Ahoy matey! This was the first summer in a long time that I didn’t absolutely HAVE to do anything school-related, such as attending conferences, writing curriculum, etc., and I found myself feeling very lost. What was I supposed to do all summer? So, I decided to catch up on some reading. Instead of waiting any longer, I want to share this resource with you, my fellow educators, now in hopes of helping you find some inspiration as you are planning for a new school year. And, shiver me timbers! The most helpful book I read this summer was Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess. To be honest, this book had been sitting on a bookshelf at home for quite some time. I had heard of the author, who actually dresses up like a pirate from time to time, but just assumed the book was geared more toward elementary or middle school teachers. I then found the Teach Like A Pirate chat (#tlap) as I was perusing Twitter one night, and realized the techniques being discussed each week were applicable across all grade levels and content areas. This book was a great read for a couple of reasons: (1) It was a steady reminder of my big WHY, and (2) The author provides creative lesson “hooks” that are totally doable...even in a math class! I’ll give a quick overview of Part I, and then talk about some useful lesson hooks from Part II. Part I: Teach Like A Pirate! The heart of the PIRATE system is Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm. I will touch on each of these, but will spend the most time on passion. PASSION “We are not passionate about everything we teach. It’s OK!” Reading that statement was a very defining moment, because it’s true. As teachers, we should feel passionate about teaching, but sometimes it’s just not there. How do we incorporate passion into our lessons, even if we are not passionate about the particular day’s content? Burgess breaks passion into three distinct categories:
RAPPORT
ASK AND ANALYZE
TRANSFORMATION
ENTHUSIASM
Part II: Crafting Engaging Lessons Presentational hooks are a huge part of what makes Dave Burgess’ lessons engaging. He offers a multitude of presentational hooks to ramp up the anticipation and engagement. You will have to consult the book for all of them, but here are a few hooks from each category for some inspiration. The Kinesthetic Hook
The People Prop Hook
The Safari Hook
The Picasso Hook
The Mozart Hook
The Dance and Drama Hook
The Craft Store Hook
The Student Hobby Hook
The Real-World Applications Hook
The Life-Changing Lesson Hook
The Student-Directed Hook
The Opportunistic Hook
The Interior Design Hook
The Board Message Hook
The Costume Hook
The Props Hook
The Involved Audience Hook
The Mystery Bag Hook
The Storytelling Hook
The Swimming With Sharks Hook
The Taboo Hook
The Mime Hook
The Teaser Hook
The Backwards Hook
The Mission Impossible Hook
The Techno Whiz Hook
The Contest Hook
The Magic and the Amazing Hook
The Chef Hook
The Mnemonic Hook
The Extra Credit Challenge Hook *If your school, like ours, does not use extra credit, these techniques can be used to take students above and beyond the “required” learning.
Part III: Building a Better Pirate (pieces of awesome advice)
Teach Like A Pirate goes into so much more depth than what is written here. This blog post just touches the surface. This book has provided a wealth of inspiration that will benefit students and teachers. Thanks for taking the time to read. My hope is you will be able to find something that you can immediately begin using to make what you’re already doing in the classroom even more awesome. Until next time, Sheri
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Personalized Learning: What is it? Why do we need it? How do we accomplish it? After surfing through mounds of professional articles and taking the dive into the great unknown of personalized learning, to say I am an expert on this topic would be a gross overstatement. Even some of the experts in education do not agree on a solid definition of personalized learning. Some confuse “personalized” learning with “individualized” learning, and I can tell you first hand, it’s easy to do just that. During this 2017-2018 school year, I am serving as one of the Lead Learners for the Personalized Learning ONEThing cohort at Excelsior Springs High School. I, along with my team, have spent many hours pouring over articles, researching the significance of personalized learning, weighing the pros and cons, and trying to figure out how to implement personalized learning at all grade levels. I want to share with you some of our findings. What is the reason for the big push for personalized learning? According to The Institute for Personalized Learning, “...our current system was not designed for all learners to be educated at high levels.” The Institute further states, “The [current] system has not become worse. It actually continues to improve--just not enough.” Our society has changed drastically. Students’ needs have changed with the vast amount of technology advancements that have become available. Our current system is lagging behind in its ability to meet those needs. The end goal is to engage learners, and to help them become more independent, more socially aware, and to prepare them for life after high school, whether they choose to attend college, become an apprentice, or directly enter the workforce. Hanover Research, in their 2013 report, “Professional Development for Personalized Learning Practices,” declared personalized learning as “an emerging trend that seeks to support student‐centered, 21st century teaching and learning.” Benjamin Herold, in his EdWeek post from July 11, 2017 titled “Personalized Learning: Modest Gains, Big Challenges, RAND Study Finds,” states this interpretation of personalized learning: “In the world of K-12 education, personalized learning generally means using software and other digital technologies to tailor instruction to each student's strengths and weaknesses, interests and preferences, and optimal pace of learning.” The researchers at RAND identified four components essential to what they refer to as personalized learning:
