Learning Unleashed

The end of a semester and calendar year is an ideal opportunity to lean into the Adaptable & Reflective Individuals attribute of Leander ISD’s Graduate Profile, by practicing the skills of failing-forward, self-awareness & self-advocacy, and pursuing goals, interests, & passions. These critical skills are equally important for our youngest learners all the way up through the adults in our system. Consider using the Graduate Profile capacity matrices to reflect on these and other attributes of the Profile and then check out some of the resources and ideas below:

• It's Always Time for Student Self-Reflection
  

• Empower Student-Led Progress Updates

• Getting Started with Student Portfolio Projects
  
• Creating space this winter for dreaming and radical re-imagination
  
• 40 Reflection Questions from Edutopia
  
• Encouraging Meaningful Reflection With Creative Digital Tools
  
• Reimagining Study Hall (Flex Time) to Promote Student Goal-Setting
  
• A Personal Goal-Setting Exercise for Teachers and School Leaders
  
• Avoiding Perfectionism While Striving For Excellence as Educators
  
• It’s Okay to Make Mistakes
  

Leander ISD's curriculum includes a variety of ways for students to demonstrate the skills of failing forward, self-awareness & self-advocacy, and pursuing goals, interests, & passions.

Check out these highlighted resources and tools!

One powerful way for students to reflect on their learning is through Student Portfolios of Learning! Student portfolios provide a space for students to document and reflect on their learning over time. Portfolios can help students see their progress and growth and can also serve as a tool for communication between students, teachers, and families. Check out the Knowledge Base page for more information, or contact Lee Howell, John Sandobal, or Madi Houston!

Looking for activities in Seesaw that help students reflect on their learning? Check out these great finds!

As we teach, we are already thinking about what’s working and what’s not. Taking a more intentional approach with specific and focused reflective questioning will help improve pedagogical practices, peer collaboration, and student learning.

Journaling reflective questions may foster a consistent approach to instructional adjustments. Examples to consider:

• What worked? How do I know students actually learned?

• How might I incorporate more ways to check for understanding?

• How might I provide ways for students to support one another and own their learning?

• What teaching skills did I use to promote learning?

• Was there a moment in which I really connected with a student? How might I create more moments to work one-on-one with students?

“Balancing a reflective mindset with actionable adjustments to your teaching will help you stay nimble and in control.”

-The Benefits of Developing a Reflective Routine (Collins, 2021)

Using tech to review our lessons is another great option for discovering the benefits of guided reflection. Check out this month’s Edutopia article Improving Your Teaching With an AI Coach.

A Plus/Delta or Parking Lot are useful tools for soliciting feedback about strengths/weaknesses or questions and ideas. The link below provides multiple formats you can use to give and receive feedback when utilizing these tools.

• Parking Lot & Plus/Delta - Digital Options

If you are interested in how you might implement a Plus/Delta with your students, including using the feedback to set a classroom goal, check out the article below.

• A Simple Strategy to Encourage Student Reflection and Improvement

Want to learn more tools for student and teacher empowerment and have guided support working through a problem of practice? Consider joining the Spring 2024 cohort of the Continuous Improvement Academy. (Info & registration link)

Did you see something at CIC you are interested in seeing in action? Did you know you can collaborate with and visit the classrooms of Learning Leaders from across the district? They have opened their classrooms up for others to observe student learning in action! Check out the Learning Leader Observation Classroom process. For more info, visit the Learning Leaders website

Check out past editions of Learning Unleashed.

Let us know what you think about this edition or what you'd like to see in future editions of "Learning Unleashed."

For more opportunities for professional learning provided by Leander ISD, check out Eduphoria Strive.

Email: professional.development@leanderisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/leanderisd.org/professional-learning/home
Phone: 512.570.0209
Twitter: @LISD_IPL