Changing the conversation...

If we are no longer teaching students what to think and instead encouraging them how to think, then it would stand to reason that our conversations at parent teacher interview also needs to be about the mechanics of thinking.

In an age of knowledge being just a click away, we no longer need to memorize information. We really need know how to find information and ascertain its accuracy. Good thinkers and good learners do this. There have been 16 Habits of Mind that have been identified in good learning. These skills range from persistence to asking good questions, and to metacognition (thinking about our thinking). Once we start focusing our teaching on facilitating learning, it becomes important to teach our students about good thinking. There are many websites, like edutopia, on the internet dedicated to the Habits of Mind. Our division even has a powerpoint circulating with pictures and definitions for teachers and students to view.

Thinking about using these tools with my own students got me to wondering about the conversations I would have with parents at our three-way-conferences. Being able to talk about habits that make for strong learning as opposed to focusing in on a subject area is an intriguing idea to me. So this reporting period I sent home information with my students for their parents about the 16 Habits of Mind. I also had a conference guide attached and had the students think about there best work this term, and identify the Habits of Mind that they were successful in using to be able to produce their finished product. I also asked them to look at their work that they identified as not their best, and identify a few of the Habits of Mind that they could have used to make the work better. Hopefully parents will take the time to read over the information and be familiar with these mind tools.

During our three-way conferences, I plan to steer the conversations as I usually do - having the student reflect on their learning and what they're doing well, and what they can work on. What will be different this time is that we will focus on the skills needed to be a good thinker. To become an even better thinker - what habits can they focus on for term two. I believe that this will be measurable. In the next round of interviews, we can view the students work again, and see if focusing in on 2 or 3 Habits of Mind increased their ability to think critically and creatively, and if it has a pay out in their classroom work and projects.

Occasionally we will focus on a specific Habit of Mind when exploring a new concept or creating a new project. Reminding the students of what that habit looks like, and modeling for them how they can use that habit to increase their level of thinking, should reinforce these tools and bring them into our everyday language.

The pace of change in education has started to move rapidly with the advancements in technology. Much of what we were taught as children is no longer relevant to the children of today. Now we must teach children to become critical and creative thinkers if we are to prepare them for their future.

Three-way-conference Guide for Parents
http://www.scribd.com/doc/114010670/Three-way-conference-Guide-for-Parents