Monday Motivator #19 2022-23

 

Open Your Mailbox: This strategy comes from Panorama Ed Playbook:

Goal

The goal of using this strategy is to create a safe space in which students are expressing what they need to engage in their learning.

Action

This short ritual focuses on creating a safe and inclusive space for students to share what they need in order to succeed as a learner.

Preparation:

• Consider preparing sentences as a scaffold for students who will benefit. For example: “For me to learn this morning, I need my teacher to ___ and my classmates to ___.”

Instructions:

(1) At the beginning of the day (or at the start of a learning block) have students form a circle. They can be standing or sitting at their desks.

(2) Prompt students to go in a circle and, if they feel comfortable, share what they need to be effective as a learner that day.

• Ensure that students know it is totally optional to share. If they do not share, the expectation is that they pay close attention to the students who are expressing their learning needs.

(3) Close this activity by affirming that you have heard these needs and share that you will do your best to honor them throughout the day/period.

When You Might Use This Strategy:

• Use the strategy at the start of the instructional day or learning block as an opportunity for students who would like to explain to their teachers and peers in a safe space what they need for the block of work time to be effective.

Why this works

Teachers actively trying to create learning partnerships with students can use it to build engagement and empathy in the classroom. It also helps better engage kids who don’t typically express what they need to learn.