CTQS Standard II
Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.
Element C:
Teachers engage students as individuals, including those with diverse needs and interests, across a range of ability levels by adapting their teaching for the benefit of students.
Circulation & Grouping
Circulation is an academic monitoring tool that is vital to how I get to know my students needs, goals, and interests. For successful academic monitoring I set a target that I am looking to gauge student understanding, this can look different every day and for every student. As I am making my way around the classroom I am providing students with one-on-one feedback while also seeing how they engage uniquely with concepts and construction.
How academic monitoring looks different throughout a unit:
Research / Planning : What is the idea? How does the student connect with the project?
Introduction of a Skill : What is challenging? What is the criteria I am looking for out of learning this skill? (mainly making sure projects don’t blow up in the kiln)
Collaborative Challenges : Is everyone contributing? If not, why? What conversations are being had?
Individual Work Time: Where are you at with building? What does it look like to be “done” (revisiting criteria)?
Critique / Peer Feedback : Is feedback specific and helpful? Are directions clear?
Because there is such a range of learners in the classroom getting to know each student is important to forming a setting where they feel like they can take the risks to achieve the goals comfortable to them. Students in my room have a range of abilities and cooperative grouping is important to support each student uniquely. By scaffolding learning and student responses with opportunities to work as a group students are given the opportunity to learn and build off each others strengths.