Updating a dated Unit - "Lost" Part Two

In a recent post, I talked about my efforts to re-launch a highly engaging, cross-curricular unit built around the first season of the television program "Lost". As I mentioned, at least four Transition Years (Grade 7 & 8) teachers were intrigued. However, to seal the deal, I would need to organize and present a massive unit to them in a way that was manageable. In order to do this, I would need to search my storage area (where all of my "teacher supplies" are currently housed, anxiously awaiting my return to the classroom) for a big box labeled: "Lost" Stuff. Additionally, I would need to collate dozens of computer files that contained the lessons that would build this unit. Fortunately, it was March Break.

The Roadblock

Here was the problem. I hadn't looked at the unit since leaving Grade 8 in 2011, to teach the Junior division (Grade 4-6) at another school. Additionally, our board had moved from the early 2K Corel Suite (WordPerfect, Excel, Quattro Pro) to Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel) to the Google Suite (Docs, Slides, Sheets). Consequently, any document I had saved needed to be converted...but...our school computers no longer supported the format in which it had been  saved.

The Detour

My old Dell laptop (circa 2007) had been gathering dust for about 4 years (coinciding with the time I got my first Chromebook). It still had Corel programs installed on it; so, I could access the files and convert them to .PDF which could be uploaded to my Google Drive. Unfortunately, none of the "Presentation" files could be converted to Google Slides - so that was frustrating. Consequently, this was a time consuming (albeit pleasurable) grind. It did, however, give me a chance to reflect on the type of educator I was in 2010 and the type I am learning to be now.

• How could I upgrade these activities to reflect the technology that is available to me and students in 2018? Padlet, Flipgrid, Kahoot, Edmodo etc.
• How could I adapt these lessons to take full advantage of the Google Suite? Not just Slides - but Blogger and Google Sites.
• How could I connect these lessons to the  Rethink Secondary vision that we want, in order to prepare our Transition Year students to embrace Global Competencies - skills that will be invaluable in their future?
• If I get more than one class from more than one school to participate, how do I get them to share their writing and thinking with each other? How do I create an authentic (not just the teacher) audience for these students? 

The Finish Line

My goals are to ...

1. Update this unit for 21st Century utility - connecting it to meaningful (and engaging) technological approaches to learning.
2. Connect it intentionally to the (revised) Ontario Curriculum (particularly in Math & Language).
3. Get a group of teachers to embrace it - with my support (justifying my time in my current role).
4. Roll it out successfully to over 80 grade 7 & 8 students.

Then... I might have the makings of a blog series (perhaps book and updated workshop*) that could be presented to other educators.

In my next post - I will discuss my use of this unit to secure my Master's Degree - and the stats I wish I had gathered.

 *NB: I have presented this at day long ETFO workshops in the past (2008-2010) - but not with this new 21st Century direction.

It's not about the floor

Recently, I heard an story from writer David Mandel (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep) about his time on Saturday Night Live in the mid-90's. Nicole Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise at the time, was hosting and Mandel was tasked with writing her monologue.

He decided on a premise where she took questions from the "audience" (which was populated with cast members or writers as "plants".) Every question would be about Cruise (who, arguably, was the biggest blockbuster star of the day.) After the 3rd or 4th question about Cruise, Kidman would run off stage in frustration. Moments later, she would reappear, dramatically sliding across the stage while wearing only a man's white dress shirt, boxers and a pair of white socks - a look made famous by Cruise in his 1983 film "Risky Business". She would then recreate the dance scene from the movie, complete with couch and trophy microphone.

However, the real story took place during the week preceding the live broadcast of the show. According to Mandel, Kidman approached him on multiple occasions to express her concern about the wax on the stage. She was quite worried that she would slip and fall because of the socks and the waxy floor. Mandel took her concerns seriously and consulted with producers, directors, stage hands, custodial staff, costume makers and even stunt coordinators to ensure her safety. Socks were tested, waxes were evaluated, the stage was inspected - regardless, Kidman continued to become increasingly nervous that the sketch was a bad idea.

Just as Mandel was about to scrap the plan and return to his writing desk to pen a new monologue, Kidman's personal assistant caught wind of the situation and approached him. Quietly she said, "It's not about the floor - she's just really nervous about performing on live television. It'll be fine."

That story stuck with me because I recognized its application to my profession. When dealing with a student who is angry, rude, confrontational, oppositional, even violent; it is important to remember that it often has nothing to do with the things that seem the most likely triggers, or even the things that they say are bothering them.  There are a host of other questions you need to consider.

Are they hungry?
Are they tired?
Are they feeling unloved?
Are they feeling vulnerable?
Are they frightened?

Likely, it isn't something that can be solved quickly or easily, regardless of the help you might enlist from those around you. Sometimes, it's just about being patient and kind...and listening. Sometimes it is about realizing...

"It's not about the floor".

