My first week of Learning Circle Discussions went well, I found my group had lots to discuss and were able to have some really productive conversations about the readings for the week. Each member of my group came to the discussion having read the textbook chapters and with some notes on their takeaways during meetings. We assigned roles to each group member, but also made sure to keep our own notes and guide the conversation as a group. We thought it was important that everyone had the chance to share their thoughts and ask questions they might have, so we ensured that everyone felt comfortable in their role. We also chose roles for next week so we can all come prepared. I would rate my group's functioning this week as adequate because we are still learning about each other and have much room to improve how we work together to have the best discussion possible. I expect this rating to continue to go up as we work together each week. The members of my group were Charlee A, Abigail G, Hailey J, Kari M, Kianna W, and myself. 

One of the key takeaways that we discussed in my group was how important timing of assessment is. We discussed how for many students the assessment is a make it or break it moment for students, as assessment is often used to gauge student success. So, when students are not assessed at the right time it can look like they are unable to do the task, when in reality they are still learning and are not yet ready for assessment. This means that as a teacher getting to know your students is so important. Knowing how each student learns and how to know when they are ready for assessment can be so beneficial to the student's success. The next thing my group took away from the readings is that students, parents, and teachers should all play a role in the assessment process. We discussed how it is important for students to understand what is expected of them in assessment which gives them a better opportunity to self assess, give their own feedback, and take feedback that they will apply. One of my group members mentioned that she had difficulty learning math in her schooling because she was never taught in a way that made sense to her. She brought up that if her teachers had included her in the assessment process she would have had the opportunity to express her needs and do better in the class. Along with the benefits of involving all parties in the assessment process, we also discussed our concerns. These concerns mostly centered around the involvement of parents. Our concern is that some students have parents that are very involved in their schooling and we do not want to cause a student to get in trouble at home if they are not doing well in an area of assessment. We also noted that some students do not have parental support in their home, so for those students relying on parental guidance will only put the child behind. In a perfect world we would have a parent who is able to support their child's learning by responding to the feedback of assessments done in school, but we know this is not always possible. So, we are not sure how as teachers this could be navigated. I believe this topic will be discussed again in another discussion as we did not come to a conclusion this week.

My group did not get to discuss all that we would have liked to because it took time for us to settle into our roles this week. But with next week's goals pre-determined we will be able to begin our discussion much quicker, allowing for a richer discussion and summary for next week.