Project reflections - Week 11 Term 4

I feel that I have been enriched by my involvement in this project. I feel privileged to have been involved in this learning partnership and community of practice, with my students.
In challenging their thinking about what learning is, how we know if we are learning and what to do to improve our learning, I feel that my thinking on learning has been challenged. Teachers assume that students are learning in their class because they are present. I now know that this is not the necessarily the case.
I feel ashamed to a certain extent, that as an experienced teacher, I have not addressed the importance of and implemented the explicit teaching of thinking skills, the collaborative development of rubrics to guide self-directed learning and tools to support reflective practice.

This project has shown me that through the implementation of SOLO Taxonomy and the Differentiated Learning Model, that reflective, self-directed learning practice can be developed in learners. Introducing a common language of learning based on SOLO Taxonomy, aligned with differentiated learning outcomes, learning experiences, and assessment of learning, has enabled the students to know themselves as learners.

This project has confirmed for me that the use of SOLO Taxonomy, HOT maps and collaboratively developed rubrics can support the development of creative thinking, the development and extension of the metalanguage of learning and self-directing, reflective learning practice, as the students use all of these to determine WTN (where to next learning steps).

This project provided the evidence required to show that the skills, thinking and actions that support reflective, self-directed learning practice can be taught to young students and that e-tools and the development of e-Portfolios can be effective in supporting, developing and demonstrating reflective, self-directed learning by providing a platform that supports ways of demonstrating the learning process and inclusion of learning that is based on sight, sound and motion.

I am looking forward to implementing all that I have learnt from this project at the very start of the new school year. What has also been encouraging is that my teaching partner wants to be involved in this implementation.

Professional practice project - Week 5 and 6 Term 4

These two weeks will be hectic as we are going away on camp to the Virginia Park Cattle Station, we have visiting performers, special assemblies and awards ceremonies. School finishes for us in 2 weeks time.
This term has just flown. As I write about my progress with my project and continuing changes that I am making to my practice, I will add to my final writing as time allows.

Solo Taxonomy Week 5 & 6

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