The Back Half of the Back Nine - Part One - Tabula Rasa

Last week, I gained access to my new classroom. I suspect it will also be my final classroom. I've moved enough and, although I won't say the "R-word", I'll use golfing parlance and say: "I am on the back half of the back nine". When I began this blog, I named it The 50-20 in deference to my age (I was turning 50) and the number of years I had been teaching (I was entering my 20th). Now, at 54 and 24, I feel this overwhelming desire to get everything right.

Most people want to "get it right" whether they are trying something new or getting a fresh start. But, this time, my emotional experience has been palpable. I'm planning on taking plenty of chances this year and I am putting 23 years' of experience into this adventure. However, I approach it with trepidation because I know the first few weeks are key to building relationships with new students.
  I learned so much during the past two years as an Instructional Coach. 
It provided me with...

• hours of high quality professional development presented by experts in mathematics, literacy and pedagogical practice.
• the opportunity to work with a highly-engaged coaching team as well as many passionate teachers in our board. 
• the chance to visit dozens of classes, from Kindergarten to Grade 8, and learn something new with every visit.
• the time to read and discuss a wide range of articles and books provided to me by my supervisory team.

However, I was most moved by the opportunity to collaborate with TVDSB Learning Coordinator Rick Pardo and learn about the school in a school approach to education. I also had a chance to connect with the Intermediate Educators from Summer's Corners Public School who have embraced successfully this pedagogical trajectory. 

Now, I am ready to take the next step and build on the Project Based Learning, Genius Hour, Passion and Inquiry-based approaches that I explored with my last classroom in 2017. I hope to engage my students by encouraging them to be stakeholders in their own education. I am moving away from the dissemination of knowledge and facts but encouraging them to expand their understanding of local and global issues and making them realize that they can impact positively their own community.

"I want to uncover the curriculum with my student, not cover it."

Right on cue, the pre-school, August teacher nightmares have begun. It's a fairly universal experience for teachers:

• You're late and can't get your fingers press the buttons on your cellular phone to call in.
• You keep getting lost and delayed in a labyrinth of corridors that somehow connect your former high school to every school you've ever taught at.
• You may have forgotten your pants and you certainly have no plan for today.
• Your students are beyond unruly - they are defiant and hostile on a level that makes the Attica Prison Riot seem like a tea party. 

However, I remain cautiously optimistic, bolstered by some unexpected encouragement. After spending two days clearing and organizing my new classroom - I shared a short video of my room with a Tweet. It said:

"Starting the year with a community circle. Nothing on the walls. After some Ice Breakers that respect introverts, the first challenge is...Where do we put the desks, mine included, and how do we move them regularly in a way that respects the floor and the class below us?"   

It received more than 20,000 impressions with 8,000 views, 300 Likes, 35 Retweets and 19 Comments. I'll admit, there is an endorphin rush that comes with that much affirmation. It has also buttressed my confidence as I continue planning for the first week of school.

The most common inquiries were about "Icebreakers that respect Introverts". I will detail the approach in my next post - after I try them out with my students.

A Project Based Journey - Part 3

 Here are Part One and Part Two. This is Part Three in this series about my latest Project Based Learning Journey.

The next step is building a Multi-Media Tech Set (MMTS). Here is a quick primer on the concept, which comes out of the world of Hyperdocs developed by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton & Sarah Landis. Be sure to explore that link or the incredible Teachers Give Teachers for resources.

I make mine in Google Docs. 

• I create a table and distribute the curriculum questions (see previous post) evenly over the squares.
• I find fun, colourful pictures that have some relationship to the question.
• I curate kid-friendly links to videos, articles & websites and connect the links to the pictures.
• I save one panel for a Google Form Picture and link.
• I use some colour fills to make it aesthetically pleasing.

Here is my latest.

The next step is revealing it to the students. Our plan is to have them explore at least 3 links and then complete the Google Form to give us feedback. Eventually, they will be making 3 Panel Brochures or Infographics, so we will need to front-load that.

A Project Based Learning Journey - Part 2

This is Part Two in a series about my latest Project Based Learning Journey. Part One can be found here.

As I mentioned in my first post, the approach to a PBL needs to take on a Triangular Shape. 

Either...

• Many choices (questions) with a single (or few) final product choices.
• One (or few) choices with multiple options for presentation.

At the time of this writing, I am working with a Grade 3/4 teacher to develop a PBL approach to the Light & Sound section in the Grade 4 Ontario Science Curriculum. We have decided to use triangle two (on the right). Multiple curriculum prompts with learning demonstrated through either a Tri-Fold Brochure or Infographic (possibly with a QR code to a Google Site.) 

Step 1: Start with the Curriculum

Go through the curriculum and pull out the specific expectations and example questions you want the students to explore. I have organized them into this table.

Step 2: Decide on the Culminating Task

• Explore a Multi-Media Tech Set to learn about the elements of Light and Sound that are identified in the curriculum.
• Identify a question they would like to answer or an area they would like to explore.
• At this age, we need to help support them finding "open" questions or provide meaningful question prompts.
• Research their question and organize the information into either an Infographic or a Brochure
• Both of these products will need to be "front-loaded" through literacy activities.
• Optionally, students could include a QR code to a Google Site that contains the same information.

Step 3 - Solidify Evaluation Approach 

• Feedback throughout the project is essential - especially for young children and those participating in a PBL for the first time.
• Learning Skills need to be addressed regularly - student self-evaluation through Google Forms might be a good strategy. I have also provided time at the end of each work period for students to document their progress and share it with their parents (I used Student Story in Class Dojo)
• The Final Project should be assessed using a No Mark Rubric co-created with students so that they fully understand the expectations. Perhaps...
• Aesthetic Appearance - Communication of Understanding & Media
• Organization of Information - Literacy, Research, Reading and Writing
• Literacy Conventions - Editing & Using Google Tools
• Overall Understanding - Can the student explain their understanding & knowledge?

Next - Building the Multi Media Tech Set

A Project Based Learning Journey - Part 1

Increasingly, teachers with whom I work are becoming interested in incorporating Project Based Learning (PBL) into their classrooms. If you are not familiar with the difference between PBL and traditional "projects", this short video is a great place to start.

I am just completing a lengthy PBL with a Grade 4 class at Thamesford Public School. It turned out well - mainly because both the students and the classroom teacher were persistent & committed to the experience. It took about 6 weeks and I was present for at least eight 1-hour classes and a few indoor recesses. 

Student projects included...

• A Talk Show
• Song performances including "The Compass Rose Song" featuring the music of Shawn Mendes
• Lego Stop Motion
• Google Slide Stop Motion
• A Podcast interview with a resident of Iqaluit, Nunavut
• A Scratch Coded Interactive Canada Map
• Interactive Google Slides - on the Boreal Forest & Canadian Provinces
• Minecraft EDU presentations
• Kahoot & Blind Kahoot Quizzes 

The biggest lesson I learned was to shape my approach like a triangle and not a rectangle.  I used this multi-media tech set (MMTS) which includes this Google Form to help students define the question they wanted to answer. My approach offered multiple topics and multiple project options - the rectangle design. This was unwieldy.  

I should have employed The Triangle Approach - either a few questions with lots of presentation options or many question options with one project goal.

Word of mouth has spread and another member of staff has asked me to try something in Grade 4 Science. 

This time, we are curating 8 questions from The Ontario Science Curriculum and having students demonstrate their learning with either a Tri-Fold Brochure or Infographic (possibly with a QR code to a Google Site.)

More on this next time!