The past two weeks have been extremely exciting in our Kindergarten classroom, as we have unlocked the approaches to learning toolbox! Our students were introduced to the approaches to learning including self-management skills, thinking skills, communication skills, social skills and research skills. As a teacher candidate, sometimes I question and wonder how in-depth or how much information are students able to comprehend. My students continue to amaze and inspire my teaching with the way that they respond to new ideas and concepts. Introducing the approaches to learning was just another example that demonstrated the capability of Kindergarten students to obtain new knowledge.
In my opinion, part of the reason the approaches to learning toolbox was so well received was the excitement and enthusiasm that my school advisor exuded. My advisor made the approaches come to life! Not only did we have pictures of the tools but we also had tangible plastic tools for the students to utilize. For each approach we had the students do hand actions to mimic the tools at work. For example, the saw was used as the research approach to learning and students had to saw away with hand motions in order to get at the relevant information. As a result, this lesson was fun and engaging for all students!
After reflecting on the approaches to learning, I am reminded that similar to the IB learner profile words, it is important to use the approaches to learning language in our daily lessons. The more we immerse our students with the terminology the more natural it will become! For example, we complimented our students’ positive work ethic by expressing how they were using their tool of self-management. Overall, it was great to observe students first experiences with the approaches to learning. I am now excited to create lessons that incorporate and challenge students to use their new “tools” of learning!