Leading Schools Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Name: Manisha Sodha Critical Friend: Beeta Moulik

Date: 01.08.14

What is PLP:

PLP is a benchmarking (touch stone) document that is evolved to reflect on our learning and past practices. The reflections, reviews and refinements are done with the help of critical friend (our mentor in PBL training). The Wicked Awesome Learning Opportunities (WALOs) provides us the opportunity to reflect, review and refine the PLP. The components of PLP are.....

1. What are you working on, and I hope to accomplish, in terms of...

A. The craft of teaching/working with students? (What are you working on)

I currently facilitate grade K1 level in TFU Prep unit. My current practices are more of the understanding based learning, relevant to the daily life and of application level.

As TFU itself defines explicitly so are my practices. They are more of experiential learning and building a strong base of the understanding of the concepts.

My sessions are designed to help my students grow in their 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, critical and creative thinking as well as their curiosity is nurtured. Rigour from all the three stake holders is an utmost demand of my practices

B. Collaborating with colleagues?

As TFU ideology says that a teacher must be aware of 2 years previous and 2 years ahead other than the grade she is teaching in. Moreover I have worked in grades Prek, K1 and K2, So working with any grade will not have any difficulty. So now I would take atleast 3 classes in a week in other grades

2. As you think about your Leading Schools Project…

a. What fierce wonderings are emerging? How will I combine my existing knowledge of TFU practices and new learning from PBL

training? How will I balance in creating the environment for differentiating my instructions, applying

my learning from PBL and meeting my curriculum demands? How will I manage to pass my learning to my co-teacher and the other team mates?

b. What do I hope to learn? As I know that I have all types of learners and their needs and learning styles are different so must be my sessions. Thus my goals are:

To create a learning environment such that variety of my learners learn using their own styles and fulfil their academic needs

To enhance the knowledge of my students parents in order to enable them to talk the same language that we use which will ultimately help my students to maximise their learning

To create an atmosphere of regular feedback- may it be teacher – students, student-student, Co-teachers and leader-teacher. Co-teacher and leaders feedback can be in terms of classroom practices and planning. Thus documentation of my plans and sessions will be play a major role

I hope to pass my learning to my immediate team mate- that is my co-teacher as we work together day in and out. Further we together share our practices with other team mates. Naturally the junior most team mates will be approached the most.

C) How might these be framed in an essential question or project

How to bring awareness in parents about developmental phases in all four domains in young kids (We had been doing till now through orientation and workshops- but still we have not got 100% results)

Design a set of at least three Wicked Awesome Learning Opportunities (WALOs) as possible next steps. The first WALO should be designed to help you reflect on your own practice; the second should be centered around how you share your with immediate colleagues and the last WALO asks you to lead members of your community. Ideas for WALOs are listed on the reverse—or you may design your own. Each WALO is an opportunity for action and reflection enabling you to address your essential questions.

Questions for critical friend conversations:

Touchstone questions for your inquiry journal and your conversations with your critical friend:

A) How can I manage to implement PBL practices in my daily planning

WALOs (Wicked Awesome Learning Opportunities):

Sending the plans and the videos of my session to my critical friend and getting the feedback from her and My team head- Bella Vyas

Keep a record of daily reflection and weekly check on my practices about “After reflecting, did I bring changes in my delivery, practice or planning skills?”