December 14th News
MS/HS Materials Pick Up
We're hosting materials pick up on Tuesday, December 15th from 10 am - 4pm from the IHHS Lobby. If your IHBVA Middle Schooler has school photos to be picked up or your IHBVA High Schooler has course textbooks , someone will be on site to get these items to you. More details can be found here.
Mindframes: Know where you are going and have the confidence to take on the challenge.
Online Learning & Teaching Practices
Each week, Brave Virtual Academy teachers and I discuss our core principles at the heart of BVA.
- Personalization: providing unique learning pathways for individual students
- Agency: giving learners opportunities to participate in key decisions in their learning experience
- Authentic Audience: giving learners the opportunity to create for a real audience both locally and globally
- Connectivity: giving learners opportunities to experience learning in collaboration with peers and experts locally and globally
- Creativity: providing learners individual and collaborative opportunities to make things that matter while building skills for their future.
As a part of our BVA Community Book Club, participants learned from the Distance Learning Playbook for Parents about "mindframes". Student mindframes highlight the skills of self-regulation or "the ability to control one's behavior, emotions, and thoughts - in pursuit of long term goals" (p. 100). Last week, we talked about the first mindframe, "Know your current level of understanding" which focuses on teaching learners to understand what they currently know and what they need to learn next to continue to grow.
This week's mindframe is "Know where you are going and have the confidence to take on the challenge" (p. 105). This mindframe has two elements; clarity in where the goal lies, with flexibility in path on how to get there. The second element is the focus on the right amount of confidence. "Overly confident students actually learn less, but optimistically confident students learn more. Importantly, confidence develops with experience" (p. 106).
This mindframe speaks to me about the importance of the clarity of goals for learners. Lack of clarity of goals and purpose leads to passive or unengaged learners. Learning should be at an appropriate level of challenge or stretch and it will take lots of hard work and practice to develop expertise and confidence. When learning becomes divorced from meaning or purpose, however, is when it becomes a chore and is likely not helping your child to progress.
How can parents help learners with
gaining confidence through experience?
Set individual and family goals.
Set a monthly challenge goal with your child.
Clarify importance/practical outcomes of learning goals with your children. If you are not sure on the purpose of the work or the lesson, your child may not be either. This is a great opportunity to communicate with your child's teachers.
Encourage your child in taking risks in their learning.
Focus measuring growth against one's self vs. others.
From The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents; Wiseman, Fisher, Frey, & Hattie, 2021
enrichment: In the Kitchen
This Week's Enrichment Resources
Each week I'll post resources that offer extension and enrichment opportunities for our BVA learners.
This week, we're talking about time in the kitchen! As we look at our upcoming winter break, that time may afford more opportunities for students to learn how to plan and make their own lunches and to participate in making recipes, family style. One of the positive things that some of our BVA families reported is that by having their children at home, there was an opportunity to for them to help with caring for themselves and other family members. One family has their second-grader plan the menus for each day. Another family reported that their child is in charge of his own and his mom's lunch each day. Kids spending time in learning how to cook increases confidence and can even be a source of connection with others and stress release. In any case, a little more practical skill building in the kitchen can't hurt.
BVA Community Book Club
Thanks to those of you who joined us in reading The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents by Wiseman, Fischer, Frey, and Hattie. The content sparked some great ideas and conversation. The most valuable part was the discussion with one another about what was working and not working with our children at home.
Next semester, we plan to run another session for The Distance Learning Playbook based on feedback from our first group. We'll also jump into a new book club for What School Could Be by Ted Dintersmith.
Signups are coming in January! Stay tuned!
Interested in serving as an expert in our classrooms?
Fill out this form and we'll match you up with the right content and grade level.
Upcoming Events
NO SCHOOL
Winter Recess - December 21st - January 1st
Did You Know?
We have virtual clubs and activities available for learners? And more to come soon!
Middle School - Student Arrow - Watch Our Student Announcements to Learn More
MS Virtual Clubs - Future Cities | Power of the Pen | Latin Club | Math Counts
High School - 20-21 Activities Handbook;
Bring 2 Change, Courageous Conversations, Fragments, French Club, Partner's Club, Red Cross Club, Competitive Writing Team, & Writing Club are All BVA Friendly
Braves Beat - Keep Up with HS Happenings!
BVA Community Town Hall Meetings
You can see all of our resources and recordings here.
We'll be back with more meetings next semester!
In the meantime, check out our
Picture Days
Check Your Child's School Newsletter
Didn't get your child's school photo taken this year? You can send in a photo of your child to your child's building yearbook leader
PS - Lauren Girdler
ES - Andrea Thomas
MS - Nicole Zistler
HS - Julie Pfeiffer
____________________________________________
Outside resources shared through this newsletter are meant to be informational, and are not officially endorsed by Indian Hill Schools.