Can it really be the end of the second course already in my DLL journey? I reflect on what I have experienced so far and sometimes it is just a blur. Then I really reflect by writing a blog post on here and realize what the beginning of this journey has meant to me so far. It has given me direction in my classroom and the guts to try new things with my students (like introducing the growth mindset). I know that I have a long way to go before I can say that my classroom is a COVA model, …

Sometimes I wonder whether it is truly on; or in other words, is anyone listening to what I am saying? If you walk into my classroom, that may or may not be evident, some days more than others, but overall I would hope that my students are listening when I am talking. Do I really want them to though? Shouldn’t I be pushing them to create and explore in their own way? They should only need to listen to me when they are asking for guidance or clarification or maybe some help with finding their path. I think about the way …

Reflecting on some of the reading I have done over the past week has me really wondering ‘how’? How will I get started with implementing the COVA approach in my classroom? What can I really expect my fifth-graders to accomplish? How do I get my students to take initiative and make choices for their own learning? As you can see I have a lot of questions going through my head right now. I know there are more questions that I want to be answered as well, but I don’t think my brain will allow me to ask them yet since …

I continue to wonder about my abilities to implement a true COVA environment in my fifth-grade classroom. I know that I believe in the COVA model and the philosophy behind it. I know that if my students “aren’t thinking about the learning process, we must ask if they are really learning?” (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, Cummings 2018). Fighting with my fixed mindset about this is becoming a daily grind for me, and starting to really be frustrating, but I know that I cannot give up for the sake of my students. I used Choice menus last school year in my classroom and thought I was providing …

To answer this question, I believe you have to ask yourself, Can the students truly take their portfolio with them wherever they go? What if a student leaves a school district? Can they continue building that portfolio to show off their learning? What if they can’t take it with them? Then what? All of these questions need to be considered if we are truly going to understand if we are giving our students a true choice in their learning. My students have their own digital portfolios on Weebly as soon as they start third grade. These websites are created and controlled …