Negatives and Positives...

The Negative

I got tempted by another book today. Something about making my teaching magical. Isn’t that everyone’s goal? But I hesitated before purchasing. Actually, I didn’t purchase it! That is a miracle. I’m sure that will change later - I'm a sucker for a good book :-) but let’s talk about why I hesitated. 

Was it because I already have too many books? 

Or was it because I have a pile of books yet to read, that I still have not made any leeway on, even though we are into the second week of Christmas break? 

Perhaps because I have 'required' reading to do for my TKES goal...that I keep looking at and avoiding....

Could it be because I really need to stop spending money?

Yes, to all of the above...BUT,  the main reason was that of the struggle I’m having with making my teaching special this year. So wouldn’t it appear that this book might be the answer?  Perhaps. I will have to read up a little bit more on it but I have lots of books about making teaching magical, lots of fantastic ideas about how to engage and entice my students into learning, but here’s the thing, it’s a struggle making a textbook magical. 

It was so easy when we created our own lessons - we started with the end in mind, thought about how to cement the learning, and how to entice the students into the enjoyment of the topic, and went from there.  Then came this new year with a new textbook.  Our planning became about 'what it is the textbook says', 'what it is the textbook wants us to do' .....followed by, how can we make this more interesting?  There’s just something wrong about that. 

Mainly that it just didn’t work. 

So then we regrouped to create a combination of what we did before that worked, forced into the timing and constraints of the textbook curriculum.  It’s ok, but it could be better.  And it will be better. 

The In-Between

One of the teachers in our collaborative planning team was really excited about the textbook. She was so thrilled to have something that gave her an outline, that made her not reliant on the rest of the team. She was delighted by the tests and their DOKs and the workbook that gave assignments to the students. She had visions of great homework to send them home with, and work to do as a bell ringers. That’s awesome. The problem is for me, is none of those are ways that I like to teach. So, just as with any good group, we had a compromise. Those who wished to use the textbook in that manner now had the tools with which to do so. The others could find other ways to work things in, but we all followed the same timing.  And that’s how we started the school year.  We weren't really cohesive.  None of us really felt strong about our teaching.  We were on some unfamiliar ground.  Our students were not getting the best of us.

And Then The Positives......

There was a certain amount of feeling of vindication when, about halfway through the first semester, said teacher sat in collaborative planning, bemoaning the fact that we weren’t doing anything as active and energizing as we did last year. 

Where were the projects? Where was the engagement? Why is it all just writing and worksheets! 

I am proud of the fact that I bit my tongue. Truth is, I had learned a lot too by being forced into uncomfortable teaching methods.

It was a learning curve for all of us. I learned to teach in a more constrained manner, and admittedly, learned a lot about some new writing techniques, and ways to improve my students' work within the structure. Others learned the power of project-based learning, and how student choice improves everything. 

So now we go into our second semester. We are still following along this constraint of the textbook, and striving to combine what we know worked last year with the new pacing and texts from the textbook, but we are all far more open to change than we were.  We have also felt more empowered to go our own route, to teach the way that works best for us, We are brainstorming, and banging ideas back-and-forth between each other - all for the good. We ended last semester with a fantastic unit, that was a combination of the textbook, our IT's lesson concepts, and individualized additions, it was strong. My kids really benefited.  

And now I look forward to a new semester, it’s like a new shiny notebook, yet to be open, yet to be written on. When our planning team meets next week, my hope is that all will be as energized as I am.  That we will take our textbook plan and spice it up. I am filled with good ideas heard, learned, and thought of.  Great personal teaching plans are afoot with bringing in a 20% time for two of my classes, new feedback strategies and grading policies (losing putting a grade on the formatives - I can’t wait!!!), a great book to be read, and general fun ahead!

Bring it on 2019.  This is going to be a great year!

Ongoing Conversations AKA Move'N Grove!!

I feel that every time I listen to Cult of Pedagogy, I change something in my teaching.  That sounds exhausting, doesn’t it?  But it truly isn’t, it’s all good stuff.  More often than not we’re talking a little tweak that makes all the difference - something that just brightens up what I’m already doing!  So many times I’ll be listening to the podcast and do a proverbial 🤦‍♀️ as I think, why am I not already doing that?  My kids are used to me letting them know we’re trying something new.  You could even say that part of Room 1113’s culture is to be ready for change.  It’s kind of what we do - our own type of consistenc, if you will 😂😂. Seriously though, I will say, “I heard about this thing and we’re going to try it,” and, bless their hearts, they are always excited to do so!  I get feedback, we adjust and shift, and typically it becomes our own.  After all, if it has been practiced enough to be shared by Jennifer, it’s been proven in another classroom - there hasn’t been one that didn’t work yet!

