The Co-Op Classroom Part 4: The Final Post

 I am thrilled to be back to posting blogs this week. I know there has been some stagnant time since the start of the month and this post, however, I decided to take the advice of putting myself first and taking time over Spring Break for self-care. Although I do admit, I missed writing, I think taking time to read, exercise, and re-energize was just the key to powering up for the final blog in this min-series. 

Recently I've met with my co-op to talk about a few different tech. tools she has been learning about, and I've been infusing into classroom learning. Shout out to my students for trying Blooket for the first time! It really is the updated version of Kahoot! Based on a recent poll, my students enjoy both, but Blooket was the fan favorite due to its accessibility and it shows the answers in the blocks (traditional view.) 

What I appreciated most about my co-op's work was that the game directly reflected the concepts in one of our math lessons we recently completed. This was a great spiral review for the class, and I personally feel it helped them perform better on their latest quiz. 

The next few projects we collaborated on have been interactive presentations using Google Jamboard and Google Slides with Pear Deck. Immediately I suggested the topics of poetry month and Earth Day, as they are integrated into our curriculum for the month. It took some time to figure out how to integrate poetry in with a Google Jambaord, but with some "outside the box" thinking, we figured out how to make poetry interactive for both reading and writing. 

What I feel should take center state here is the collaborative work and time spent on idea development. I always believe in front-loading the work; planning for me has always been a key element to successful lessons for both content and classroom management. By sharing our ideas of what might work well, and what won't, we were able to meet at a place where all the learning needs and objectives were met, and she could integrate the technology properly. 

Working together sounds easier that it really can be at times. There's a time where you (as a veteran teacher) need to follow the lead of your co-op, and there's also time when you know to step in and share ideas to get creative. I always appreciate the work used with my students more knowing the ideas were generated together. 

If there's one thing I've learned from this whole experience it's this: always keep relevant. It's not enough to rest on your years of experience. Veteran teachers need to reman relevant and continue to pursue  their own professional development. This is the best way we can support our co-ops, students, and ourselves as educators. 

Here are some final thoughts as this mini-series comes to a close... Keep learning from others- and don't be intimidated by the early educator who seems to know more than you. We all need each other! Keep up with learning and PD, it's the best way to stay current. Keep remembering your "why" and use that as fuel to keep going, and share your passion with others. Early educators need us as mentors to inspire them to stay in the field and love what they do!