Lost and Unengaged
“Writing eases my suffering… writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence.” Gao Xingjian
I have never considered myself a writer. I find writing to be therapeutic, and gratifying. I look back on my youth and realize that I did not enjoy writing. In school if it was time to write, I would find something to get in the way of my assignment. My pencil needed sharpening. My eraser would not work, etc. I was a lost writer. I was an unengaged writer. I was rarely given an authentic writing assignment that truly brought out my enthusiasm for writing.
The NWPs vision statement is, “Writing in its many forms is the signature means of communication in the 21st century. The NWP envisions a future where every person is an accomplished writer, engaged learner, and active participant in a digital, interconnected world.”
My 3rd grade class is filled with all different types of writers. I have passionate writers, imaginative writers, comic book writers, lost writers, unengaged writers and free thinking writers. My goal is to not just have a “writing time” or a “writing assignment” but engage my students by growing their thirst for writing. It is not easy. Our educational system has swept writing under the rug. I have seen and participated in this. When time is limited in the classroom, writing is one of the first activities to go. The NWP was trying to change this. The NWP was working to include writing in all disciplines. Research has proven, http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3208 , that the NWP was winning its battle with lost and unengaged writers. Let them live to fight another day.
What I learned
About a month ago, my students began independent research projects. Each student chose a topic that interests them. As they researched, they had to complete a journal, and their final product was a poster. The topics went from Bob Marley to Gila Monsters to Thomas Jefferson. I learned a lot from this experience. I would like to share what I learned as a teacher, and what I learned as a student.
What I learned as a Teacher: The students loved doing this assignment. Allowing them to choose their own topic gave each student ownership over their project. When they presented their poster to the class, they displayed pride in their work. I created a rubric that each student used as a guideline for the project. I am always trying to give my students more choice in the classroom. This assignment is an example of why it is so important. They did an amazing job. In most cases, they went beyond the frame of the rubric to create a poster that included more than what was “necessary”. This is an assignment that I will do for years to come. Lastly, since we finished presenting last Thursday, I have had 3 students tell me they are working on a second project at home.
What I learned as a Student:
1. Beluga Whale: Beluga whales have 34 teeth but the teeth are not used for chewing. The whale uses the teeth to tear its prey apart and then swallow whole. 2. Emperor Tamarin: They only a pound or so. 3. Fish: Fish first appeared n earth over 500 million years ago. 4. Danny Way: World’s best skateboarder and once jumped over the Great Wall of China. 5. Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson grew 24 different types of peas in his garden. 6. Volcanoes: A volcano in Indonesia in 1815 killed over 92,000 people because of starvation. 7. Constellations: The ancient Egyptians viewed Libra as a feather not a scale. 8. The Great White Shark: The fins of a Great White are used to make soap. 9. Video Games: Mario is the #1 character in the video game universe. 10. Art and Artist: Helen Franklin Haler had a great art teacher while a child in New York. This teacher inspired her to become an artist. 11. Rattle Snake: A rattlesnake strikes at the speed of ten feet per second. 12. Belcher’s Sea Snake: It is the most toxic snake in the world. 13. Killer Whales: Killer whales are travel about 30 mph. 14. Golden Retrievers: There are three different types of Golden retrievers (British, Canadian, American). 15. Skateboarding: Learned what a Ollie is and how to do one. 16. Turkey Vultures: Their head is bald so they can keep clean as they eat. 17. Seals and Sea Lions: The biggest difference between these two mammals is having and not having ears. 18. Tigers: Excluding the tail, a tiger can get up to 9 feet in length. 19. Poison Dart Frog: Baby frogs are carried by their mother. 20. The Grand Canyon: There are no dinosaur fossils in the Grand Canyon. 21. Gila Monster: The Gila Monster is the largest lizard in the United States. 22. NBA Basketball: The Nuggets and Pistons scored a total of 370 points (most all-time) in 1983. 23. Bob Marley: Marley continues to influence music today. His music is universally liked.
I asked the students how much they like this assignment, and one student responded by saying, “I have wanted to study this for a while but never had the chance at school.” Enough said.
“Connecting Communities”
This last fall, @BeckyFisher73 gave me some great advice. She said I should consider having my students write on the floor. After getting over the idea that writing on the floor is taboo, I went for it. This year my students have become accustomed to using the floor as another creative space in the classroom.
About three weeks ago, during our annual unit on communities, I decided to have my students draw their depiction of a community on the floor. The day before, we had read about communities, and discussed what makes a community. We also discussed common characteristics within a community.
I have a wonderfully creative, and collaborative class. I split them into 5 groups, and let them go to town (pun intended). Right away they began to discuss common characteristics of communities. Each of the five groups was given an allotment of floor space. Within 3 minutes of the groups working, I had a student come up to me and say, “We should connect all the communities together after each group has finished.” I was blown away. This thought had not even crossed by mind. I tell my fellow teachers all the time to let the students have the wheel and see where they take you. This was a great example why this is so important.
The activity I had envisioned was much more teacher centered. Driving to work that day, I thought about giving each group a 4 x 4 space on the floor. Give them the boundaries of their community and let them draw. I was concerned about drawing too much on the floor, and things of that nature. After the students piled into the class that morning, I decided to change my mind and not give them a set boundary. It was the best decision I could have made.
