The Importance of Expectation and Reflection
Learning results from action and reflection.
Ralph Peterson, Life in a Crowded Place: Making a Learning Community
When teachers think of expectations, most often our minds turn to the physical expectations for how a classroom will function. Getting large groups of children safely and efficiently from point A to point Z (and all the other points in between) with some modicum of order takes up a large part of a teacher’s brain space. Expectations for routines and behaviors, such as how students will share thinking within a whole group setting, or how materials and resources will be used and shared, when and by whom, underlie much of how a classroom operates.
However, expectations of learners as learners is something quite different. Expectation as a condition of learning makes Engagement more likely to occur and Engagement, as we know, is central to all learning. Expectations influence “both how learners view themselves and how they are viewed by significant others” (Crouch and Cambourne, 2020).
The expectations a teacher holds for learners, whether a teacher believes in a learner’s abilities and capabilities, is directly related to what learning opportunities take place for that learner. “Pedagogy begins with a teacher’s beliefs in and expectations for students’ abilities, which, in turn, drives the direction, instructional choices, and opportunities that are made available” (Jackson, 2016).
It’s within these learning opportunities that children develop their own learning narratives, the stories they tell themselves about their own abilities. These learning narratives are powerful mindsets that underlie and affect a learner’s ability to grow as an independent learner (Hammond, 2015). Knowing our children’s narratives is vital if we are to help them learn.
As we teach, being aware of how a learner’s narrative about their own abilities is shifting towards independence is crucial. One way this shift towards independence happens is when children become aware of the positive possibilities and opportunities available to them. Each of these possibilities and opportunities affects and is affected by the positive expectations held for the learner and by the learner. Over time, the learner’s narrative reflects these beliefs.
So how do children become aware of those positive expectations? Obviously, learners need to experience learning opportunities that position them to engage and be successful in “productive struggles.” In addition, the ways we center children to not only “do” what we are learning but also reflect on and discuss the “doing” itself matters just as much as the learning opportunities they experience. Reflection “slows us down” and asks all of us learners, regardless of age, to “reach judgments about what we have done” (Peterson, 1992).
Reflection and discussion leans into the social dimension of learning, too, supporting a learner’s ability to appreciate multiple ways of thinking about things (Johnston, 2012). Recognizing this multiplicity in other’s thinking can facilitate thinking critically about our own responses to learning. Reflecting and talking with others “about our thinking is crucial for us to construct, clarify, interpret, adjust, and expand our understandings” (Crouch and Cambourne, 2020). Listening to students in these moments of reflection and discussion reveals much about the learning narratives they are creating.
In the 2nd and 3rd grade classes I’m currently teaching, my teaching colleagues and I crafted units of study for writing nonfiction. What follows is a collection of the children’s voices as they reflected on the learning experiences within the unit they had experienced and how sometimes what they thought might not be so good turns out to be even better than expected.
Into the Classroom
After the 3rd graders’ nonfiction books were written and our celebrations were fond memories, I asked the students to reflect on this question: As we wrote our nonfiction books, what did you learn about yourself as a writer?
Dayanna started us thinking with this thought, “Researching helps you get ideas.” David added, “Lots of researching.”
Aniyah said, “At first I didn’t believe I could do it.” When asked what she did to help herself, she added, “I was patient and I kept on reading.”
Itzayana shared, “You can focus even when others bother you.”
Later, Jesslynn concluded the conversation with these wise words: “You can do it even if you don’t believe you can. You just can’t give up.”
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The 2nd graders wrote nonfiction books, too. After a planned celebration (reading their books to a kindergarten class) was postponed due to scheduling conflicts, several days passed before I was able to reschedule with the kindergarten teacher. In the meantime, Ailani, one of the 2nd graders, asked me every single day, “When are we going to kindergarten to read our books?” My response was always the same, “I have to talk with the teacher to find a good time for us to come.” Each time, I could see Ailani’s disappointment in my response.
