Ch. 8
- Reflect on a positive relationship you developed with a student (or a relationship you had with a teacher as a student). How did that relationship impact their learning? How do you think the school year would have been different for that child without that strong relationship?
- Page 202 talks about how student-student interactions often mirror teacher-student interactions. What do students need to see modeled in teacher-student interactions in order to develop the skills you want them to have when interacting with each other?
- Visualize your classroom last year. What was inviting about the environment? What could be done differently to enhance learning and build culture? Now, visualize North Hill as a whole. What is inviting? What could be done differently to reflect our journey to a Culture of Thinking?
Ch. 10
- What do you need in order to continue to transform your classroom into a true Culture of Thinking? What next steps would be beneficial for you? What could be done as a building, grade level teams, cross grade-level teams, etc…?
As I'm beginning the transformation to make my classroom a Culture of Thinking, I need to keep in mind that it is a journey that will not be done in one semester, one year, etc... I need to prepare myself to take baby steps and continue to focus on making powerful shifts with 1-2 things, and then building on those changes as I incorporate more. My goal for this year is to choose one of the 8 cultural forces and really focus on that within my classroom from the very beginning of the year. As the year goes on, I may choose another force to continue the transformation.
ReplyDeleteIt would be helpful for me to continue conversations with my colleagues, especially those who may be focusing on the same force as me. I would also love to observe in classrooms - either in person or through video - to see the cultural shift in action and be able to bring ideas back to my own teaching. As we continue this building discussion during staff meetings and professional development sessions, it would be great to hear from a variety of people so we can all learn from each other. It would be beneficial to look at samples of student thinking using protocols (like the L.A.S.T. Protocol) to guide discussions either at grade level meetings or at voluntary before/after school meetings so multiple grade levels can attend.
I think an important element in our school-wide transformation will be get engage parents in this cultural shift as well. At Curriculum Night we could incorporate visible thinking routines and include a brief explanation of the shift we hope to see for both ourselves and our students.
"If you can make a positive relationship with a student, you can teach them darn near anything." -Jeff Charbonneau, National Teacher of the Year 2013. This is such a true statement. Children, even teenagers, are much more inclined to listen to what someone has to say if they like the person. They want to please that person. I think this is one of the reasons that I enjoy the lower grades. A friendly smile to a little kid means "I like you" and they usually reciprocate. So the year that I taught fifth grade, I was scared out of my mind. I thought a smile would be something they'd laugh at me about and think I was lame. I guarantee that, on the first day of school that year, I was more scared than they were. And then they stated coming into my classroom with their parents. Many of them were just as nervous as I was. I tried not to speak in my sing-songy voice that I use for the little ones. But when I saw how scared some of them were, I used a more gentle tone than I had planned on. I was honest up front with them, and told them I was used to little kids, so I begged them not to laugh if I broke out into some cute song as I was teaching. One child in particular, let's call him T, was our class clown. All of the girls loved him. He was in school for one reason, and that was to make jokes. And he was GOOD. He dressed nicely, he was funny, and popular. But he wasn't one of my stronger kids academically, nor did he really care to be.
ReplyDeleteOne day, I found out that he was a dancer. I can't remember how I found out. But I ran over to him and asked him about it. I told him that I had been a dancer for years, and that my son (who was 6 at the time) was also a dancer. He informed me that he was on a dance team. From then on, T and I talked dance. I knew the other kids were going to give him a hard time about it. And they did. I made it a point to have him show me what he was doing in dance and I asked if he could teach me some moves. He enjoyed dancing with me in front of his friends. His mom came to me before the talent show and told me that she wanted him to be in it but he said no because the kids would make fun of him. She felt that if I brought it up, he would do it. So I did, I told him it would be awesome and I could help if he wanted and he would be the ONLY male dancer and probably the only one on a dance team, and just think of how inspiring he could be to the little kids. He agreed. After the show he thanked me for talking him into it and said he had a great time. When it was time for academics, as time went on, I could tell that he valued my opinion. He started coming in the door first in the morning to show me his work that he did at home. He always came bounding in the room, ready to tell me about his latest dance accomplishment and tried to do well in school.
I was not anywhere near finished yet!
ReplyDeleteHim and I had our disagreements, as well. One day he called someone a mean name (that he had been called, because so many people think that boys shouldn't dance). I called him over to my desk and calmly told him "T, I just heard what you said. I don't even know how to respond to it, because I KNOW that you didn't mean it, but that's such a hurtful thing to say." He started apologizing and I told him "I forgive you, but I'm really disappointed in you right now and I need some time to process what you just said." I had him go sit down and he went to his desk, put his face in his hands, and cried. I asked him if he was okay and he said "I don't want you to be mad at me!!!!" His mom told me at conferences "You are the best teacher for T. He trusts you. He wants to do well because of you. And he says you are nice to him." At the fifth grade celebration, he wrote on my t-shirt "To the best teacher I have ever had in my life". I was honored that an 11 year old boy thought that of me, because I think that's the most difficult kind of child to teach (older males). If I hadn't taken an interest in him or reached out? He'd have done okay, but I think maybe the other kids would have bullied him more, he would have bullied others, as well, and he would have all of this wonderful talent that he may have been ashamed of.