Hanover Research also included these essential elements of personalized learning, as identified by attendees of a 2010 symposium:
The role of the teacher changes in a personalized learning environment from an information “giver” to more of a “supporter” or “coach." The following key practices, identified by Hanover, are important to the success of the program:
As with anything, challenges come about when trying to implement personalized learning programs school-wide:
John F. Pane, a scientist and chair in education innovation at RAND, said that “while there’s enough evidence to date to keep pursuing personalized learning, this will likely be a race won by slow-and-steady tortoises, rather than hares who rush out of the gate with the expectations of quick, dramatic transformations.” In summary, we can conduct months and months of research about personalized learning, but the truth is, we won’t know the outcome and how our students will respond until we take the risk and begin giving them more choice in class. I am proud of our ONEThing Cohort members who have taken the leap and implemented changes in their classrooms to make their students' learning more personalized. Some have changed the format of their lessons and have given students more voice and choice (such as a “Must Do, May Do” list of options). Some have changed the physical classroom environment by bringing in flexible seating and creating various zones (quiet zones, collaboration zones, etc.), to help meet the needs of individual learners. Based on my unscientific opinion and observations, some students do well with having more freedom. Some still need more structure with less freedom. I had a very clear picture of what I thought personalized learning should look like in a math classroom, only because I had seen it in action upon visiting several different school districts across the state of Missouri. However, trying to re-create an exact replica of what other districts have implemented is a challenge in itself. Trying to change what has “always been” takes time, patience, flexibility, and a great deal of communication between teachers, administrators, students, and community. Sometimes success will come. Sometimes failure will take its place...and this is where everyone learns to be resilient. Bottom line, as educators, we want to give every single student the best opportunity to succeed in our ever-changing world, and we continuously look for ways in which to accomplish this goal. It’s up to us to communicate this vision to our students and, without crushing their creativity, model that vision over and over again until they can branch out on their own and fully take charge of their own learning. Links to personalized learning resources: Personalized Learning: Modest Gains, Big Challenges, RAND Study Finds http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2017/07/personalized_learning_research_implementation_RAND.html?cmp=eml-contshr-shr Professional Development for Personalized Learning Practices http://www.hanoverresearch.com/media/Professional-Development-for-Personalized-Learning-Practices.pdf Personalized Learning Implementation Toolkit https://www.kmsd.edu/cms/lib/WI01919005/Centricity/Domain/484/PersonalizedLearningImplementationToolkit.pdf Training Tools for Curriculum Development http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002500/250057e.pdf These 7 Trends Are Shaping Personalized Learning https://www.educationdive.com/news/these-7-trends-are-shaping-personalized-learning/434575/ ThingLink: 7 Principles of Personalized Learning (Fulton County Schools) https://goo.gl/images/8fzCeC Hello, Strangers! It’s been a while. I’ve started this post about five different times, each time focusing on something different. I wanted to write and brag about my Student Council kids and my fabulous Co-Advisor, and what a fantastic job they all did with Home Sweet Homecoming 2016. I wanted to write about Veteran’s Day and all the hard work they put into the ceremony honoring all those who have served our great Country. I wanted to write about the opportunity to be part of an amazing group of fellow Teachers and Administrators who are excited to go on fact-finding missions and brainstorm about how we can best serve our students. I wanted to write about how, in November, our plates are full - extremely full for some - but our hearts are somehow always fuller, which keeps us pushing through the exhaustion and frustration that sometimes creeps in this time of the year. What is the common denominator (excuse the math pun) of all of these things? Our kiddos. Why do we do what we do, day in and day out? Because…two words…our kiddos. Many of you have asked how the flexible learning space is going, and I figured this would be a good time to share the results to date. This school year, I find myself observing my students far more than