1. What role does school play in building students’ agency and identity?
School plays a major role in how students build independence and explore their interests to build their unique identity. As teachers we are responsible for encouraging students to seek out what interests them and to explore those interests on a regular basis through the lens of school. If we can take a student's interests and turn it into a meaningful classroom project, we can drastically increase student participation and interest in school. This in turn leads into building and strengthening the identities of students.
2. How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples?
As teachers that work with very impressionable students, we are always aware that what way say will always have an impact on students. We have found that by giving students the ability to choose individual topics for their projects helps to increase their participation and investment in their own education. We try to be as positive as we can when students choose topics/ideas to discuss and use as many as possible. If students go too far off topic, we encourage students to think of other ideas, guiding them towards a topic that is still relevant and interests them rather than rejecting their ideas.
3. What would you do, if anything, to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice if you were the school leader?
If my school were using the seven habits, choice words could easily be tied to the 'think win-win' habit. Training for the habits would include a supplement on how using choice words in productive and positive manners would result in much better relationships with all students. This would not encourage teachers to be more positive, but it would also help students stay interested and invested in school.
4. What could you do, if anything, to make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on your site? Are those things within your sphere of influence?
I think that just thinking twice about what I will say to a student and rephrasing it in a much more constructive manner before I say it will be beneficial to all my students. Especially when they are acting up, in the end they are kids. By trying out different ways of using choice words, I will build more positive examples I can use with my coworkers to help them use those positively framed phrases.
5. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school choose words wisely?
1. Think twice before speaking on all occasions
2. Build positive experiences with students to encourage their independence using choice words
3. Relate those positive experiences to coworkers and help them use positive choice words
4. Share stories where choice words had a positive impact with parents
5. Encourage students to continue seeking out what interests them
School plays a major role in how students build independence and explore their interests to build their unique identity. As teachers we are responsible for encouraging students to seek out what interests them and to explore those interests on a regular basis through the lens of school. If we can take a student's interests and turn it into a meaningful classroom project, we can drastically increase student participation and interest in school. This in turn leads into building and strengthening the identities of students.
2. How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples?
As teachers that work with very impressionable students, we are always aware that what way say will always have an impact on students. We have found that by giving students the ability to choose individual topics for their projects helps to increase their participation and investment in their own education. We try to be as positive as we can when students choose topics/ideas to discuss and use as many as possible. If students go too far off topic, we encourage students to think of other ideas, guiding them towards a topic that is still relevant and interests them rather than rejecting their ideas.
3. What would you do, if anything, to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice if you were the school leader?
If my school were using the seven habits, choice words could easily be tied to the 'think win-win' habit. Training for the habits would include a supplement on how using choice words in productive and positive manners would result in much better relationships with all students. This would not encourage teachers to be more positive, but it would also help students stay interested and invested in school.
4. What could you do, if anything, to make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on your site? Are those things within your sphere of influence?
I think that just thinking twice about what I will say to a student and rephrasing it in a much more constructive manner before I say it will be beneficial to all my students. Especially when they are acting up, in the end they are kids. By trying out different ways of using choice words, I will build more positive examples I can use with my coworkers to help them use those positively framed phrases.
5. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school choose words wisely?
1. Think twice before speaking on all occasions
2. Build positive experiences with students to encourage their independence using choice words
3. Relate those positive experiences to coworkers and help them use positive choice words
4. Share stories where choice words had a positive impact with parents
5. Encourage students to continue seeking out what interests them