When I was in 9th grade, I had a choir teacher. He has been my all time favorite teacher ever, and he was only a teacher for a few years. I loved choir and I wanted to be really good, but I was just okay. He sensed that, and asked me if I'd like to stay after school and work with him. Essentially, he was giving me free voice lessons. I enjoyed it and in my sophomore year, I started getting solos and gained a lot of confidence. I performed as much as I could, because I was getting good at it. He encouraged me and kept me working hard. Sadly, he left my junior year, and his replacement didn't like children one bit, but I kept singing and performing, and I went to college on a vocal music scholarship, and performed in a college show choir for my first two years of college. I have also performed in bands, and in many vocal music ensembles. Vocal performance was my dream since I was a little girl, but I never thought I was good enough...I never was good enough, until that teacher stepped in. I am lucky to still have contact with him and I let him know often that he was the best teacher that I ever had, and he inspired me to go as far as I did with my vocal music as well as being a role model and an inspiration to students. I think of him often when I see a kid who needs a little extra help to succeed.
I think we are on a great path to building a true Culture of Thinking within our school. I like that we visit it as often as we do. I see it everywhere and I'm inspired by a lot of what I saw last year, and my plan is to try and think of new ways to display it, and to make it a "routine" so the kids see it as a natural part of school through all of their years at North Hill.
Physical space was something I was already thinking about this year as I make a grade level move. I was envisioning more of a lounge environment for the older students. Then, as I began to read chapter 9 my mind started wondering...was my class inviting, how can I make different kinds of spaces with what I'm given? I loved the discussion about furniture layout, and light. I think my class was inviting and was designed for building culture, but I think there's always room for improvement. My reading area with rug, bumpy chairs and lamp seemed like a good start. My central rug where we met often throughout the day was also a good meeting place. I want to incorporate different kinds of seating this year as well as different "pockets" in the class where group work can be achieved with ease. My biggest goal is that my students feel like the space is theirs. I am excited to experiment with different room arrangements.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think NH is very segmented just because of the layout of our school. Its no joke that I can go weeks without seeing K-1 teachers. The movable walls could be a good start (even though the noise is annoying), but same grades should be on both sides to allow for flexible movement between classes during big projects. It seems like each room has it's own specific use...like the library is closed off where in the older buildings its the heart of the entire building. However, the people at our school make the space inviting. Patti's smile is the first thing visitors see, student work (which may show more thinking this year) hanging in the hallways shows we value student creativity, and welcoming staff. That post was a little all over the place, but I think there was a lot to discuss. Overall, I think we are doing a great job of treading into the CoT. But if this is a true movement to shift how we teach, how we learn, and how we think i think physically we could make some improvements.
After reading chapter 8 regarding interactions with my students, I reflected on positive relationships I've developed with students over the years. A particular student comes to mind from several years ago. She was painfully shy and often times had the mentality that 'she couldn't do it' or 'wasn't good enough'. She was also a very nervous child, and her mom made sure that I was aware of this little girl's anxiety. Well, I made it my mission to make her feel extra safe, a goal I have for all of my students but with her, I went above and beyond to get to know her, what she was interested in outside of school, what made her nervous, happy, excited, scared, and so on. On page 201, it is stated that "as learners, we benefit from knowing someone has our back and is cheering for our success even as he or she is willing to catch us should we fall." I believe that this particular student truly believed I had her back in any situation. She became very eager to learn and apply any and all new skills taught, particularly in writing. By the end of the year, her mom told me that her daughter said that she felt safe with me and brave and now loved school. As the girl progressed through North Hill, her mom continued to tell me that her daughter still spoke about me being the teacher that made her feel safe. I think without that strong relationship, she may have gotten so wrapped up in her insecurities and fears that it would have made learning difficult. I want to continue to make all my students feel important by getting to know them on a personal level and find time to connect with each student daily so that they feel that they have great value in our classroom culture.