I have in years past. I’ve observed their emotional state during class. I’ve observed their conversations. I’ve observed their seating choices. And I could make many assumptions about how they feel in their math classroom, but as my Mammaw King used to say - and pardon the profanity but I promised from day one I would be real - when you ASSume, you make an ASS out of U and ME. Thanks, Mammaw King, for teaching me that lesson early in life! So, to truly find out how the flexible learning space is going, I asked the most important resource: my kiddos. I made a survey using Google forms. The survey was completely voluntary, and open to all of my Algebra/Geometry A and Algebra Geometry B (mainly freshmen and sophomore) classes. Roughly two-thirds of my students took the survey. Here are the highlights: 86.2% said the flexible learning space made them feel happy. 86.2% said the space made them feel comfortable. 87.9% wished they had more flexible seating options throughout the whole school. 63.8% said it is easier to work in groups. One student said he/she would rather have desks in rows. The most popular pieces of furniture are the futon, bean bag chairs, the kitchen table and chairs, tall tables, and cushioned tall-back chairs. The Fridge (the wall where student work/art is displayed) was also popular with over half of the students who took the survey. But the most surprising favorite of all wasn’t a piece of furniture…it was the lighting! On many days, we shut off the fluorescent lights and leave all the lamps and string lights and lighted trees on, which together with natural light from our one window, produces enough light for them to still complete their work but in a calmer atmosphere. Wow…I didn’t expect that result! And, probably the most important result and the one that had me a little emotional… 100% of students who completed the survey said the space provided a positive environment. So, despite the Big Joe bean bag explosion that occurred during the first month of school, which resulted in a duct tape/staple fix… Despite the other bean bag Deflate Gate (they look more like pancakes now, but kids still lay on them)… Despite the leg randomly falling off of one of the tall tables in the middle of class due to a stripped-out screw, not due to abuse… Despite me having to ban the futon from time to time, when students get a little too comfortable… Our classroom is still a place where kids say they feel comfortable, safe, and a place where they say they feel like they can engage in deeper conversations and take some risks. Do we still have a long way to go? Absolutely. Does change take place overnight? No. Does everyone like change? Not at all. Will everyone react positively to flexible learning spaces? Never. But are we doing some good things in the classroom to help each other be more successful? I believe so. I’ve had to overcome a lot of my Type A personality tendencies throughout this process. If a kid wants to sit in a tall-back chair and prop one of the small side tables on his lap to use as a writing surface, so be it. If a kid lays belly-down on the futon and puts his packet of work on the floor to write in it, as long as the work is being done, so be it. If a kid wants to drag out all of the rubber interlocking mats and sit in a corner to take her test, so be it. If a kid wants to spin around on the wobble stools during a discussion, but still participates, so be it…just don’t fall and break your head. You do you, kiddos. At the end of the day, our classroom is nothing short of a disaster zone. Actually, by the end of 3rd hour, our classroom is nothing short of a disaster zone…and it gets worse by the time the 2:27 dismissal bell rings. Furniture and bean bags are everywhere. Coffee tables are awkwardly sitting in weird places. Stools are all over the place. But kids are using the space to meet their needs, and that was the intent all along. And I am okay with that. And yes, at the end of the day, the first thing I do (after raiding my chocolate drawer) is shut off the fluorescents (if they’re even on), turn on Pandora radio, and spend about 10-15 minutes straightening the room out again before I can even begin to think about tackling grading or working on the next Stuco event or searching for more resources/research for my Innovative Learning Environments group. My colleagues even pop in from time to time to just sit, decompress, and enjoy the calm at the end of the day. The space has not just affected my kids’ attitudes…it has affected mine as well. The environment we have created together is yet one more reason I love coming to work every day. Just this past Friday, I took a break from math packets for a bit and had “Family Meetings” with my morning classes. I’ve pushed these kids hard all year, and felt like we hadn’t had the opportunity to talk, collectively, for a very long time. We moved the tables out of our way and pulled the chairs together. We dragged the carpet blocks toward the center of our sitting area. Some kids plopped down on bean bags right in front of me. Some pulled up their chairs up right next to mine. It truly did feel like a family. And then we got REAL. We talked about what was going well at our school. We talked about what we could do better. We talked about why some students only come to school once every couple of weeks, or not at all. I asked them to dream about what their ideal school would look like if there were no limits on resources. The conversation was intentional, and