A chat where literacy education students, preservice teachers, and literacy mentors connect to discuss research and practice, share ideas, and meet new mentors for professional learning.
Hi Everyone! I’m Stephanie, a literacy teacher educator in NY at @UA@UAlbanyEdu. I'm tagging in @LitProfSuz to our chat all about building community and connections! #preservicelit
Hi Everyone! I am Christine O'Riordan and I am graduate student at the University at Albany in New York. This is my first #preservicelit chat and I am very excited! #UAELTL655
Good morning, everyone! I’m Susan Vincent in Cincinnati. I teach preservice teachers at Miami University in Ohio. Happy to be back at school and back chatting with you all! #preservicelit
A1: Strong learning communities are built on a foundation of trust, of open perspectives, flexibility and a willingness to learn forward together. #preservicelit
A1: Here is my pact for coaching:
Learning is never complete
We work better together
Everyone plays a part
We learn from practice
We are in charge of our own journey
#preservicelit
A1. Relationships are the foundation! Learners need to feel safe in taking risks and being vulnerable with one another, whether children or adults! #preservicelit
Trust is definitely important to establish at the beginning of the school year, not just with students, but the parents too. Working with preschoolers, I also have to closely model and establish classroom expectations. #preservicelit
A1 Having Classroom management, creating a comfortable and safe environment, welcoming students to the classroom, having an organized and structured environment, showing parents and students that we care and relating to students and listening to them. #preservicelit
Modeling is key! Children learn from our conscious (and unconscious!) choices made and modeled in the classroom. Each interaction sends a message. #preservicelit
Of course! You might use this as a model and then create your own pact together so students can take ownership of the classroom with you. #preservicelit
A1: I also try to begin establishing the idea that we are a classroom family, and that the classroom is a place for them to take ownership. It's not my space, it belongs to the students! #preservicelit
A2: I bring a commitment to continual learning, a promise to listen and respond accordingly and a flexible mindset open to collaboration. I work to help teachers notice and name their own strengths to honor their place in our learning community. #preservicelit
This changes everything for students. We are in this together more than as teachers and students, but as people who truly care about each other. #preservicelit
A2: I like the idea of visible strengths chain of the learners in a community. Learners write personal strengths on strips of paper and chain them together (with the words visible on the outside) & add to it throughout the year as they learn more about each other. #preservicelit
A1: A inviting learning community where not only the students but their families feel welcomed. Having strong student relationships are just as important as strong relationships with the family members. #preservicelit
A2. Reading Recovery taught me to look for strengths in learners first and build from strengths, not weaknesses. I’ve always found this to be the best launching point for learning. #preservicelit
A2. Teachers have the strength of recognizing where their students are confident & excel. By placing students in groups, they have the opportunity to take on leadership roles where their strengths lie, then recognize those successes #preservicelit
A2 Valuing family is important in the classroom, so many children come from different backgrounds. Supportive towards students and families, Sharing ideas with others, creating mutual trust and respect for each other and helping students know they are individuals. #preservicelit
A2: One strength is being able to consider multiple perspectives. It helps to keep me open minded and also helps inform my teaching as I consider how methods of teaching, etc. might impact my learners, or consider why I might be getting certain reactions/behaviors. #preservicelit
I love your insights. It can be hard to step back and view our instruction as a possible reason for student confusion or less-than-optimal behavior. Parenting taught me a great deal about this as well! #preservicelit
A2: I work diligently to be a role model through hard work and perseverance. When I fail, I share with students and discuss taking ownership. Because once those positive relationships are built, we are who they look up to! #preservicelit
Can you believe it? It is time for the third question! Reply, retweet or create a new tweet with your response, but don’t forget to add A3 and the #preservicelit hashtag!
Love the idea of “multiple chances.” That’s huge. All teachers need to consider this when they are thinking about behavior, assignments, etc... Thanks for bringing that up. #preservicelit
A2: If we can help students see the strengths of others, they too can begin to recognize their own strengths. Creating empowering learning environments that offer multiple opportunities for success will help students feel confident and give them a sense of agency. #preservicelit
A3: Use social media to connect with all stakeholders. Survey parents as to their preferences and create multiple channels for communication to give parents choices. #preservicelit
A2: I like the idea of visible strengths chain of the learners in a community. Learners write personal strengths on strips of paper and chain them together (with the words visible on the outside) & add to it throughout the year as they learn more about each other. #preservicelit
Ownership of failure IN FRONT OF LEARNERS is critical. The learning process is messy and no person is perfect. Students need to know this early on. This stance is a game-changer for learning. #preservicelit
A3: I use @RemindHQ to communicate with the parents in our after-school program and am even using it to connect with my grade students as well. Thaks to @JenWilliamsEdu for the idea! #preservicelit
A3: We create connections by taking personal responsibility for our ongoing learning through all technologies - Twitter, webinars, podcasts, conferences, journals, blogs, etc #preservicelit
What a great idea! I would love to use this with my preschoolers. For early readers, they might even decorate the strip so that they can easily recognize it even though they may not be able to read the words yet. Building confidence is key! #preservicelit
A3: I love the idea of open lines of communication with families. Most parents work and are unable to talk during the school day so being available outside of school through email or phone may make family ties stronger to the classroom #preservicelit
Can you believe it? It is time for the third question! Reply, retweet or create a new tweet with your response, but don’t forget to add A3 and the #preservicelit hashtag!
