Ms. Miriam Steinberg
?It was pretty great to have Annie and Masami in the classroom documenting the way the class learns. We are a pretty noisy class. I was glad when they said to me, ?The class is so chaotic, but they are doing so much good learning!? The documentation process opened up conversations about how I teach and how the kids learn. Those conversations were exciting, reflective, and even validating to all the hard work we have been doing as a class all year.?
Masami:
?During this project, the children in the class responded extremely well to having Annie and I document their learning process. As a music teacher, I am always impressed with the children at concerts because they are all focused, trying their hardest, and on their best behavior. At these culminating events, families and friends are often taking pictures and providing the children with a respectful and admiring audience, and this project gave us a chance to bring that atmosphere into the classroom and show the students that we celebrate their learning process as much as the product. Their focus, effort, and behavior during this project was similar to that at our school concerts.?
Annie:
?To be honest, it was hard to find the time to get into the classroom for such a long period of time. But once we were in the classroom documenting the children and their work, I felt a tremendous sense of connection to the kids. I already knew all of the children very well, but being this intimate with their learning turned on a thousand lights in my mind and, at last(!), I felt I knew the whole child, how they struggle, how they process, and how they celebrate the a-ha moment.?