therefore, incredible. Our kiddos are a wealth of insight. We need to tap into those insights more often. Kids appreciate being heard. I can’t wait to share their thoughts and hear from my Flexible Learning teammates this week about how similar convos went in their classrooms. All in all, this journey is just that…a journey. It continues to be a huge learning process with bumps and roadblocks, and figuring everything out along the way instead of having all the answers up front. The furniture is just the tip of the iceberg when looking at the things that benefit our students. We need to keep pressing on, keep researching, keep trying new things, keep taking risks, and above all, keep talking to students to see what’s working and what could be better. Until next time, I hope your heart stays more full than my bean bags! Sheri P.S. - Below is a slide show of our 2nd quarter happenings. I tried my best to post the pics throughout this blog post. Epic fail. I'm still learning...and trying... "I love your purple room!" "Thanks. It's blue." "No...it's obviously purple!" "IT'S NOT PURPLE!" "Well, then it's graple! Or maybe BLURPLE!" The friendly banter with the Custodians the week after school ended in May as I was painting my room was very entertaining. And my new nickname is Graple. Honestly, I didn't plan to transform my high school math classroom into an innovative learning space all at once. I planned to keep half of my big, bulky, classroom desks with the chairs attached, and change up the other half of my classroom. But, anyone who knows me very well knows it is impossible for me to do anything halfway...it's either all or nothing. This journey began one year ago, when I came back to teaching part-time after taking a year off. When I walked into my classroom, my first thought was, "Gag. I need to get rid of these desks." But when you're used to doing something the same way for 10 years, change tends to be pretty scary. Over the following months, I researched flexible learning spaces, innovative learning spaces, classroom redesign, makerspaces...basically anything I could get my hands on to give me an idea of how to begin a transformation, and I needed the research to back it up. But the most important thing I did was observe my kids. If you look closely, you can tell whether kids are comfortable in their learning space. Some fidget in their seats. Some complain about their backs hurting. Some, when given time to work, leave their desks with the attached chairs and choose to sit on the hard floor, because they don't want to sit in the desks any longer. Some stand. I couldn't sit in my kids' desks for 10 minutes without wanting to roll out onto the floor...and I expected my kids to be able to sit comfortably AND concentrate AND be engaged when I couldn't even do that myself? What an idiot I was. In May, it was time to have a heart-to-heart with the kids. I had four classes of freshmen, who would be looped into my classes again as sophomores. I didn't know the best way to approach the topic, but I knew their input was the most important piece of the puzzle. I started off by saying, "Hey guys, I need your help." Those four words - I NEED YOUR HELP - were magic. Their ears perked up. They looked at me like I had two heads. What teacher asks KIDS for advice? I went on to tell them my observations about our learning space. Immediately, their ideas came pouring out. I couldn't write them down fast enough. I finally had to stop them and ask if they would be open to filling out a few questions on a Google form (not mandatory). The next school day, I gave them the QR code so they could scan it and go to the form I created. Those students who didn't have their iPad or phone were grabbing sheets of notebook paper so they could give their input as well. I knew, at this point, there was NO turning back. I could no longer dig my heels in and put on my brakes. I was on the edge of that cliff, about to be pushed off into the deep water. An innovative learning space HAD to happen. Luckily, I am blessed with a wonderful Administration team who was all for the transformation. I asked my kids what colors they liked, and 84% of those who answered the survey questions listed some shade of blue, thus, the blurple paint color. Yes, I taped off, primed, and painted the room myself. It took a week. It was a b*&ch. Just being honest. I asked the kids what type of furniture made them the most comfortable. I asked what supplies they wanted. I asked them if we should keep our current desks, and why or why not. Their responses were eye-opening. And now for the controversial piece: I decided to furnish the room myself. I had items sitting at home that were collecting dust, and my classroom would be the perfect new home for them. My other (part-time) job allowed me to buy several new pieces of furniture, and I had decided a few months prior that this was the route I wanted to take. What if the District purchased my furniture and the whole experiment crashed and burned? I wanted to test the waters first. I wanted to be the guinea pig. And if it worked for my kids, then other teachers would have a resource and a jumping-off point to start making small changes in their rooms or common areas as well. And I was way, way, waaaaaaaaay out of my comfort zone! But, it's not about ME... I started with IKEA. I hate IKEA. But their prices were reasonable for what the kids had requested. My first trip to IKEA was pure fact-finding. I walked through the store, trying out