Multiple Instructional Strategies
One of my first observations in the classroom was how differently all of my students learn. I remember getting back the first batch of reflections my students had written. Some of the reflections lauded how small group and large group discussion was an integral part of my classroom; these students talked about how this clicked with them, made learning easy and engaging. I also remember students who said they were totally lost in our small and large group discussions, that these totally didn't work for them. Throughout the semester, I was continually asking my students to give me this kind of feedback about what worked and didn't work for them, and I was continually modifying, adapting, shifting and trying new instructional strategies. For example, after these first reflections, I incorporated more hands-on, kinesthetic work where students can learn and demonstrate learning through more concrete and tangible ways (even being more interdisciplinary, including trying to incorporate mathematics into the classroom! See the Blame Wheels under "Other Student Artifacts"). Students also used critical thinking in a variety of ways through the various creative, independent writing projects assigned throughout the semester.
