When discussing our results, we discovered that our findings were quite varied. We were not able to make general conclusions between classes, as our results were dependent upon so many factors. The different environments of our classrooms, and the unique needs of our learners, added to these variations.
One class noticed significant improvements when they recorded their work outside of the classroom. However, upon further discussion, we wondered if these students performed better because working in a space outside of the classroom was a very rare and special occurrence for the students. We also wondered if it was because the space that was chosen had very limited distractions for the students. The other classes did not find any significant differences, and wondered if this may be because the 'removed' environments that were chosen were not as motivating for students, as they tended to be areas where the students frequently worked in, for various small group lessons or activities. We also wondered if the areas chosen for these classes might have been more distracting as they were both high-traffic hallway and pod areas. Our results were even more varied when it came to timing. One class did not find any significant improvements when students were asked to record at a later time. When discussing this teacher's observations, it was noted that many of the students had moved on to other activities, and did not enjoy being interrupted from their next project in order to make another recording. It was also noted that they did not always share the same amount of details when recording at a later time. We wondered if this might be because students remembered what they had previously said, and didn't understand if or why they should be repeating the ideas they had recorded earlier. Some particular students though, seemed to be much more successful when recording at a later time. However, the unique student needs seemed to be a factor. One of the successful students may have benefitted from further time to process his thoughts and build vocabulary about their work. Another student may have benefitted from the later time due to peer role modelling, as he spent the time between recordings observing some of his peers making recordings about their work as well. Our discussion circled, and left us with a few general questions:
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We are a group of Kindergarten educators in Ontario, Canada. Archives
May 2017
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