Shannon Zimmerman Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction Peer Essay Two

When there is something important and worthwhile to think about and a reason to think deeply, our students experience the kind of learning that has a lasting impact and powerful influence not only in the short term but also in the long haul. They not only learn; they learn how to learn. (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011)

The Looming Mountain: Thoughts on Making Thinking Visible

Learning a second language in a place where that language isnt spoken natively is a serious undertaking and progress is made by working hard week after week and class after class. As a teacher, Ive witnessed a lot of frustration. The acquisition of a second language can seem like a never ending process. Ive often observed students caught up in moments of frustration; the great progress theyve already made is oblivious to them but not to me. All that they can see is the great big mountain looming in front of them. The feeling of defeat and impossibility is expressed in their body language as they slump and let out a great sigh.

(Zimmerman, 2014)

I do my best to reassure the students in moments of growing impossibility. I insist they think back to the first days of class with hopes that they will perceive their progress. A very important question in my language learning environment is: How can I shift my students perspective from a feeling of impossibility to a feeling of capability? When I watched the video Making Thinking Visible (Ritchhart, 2011) from week two, I began to envision a solution to this very common feeling of overwhelm that my students have in the classroom. Making Thinking Visible is about documenting the process of thinking. It aims to show how the student or group of students is beginning to explore ideas, how they are connecting ideas and how theyre moving ideas forward in new directions. (Ritchhart, 2011) I envision my students creating their own visual resource that documents their progression through the language learning process. This visual documentation and reference will continue to teach as students refer back to ideas already covered which may even create more teachable moments. (MacBeath, 2014) I imagine the visual resource is like a journal in the form of a binder. So, when a student begins to enter this state of impossibility they have a physical reminder of their progress and dedication. Before I took the Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction class, I might have filled the visual reference with grammar lessons, writing homework or one of the other various things we do in class. However, after following my curiosity from the Making Thinking Visual video to the actual book, the visual reference Id like to create now has the ability to be so much more: projects, lessons, thoughts and questions that are about making meaning, building understanding, solving problems and making decisions. (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011) Most classes are taught using books and in our language class we could be creating the book together as we move forward in our language studies. In this way, the book becomes more meaningful and the process more engaging. While further exploring this idea, I realized the visual reference is very similar to the portfolio Im already creating in this course. Im building a portfolio to document my thought processes, what I find intriguing and to display my assessments so that I can show my dedication to professionalism. Coincidentally, many of my students are taking English classes for professional reasons and so the creation of a visual resource or portfolio has yet another level of practicality and meaning. The reference portfolio also showcases to employers the students abilities and their dedication to language acquisition

Finally, lets return back to the feeling of the looming mountain. After exploring this problem more in depth, Im left wondering: Maybe its not so bad? Maybe the experience of overwhelm is a necessary part of the learning journey? As it states so simply in Making Thinking Visual, We want our students to engage, struggle, question, explore and ultimately build understanding. (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011) So, the struggle is a needed piece in the construction of understanding and therefore could be an addition to the reference portfolio in the form of a structured reflection; a reflection that goes beyond voicing ones opinion or feelings and involves describing the object of ones reflection, connecting it to what one already knows and examining it through various lenses and frames. In this way, the feeling of overwhelm isnt just a problem, it becomes a meaningful process.

(Zimmerman, 2014)

References
MacBeath, John. "Video Lecture 3 Teaching for Learning." Lecture. Foundations of Teaching for Learning 1: Introduction Week Two. Coursera, Feb. 2014. Web. Feb. 2014.

Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print.

Making Thinking Visible. By Ron Ritchhart, Dr. Making Thinking Visible. Youtube, 22 July 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTYcZf40ag>.

Zimmerman, Shannon A Mountainous Feeling and Feeling Capable Digital images.