Graduation: Not and End but a Stepping Stone

The seniors at my school graduated last Saturday. It is tradition for all the faculty to wear gowns and march behind a bagpiper playing “Pomp and Circumstance” with the seniors following close behind. The faculty lines up in two rows on either side of a red carpet. The seniors march between us and passed rows […]
Outsource Memories and Create Metrics for Growth and Change with Reflection

How are you feeling right now? Maybe you’re energized and bubbling with ideas for next year? On the other hand, maybe you’re burned out, ready for sunshine and days reading in your backyard? Either way, the end of the school year is the most powerful season for reflection. Why Reflect? For one year I wrote […]
Let Go of the Reins to Allow for Student Self-Advocacy

Let Go of the Reins to Allow for Student Self-Advocacy Written By Starr Sackstein Control, the false sense of knowing the outcome as the plan is put into action. Tightly holding the reins, manipulating the space to achieve a perceived understanding of success, all to maintain the illusion. Does this sound familiar? This is how […]
Bringing Reflection into Your Classroom: Why It Matters

Listen to this podcast featuring Starr Sackstein and Robert Pennington to learn why student reflection is so essential to mastery and how to bring reflection into your classroom successfully. Follow on Twitter: @robpennington9 @MsSackstein @ASCD @bamradionetwork Are you interested in learning more about reflection practices? Connect with a Mastery Portfolio team member.
Deepen Reflection, Deepen Learning

Teachers can learn a lot from asking students to reflect and self-assess against the standards and we do the students and ourselves a disservice by not making it an expectation. Perhaps writing a reflection like this isn’t appropriate for every class, maybe a video or voice recording would be better.
Video: 6 Tips For Going Gradeless

Change the conversation about grading to one about learning. When a student asks, “what did I get?” redirect him/her to “what did you learn?” The language we use around learning matters, so we must be intentional when students want to talk about progress. Try to avoid speaking in terms of numbers and letters and focus […]
Teaching Students to Reflect and Self-Assess

Teachers can facilitate deep reflection and self-assessment even as young as in Kindergarten.
Scaffold Reflection for Deeper Metacognition and Better Feedback

Deep Thoughts From the Dashboard, a Reflection Revelation
Changing The Way We Think About Assessment
Changing The Way We Think About Assessment Written By: Starr Sackstein It seems like a blur now, the beginning of the summer. Almost like a dream when I had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most amazing people for a wonderful project. The three-day writing journey was one I’ll never forget and one that […]