development on my own and with colleagues.
• Reading, researching, and learning via conferences and other special events to continually develop my practice.
• Taking critique seriously and responding with efforts that better the teaching/learning program.