So, Ongoing Conversations.  Check out the podcast at https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/ongoing-conversations/ for the original idea.  Really, a super simple concept - just making sure that the kids start checking in with other people than the normal circle, and giving them the opportunity it to dig a little deeper, whether with a novel or ... well, anything really!  Just like the TQE, the power is in the simplicity and flexibility.  I do have to admit that I disobeyed the first piece of advice given.  Jeff Frieden, the creator, said not to dive right in.  Well, I did 🤷‍♀️ But it worked, despite my appalling explanation (by the third period it was smooth 🙄😜).  Oh, and I also called it Move’N Groove, because I like that.  Fits our class.  

So, how did it work? 

Well, I was out at a training on Friday, and the kids had been tasked with completing what was basically a worksheet (I know, I know, we don’t do them - but it’s the easiest for a Guest Teacher, and I had issues with Chromebook management the last time I was out, so I went for easy 😕). They had to read the textbook (again, I know, I know, but that’s another blog for another time) launch text and respond to questions.  Here it gets more positive, not comprehension questions (😴😴), they did have to dig a little deeper than that!  Having just focused on informative essays and moving into argument, their hunting was for text structure, author strategies, etc. Plus, it was pep rally day, so classes were only around 30 minutes anyway, so it was just enough to keep them busy, simple for the Guest Teacher and accomplished the goal of introducing our unit theme and topic.  But as always, some didn’t finish.  Others made stuff up.  The odd one or two had markedly blank papers.  And of course, I knew all that before setting foot in the classroom Monday morning.

So, I had already planned to go back over things and had been mulling over ways to avoid it being a snooze fest.....and there it was: Ongoing Conversations.  

I heard the podcast as I drove to the barn to see my horse.  I thought about it and ran ideas through my brain as I did chores and hung out in my happy place. And Move’N Groove became a new ‘thing’ in Room 1113 to add to Walk’N Talk and the TQE Method!

I typed up the class-lists, with two checkboxes next to each name.  Side note, I purposefully created the ‘checkboxes’ as more of a table, leaving the door open for future notes/write-in/feedback for when I employ a deeper use of the strategy.  This confused the kids immensely 🙄. There was room to write in there, so they wanted to know just what they should write - they were a step ahead of me, for day 1, I was just asking for a check mark 😝.  Next time I will really jump in there and ask for notes and feedback!  I guess that was my way of actually listening to Jeff and not diving in - but my kids, and their openness to new things, were ready for more!

Anyway, it was quite simple.  They got their sheets from Friday back.  They got their textbooks, they got their Move’N Groove sheet.  The timer was set and off they went.  The task was to review each question with someone different, checking off who they met with as they go.  With my larger classes, I said they could meet with the same person twice (just logistically the getting around furniture and finding an available body in the time constraint wasn’t always easy).  They were allowed to edit and change their answer after a discussion. We did this for every question, keeping the sense of urgency high as the timer kept them moving.  The kids enjoyed it and blank papers became a little more filled out, and the noise level was purposeful.  On a very surface level, I would say it was successful.  On a deeper level, the potential is huge - in so many ways!  Here’s my AHA list

• Kids got to review work from Friday and think a little more deeply than they might have otherwise.
• The kids that clique together at the lower level were given permission to seek out higher level support instead of being forced into it.  My strugglers who bad together and sulk when I group the apart, were approaching kids they normally would not.
• The kids who’d done all their work and had focused on the task dug even deeper and were open to helping their peers (although I did spot one or two cases of frustration).
• My ‘sit & get’ kids were forced to ‘get up and find’
• The kids who like to avoid turning in their unfinished work (who can blame them - after all, maybe one day Mrs. B won’t notice!), happily put their work in the basket.  After all, they had answers now.  So, I can now eyeball the papers and get a feel for comprehension rather than just compliance.  
• I can ensure that everyone at least heard/saw the correct answer, even if he/she didn’t discover it for him/herself.  
• If there is a class misconception, I can now discover it as I go through the papers.
• I had several students ask me names of the peer they had just talked with.  Jeff is right, they need to discover all these other kids in the class!

Next time - yes, notes will be included, some kind of feedback from the conversation.  That will take it up a notch.  As they become more familiar and get more adept at finding new partners, it will be someone new every time - actually, that will be the next time.  Why wait?

This, combined with the TQE (newest iteration of that today after watching a video for homework), is just going to keep adding depth to what we do in Room 1113!  Thank you, Jennifer, now what’s next?!