After several days of pursuing the issue, Ailani once again posed her question. This time, however, she revealed more of her thinking (as well as her growing frustration). In an exasperated voice, she began, “Ms. Debra, when are we going to kindergarten to read our books…” and as I started to repeat my same adult-centered excuse, Ailani continued with her new and extended thinking about writing, on which she had obviously been reflecting. She added, quite emphatically, “cause then what did we write our books for?”
(Needless to say, our rescheduled celebration appeared on the calendar later that day!)
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The day finally arrived for the 2nd graders to visit kindergarten and read their books. Before we left our classroom, the students and I met in a circle to reflect on how they were feeling about going to share their books with kindergarten students. Several shared how excited they were and how much they hoped the kids would like their books.
But Endy voiced a different emotion, which several other students felt, too, as confirmed by their nodding heads: “I feel scared to read my book.”
“What do you feel scared about?” I probed.
“I don’t know. I just feel scared.”
To the class, I said, “Do you remember some of the things we can do when we feel scared?”
“Take deep breaths.” “Sit with a friend or your partner.” “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
Off we went to kindergarten, where the 2nd graders, with their partners beside them, met with small groups of students and read their books. After the visit, we returned to our classroom and met again to reflect on the experience. Endy needed no prompting to share. With a huge grin, he burst out: “It was so good!”
“Endy, can you share how you felt before we went to read our books and how you’re feeling now?” I asked.
Before we went to the kindergarten, I was feeling so scared ‘cause I didn’t know if they would like my book. But now I feel so happy!”
“Can you tell us why you feel so happy? What changed your thinking?” I probed.
Because they were so respectful. They listened to my book and wanted to see the pictures and they asked me questions. They were so respectful and now I feel so happy. I didn’t think it would be good but it was!”
Teacher decisions that affect the Conditions of Learning
Making the decision to allot time for reflections with students gives teachers such insight into how children see themselves as learners. This decision also allows teachers to learn how the students view the learning experiences we are creating in our classrooms. In both planned and unplanned settings, we come to know about their learning narratives by:
· Reflecting on the processes of learning. Often we may celebrate the writing students produce, but less often do we give time for students to notice what they did as learners to create that writing. In their reflections, these 3rd grade students recognized how they took responsibility for their own learning processes. They named the decisions they made about what they can do to become independent learners. They identified how reading, researching, and staying focused as a writer, even “when others bother you,” supported them to be successful writers, even “if you don’t believe” you can do it just yet. Knowing what one did and can do again is what learning is all about.
· Listening to what is important to the kids. Ailani’s persistence in her need to share her writing and willingness to be proactive about that need demonstrates responsibility. Her reflection “cause then what did we write our books for?” shows her developing sense of herself as a writer. It also reveals her growing understanding of the purpose of what is being learned, a principle of engagement.
· Valuing the emotional aspect of learning to be a learner. Through reflections on their own learning experiences, each of these groups of young students voiced an important idea for future learning: that one’s initial response to what is being learned or experienced can change in a positive way. Aniyah and Jesslynn both acknowledged a change in their belief in their own abilities to write a nonfiction book. Endy’s delight in discovering an initially scary event can turn out to be a wonderful experience is undeniable: “I didn’t think it would be good but it was!” What might this mean for these students in future learning settings? Knowing you can change your own response to new learning situations, and, therefore your own expectations of yourself, is what leads to independence in learning.
Try this out
· How do you and your students share expectations about learning experiences, both before and after the experience itself? What do you learn from the sharing?
· When you plan for celebrations of learning, do you build in time to discuss student’s feelings about the experience before it occurs? Those feelings may range from excitement to apprehension—keep in mind that students may view what we call ‘celebration’ very differently!
· Do you also create a space for students to reflect on the experience of the celebration after it occurs? Why or why not?
· Make notes of student’s reflections on their learning. What do your notes tell you about them as individuals? What patterns do you notice and how might that affect your teaching?