If I had limited their space, I would have also limited their creativity. By giving them the space they needed, they had the freedom to draw what they really thought a community should have. That same day, @irasocol and @pammoran were visiting my school. I was looking forward to their visit because they consistently inspire me to be better. I was able to complete about 30 minutes of the lesson prior to leaving for my meetings. Every hour of so, I would go by my room and see how the class was doing. Each time I came by, the communities were getting larger and larger. They each had churches, schools, elaborate road systems, houses, parks (skate parks), pools, post offices, police stations, fire stations, libraries, etc. At one point, two communities were slowly merging together. This caused a dispute between “Smileville” and “Sunset Town”. One representative from each community came to me and asked me to solve their “land” dispute. I told them that they needed to figure out a solution between themselves. Eventually, they drew a line dividing the two communities. Toward the end of the day, we had a great class discussion on land distribution and school districts.
Rarely have I seen a class so proud of their work. They were asking students from other classes to come by and look at their work. Their engagement level was high. They had a quiz later that week on communities, and every student did well. I wish I could take the credit for this lesson, but truly the credit goes to my students. This blog is written as a dedication to their commitment to learning.
My elementary years
I occasionally think back to my elementary days. I was consistently in trouble. I did not focus. I did not sit in my seat. I did not stay on task. I did not follow the “good student” model. Let’s just say that I knew the principal, and office staff very well. Looking back, it seems that it was easier to just get me out of the classroom than actually try to figure out what I needed to learn. My teachers thought I should be medicated. Really all I needed was a classroom that allowed me to be myself.
Why was I such a menace in the classroom? I was bored with school. I was bored with the traditional classroom. I truly felt like my teachers did not even try to get to know me. Now let’s move forward 20 years, and I am still bored with the traditional classroom. The difference is that now I can do something about it. I empathize with the students in my classroom because I see myself in them. Of course, I have students that are trained in the traditional classroom, and they do great in school. But the students who struggle to stay focused or stay in their seat, I hope have found comfort in my classroom.
I yearn to create a student environment that truly enables ALL my students an equal chance to be successful.
Go beyond the Four Walls of the Classroom
One goal I had for my 24 third grade students this year was for them to see beyond the four walls of the classroom. My students have used TodaysMeet, Twitter, Skype, email and other resources to help with this goal. Over the last two weeks, my students have communicated with scientists, artists, mathematicians and educators from all over the United States. It started with a “simple” question-Is a straw an example of a simple machine? The class asked me to tweet the question. I did and the power of social media took over. The question made the rounds on Twitter and received so much buzz that I needed to create a Google Doc to post the responses.
It led to this- http://bit.ly/c0cDeM
How does this relate to ed reform? I think one major structural change that needs to happen is creating more student-centered learning environments. What they learned from this experience goes well beyond the multiple choice test they will take at the end of the year. This experience demonstrated that their thoughts count. In addition, I think it is very important for my students to find authenticity in their learning. A straw is an everyday tool for my students. Typically they look at it as a drinking transporter and that is it. Now they are evaluating what a straw does, how it works, and what it is similar and dissimilar to. They were going home discussing this with family, doing research in class and thinking well beyond the actual simple machines.
Reasons for this Doc:
1. Students are seeing first hand that scientist do not always agree (similar to their own experiences in school)
2. Students are taking their own ideas and comparing them to an actual scientist’s ideas.
3. Students are seeing that their learning goes beyond the four walls of a classroom.
Let’s give our students the chance to go beyond the four walls of the classroom.
Choice
My 2 1/2 year old son destroys his playroom everyday. He is a boy! He is constantly moving, constantly involved in something, and is constantly excited to play with his sister. When five o’clock rolls around each day, it is time to clean up that playroom. This is a challenge! If I go to my son and say, “clean up the blocks”. He will fight to not do it. If I say to my son, “you can clean up your blocks, trucks or your play kitchen”. He will think for a second and start to clean. Why is that? I believe that choice is the difference. No matter the age of the individual, we like to have a choice. My son is cool with the concept of cleaning but he wants to have a choice on what he cleans.
The classroom should not be any different. When I began my teaching career, I gave assignments without giving any choice. I like to think that the assignments were engaging, but they lacked creative choice. With the help of colleagues, I am learning the importance of this component in a classroom. Now, when I create stations for my students, I create more than what I expect them to complete. I also let them decide the order in which they complete the stations. I am even accepting different ways in which the students complete the work.
This week, I am giving the students the topics/skills that need to be covered. Then I am going to allow them to create stations for the class. They are going to be in groups of 3 to 4. Each group will develop a station. I am excited to see what they create. Has anyone done a similar activity with their class? If so, how did it work?
I expect that they are going to love this activity. Just like my son, my students yearn to have a choice in the classroom.
What are ways that you have instituted choice in your classroom?
I am ashamed to say that I am late to the “Google Table”. I have only used it in the past as a search engine. Now, I have seen the light and the errors of my ways. This year, I have been making Google Forms, utilizing Google Calendar for all my lesson plans, and Google Docs for collaborating with my fellow teachers. I have used Google Earth numerous times this year as well. On one occasion, my class and I were Skypeing to Italy. During our conversation, we were also perusing Google Earth. The students were able to see the places mentioned during our Skype.
At Back to School night this year, I developed a Google Form for my parents to complete. I was able to survey my parents on all the policies discussed during the night. My students are now completing quizzes, worksheets and discussions all using Google form or documents. As the first quarter of the school year comes to a close, I have created a Google doc for my parents to complete to set up conference times.
The next step is to have my students develop a class Google site of their own. I want them to choose the apps they find valuable. I want them to create forms, docs and presentations.
How are you using Google in your classroom? I know that there is a lot I have not tried yet, so please share your thoughts and suggestions.
