Welcome to my little corner of the internet! My name is Kayla Bryant, and I am a third grade teacher in Napa, California. I have been teaching for 5 years, and my favorite thing about teaching is helping my students meet their goals- academic, behavioral, or otherwise. Because of this, I have spent the last 3 years implementing goal setting strategies with my students. By setting goals in the classroom, I hope to instill in my students the lifelong skills of responsibility, and ownership of their learning and actions. I want my students to know and feel that they are in control of the learning they do, the things they accomplish, the way they behave, and their future. I want to teach students how to meet their goals, so that they can feel proud of their work and we can celebrate their learning together.
This year and throughout the program, I have been on a journey to try to simplify the goal setting process with my students, and to make it more engaging. One way I have been able to do this is with the inclusion of tech tools in the classroom. I hope that this website contains all of the tools and resources you need to implement goal setting strategies in your own classroom, however if you'd like to read more about my journey throughout my master's program with Touro, please check out my blog at kbryanttuc.weebly.com.
This year and throughout the program, I have been on a journey to try to simplify the goal setting process with my students, and to make it more engaging. One way I have been able to do this is with the inclusion of tech tools in the classroom. I hope that this website contains all of the tools and resources you need to implement goal setting strategies in your own classroom, however if you'd like to read more about my journey throughout my master's program with Touro, please check out my blog at kbryanttuc.weebly.com.
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that all students are capable of learning at high levels. Every student is different and deserves to be met where they are and taught at their own individual level. Supporting students in meeting their goals brings me the most joy as a teacher. Seeing students become engaged in the learning process and become lifelong learners is my ultimate goal for every child who enters my classroom. I believe that learning should be fun, interactive and customized.
Reflections on My JourneyMy journey through the Innovative Learning program with Touro University has been transforming. Before the opportunity presented itself with Napa Learns, I had never seriously considered obtaining my master’s degree. I didn’t think I needed or wanted it, but here I am having completed my courses and feeling eternally grateful for all of the knowledge that has made me a better teacher this year, and a mindset which will be with me for the rest of my career.
The biggest change that has occured in me this year, is a simple realization. I am a leader. This program has given me so much more confidence in myself as a teacher and a professional. I feel good about what I am doing in my classroom, and I feel capable of sharing that with others. I also learned how easy it is to access the innovative ideas of other educators around the world- and seeing them give TED talks, write articles and blogs, participate in Twitter chats, speak at conferences, create tutorial videos, publish books and articles, and so much more has inspired me. It has made me realize that my ideas have the potential to be powerful, and that I actually have the ability to influence changes in education in both big and small ways. Obtaining this degree alongside my newfound knowledge, passion and confidence will also enhance these opportunities for me. I am confident that this program has transformed me into more of a leader in the realm of education than a follower. I have many ideas to share with my fellow teachers, and many avenues through which to do this. I have learned, and continue to learn a lot about how to be the best teacher I can be. I am feeling equipped to be a lifelong learner in this ever changing career. |
Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning programOne of the main takeaways I have from this program is that our student's futures are largely unpredictable. It has been touched on repeatedly in my learning this year- by authors, speakers, writers, professors and teachers- how the rapidly accelerating pace of change in technology and development of information and ideas is putting us in a context of teaching students for a future that we have no understanding of. This has reminded me to focus on 21st century skills more in my classroom, because the students are going to need to have strategies in their pockets rather than specific skills. We as teachers are never going to be experts in the ever changing and developing field we have selected, and our students will likely be in the same position regardless of the career field they choose. We need to train them to be the creators of the new content, the authors, artists, leaders and activists that the future needs. This program has introduced me to a number of technology tools that I can use in my classroom today to encourage those strategies in my students, but has also given me a forward thinking mindset as a teacher. I know that the specific tools I used in this program will help me in the classroom today, but the program has also prepared me for the unknown of what is coming up in education. Instead of dreading change like many veteran educators of today do, I anticipate it. I am ready to learn about the tech tools that will be coming out in the next 5 years. I will not know how to use them all, but I promise to try them in my classroom with an open mind.
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TPACK in the Classroom
Developing an understanding of TPACK through this program has helped me to implement new technology tools into my classroom. This enhanced my student’s goal setting experiences and my ability to conduct meaningful research surrounding it. Using technology in the classroom in conjunction with pedagogy and content is the only way to use technology effectively in the classroom. Without pedagogy and content, technology has little to no purpose in the classroom. When the three are used in conjunction with each other, teachers can create lasting learning and inspire students to be their best.
Overall, what I’m hoping to share with the world of education after completing this program, is that innovating involves taking risks. We have to try out lots of new things, and keep only what works for our particular students with our content and curriculum. This means each year, innovating in the classroom may look different, not to say that we throw out what is tried and true, but to say that we can always find a way to make our teaching better- more interesting, more current, and more applicable.
Overall, what I’m hoping to share with the world of education after completing this program, is that innovating involves taking risks. We have to try out lots of new things, and keep only what works for our particular students with our content and curriculum. This means each year, innovating in the classroom may look different, not to say that we throw out what is tried and true, but to say that we can always find a way to make our teaching better- more interesting, more current, and more applicable.
Context for my work
In 2018 elementary school students are expected to work on and complete multiple online learning programs, engage in rigorous learning activities while behaving in class and at school, participate in extracurricular activities, and read nightly at home. These students, ranging from ages 4-12, tend to struggle to stay on track with what their learning goals and objectives are without the constant help of a parent or teacher. These students are learning in 21st century classrooms and they are getting ready to be lifelong earners. They need tools to help them stay organized and on top of their own learning. Students need to be able to keep track of their own data, test scores, reading points, program progress, behavior goals and progress.These challenges provide an opportunity for some exciting tools our students can use to keep themselves on track with their learning. These tools require students to be responsible for their own learning, creating a culture of student agency in the classroom.
In my 1st-3rd grade classrooms over the past 3 years, I have implemented goal setting strategies with my students. With my first and second graders I had been doing a lot of the goal setting work myself, printing out student’s scores, writing down where they should be, helping them establish goals, meeting with them individually or in small groups, and instructing the students on what to write on their papers, then checking in at the end of the time frame to do the whole process of pulling data and evaluating whether students met their goal and then meeting with them individually again. This process was great in the sense that students were getting a lot of feedback on where they were in the learning process, and thinking about what they could do to help themselves meet their goals. Students were becoming aware of what their goals were and how they could meet them, and were being held accountable for whether or not these goals were met.
In my 1st-3rd grade classrooms over the past 3 years, I have implemented goal setting strategies with my students. With my first and second graders I had been doing a lot of the goal setting work myself, printing out student’s scores, writing down where they should be, helping them establish goals, meeting with them individually or in small groups, and instructing the students on what to write on their papers, then checking in at the end of the time frame to do the whole process of pulling data and evaluating whether students met their goal and then meeting with them individually again. This process was great in the sense that students were getting a lot of feedback on where they were in the learning process, and thinking about what they could do to help themselves meet their goals. Students were becoming aware of what their goals were and how they could meet them, and were being held accountable for whether or not these goals were met.