the furniture, sitting in the chairs, making a fool of myself wiggling around in them to make sure they were sturdy, and took pictures of the items and their info cards that I thought would work in our classroom. I measured our classroom and brainstormed possible layouts. Once I decided on what to buy and how many of each item, I went back to IKEA, did a quick walk-through of the store again (10 minutes max - didn't want to give myself time to back out), took my list of items to a warehouse worker, and had him look up everything on my list to make sure it was in stock. That step saved a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth that would have happened later. On my list was a variety of chairs, stools, tables (some with casters), rugs, and lamps. The furniture was to be light and easy to move, but sturdy. He printed a list of my items in order by aisle and bin number, which made picking the items extremely easy. The only bump in the road happened as we overloaded one of the carts, attempted to turn it, and all the boxes crashed into the middle of an aisle. All in all, it took my husband and I around five hours to put all the items together the next day. Everything was pretty easy to build, much to my surprise. Side note: make sure to sign up for their rewards program. I saved a bit of money and they'll give you a free meal based on how much you buy. Food tip: The Swedish meatballs are delightful. The indigestion afterward is not as delightful. I had to wash it down with a piece of chocolate cake. IKEA is bad for your health. ;) I picked up some Big Joe bean bag chairs, tray tables, and bar stools at Walmart; rubber locking mats and clipboards from Sam's Club, and found a good deal online for individual white boards and stick-on white boards for the tables. I had been hoarding stuff from Michael's since August...join their rewards program, wait for the 60% and 70% off coupons, and for the 40% off coupon for your WHOLE cart, hit the clearance aisle, take the teacher discount as well, and you'll be surprised at how much you can cheaply acquire. Oriental Trading is also a good, reasonable resource. I bought some paper decorations, geometry solids and brain break blocks. The space isn't done. It will never be done. I expect my furniture to be moved every day. I expect the kids to try new seats every day, even multiple seats at appropriate times during class. We have to have expectations in place, and classroom management has to be on point from day one. But...I cannot wait to get the kids in the classroom and hear their feedback. And yes, I am expecting both positive and negative feedback from kids and parents. I've already had my Student Council kids, some of our Cheerleaders, and a team of Teachers and Administrators for our District inservice try it out. I wish I had video recordings of their expressions as they entered the room...some were priceless. This is a continuous work in progress and learning process for all of us. I could write a few more paragraphs, but this is enough for now. Check out the picture gallery. A small sample of my favorite resources are listed below. If you have any questions, please comment or email me and I'll be happy to chat with you. If you have suggestions, I'll be happy to hear them! The worst thing is re-inventing the wheel. Teachers who keep everything to themselves grind my gears. If kids are our main focus, we need to be sharing all our insights and resources with each other - building to building, district to district, state to state, country to country. I have a fantastic PLN both local and worldwide, and they are some of my best resources. Even if you're not ready to take the swan dive into this kind of transformation for your own room, I hope you have the courage to dip a toe into the water and start transforming a corner of your space. Change IS scary. But, change IS necessary. There are grants available, donation sites you can sign up for, and if you put the word out there for what items you need, there is always someone willing to help you. P.S. - I looked at the paint can today. My paint color is Olympic Semi Gloss in BLUE Opal. I KNEW IT WAS BLUE!!!! (insert winky-sticking-out-tongue emoji here;) Resources Blogs that inspired me: Cult of Pedagogy: Classroom Eye Candy Focus 2 Achieve: Starbucks My Classroom Twitter hashtags #StarbucksMyRoom #ClassroomDesign #InnovativeLearningSpaces #FlexibleSeating #FlexibleLearning #CollaborativeSpaces Twitter people to follow Oskar Cymerman @focus2achieve Bob Dillon @ideaguy42 Periscope My video from ISTE 2016 - From the Periscope app, look for me at @sheriwhitt77, and watch the video "Mindsets & Classroom Management for Making in Every Classroom" for ideas about classroom design and makerspaces from a panel of experts. Books The Space: A Guide for Educators (Rebecca Hare, Robert Dillon) WHO has TIME for ACTIVITIES??? Us, that’s who! Sometimes we just have to make it a priority, like Brennan and Dale in Step Brothers (hopefully with better success;). I’m going to cut to the chase, because let’s face it…we are running out of summer vacay, and we need some quick ideas to use in our classes. These activities are courtesy of John Antonetti’s Power of Student Engagement session, and this is the final part of my blog series about this particular PD day. Here we go.......... First Activity…this one is great for kids AND adults…maybe a great one for a school or district-wide PD session…
Second Activity – I’ll call this the Oddball Out.
