Leader of Pedogogy

LOP Message

It’s that time of the semester... again. Nervous glances at the letter box, racing brothers and sisters to be first to collect the mail, unexplained mood swings, doors slamming, tears, promises to do better, feeling like the ‘bad guy’, downward cast eyes and awkward silences at the dinner table. Perhaps it’s practiced nonchalance, a tossed aside 20 week carcass of learning, forgotten, torn, scrunched and used to kindle the winter fire. Maybe, it’s more of a celebration, an affirmation of everything done right with little care or consideration of what’s not being said. Whatever the reaction, one tiny envelope, that will be arriving soon, holds archillean power.

Reports. The dread of students, teachers and parents alike. How can we possibly convey two terms of learning in just three to four sentences? How can we use a report for more than merely a firestarter (both metaphorically and literally!)? How can we ensure our students/children draw meaningful information about their learning from the report?

It begins with a conversation.

I’m not talking about the learning conversations your child will have with their teachers on a daily basis. Nor, am I talking about the usual recount of events and activities your child experiences throughout their school day. Instead, I’m talking about the conversation you will have with your child after you lift the flap of that tiny envelope.

Your opinion of their report is what your child values the most. All facets of the report convey important information as to the learning progress of your child, what they have achieved and what they can do to move their learning forward. It is important that we don’t forget that learning is a continuous process. Perhaps they haven’t gone as well as they (or you) would like but this isn’t a permanent state of being. Their learning isn’t frozen in time. The ice always melts and the sun will still shine. So, try to hold back that initial emotionally charged reaction, be it overly positive or spiralling into the negative. Take a breath. Ask your child how they feel about their report...and allow the door to meaningful discussion open. Talk with them about their learning expectations and interests, where they think they need to focus on to move their learning forward, any challenges they are facing, why they have experienced success, learning goals they would like to set, and strategies to support them to achieve these.

These learning goals need to be realistic. “I want to move my grade from a C to an A by the end of the year”, possibly isn’t going to be realised in such a short time frame. Focus on setting small achievable goals that will go a long way in moving their learning forward: getting their classwork completed in class, asking the teacher questions for clarification, spending 10 minutes practising Maths each night, creating a study plan, bringing their pencil case each day to school, packing their bag at night - the list is endless.

It’s critical now, to keep that door open. The discussion doesn’t need to end when you fold the report back up and slip it back into that tiny envelope. Revisit the goals your child has set, check in with them in regards to the challenges they found and the strategies they identified. If needs be, check-in with their subject teachers, or their PAC teacher. The reports don’t need to be the achilles heel of your child’s learning journey. Harness the power to help move your child’s learning forward!

Eli Simpson

Leader of Pedagogy