A2: I understand not to assume all students know the same prior information since they all come into the classroom with different backgrounds. Choice Words by Peter Johnston is a great book that taught me a lot on how to be aware of language in the classroom. #preservicelit
A3: Having parents involved in the classroom is always a priority. I have used newsletters and photo sharing services to keep parents aware of what's happening in the classroom. They have a lot to offer, so I invite them in multiple times a year, as well. #preservicelit
A2 Valuing family is important in the classroom, so many children come from different backgrounds. Supportive towards students and families, Sharing ideas with others, creating mutual trust and respect for each other and helping students know they are individuals. #preservicelit
A3 cont... getting kids involved in other recreational activities can also teach them team work, friendships, problem solving etc. These activities allow children to explore different ways to learn #preservicelit
A3 Having classroom assignments that include families to complete, having mentor systems that can help students who may not have someone at home to help them, and showcasing students work in the community. #preservicelit
This is such a great point, Katie: we need to involve the community and give students authentic reasons for engaging in reading and writing. #preservicelit
A3: lots of Ts are exploring global collaboration but in a small scale options like Flipgrid and blogs can open up the learning community with relative ease. #preservicelit
Can you believe it? It is time for the third question! Reply, retweet or create a new tweet with your response, but don’t forget to add A3 and the #preservicelit hashtag!
A3: I use @RemindHQ to communicate with the parents in our after-school program and am even using it to connect with my grade students as well. Thaks to @JenWilliamsEdu for the idea! #preservicelit
Here it is! Our final #preservicelit question of the chat. Reply, retweet or create a new tweet with your response, but don’t forget to add A4 and the #preservicelit hashtag!
A4: Make celebration a ritual! I start every class and PD session with teachers with a celebration of their own learning or their students. They get used to this predictability and seek out strengths to share. #preservicelit
A3: My lessons are ALWAYS stronger when I can bounce ideas off of other teachers. It makes the school-wide curriculum stronger, too, when it's all connected. Sometimes I like to walk around another classroom and see what they've been up to, for ideas! #preservicelit
That is just their Twitter handle. How do you use it? @JenWilliamsEdu does as well. I have used it for assignment reminders, a quick hello or changes in room location this semester. #preservicelit
A1: Totally agree! If you don't feel safe and supported learning and risk taking can't take place. A strong community must always have trust and respect as a foundation. #preservicelit
This can be hard to do, but I think it is so beneficial. I have started taking pictures of the schools I am in and sharing them on a Padlet to help teachers envision ideas beyond their four walls. #preservicelit
https://t.co/pzxAWhxHhk
Is a website I learned about in @AffinitoLit class! It is great for book talks and would allow parents to see what books their children are reading in the classroom! #preservicelit
In reply to
@AffinitoLit, @janelance2nd, @AffinitoLit
A4 I feel that complimenting the students is important, taking pictures of their work and putting it around the classroom can have an impact on students. Also focusing on the positives and not the negatives when it comes to student work and achievement. #preservicelit
I use it for emergency reminders (as students aren’t the best e-mail checkers), students use it to get emergency messages to me, and then I am also their faculty adviser and often need them to get forms turned in etc... It’s been a real blessing!! #preservicelit
That is just their Twitter handle. How do you use it? @JenWilliamsEdu does as well. I have used it for assignment reminders, a quick hello or changes in room location this semester. #preservicelit
Thank you to all #preservicelit educators chatting today! Let’s keep the rich conversation alive and slow chat throughout the month. The archive of our chat will be posted soon!
A3 #preservicelit Communication is key! Having a social media presence is one way to keep in touch with parents and yhe community. Updates on student learning should be frequent.
A4. Students can see that their work is appreciated when it is visually represented around the classroom. Hanging art work, projects and photos of activities celebrates student work & success while providing them with ownership of the room #preservicelit
A4: In my preschool classrooms, I always leave room for a share time. The work they share is not always concrete: sometimes I've heard a great conversation in dramatic play. At the end of the units, we usually share our learning with other classrooms and/or parents #preservicelit
#preservicelit Some children attend before-school AND after-school programs due to parent's work schedules. Teacher flexibility is key when keeping lines of communication open.
To build on your comments: I use restorative justice practices in my classroom, where students feel respected and valued. We have morning meetings, closing circles and restorative circles. We are a community that learns from each other. #preservicelit
I enjoyed participating in this chat. I have always been a stalker on chats and look forward to being a participant. I am trying to figure out the ins and outs of chatting. #preservicelit
I am glad to see you continuing the thread, Krista. Just because the fast chat ended does not mean the show chat can't continue! Do you know @responsiveclass resources? I am certain you will find this to be a complement to your work. #preservicelit
In reply to
@KristaPodolny, @MsJackieTeacher, @ssvincent, @responsiveclass