Third Activity - The New Zoo (this is one of my favorites)…
Fourth Activity – Japanese Poster Method (This is actually a method that can be modified to an activity you already use)
Fifth Activity – Say What?
Sixth Activity – How Much Carpet?
Seventh Activity – “GRANT”ing Wishes
So there you have it...seven activities that hopefully spark some ideas about how to find ways to lead your own students into a deeper understanding and MAKING SENSE of the concepts they are learning. Thanks for sticking with me throughout this three-part series. Coming next...innovative learning spaces (including makerspaces)...and I cannot wait to share my experience (and resources) with YOU!!! Yours truly, Sheri How many times does this convo take place in one day?
Bubba: “So what are we doing today?” Teacher: “Look at the board. Your objective is posted there, just like it is every day.” Bubba: Looks at board. Sighs. Trudges to his assigned seat, flops into his chair, and puts head down on his desk. Teacher: Looks at Bubba. Sighs. Wanders back into hallway to continue welcoming students to a wonderful day of learning. Throw in an eye roll or two, and there you have it. In Part Two of the PD with John Antonetti saga, let’s discuss how Mr. Antonetti challenges the conventional wisdom about posting daily objectives, and dig into the relevance of objectives. Objectives seem like such a small thing, but they should be a BIG thing. WHAT IF…instead of students seeing the objective posted right when they walk in the classroom (for those that actually LOOK at it), we WAITED to post the objective until we gave them an opportunity to try to MAKE SENSE (here comes that phrase again) out of a sample of what they’ll be learning that day? Here is an example: Give groups of students a normal deck of cards. Instruct students to place 17 cards in some kind of order so that the teacher will, without any shadow of a doubt, be able to tell the class what the 18th card should be. Once the groups order their cards and the teacher correctly guesses the 18th card, only then is the objective mentioned: “By the way class, we are going to explore and analyze patterns today!” The kids are already engaged, and everyone moves forward. I will be the first to admit…I have a problem with this! I’ve trained my brain to get that objective on the board first thing in the morning, no matter what. If the building is on fire…WAIT – I have to post my objective first! If a meeting is called…WAIT – not ‘til I post that objective! But, I am beginning to see the value in holding off. Should we do this every day? I don’t know. Time will tell. Changing up what we’ve always done, when it goes against our conventional way of thinking, creates unrest. It’s the common feeling when teaching an old dog new tricks. Time and time again, there are always students who enter shutdown mode before class even begins, just like Bubba did, all because the objective sounded too hard, or too boring. Antonetti suggests our focus must shift from asking ourselves, “Have we clearly communicated the objective to our learners?” to “Can our learners articulate the objective for today?” In order for this to be accomplished, the learners must PERSONALIZE the objective (Antonetti & Garver, 17,000 Classroom Visits Can’t Be Wrong, 2015). When students are able to PERSONALIZE an objective, they can go on to VERBALIZE it clearly. Articulating what you are learning is different than articulating what you are doing. Many students can tell you what they’re doing…many cannot tell you what they are learning. If the objective is just written on a whiteboard, that’s not an effective practice. If a student can explain the objective – where they are going and why they are learning it – only then will improvement take place. Can we work to help students personalize WHAT they’ll be learning, WHY it’s important, and HOW they will get there? Sure! Will we? Well… Here are some important nuggets to consider, courtesy of Antonetti, when working to make personalization of the objective happen. If your students are reading a story, can they make a personal connection to one of the characters? Does a character remind them of someone they know in real life? Can they tie that relationship to the objective to help personalize it? What about when studying a foreign language? Can you help students see any similarities between that language and the English language? Can the foreign language help students learn about the construction of the English language? For the math classroom, can we help students to see that there is a mathematical way of thinking within most disciplines, and that so many careers require people to be fluent in thinking mathematically, scientifically, socially? And if we spend time building relationships and trust with our kids, and talk about the relevance to a topic when it’s applicable (i.e., appropriate), will they will be more likely to continue to walk along with us if we are honest and tell them when something isn’t especially applicable, but they need to know it anyway