ReplyDeleteThis year I am very excited about the idea of my classroom "space". I am jumping in with both feet and getting rid of all the desks in my classroom. I have have a great deal of fun this summer shopping for items in my classroom to make the student want to be part of it and enjoy their time in it. I keep thinking back to Dave's comments about movement and choice being so important after spring break. But really movement and choice is important during the entire school year. As I am currently writing this I am sitting on the floor with the computer on a coffee table. I am not sitting at my desk doing this work. Why shouldn't the students have the same opportunities to have choice. I think the turning point for me was these past couple of years when there were so many desks in the room I was unable to arrange the space for the best interactions of the students. We had to physically move our desks every time we tried to meet as a group down on the rug. I am hoping that my classroom this year is inviting to the students. I love the "Campfires in Cyberspace" metaphor identified by David Thornburg. Thornburg explained it as the campfire, the watering hole, and the cave. The "campfire" would be the meeting area where learning takes place as a whole group. The "watering hole" is when the students would meet together in small groups to discuss and learn from their peers. Finally, the "cave" would be when the students go off for individual reflection and study. Hopefully you all won't find me this fall sitting in my "cave" crying "What have I done?" :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you're doing this!!! I'm excited to see how it works out. After the first few weeks of getting settled in, I hope you'll share an update on how it's going.
DeleteI can't wait to hear how it works for you too!
DeleteWhen I think about my classroom last year, I felt that things were very inviting for the students because there were desks in small groups, which made it easy for the students to interact and there was ample space to walk around. Having 22 students last year made space much more open as well and I am a bit nervous as I organize my room this year thinking I will have to more than likely add 7 more desks to my room. Since movement is crucial in my classroom, I feel it necessary to have lots of open space. I also made sure there was a gathering spot for morning meetings and mini-lessons. I often wish I had a rug there like when I taught kindergarten to make it more inviting but the expense is often a problem. I also find it important to build relationships with students and do so through morning meetings, brain breaks and star students. I have many fun pillows, animals etc for students to choose to use when reading and students love being able to choose their quiet spot to read. I feel that North Hill is inviting and that staff and administration are supportive. I agree with Tiffany that there sometimes seems to be a disconnect between K-1, 2-5 and specials teachers probably because the logistics of our building. I was so excited to see the new bulletin boards when I went in and this is another way we can hopefully showcase the student's work as well as our CoT routines. My goal is to continue to try out new thinking routines, provide my students with more choice and movement, continue to teach students to become better listeners and use more implicit modeling--model learning and thinking (p. 125) to show students how we handle mistakes and reflect.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8 I am reflecting on the game of Enbrighten. I used this activity in my class last year. Enbrighten is an engaging and thought-provoking comprehension game designed to empower students to approach and ultimately understand both narrative and informational text. This strategy encourages students and teachers to establish comprehension as a process of cognition rather than something assessed by an isolated set of comprehension questions. It also fosters the development of metacognition, critical thinking, listening, and speaking skills within the classroom environment. Before playing Enbrighten, I work alongside my students to develop classroom norms, establishing a safe classroom environment where collaboration and risk-taking are encouraged. I want them to know that their thinking is respected and valued. We begin with a more teacher-directed environment. I facilitate discussion and interactions by modeling each role and how to ask “good” questions. As students become comfortable with the roles and norms, the classroom moves to more student-initiated. Ultimately, the goal is for the students to take ownership of their learning.
ReplyDeleteStudent to student interaction is a big goal for me this year. I want students to develop respect for each other. I am hoping through the repeated use of routines like the micro lab protocol, modeling through the use of sentence starters how to build a conversation, and striving to ask more generative, constructive, and facilitating questions this goal can be realized. As for environment I have been striving for the last few years to soften up the classroom by creating a more like home like environment using pillows, rugs, lamps, and curtains. After reading about the caves, watering holes, and campfires I felt like this is language I can use in the classroom to help the students recognize they have opportunities available to meet their needs for a variety of learning experiences. Moving North Hill forward in our transformation is something I am excited to be a part of. I agree with Emily that we need to keep in mind this is a journey and will not happen overnight night. I think that observation and refelection will be important tools for us to utilize as well as opportunities to collaborate and share such as Last Protocol. As I read Lauren Childs' analogy of a garden I could really picture our school that way. We have worked to cultivate the soil and nurture early growth. Now we must work to build the deep roots in order for our garden to grow. We may have some patches that grow more quickly than others but working together we can all produce the culture of thinking we want for our school.
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect on my former students, one student stands out especially, because the first time I met him, I knew there was more to him than the distracted, non-engaging student he appeared to be. I immediately began engaging in conversations with this student and became familiar with his interests. Whenever I detected something was wrong, I made sure we had time to talk and let him express his feelings and concerns. His mother would often share with me how surprised he was that his teacher would care so much for him. Because of this invested interest and genuine caring relationship, this student felt he could take chances and mistakes didn't matter. He opened up in class, and became engaged in the learning and activities that took place in class, and even continued the interest and excitement of learning home with him. His mother was shocked at the amount of time this student spent researching and sharing at home. I feel that if I had not had this relationship with this student, he would have gone through the school year as one of the distracted students, "class clowns" that didn't care about learning and didn't like school.
