Learning Log

*Add note about weekly celebrations logged and sent home and how that also develops and reinforces a positive relationship with the book and self-discipline. *

This is our Learning Log, a beacon map of sorts. We'll call out celebrations in these from time to time, and they will also serve to help us note places where our ship struggled, floundered—an opportunity for us to make notes to help us better navigate the Seas of Tomorrow, individually and collectively. Throughout the year and at the end of the year, we will map out and re-examine some of our challenges + celebrations and maybe we will even think of ways to strengthen and pass the torch onto the next generation. 

I don't imagine we'll have many of these related to behavior because you guys have been practicing for a while now and you're getting pretty well-versed; you know the ropes. But if something comes up in class that we aren't able to resolve in the moment, I'll ask you to make a note in your Learning Log so that we can review, explore and discuss later. 

Say, for an example—that you're really excited about something we're learning about, but I'm still working to give the classroom crew all the information they need to navigate the seas ahead. You're having trouble managing your excitement, which threatens the entire crew with distraction as we endeavor to prepare to navigate the Seas of Tomorrow. 

I'll let you know non-verbally and then verbally that I'm feeling distracted by your choices, but—and this is important—this isn't *my* classroom—this is *OUR* classroom, our Planet. This community here is a microcosm of all of Spaceship Earth—a planet full of people and challenges which will offer up plenty of dangerous distractions to test and call upon your superpowers. So this is our training ground, our safe place to practice. I encourage you guys to step up as the Superheroes that you are and support each other with gentle reminders.

You don't even have to speak—you can catch their eye and smile and nod in the direction of the action, you can gently touch their shoulder or arm—we all know what this means. We're quickly advancing in our lifelong pursuit of Superhero Training—we know what's up.

We all understand that feeling of excitement, but we also remember how high we want to soar, how much awesome magical treasure there is yet to unlock—so we help each other and, in so doing, we help Ourselves.

If you feel that, after both the non-verbal and verbal reminders, you need to remove yourself to the Thinking Cabin, you may step away and answer these questions 3 (What happened? Why did it happen? How can we make it better?) in your Learning Logs. I will review these as necessary, and we will work together to navigate obstacles as they arise, and we can always set aside a time during recess or before or after class to discuss any particularly challenging or interesting scenarios.

<Quick role play, volunteer holds up a flag to signal a distraction—I make eye contact or move in that direction for a nonverbal warning, then give a verbal warning to clarify the distraction, then ask the student if they need to step away—practicing both yes and no answers.>

So, like I said, I doubt we'll need to use that often, but should it arise, we're now all prepared. 

The other use for our Learning Log, and one we will enjoy far more often, is the habit of noting goals—they can be academic or personal, but here we will explore them and outline our maps to our treasures, reviewing, collaborating, celebrating and honing along the journey. Feel free to include pictures, sketches, graphs and diagrams to illustrate your notes—we will review and build on these throughout the year.