Fostering Independence

Last week we shared one of the ways we think about our words for the year.  We also think about words for our entire community. We think about kindness during the beginning of the year; we create a strong community. As our community grows in strength we think more explicitly about independence.

Fourth and fifth graders are challenged to start assignments independently. They are expected to do their homework and bring it back to school independently. They are to keep track of their belongings.

We talk about taking ownership of our learning. We think about what our individual brains need.

We remind each other to look around for clues. Sometimes we miss instructions, but there are many clues around to help us know what to do. We look at the calendar, board, planners. We reread the instructions; we preview rubrics. We observe what our peers are doing. We discuss with our peers asking clarifying questions.

So really, working independently is also about thinking deeply. We are expected to take in the information around us, make meaning that tells us what to do next, then act on that meaning. We might make mistakes, and our mistakes are also opportunities for learning.

We analyze what we did. We contrast it with the directions, and we compare our results with our peers'. We discuss with peers and teachers to gain clarity about new hypotheses and try a new way.

When students struggle teachers think about how to break down processes into discreet steps, and we also think about ways to bolster students' higher order thinking.