Know Thy Impact

Know Thy Impact

This quote by John Hattie is self-explanatory of what should be happening in all our classes. We need to see the learning through our students’ eyes. Only then we will be able to know how our teaching is impacting on the learning of our students.

Let me share with you all the following post I received as I was wrapping up an online course on Learning to think and thinking to learn.

This course was a great challenge as it meant doing what I always did face to face but this time online. So I asked myself: how can I make teachers’ thinking visible in a virtual environment? So I came up with a 6-module online course which invited teachers to go through different activities which included lots of thinking routines and thought-provoking strategies.

The result was great! Most teachers got involved in this type of PD, I was able to reach teachers from all over the country: Comodoro Rivadavia, Cipoletti, Bariloche among other places and the response was great!!!

The posts teachers posted each and every week allowed me to know my impact and see their understanding as the course unfolded.

The following post gives a clear idea of what the outcome of the course looked like.
It helped me see (and feel) the impact the whole learning journey had had on the participants:

On Thu, Sep 20, 2018 at 9:20 PM Sazo Carolina (vía ESSARPC) wrote:
D151c-2018 » Foros » We say goodbye!! » Till we meet again!
Till we meet again!
de Carolina Sazo – jueves, 20 de septiembre de 2018, 20:46

Maria,
Taking this course has been sooooooo wonderful! I feel renewed, refreshed, full of enthusiasm again. I feel as if I have just got my degree!! (=energetic, motivated, happy! ). As I’ve said in all my posts I loved not only the hundreds of ideas you shared with us, but also your generosity, your claps when we made our thinking visible, your prompt and warm feedback… full of encouraging words and always challenging us to think even further. I’ve taken many professional development courses, but I can´t remember feeling so happy about complying with all I had to do. I loved the simplicity of every idea you shared (everything has always been connected to the power of technology…which tired me a little). I know that I can do wonders with a stack of post-it-notes, markers, chart paper, plastic pockets, tape, and slips of paper… like in the old times!
I will quote a famous phrase used by almost all of us… but as I’ve learnt to tweak things now I’ll give you my version.
The saying goes: «Travelling broadens the mind»…
My tweaked version: «Taking courses about Visible Thinking with María broadens the mind»!!
As somebody said in this group… I’m already missing you! Thank you for making me think so much… and reflecting on the way we do it!!!!
Kisses kisses kisses!!!
Caro
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How do you know your students understand? How do your students know they understand?
How do you measure your impact?

María