Here it is folks - a practical way to check and see if you are "teaching the whole child" in your classroom. The idea is simple. Take 8 work-week days (stay offline on the weekends, you overachiever you ;) ) to reflect on one portion of your teaching style per day. Follow the steps below to do the "8 Day "Whole Child" Challenge." Jot down a few ideas per day to implement in your classroom. Day 1: Study the image in this blog post and grab a notebook and a pen. We will start with the purple sliver, CONTEXT, and how that affects the kiddos in your classroom. Answer the following prompts:
Day 2: CONNECTIONS. Today, focus on the following prompts concerning connections within the classroom and within the school.
Reflect. Write down a couple ideas to improve connections within your classroom and outside of the classroom. Day 3: Coherence - an odd but oh-so important aspect of teaching the whole child. Clarity and organization create an environment where assessment data is USED, children and parents are HEARD, and colleagues are ENCOURAGED.
Day 4: Challenge Uh oh!! The "D" word is coming... differentiation. The heartbeat of an excellent classroom.
Reflect. Day 5: Curiosity Sometimes, "I Do, We Do, You Do" is the way to go. But more than ever, inquiry-based lessons are prized among educators because they provoke higher level thinking. To "teach the whole child," students must be using higher level thinking skills (creating, debating, questioning, analyzing... etc.). Without these skills, students are missing out on the chance to think for themselves.
Reflect. Again, write down a couple of ideas to implement. (Don't worry about "when" and "how" - think BIG!) Day 6: Care
The bottom line: Caring for yourself might have to be priority number 1 if you are constantly stressed, irritable, and distracted. You've got this! Day 7: Community
Day 8: Creativity
YOU DID IT. You thought long and hard about what it means to "teach the whole child." Look at your ideas from each day and set up an action plan. Share the ideas with your PLC. Ask for practical ways to implement these ideas. Reach out to your community for resources/materials. Sending you the warmest wishes and wishing you all the luck, Andrea P.S. COMMENT or e-mail to let me know if you completed the 8 Day Whole Child Challenge. Feedback is always accepted.
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