First of all, I’m so glad you shared Dr. Stohr’s Camel poem. It was a great illustration of one of the many ways students could process their field trip experiences. Other options could be a flipgrid with a 30 second description of their biggest takeaway, journal writing, writing a thank you note to the docent, drawing a picture, or creating a model of something they saw/did. It seems that some sort of group processing time would also be helpful in really helping students connect ideas and solidify the experience, either before or after the individual processing.
Secondly, I LOVED hearing from Ms. Barrett and Ms. Hetterich about how they implemented a DBQ in Kindergarten. (I sincerely hope I did not offend them too badly with my poor word choice!!) It was helpful to see a real project in action and get to hear about planning for it, how the students responded, how they assessed it, and how they plan to improve on it for next year. The big takeaway for me was to keep going back to that central, driving question to help anchor and focus the learning. I also loved Diane’s advice to just step in small and go for it…we don’t need to be experts before we try it (phew!)…I feel like that is something I need to really take to heart in many aspects of my life.
As for the QCRT: What a beast! I am glad is something we won’t need to actually use on a regular basis. However, I appreciate how it breaks down exactly what is expected of a high-quality assessment — just as the “UR Lesson Plan Template” breaks down exactly what’s needed to create a high-quality lesson. In daily practice, neither will really be used in their entirety. But, by becoming familiar with these more formal and rigorous tools, we hone our “sense” of what quality looks like, even when using a simpler process.
Lisa, I always appreciate the way you are able to process class sessions and reflect deeply. As I look back on my early college education classes, I wish reflection time was more valued. I always reflected but not on paper.
I am glad you found value hearing from Ms Barrett and Ms. Hetterich. I continue to be inspired by their work. They are risk takers who are willing to try knew things in order to help their students learn in new ways. “Step in small and go for it” is spoken like a teacher super’she’ro. I have a feeling this will be you one day.
You and I have already spoken about the work you did on the QCRT. I appreciate your willingness to allow others to learn from you.