In
the classroom, the ideas of intention should be priority number one.
From the concepts needed to be taught, to the physical and social needs
of each student, intention can have profound impacts. I know that even
with 20 students in my classroom, during a 6 hour school day, it can be
hard to connect individually with each student on a daily basis for
longer than a 5 minutes. As the day starts, and the wheels start turning, one thing moves to another, and at times the attention given to
one task, can take away time from another. Intention can help me focus
my day during instruction time, allows me to be more effective with
my time management, and makes me conscious of the needs of my students.
As a teacher, my intention can assist when helping a student to
achieve a goal, or master a skill, by focusing merely on what material will
benefit them most. This helps by individualizing their learning plan.
Intention also means making time for my students by creating a caring
and responsive classroom learning environment.
My
actions can help each student meet their individual social needs each
day. A listening ear, a hug, a high-five, whole group sharing, and social activities are all things that I can do by
intending to socially reach each one of my kids on a daily basis. While some of
my students are able to build strong relationships at school, come from a
supportive families and show positive social skills on a daily basis,
other students need more attention in this area. I try to make an effort
by meeting my students at the door each and every morning to greet
them. I have a mental list of the students that I need to touch basis
with, whether it be a quick chat about the prior evening or, to discuss
things that have happened recently. It’s been amazing to see what
emotion can be sitting behind the frown of a student. By processing through some of their situations with them, they understand that our respect for each other is mutual. If I can make my
intentions known, and take time out of my day to specifically meet with
each of my students, they will leave my classroom every day knowing that
when they come back tomorrow, someone will be there who cares about
them.
2 comments:
Hi Mike!
As I read about intention, my thoughts moved towards the emotional side of teaching. Although everything is connected in our elementary classrooms, I liked how you commented on the academic side too. Differentiation is intentional. I am a true believer that there should be many different levels of lessons or activities happening at one time. They are all different and we should give them the tools that they need to grow with. For me, classroom management is the most difficult factor while differentiating. Since the kids are so young, they have a hard time managing themselves while I am working with another group in class. Staying focused on what they are doing is a struggle. Any ideas ?
It is so interesting to read how different peoples' perspectives on intention take them to different places. As I read your posting Mike, and then your reply Nikki, I bring a whole new perspective. When I first considered intention I was coming from an academic reasoning and how this fits acadmically in my classroom. Since reading others' responses as well as the Cliff story, and watching the Cipher videos I feel like my awareness and understanding of this social connection has been growing. You are challenging my thinking and supporting my growing and ever-evolving perspective on how I can be more intentional and view intention. Thank you for this support! Have you been finding since reading other blogs and resources you are encountering the same learning experiences?
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