My #Kinderchat Blogging Adventure

Okay, so I’m a newbie in the #kinderchat world. Its been just over a year now, thanks to fellow Vancouver Canuck ice hockey maniac @mauimickey who I just happened to ‘bump into’ on the Twitterverse last year and who introduced me to #kinderchat. Of course I have met so many #kinderchat peeps such as @B_Sheridan, @Matt_Gomez, @learningmurd, @happycampergirl, @tashacowdy and of course @hechternach over the year.  Follow these people if you want to be inspired.

So I naturally jumped in head first at the #kinderblog2012 challenge Week 1.

Question 1: What did you learn this past school year that you couldn’t have learned any other year, from any other students or colleagues or administrators or parents?
I think the power of connection. I felt this was quite special in that we as a class were inspired and engaged through connection with other classes. We had a great Skype session with @mramidon and a cartographer. We connected via twitter, blogs and digital portfolios. We made our online presence felt around the school community and worldwide. I learned that sharing can be collective and and individualistic at the same time. It was especially apparent to me this last school year that these connections are a part of learning. For me personally, it was this recognition that I came away with this year. The powerful recognition of connections that has changed the way I teach for the better. Of course if it was not for my supportive school community, and the kids of course, this would not be possible.

It was great to see how different yet similar we are as learners, how we view ideas and challenges differently along the our learning paths.

Question 2: What lessons did this particular year, this particular setting, these particular children bring into your life? The biggest lesson I learned this year would have to be the differentiation of learning styles. More than any other year in the past, I had a very small, yet diverse group of learners. Having such a small group (10) and a full time teaching assistant made a HUGE difference to the way I could construct engagements and tailor these to really meet student’s needs yet be flexible as well. I am hopeful the next cohort of grade 1 will provide me with a similar learning experience.