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Inquiry Question:<\/strong> How might personalization through self-reflection, self-assessment, and flexible grouping and scheduling across grades 3 and 4 at Proctor Elementary School positively impact student engagement and achievement?<\/span><\/p>\n

After our overnight retreat with my Learning Lab colleagues and some discussion about the fear of sharing our work when it doesn\u2019t produce the results we hoped for, I did a lot of reflecting. \u00a0I started thinking about my own practice with my students and how I spend the first six weeks <\/del>the whole year preaching to them about growth mindset. \u00a0I started wondering, how many of us talk to our students, or dare I suggest lecture them, on the importance of those moments of mistake or failure? \u00a0How many of use make sure our students know that without those mistakes, learning would never happen? How many of us ask our students to share with the class the mistakes they have made because those mistakes are so incredibly awesome that the entire class benefits from them?<\/p>\n

If you are anything like me, you are excitedly waving your hand in the air, perhaps bouncing out of your seat because you do all of that and perhaps more. Why do we do this? Because our students\u2019 mistakes are often the most important part of their learning. Mistakes in my classroom are what run our lessons and drive conversations and collaboration. \u00a0Now, how many of us, as educators, put our mistakes out there for other educators to learn from? If you are anything like me, you have quickly put your hand down and are avoiding any and all eye contact with other people.<\/p>\n

I think the consensus around the school building is that I have it all figured out. \u00a0From the outside looking in, my classroom looks great. I am constantly researching and finding new ideas and my students are always willing to jump in and try it out. \u00a0I get to go to some great conferences that focus on all those buzzwords in education right now. I am presenting at district in-services and conferences around the state with my amazing 4th grade partner. \u00a0Like I said, it looks great.<\/p>\n

The reality is much different, though not a bad different. \u00a0It takes an incredible amount of work for it to look like my students and I have it all figured out. The truth is, I have failed so many times in what I have done before I have found one thing that works. And sometimes, it never works. \u00a0So why do my colleagues have this false picture of what goes on in my room? I think the answer is because I, like all of us, want to put my best work out there for the world to see. I want people to see my successes, my breakthroughs, my ‘aha’ moments.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t fully put myself out there, but I think that needs to change. The world needs to see the messy, the oops moments, the moment I have my head in my hands wondering where it all went wrong because it happens. Boy, does it happen.<\/p>\n

Belly Flops<\/del>Epic Fails<\/h2>\n

We call them epic fails in 3rd and 4th grade. \u00a0Why? Because our failures are what drive our learning. \u00a0Learning can\u2019t happen without them. And of course, any time you decide something is epic, it is just that much more awesome and important. \u00a0I want my students to know that their failures are something to be proud of because they will learn from them.<\/p>\n

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I changed the setup to my Ss self assessment and self reflection rubric in math thinking it would be easier for them and make more sense. It just confused them and I had to tell them where to place themselves on the rubric #bellyflopfriday<\/a><\/p>\n

— Corey Smith (@VTCoreySmith) January 25, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n