Welcome to my blog! I'm Karen Belt, a Deputy Principal, working at Lynmore Primary School in Rotorua, New Zealand. In the past I have taught Years 0 - 4 and used 1:1 iPads to engage and motivate learners and improve student achievement. This blog documents my teaching and leadership journey and my learning processes with iPads in the classroom. I am a Google Certified Educator #SYD17 and I'm proud of having been a member of the inaugural Manaiakalani Digital Teaching Academy(MDTA) program and a Spark Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher (MIT) and an inaugural Manaiakalani Google Class OnAir teacher.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Reflecting using Thinking Hats

As Term 2 draws to a close, one of the activities I have planned for this week is an individual reflection on the learning for the term.  Our school wide theme for the term, "As I See It" had an art focus, with Team 3 deciding to focus on geometry and buildings.   We have therefore covered many things this term, including our major art piece which we have today seen displayed in the school Art Gallery.

As with any activities, finding the balance between too much scaffolding and not enough scaffolding, can often be a delicate balancing act.   While I have provided some ideas of the things that learners can include in their reflection, I've decided to not restrict it to "just the art work"!  This allows some scope for learners that enjoyed the trip or learning about the Sky Tower to reflect on these activities.

This is the first time I've used the thinking hats with this class - I wanted to have them thinking of more than just "I liked .... because ....".  I'm hoping they will be more reflective in the responses they give through the questions I've provided.  We will discuss this as a whole class, but I've also provided some questions to help guide their responses and will provide further scaffolding and support to my less able writers.

I'm really looking forward to hearing the thoughts of my learners, as this can help inform my teaching into Term 3 and beyond.




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