As we are fast approaching the end of another school year, I am busying myself with our yearly Professional Growth Meetings, in which teachers share self and peer reflections on their teaching practices gathered in their Professional Growth Portfolio. This year, teachers embraced the use of video to analyse student engagement, providing insights into their classrooms and where they would like to grow and improve so students learn better. The conversations during these meetings always leave me feeling inspired.
In a conversation this morning, the teacher mentioned that through the self-observation and peer feedback process, she gained valuable insights into her classroom management and ability to identify disengaged students. While she demonstrated strengths in setting clear learning goals, the teacher also recognized areas for improvement, such as further differentiating instruction for certain students. The feedback from her peers was invaluable, providing creative engagement ideas like using a carpet area, exit tickets, and self-assessment strategies to enhance her teaching practices. She felt this collaborative approach fostered a supportive environment in which teachers learn from one another.
The teacher's portfolio showcased remarkable growth, with examples of her work on teaching writing and the progress made by students after employing strategies like scaffolding and using success criteria. She felt her assessment and feedback strategies had significantly evolved, contributing to our school's literacy focus through analysing writing samples, implementing targeted writing strategies, using peer collaboration and assessment, and connecting writing to unit topics and the Exhibition for students to have authentic audiences.
Overall, this teacher's journey encapsulates the professional growth we strive for at Windhoek International School. It highlights the power of self-reflection, collaboration, implementing new strategies, and ultimately, positively impacting student learning and engagement. A key part of her success has been learning and growing from others, something we should all aspire to as a community of learners.
One key question I like to ask is what teachers have used recently from their reading that has significantly changed something in their practice. The teacher mentioned a powerful strategy called ‘positivity roasting’, from the book 50 Engagement Hacks in the Classroom, borrowed from our professional learning library. She wanted to improve the culture of kindness in her classroom. ‘Positivity roasting’ is an activity where students engage in giving sincere, positive compliments or affirmations to their classmates. The term "roasting" is usually associated with making jokes at someone's expense, but in this case, it is a twist where the "roasting" is focused on highlighting positive traits instead. Some potential examples could include students taking turns saying something they appreciate about each of their classmates, writing positive notes/messages about peers and having a "roast" where they read them aloud, or a game where students try to outdo each other with the nicest compliments they can give others.
I am excited to continue supporting our teachers' professional growth and exploring opportunities to share successful strategies like the "positivity roasting" approach, which has positively transformed this teacher's classroom culture. By sharing such strategies during our staff meetings, we can drive professional growth school-wide and continue to inspire one another.
Warm regards,
Marcelle van Leenen | Primary School Principal
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