as a skill-builder? I’d venture to say not everyone will continue to walk alongside us, but a lot of them will. I believe the objective is one of the most important keys to producing a successful batch of learners who MAKE SENSE out of what they’re doing. I also believe it’s one of the things we (I) don’t put nearly enough deliberate thought into; fleshing out the WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW. In closing, as panic starts to set in as we all realize it’s past the middle of July, and there is SO MUCH TO DO before the masses walk into our buildings in August, and we just sit for a second in bewilderment, asking where June went…I hope you will join me in trying to find ways to help kids articulate and personalize the things we have for them to learn this year. We can only bite off so much. If we try to start too many new initiatives at the same time, we aren’t going to do any of them well. My two initiatives are helping students MAKE SENSE, and creating an innovative learning space just for them (I’ll explain all about that journey VERY soon…maybe after my stomach stops doing flip-flops!). And those activities I’ve been talking about from Antonetti? Those are coming next…stay tuned. He’s got some good stuff out there. Yours Truly, The Bubba-Melissa Sue Hybrid You knew I would eventually get to the educational stuff. So here we go, swan-diving in head-first, hoping there are no sharp rocks at the bottom. If you’re not in the field of education and you’re still reading this post…good for you! Keep reading! This blog isn’t just for educators. Fair Warning: This is the first of a series of three related blog posts. The Blog Mafia would hunt me down and chop off my fingers if I tried to put EVERYTHING I want to share about my most recent PD experience in only one post. If you ever have the opportunity to hear John Antonetti speak in person, RUN toward it…even if you have to dodge all the orange barrels in downtown Kansas City rush hour traffic…even if you have to sit in an 85-degree classroom on the fourth floor of Union Station on of one of the hottest days of the year because the air conditioner decided to take a vacation…DO IT. He is an engaging speaker who has many nuggets of wisdom to share. Totally worth it. Here are a few thoughts from his session, "The Power of Student Engagement." Let’s talk about a character Mr. Antonetti calls “Melissa Sue.” Say her name fast and with a great amount of energy and excitement…because that’s how she says it. Melissa Sue is, by some standards, the “perfect student.” She’s the first to volunteer. Her hand is constantly raised. She always answers the question. She’s the one who is compliant…the people-pleaser…the one who wants to know exactly what she should do to get an A. She’s the one who asks a question right before the bell rings that causes the teacher to hold the rest of the class back while answering it. Melissa Sue is book smart, but boy, she lacks in the common sense department. She gets good grades by being compliant, but may not be great at “making sense” of content. Got an image of Melissa Sue in your head? Good. Let’s move on to Bubba… "Bubba" is the exact opposite of Melissa Sue. This kid is street smart. He has common sense pouring out his ears. Book smart? That’s not important to him. He wants the easy way out. If you give him a math problem about a guy who buys 1,000 watermelons, he will stop you before you finish reading the problem and say, “What the %*$# does anybody need with a thousand watermelons?!” Bubba is not afraid to think differently and challenge the status quo…mainly because he doesn’t like fluff. Keep both of these characters in mind, because they will show up from time to time… Mr. Antonetti took us on a roller coaster ride of activities, which I will share throughout this three-part series, but here is one that helps us see how kids (and how we ourselves) think. Read these sentences: There was a boy. The boy was small. There was a pond. The boy fell. Now, write one sentence that describes what is going on in the above passage. Got it? We know kids can’t be grouped into only two categories…however, you’ve probably already grouped your students (or your family members, or friends) into one of two categories: Melissa Sue, or Bubba. Here is Melissa Sue’s thought process and response: Well, the small boy fell, but gosh! There’s a pond! Maybe he fell IN the pond? I don’t know…but the pond is there so I HAVE to include it in my answer, right?! So here goes: “The small boy fell in the pond!” That’s my answer, Teacher! Is it right? Well…is it??!? Here is Bubba’s thought process and response: What the %$*& does a pond have to do with this story? Why do I have to say anything about that stupid pond? Here ya go, Teach: “The little boy fell.” Who is right? Is Melissa Sue’s answer better than Bubba’s? Is the reverse true? The beauty in this activity is, there is NO one correct answer. This activity shows how we think and MAKE SENSE of information. The process of showing the thinking and justifying the answer is what we want to see. Our job as educators is to get the Melissa Sues and the Bubbas, who think quite differently, to become engaged and start MAKING SENSE of what they are learning. We have to look at something, and keep looking at it until something MAKES SENSE. For example, you look at a problem until you find a pattern that allows you to MAKE SENSE of the problem. It’s not an easy task, especially if you have students who haven’t learned how to persevere. In order for any of us to fully develop meaning and MAKE SENSE of a concept, three things must come together:
