Because I am teaching in the cafeteria this year (fondly referred to as the classeteria), I found it wildly important to go 100% digital. So far, it has worked well, with lots of grace and patience extended to both students AND The teacher. I do my best to maintain a growth mindset, especially with how we have had to start the year; however, I have noticed that there are some things that make my tiny "fixed mindset" voice rise up and scream in protest--like grading procedures and the idea that I don't have to grade EVERYTHING my students do. Fortunately, my growth mindset voice wins in the end, and keeps me on the right track.
I love the idea of Universal Design Learning, because it helps students to understand the "why" behind the lessons. So often, teachers focus so much on content that they forget to stop and explain the reasoning behind what they are learning. Over the last several years , I have done my best to explain to my students WHY we do some of the more complex things we do, the way we do them. I have found that when I do this, my students are able to focus better on competing their work. Conversely, when I tell them they have to do it a certain way "because I said so," fewer of my students will engage with the lesson or the work. Like most people, they just want to know that they are not just wasting their time by doing busy work.
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