Lost - The Pitch

In Medias Res

This is Part One to a series of posts I hope to complete about my journey to explore the first season of the television program "Lost" with Grade 7/8 teachers and their 12-14 year old students in the spring of 2018. Spoiler: I am in the middle of it as I write - and I am having some success. Hope you will join me on this journey....(cue "Lost" Intro Music)

I had a problem I needed to resolve.

I was in my 7th month as an Instructional Coach to four schools, and I was not getting into enough Transition Years (Grade 7 & 8) classrooms.  I had done some coding and a little math with a couple groups and two of the teachers had embraced my Football Pool approach to Data Management. However, there were several TY classes I had not worked with, and I knew it was important for me to make connections with these teachers - particularly if I was going to stay in this role for up to three more years. I realized that it was up to me to remedy this. I needed to make these connections.

I caught a break.

I was asked by two principals to present some professional development I had received on efficient decomposition strategies (for large numbers and fractions). The schedule gave me the chance to work directly with TY teachers, which allowed me to network. The sessions seemed to be well received and this gave me my opportunity to make a pitch.

Lead with a good story.

When I taught Grade 7 and/or 8 in the late aughts (2005-2010) I began to make use of the first season of the television show "Lost" as anchor for a multitude of cross-curricular expectations. I recognized, as I was watching it, that it had great utility as a vehicle for student engagement. My hunch was quickly supported: my students absolutely loved the series.

There were two clear byproducts of this success. 

• Improved attendance: I had been teaching at a school where punctuality & attendance (both physical and mental) was often an issue. This was particularly true in the more senior grades. Additionally, some students took great liberty with permissive parents who allowed them to leave early if they were "feeling sick" - even when they regularly had miraculous recoveries in time to meet their friends at dismissal. The "Lost" unit remedied this in a number of ways. First, absenteeism dropped and punctuality improved. Second, students began to engage more in class discussions and curriculum based activities. Finally, spontaneous departures due to unexpected illness, showed a steady decline. I began to get used to the question: "Mr. H. - are we doing some "Lost" stuff today?"  "Of course," I would confidently say and, over the course of the few years I ran the unit, I found more ways to connect the series to curriculum expectations in as many areas of study as I could.
• Improved performance: I would not say that the unit was a panacea to the academic malaise that infects many adolescent writers, readers, mathematicians & oral communicators. It did, however, help many show significant improvement. Students embraced new language and invested more meaningfully in heady discussions. They willingly engaged in purposeful and respectful deliberation around rich & mature topics that challenged a black & white reality they may have accepted for years. These moments were powerful and felt important. They were certainly rewarding to experience as an educator.

These realizations would also become the backbone for my Masters' research - but that is a discussion for a future blog.

So, I made my pitch.

Through conversation, and email, I began to sell my idea - with great enthusiasm. Four teachers expressed interest in hearing more. However, March Break was upon us. This was fortunate, because I had another hurdle to overcome.

More on that next time.

(Cue Cliffhanger "Lost" End Credit Card.)

OK GO - Rube Goldberg in the Grade 5 classroom.

In January, while writing my #OneWord blog post, I made a commitment to contribute 24 articles to this site by the end of the year. I started well, putting two up in the first 14 days of the year. Since then .... crickets.

I know that my new role as an Instructional Coach is getting in the way. I have spent much of my time reading and learning in order to better understand the curriculum (particularly in the Primary grades). Additionally, I am taking a Leadership course, offered by my Board as well as being part of a Crucial Conversations study group with other 1st year coaches.

However, I’m taking some time today to share an idea that came to me while working with a Grade 5 teacher during a Science period.

He was tackling some concepts from “Understanding Structures and Mechanisms - Forces” section of the Ontario Curriculum (p.100-101). Prior to meeting with the students I told him about a great video by the band OK GO called "This Too Shall Pass". In the video, the band members move around an elaborate, warehouse-sized Rube Goldberg machine while singing the song. I have used it in the past to introduce the idea of a deliberately complex contraption that serves a simple task. My students have, in the past, worked collaboratively to design their own*.

However, as this teacher screened the video for the students, another idea struck me.

• Why not have the students use the screen capture tool on the Chromebook to identify simple machines in the video? 

• They could then identify the mechanical advantage as well as the input and output force.

• Ideally, they would work collaboratively on this Google Slide Deck in order to demonstrate the vocabulary skills associated with this unit - load, friction, tension, torque, etc

• This could then be presented to their peers, further crystallizing their understanding of these concepts.

I’ve made this bit.ly link bit.ly/SimpleMachinesOKGO for easier distribution. I have tried to include everything in the slideshow to make this a self-contained lesson. I won’t likely get a chance to try it out this year - but would love to hear from any Grade 5** teachers who do.  

* A colleague at a school in Singapore made use of the EV3 robots. The challenge was to keep a marble in constant motion for the longest time possible.
**There are some Grade 4 connections possible too.