Popping the Bubble

How do we get students to step out of their comfort zones and experience new people outside of their circle of friends? This is a struggle in many middle schools.  Many of these students have been together since kindergarten, and kids are pigeon-holed into cliques for the remainder of their schooling.  How many small towns are just like this across the nation?  Students get stuck in their comfort zone, afraid to step away from their safety blanket of friends for fear of how they will be perceived.

We aimed to burst this comfort bubble with the help of our leadership group comprised of 7th and 8th graders, PACK. Mix It Up Day was the perfect venue to shake things up in a cafeteria that had been defined as "exclusive" by these same student leaders.  At first, our leadership team of students was a bit skeptical.  They weren't sure how their classmates would receive the idea.  Some admitted that it would put them in a very uncomfortable situation with their friend groups and they were worried.  My co-advisor, Rachel Dapp, and I helped ease their fears and reminded our PACK leaders that one of their main goals was to create a school climate that was welcoming to all students.  We also let them know that no change is ever made without taking risks and putting yourself out their for potential judement and failure.  We decided it was a risk worth taking and a potential learning experience. 

The students then went to work planning the event that would take place on October 29, 2013. Our PACK youngsters created a lunch wave that would put their classmates in an uncomfortable situation sitting with kids that they normally may not ever speak with.  Groups planned how to randomize seating as students entered the cafeteria.  Another group decorated the cafeteria with color-coded table clothes and a number system.  And yet another group produced a video explaining Mix It Up Day to be played at the beginning of each lunch wave.  Our PACK group was prepared for this event and at go time, the cafeteria was ready and looking great.

I would love to say that everything worked out perfectly, and all students arrived at the cafeteria willing to take risks and converse with new people.  But that would be too easy.  Our leaders did an outstanding job of getting students into the cafeteria and ushering them to their random seats for the day.  Once students found out what was going on, the inevitable questions of "What is this?" and "Why do we have to do this?" sprouted up around the room.  Students were uncomfortable and it showed in their demeanor and in the volume of the cafeteria.  Initially, there were some silent tables, uncomfortable shrugs, and angry glares among the students.  Our PACK members anticipated this and came armed with conversation starters ranging from "Who is your favorite celebrity?" to "What is the most unusual thing you have ever eaten?" to "If you could have a superpower, what would it be?"  Some students opened up and introduced themselves.  Some were reluctant participants while some stayed silent.  Our leaders wandered the cafeteria acting as facilitators trying to keep conversations going and sharing their own experiences and answers.

It was not all high fives, handshakes and uncomfortable conversations.  We learned that we still have a ways to go to popping the bubble surrounding some cliques especially with our 8th graders. Quotes like "There's a reason we don't sit with them" and "I hate this person, why do I have to sit with them?" were reminders that we have a long way to go towards creating a school culture and climate where all students feel welcome.  And while these comments were disheartening, they were good wake-up calls to our students leaders that there is still much work to be done in our school.

Our student leaders felt a sense of fullfilment.  We were extremely proud of the effort and energy that was put into planning and implementing this event. Most importantly, I was proud of the risk our PACK students were willing to take to try to create change in their environment. One of our 7th grade leaders left us with this quote by John Bingham after our last lunch wave, and it couldn't have been more fitting: "The miracle isn't that we finished; it's that we had the courage to start."  

Hopefully, this new courage can be a springboard to affecting change within their social groups.

How does your school go about creating a welcoming environment for all students? 

Question Everything...

I ask my students from Day 1 to question everything.  This is a new concept for most 6th graders, and when they hear me say that includes my opinions also, I usually get a few double takes.  It's easy to say to students that you want them to ask questions of each other, of things they read, and of ideas they come across, but it's another thing for them to actually do it.  I soon realized that students were so used to being given questions to answer that they had spent little time learning about questioning.  At about this time, I was introduced to the book Make Just One Change by co-authors Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana and the idea of the question formulation technique by a progressive colleague, Jane Martellino (@JaneMartellino).  It changed the way my classroom worked.  Students took ownership of creating questions: discussion questions, project focuses, and unit guiding questions. And with that ownership, engagement in discussions, interest in projects, and learning in units increased. Students were excited to answer the questions they created; the questions that they wondered about a topic.

The question formulation technique really is a simple process that pays huge dividends in any subject area.  The first step is for students to brainstorm questions from a QFocus.  This QFocus can be an unbiased statement, a quote, a piece of artwork, a group of pictures, or a multitude of other things that get students asking questions about a topic.  From this QFocus, students are given seven to ten minutes to brainstorm questions.  The rules during this time are:

1. Ask as many questions as you can.
2. Do not stop to answer, judge or discuss.
3. Write down every question exactly how it was stated.
4. Change any statement into a question.

The next step deals with categorizing the questions into open or closed.  Initially, the question was asked, "What is the difference between an open and a closed question?" My sixth graders had no idea what I was talking about at first.  Then the ideas started to trickle out until realization dawned on students.  My favorite answer was when a student stated that closed questions closed the door on any possible discussion while open questions invited opinions and conversation.  Pretty deep for a 6th grader.  Students discussed their brainstormed questions and decided which questions were open and which were closed.  During this step, when students get good at the process, it is also a time when students can discuss and revise questions to change them from open to closed.

The last step is for students to decide on their best questions.  The amount you narrow it down to is dependent on the assignment and the expected outcomes.  I usually end up in the three to five question range.  Three if the questions are leading to class discussions and up to five when the questions are driving research like in our Core 21 project-based class right now.

