We're Moving Our Thinking!

While I'm moving around the room,
Sometimes frantically...lots of hands, lots of questions, lots of off task behavior,
Sometimes calmly...checking understanding, noticing corrections, listening to on task behavior,
I am starting to notice that my students are moving their thinking.
As I redirect their attention to the how-to sheets or explanation videos,
I keep my fingers crossed that they will me able to make the connection needed to move their thinking.
I got to witness that today in several ways.

While yesterday required me to add to my spoon collection,
Today more and more students put their spoons away and took up their iPads instead.
I could tell there was more "minds-on" thinking.
As I meandered around my domain, students would stop me to show me their progress.
And yes, they were making progress!
I could see it in their eyes as they explained the process to me...
Pride at accomplishing something on their own.

This is my goal.
To get every student to feel that sense of accomplishment when they truly understand something from their own making.
And not just asking for the spoon and hoping to be fed the answer
(which by the way...I don't spoon feed answers.  If anything, I dish out the questions to spur on more thinking.)

Students also reached the point where they needed to check their answers.
After returning to their desks, they worked on finding out what they did wrong.
I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO TELL THEM TO DO SO!
They wanted to!

I realize it will take time to get to the picture of the serene, self-serving, well-oiled classroom that I have pictured in my mind.  After reading in Ch. 6, I noted that I have been the ferry that has taken my students from one place to another.  It is time that I teach them to drive across the bridge.  And that is the key.  It will take time to get them to drive on their own.  They need to know when to break, turn around to go back, forge ahead and make mistakes, only to get back on the bridge to try again.