Carlos: Growth in collaboration
Carlos is one of the ‘high flyers’ in our classroom. He is very academically successful but has faced more social challenges. At the beginning of the year, he viewed collaboration as a competition between two students, rather than a partnership. Through carefully structured socioemotional lessons and a gradual release towards independent partner work, he has grown tremendously. While selecting an appropriate partner is critical for this growth to be visible, he has demonstrated he has the interpersonal and emotional tools to communicate with a partner. During our final science lesson, he called me over to show off what a nice job his partner was doing on her part of their poster. He pointed out to me what a talented artist she was with excitement and admiration
in his voice. The ability to recognize someone else’s strengths and appreciate them without jealousy or competition illustrates tremendous interpersonal growth in Carlos.
Jhondree: Growth in Productive Struggle
At the start of the year, Jhondree would act out when work has difficult for him. Due to communication barriers as a result of Apraxia, engaging in productive struggle has been significantly more difficult. Through time and trust, Jhondree has begun to engage in more productive struggle.
As time has gone on, Jhondree has become more comfortable using his ACC device to communicate with me when we are faced with a communication barrier. He has also gotten more comfortable and willing to participate in writing and letter formation. When we first began working together, he was not willing to attempt to draw or write in front of me out of shyness. Through working hard to develop a trusting relationship, he wrote a full sentence during my literacy station in April for the first time that entire year. I do not have an image of his work because he wanted to keep his work private.
Arlyn: Growth in Connections
The first day I met Arlyn she told me she hated
school. Over the course of many months, she frequently asked “when are we going home?” repeatedly throughout the day (see here how my analysis of these statements helped me create powerful learning). As Arlyn began to make connections between herself and her academic learning, I watched the vibrant, excited student inside of her awaken and flourish. Arlyn’s wealth of knowledge about climate having lived in two different climate zones and her excitement to share it created incredibly authentic learning experiences for herself and her peers.