Observations

Dear Campus School Families,

The other day one of our students was walking into school with a plant. When I asked what it was for (thinking it might be a gift for his teacher) he said it was part of a class study and admitted, in a very serious manner, “I just don’t know enough about botany.” I smiled and thought this is a student who is taking ownership of his learning.

First, of course, he was aware that botany is a field of study. Good start. And he was self-reflective, aware that he needed – and wanted – to learn more about the subject. Again, a good orientation. This type of awareness is critical for learning. It shows that the student is self-assessing, expressing a desire to learn more, and intent on doing so: awareness, intent, and agency.

This is what we want of our students – that they are active participants in their own learning, that they have the meta-cognitive tools needed to know who they are as learners, and that they have the resilience and resourcefulness necessary to take action and learn. It was powerful to see these qualities demonstrated in a 10 second conversation one morning before school.

Warmly, 

Chris