According to Solarz, as teachers we need to place priority on personal improvement. Focus on the people your students will grow into, not just the current grade they are in.
I am loving this quote by Paul, "We don't care who is performing better than us. We care that we are performing to our highest level possible!" Today in my summer school group, I was reminded of this situation. Two of my students were discussing their current phonics level and you could sense the tone of competition among them.
Student A: I'm a level 16, what level are you?
Student B: Level 11 (sad face)
Overhearing this, I chimed in :)
You see, Student A had been at a Level 14 all year so has grown 2 levels. Student B had been at a level 5 and has grown 6 levels to that level 11! I immediately made that fact known. So while one student has mastered all levels, the other has shown tremendous growth. I praised both students and reminded them to keep practicing to their full potential. I think this type of feedback is definitely lacking in our classrooms. Everyone wants to focus on just "the grade" "the level."
Now, not only does the teacher need to provide constant feedback, students also need to provide specific feedback to each other. I will definitely use this technique from Paul Quality Boosters with my students this upcoming year.
Next week's topic is on Responsibility! Looking forward to sharing more about this amazing book with you! Before you leave, make sure to subscribe to my email newsletter HERE. You will receive a FREE Spanish prefixes unit just for signing up and joining my email club!
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