Below is the QFocus that I used for my first unit.  Each of my four language arts classes went through the process, and each of the classes has different guiding questions that they will try to answer throughout the unit.

Our QFocus for Unit 1

What is considered good fiction? How can good fiction create its own reality if fiction is not real? What do all books have in common to make them good fiction stories? Why do good books get turned into movies? How can a good fiction book create its own reality?  This is a sampling of a the questions that my sixth graders came up with to help drive their learning based on their QFocus.

Questioning is a skill that needs to be embraced.  Students need to be encouraged to ask their own questions, question what may be commonplace, and think outside the box in how they look at things.  When students create their own questions, they take hold of their learning and their thinking about a topic.  Students need to question the status quo and the opinions of others (even their teachers).  When we question, we put learning into motion. 

Here's to questioning everything this year.

Setting the Tone for the Year

When I first started out teaching, my first days of school did not set the tone I wanted for my school year.  I am not ashamed to say it, but I realize now that I missed out on important learning experiences for myself and my students.  Rules were introduced. Goals were created for a class students knew little about for a teacher they did not yet trust; meaningless words on soon forgotten paper.  How did I want my students to leave the room on those first days of school? What did I want them thinking my class was going to be about?  I had the answer in my mind, but my actions were not consistent with mind's vision.

That changed this year.  My first days of school have been memorable, and based on their reactions, my students will remember them as well.  We switched to a seventy-minute block schedule this year, and my favorite comment was "I can't believe that was 75 minutes; that period flew."  Students were engaged in meaningful activities that set the tone for the year.  Students thought, discussed, collaborated, wrote, questioned and thought some more.  Along the way, I realized that all of the things that I used to come out and say about rules and expectations were introduced naturally and seamlessly through the activities students were actively engaged in.

So, how did this occur?  As all good educators do, I stole ideas from colleagues on Twitter, took advice from my wife who used one activity first and gave me feedback, and adapted pieces of past years' openings and made them student-centered.  Students entered the room on day one and created items that represented themselves with pipecleaners.  

Next, they wrote down three words that described themselves.  I surprised them by asking them to connect their words to their pipecleaner creation and share with their groups.  This simple activity gave me insight into their personalities, interests, and, even more importantly, into their willingness to think and think creatively.  

I was able to introduce my students to the "Keys to the Classroom."  Students were invited to question everything including and especially me.  They couldn't believe I was admitting that my opinion would be wrong multiple times this year and that it needed to be questioned.  I asked students to think always.  Students collaborated on what it meant to "collaborate with each other." And I asked students to take risks and step out of their comfort zone.  

The next day students collaborated to create three sentences that connected the words: respect, trust, responsibility, quality, success, discipline, and fun. Watching students work together after the first day was enlightening.  Different students stepped up in leadership roles.  Students collaborated in Google documents while others created handwritten copies.  The different group interactions, styles and products gave me valuable information about the dynamic of my classes.

Students then participated in their first snowball discussion. If you haven't tried this type of discussion, I highly recommend it.  Students start the discussion as partners and then you combine groups after a couple of minutes.  Groups grew to four and then eight and then full class.  As the groups grew, the more animated the discussions were.  We then reflected as a class what went well, what didn't and what we could improve on with our next discussion.

We ended our day with 6 word memoirs.  It amazed me what sixth graders were able to come up with to detail their lives.  They were so impressive that I am compiling them to create a video to share with their parents. (I will share that later on)

I learned a valuable lesson during these first few days of classes.  If I expect students to collaborate, question, discuss and think throughout the school year, then I better set the tone and start from day one.  You can't learn these things by hearing about them; you need to experience them.  Based on my students' reactions, the experiences were a success.  Now that the tone is set, I need to keep that momentum going.

What are some things you use the first few days of school to set the tone for your school year?

Here is the link to my #1st5days prezi:

http://prezi.com/sklx8-qndvwp/opening-activities-2013-2014/?kw=view-sklx8-qndvwp&rc=ref-12572716&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Taking the Plunge

As summer draws to a close, I can't help but think what a summer this has been. I come from a family of teachers. We have always been a reflective bunch from mother and father, to my beautiful bride, to aunts, uncles and cousins, there are teachers everywhere. Seldom does the conversation stray from education. But after this summer, I feel like my educational family has grown. 

For a long time, I swore off Twitter and most social media sites for that matter.  I'm not entirely sure why especially since I've always been a strong believer and user of instructional technology. But I did. When I finally took the plunge, I learned more in the first three months than in ten years of professional development. Teachers and administrators from Australia to Canada from East Coast to West Coast of the United States have become collaborators, mentors, and colleagues. People who I have never met in person have been willing to share ideas, lessons and opinions freely. Chats, blogs, resources, articles and laughs scroll down my screen daily.  

On this back to school eve, I am grateful for meeting all of these new colleagues and expanding my PLN. My excitement grows as I think about the new things to try and share.  When the school year begins, I know I will be a better teacher because of my interactions with the people I have met through Twitter this summer. 

Based on my summer experiences, three questions have arisen that I wish to attack this school year:

1) How can I share all these new ideas with colleagues within my school district while also opening their minds to the global possibilities of a PLN?

2) How can I continue to challenge my students through real-life learning experiences in an engaging classroom environment?

3) How can I meaningfully reflect on my practices while sharing trials and tribulations with others? 

The train is set in motion, and I look forward to learning, sharing and reflecting throughout the school year. I have been lifted off the island and now realize that there is a global community of teachers looking to do the best they can for their students each and every day. 

Good luck and have a great school year.