ReplyDeleteRESPECT. Mutual respect is the one key ingredient in any and all successful relationships in my opinion. The second ingredient is caring. If you respect and care for your students, and you demonstrate this, you will see them model this with each other.
ReplyDeleteThe author states that student to student interactions will reflect our relationships with them. This is true for parent/child relationship as well.
A few years ago we did a book study about the needs of children and it discussed the many different types of poverty. We as teachers try to understand and fill the hole that their type of poverty needs. We provide or attempt to provide meals, snacks, clothes, safety, love and hugs. Whatever the child needs. Children know when you truly care and believe in them.
The third ingredient is that the children need to see/hear us think and know that we don't have ALL of the answers but that is okay. We are modeling perseverance and knowing that it is okay to fail (not have all the right answers) as long as we have the growth mindset and we get back up and continue.
I think as a teacher we have so much that we model and share of ourselves and because we do this with a focus on their best interests, that the students will do this with each other.
I think we already demonstrate respect and caring and this year I want to model my thinking using the routines as much as possible with the hopes that the students will see that we think as an adult and we reflect.
When I think back to what the media center first looked like when I came to North Hill, I am proud of all the changes I have been able to make in the short time I have been in the role of media specialist. One of the things that I really love is the way I have been able to frame and hang a number of Author in April illustrated drawings around the library. The Authors in April program is so unique to Rochester and such an amazing experience for students that I felt it was important to highlight these artworks by placing them on the walls. Another feature of the library that I am proud of is the way I have books displayed on all my shelves. As much as we shouldn't judge books by their cover, we all do it and I've definitely noticed the books on display are often the first to be checked out. I've also rearranged some of my shelving to make it easier to move about the library.
ReplyDeleteThese accomplishments aside, I still have a lot I would like to change with regards to environment. After reading chapter 9, I realize that the media center is still set up in a very traditional style: fixed interactive whiteboard, computers set up so everyone is on the same page at the same time, chairs/tables/shelves that do not easily move, etc. It can seem daunting to try to change some of these aspects because the media center is a large space and I don't really have a budget for new furniture or other large changes, but I am starting to look into creative and cheap alternatives and I try to remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day. One of the ideas from the chapter that I want to do more of is act as a curator of learning. I agree that documentation of our thinking and learning is more worthy of wall space than fancy posters, etc. I'm also excited to see how my use of the media center could change as we have more mobile technology available and a more robust wireless network. I even like the idea of creating different zones for different activities such as a reading nook or a makerspace area.
I always hear stories from parents telling us that their child plays teacher at home and will quote us as they “teach.” I also often hear my own words repeated from one student to another when they don’t think I am listening. Students will tell others to, “Go with the flow” or “Worry about yourself,” which are phrases I often say to diffuse situations. As a teacher if I want my students to respect and treat each other nicely when learning, they need to see me doing it first. My students need to see me giving everyone a chance to try something new and share ideas. New ideas need to be celebrated and built upon on a regular basis. Something I’ve seen my students do this year is spend more time discussing their thinking rather than rushing to give an answer first. I’ve made a point to explain to our kids that often I want to know more about their thinking because I know they have the right answer, especially in math.
ReplyDeleteMy students also need to see that our room is a safe place to take risks and make mistakes. When I make a mistake in front of my students I will say, “See kids! Even teachers make mistakes!” We will laugh it off and move on. I want them to see how I learned from a mistake I’ve made and that because it was better that I gave something a try even if it didn’t work out perfectly. I hope my student see this and refrain from making negative comments to others who are struggling.
I hope as this year progresses that our students continue to help each other collaborate and think creatively. I know they are very capable and I believe my interactions communicate that idea with them.
As I continue my journey of learning more about a culture of thinking, I believe group discussions about the different forces and how they all relate would be beneficial. Not just that they relate to each other, but how they relate to what we teach and learn. Learning in groups is always beneficial as well. Learning in groups and focusing on three different types of forces and discussing them helps everyone see the purpose and will help others feel empowered to continue their learning journey. If we were to focus on three new forces next year or later in the year would also be helpful.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the questions for this post, the one that caught my eye was reflecting on a student-teacher relationship. I immediately thought of Professor Staron and reading Lindsey's post- she did too!. Professor Sharon had a way of connecting with every student in his class. I was amazed at how he knew something about every student who came in the door and made them feel like he truly cared about them. As a student in his class, I wanted to do my very best work. His comments were positive and constructive in a way that encouraged learning. I think back to his ideas, methods and techniques on a regular basis and try to implement them in my class. There is a quote by Mari Evans that Professor Sharon loved to reference: "Education is the jewel casting brilliance into the future." That quote can be interpreted many different ways but I know my future would not be as brilliant had it not been for Professor Sharon.
ReplyDelete