Let’s talk engagement for a sec…WE DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO BORING THINGS! Even if it means telling a funny or memorable story at the beginning of class that doesn’t relate to content…tell it! If kids cognitively engage during the first five minutes of class, they will continue to engage on a higher level the rest of the class period. Speaking of TIME spent being engaged… Did you know…humans cannot be engaged 100% of the time? If you disagree, think of your spouse or significant other, or a relative, or a good friend. When the two of you are together, are you 100% engaged with each other every second? Do you hang on his or her every word or action for hours on end? NO. How do you think wives get husbands to agree to painting the cabinets next weekend, or double-dating with the dreaded sister-in-law Friday night? Women catch men at their most vulnerable time (i.e., when they are less engaged…while watching a football game, for instance), and then move in for the kill. Husbands don’t remember agreeing to anything…so the wife pulls out her iPhone where she replays his recorded response from earlier to have proof. (I may have exaggerated this just a little, but you get the point). 100% engagement all the time just doesn’t happen! Even 80% is a ridiculous amount of time to expect someone to be fully engaged! Mr. Antonetti said – and here’s what blew my mind – we are doing well if kids are engaged 21% of the school DAY. That’s not 21% of every hour, folks…that’s 21% of the school DAY. Wow. And a side note: the practicing of “skills” is NOT engaging. This is where the road gets rocky for two subjects that are heavily skills-based: Mathematics and Foreign Language. Students practice skills to become better or faster at a process, but that’s not where the heart of the meaningful learning kicks in. Antonetti suggested we send skills practice home (these are levels 1 and 2 if you are on a 4-point rubric, or as Mr. Antonetti says, “someone else’s thoughts”), and leave the tasks that require students to apply and evaluate (levels 3 and 4, or “my [students’] thoughts”) to be done at school. Antonetti’s take: our job is to get kids to a 3. If they go above and beyond to a 4, excellent. Make that 21% engagement time count. One thing that can totally derail engagement is a stressed brain. Stressed brains do not, will not, and cannot learn the same as non-stressed brains. Stress is a major distractor. If you yell in exasperation at Bubba in front of the rest of the class for not having his homework done and he gets embarrassed, it’s going to take at least 20 minutes for his brain to start producing serotonin again. Engagement is not going to take place during that 20 minutes because he will be too busy re-hashing the situation in his mind and trying to calm down from the stress. Again, this works the same way with most adults. Another teaching technique that can derail engagement is asking questions and allowing the class to respond verbally as a chorus. When we do this, our level 2 or level 1 tasks could actually become level zero. If Melissa Sue always belts out the answer before anyone else, the rest of the class gets a free pass and disengages, because they’ve learned they can rely on her to answer for them. What motivation do they have to pay attention? One final thought…make sure to let kids explore. Don’t squelch that natural instinct. We are born being explorers. Somewhere along the way, many of us stop. Mr. Antonetti told a story about his tenure as a kindergarten teacher. His class was outside for recess, and the kids knew they weren’t supposed to go near the fence at the edge of the property. Two boys headed straight for the fence anyway. Mr. Antonetti called for them to come back, and they waved him over to the fence. They were watching a beetle, and were so excited. They said, “Mr. Antonetti! Watch!” The boys both took turns yelling at the beetle. “Arrgh!” “AYYYYY!” “AHHHHHH!!!” The beetle kept walking. Then, they took turns stomping their feet near the beetle. The beetle stopped walking each time the boys stomped. Mr. Antonetti wondered, “What’s the point of this?” One boy explained, “When you yell at the bug, it can’t hear you. But when you stomp, it can feel the vibration!” What a powerful learning moment for a kindergartner! In closing:
Yours truly, Sheri P. S. - I think I finally figured out spellcheck!! |
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