GES Insightful Classroom Series | Run Your Life #61

This podcast series is devoted to sharing good teaching practice at Gardens Elementary School which is located on the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus in Saudi Arabia. At GES, our student population is multi-cultural, diverse, enthusiastic, engaging and confident. They are also fun loving and happy. Through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) we provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of essential concepts, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students are actively involved in authentic inquiry-based learning across all the curriculum areas. They develop confidence in their abilities, think for themselves, question, express their opinions and respect the opinions of others. As students learn to reflect on their learning, they become critical thinkers. We encourage students to voice their ideas and to take action to improve the school and the community. Student achievement and progress is shared through regular assemblies, parent conferences, open houses and activities aimed at making the school a stimulating center for the community. Deanna’s Bio Deanna has been in the field of education in varying capacities for 25 years. Starting out as a Nutrition Educator for a program that supports families with limited income & food stamp recipients. She was involved in home visits, working closely with various social service related programs. Deanna started college while she was working with this program, and also working at a day care/learning center part time. She became a peer tutor in earth science classes & a note taker for students with disabilities at my university. Deanna learned so much from each of those experiences. She was a teacher in Billings, Montana for a very long time and had the honor of teaching young people who have grown into well-rounded citizens of the world. Timing is really everything, and she had a deep burning in her heart that could not be squelched- she wanted to be a part of the bigger world, cultures, geography, and experiences. She has been an international teacher for the past five years in Saudi Arabia. The students all over the world and over all of these years have given her the most valuable education, in the way they wonder, see the world, humanity, and living in the moment. Deanna is the mother of two outstanding young men who are her life’s compass points for compassion and living life to its fullest. Utilizing Learner Voice For Professional Growth In this episode, Deanna Mydland speaks about her own professional growth journey and how she has leveraged student voice as a tool to learn more about how she can better structure learning in her class that honors each of her students. Deanna takes us through the specifics related to what student's voice taught and how she created her professional inquiry to reflect this learning. As a 25-year veteran of education, Deanna brings a wealth of knowledge to the work she does and her ability to critically reflect on her own practice is what our professional inquiry journeys are all about at Gardens Elementary School. You are sure to gain some insight and take away from this episode with Deanna Mydland. Connect With Deanna Twitter: @DeannaMydland Connect With Gardens Elementary School Twitter: @GESatKAUST Website: http://tks.kaust.edu.sa/Message-from-the-Principal-GES Themes Discussed: Student Voice, Professional Inquiries, Spheres of Influence, Deepening Relationships, Classroom Culture, Co-Construction of Learning