How Do We Enter if We Know Failure is Inevitable?

It takes a certain kind of mindset to plow forward knowing you will have to begin again. To stay the course when you know things are not going to work out the way you planned. Forging ahead through the obstacles and road blocks only to make a u-turn and have to traverse them again. For some this resilience comes naturally, they often seek the opportunity to struggle because the journey is more rewarding then the solution. There are many however, that if they feel even an inkling that they will not succeed they will never open the door and venture inside. So how can we make sure that our students will face failure, not just be prepared for it, but actually live through it, embrace it, and rather than cower in the corner with frustration, run back in the ring ready for the fight?

As teachers we have to set them up to fail, make sure that they are put in situations that are not only challenging and rigorous but filled with anxiety and pressure. The reality of life is that there are expectations we do not meet. That we push ourselves to the limit and do not succeed. Children need to be pushed into similar situations, where they get comfortable and relax and then bam! surprise, a fork in the road that was not only unanticipated but that causes them to doubt themselves. Lose confidence temporarily. Only to find it two fold soon thereafter. If we teach our children that they can do anything, not allow them to see their limitations, we are not only setting them up for a frustrating life but an unhappy one. If we set up our students to succeed no matter what, get the A with little effort we are creating a false sense of identity, we are not perfections but humans. Humans by design are problem-solvers and as such understand that we will get cuts and bruises along the way and may never reach the summit. But also, we understand that if the summit is out of reach, we will find a different route because the view is what we are after, not the elevation.

Imagine, a place where voices linger long after students have left. The walls covered by their design, whisper their learning. Every day desks and tables are rearranged based on desire and preference. Activities and labs are performed not to succeed but to fail and be redesigned based on observation and reflection. Intuitively students know when they need to join a remediation circle for review or an enrichment circle for extension. Students collaborate with one another, willing to take risks and fail together because they know they have the opportunity to try different ways to accomplish the goal until they achieve it. Grades are necessary but flexible, based on growth not specific completion dates. Silence is optional. Mindful awareness creates a sense of identify and strength but also community and support. Listening is of the utmost importance, a focus, integral to the success of all. Every student knows they will fail. They will be faced with challenges they will have to accept not completing, that they will have to reformulate a plan that may cause them to go back to the beginning. They will get frustrated but use this as a stepping stone not a weight dragging them backwards. This classroom is student-centered, not smooth or wrinkle free, quite the opposite. Students revel in it. They do not enter it blind to failure nor are they unwitting participants, they open the door and instantly, because of their freedom and independence, feel right at home.

Makerspace or Spheros? : An Enlightening Conversation with Students

I have written many articles and blog posts about makerspaces, a place set aside in a classroom or at home, for pure imagination and discovery. Unencumbered by worksheets and expectations. Fostering cleverness, inventiveness and vision. To be able to look at a myriad of utensils and items and giggy rig or engineer a model to display just about anything. We have one in our classroom and students use it almost daily. They love to use play-doh and other hands-on materials to design and tinker. The smiles on their faces is beautiful as they dig through crates of recyclables, pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks and construction paper. A little glue here, a dab of tape there and voila' a model to demonstrate every science concept imaginable.

I bring out the I-pads and computers on occasion and they get excited for a bit, often feeling trapped within the confines of programming, they definitely prefer digits over digital. The tactile, viscous nature of clay and glue. The choice of color and texture of tissue paper or card stock. There is so much freedom and independence when it comes to a makerspace, its the spark of curiosity needed to explore, just by looking at the numerous tools and supplies. When an electronic device is placed in front of them, as expansive and informative as the Internet is, the assignments tend to be limiting. Power-point, Prezi, Web Quest etc. While, if you switch up the contents in the makerspace every now and then, even remove the glue and tape, it brings in a whole new set of possibilities and forces them to think outside the web and into the vastness of the rabbit hole.

I teach 7th grade and choice is a major component of our classroom. The makerspace is always an option. When I bring out the technology and simply say "create" two things generally take place: several groups will get a device, use it to research the topic but then go to the makerspace to build their concept or they skip the technology all together and find supplies, sketch their designs on paper and then fashion, formulate and forge. I was very curious about this, so I asked them, why is their preference for demonstration a makerspace? I could write an entire blog post on their responses, which varied from: control, independence, easier to manipulate and redesign, the collaborative aspect of a makerspace, play-doh, crayons, more artistic and the most common response- fun. I asked them if having a device at home, phone, Nintendo DS, tablet etc. made a difference in their choice?

What I discovered is that the more submerged into technology they are outside of my classroom the less likely they want to use it in my classroom. I have even heard the phrase "I am bored of the same old technology in school." Often teachers think if they bring in technology it will definitely engage students. But from my survey, which I gave out several times throughout the year in all my classes, I discovered in moderation they appreciate it but they truly love to get hands-on and dirty with glitter, clay and even finger paint. Believe it or not I added some finger paints into our makerspace and it was enlightening to see them hark back to elementary school. Ultimately kids want to be kids and a makerspace sets them up to do just that. Tinker, play, design and create to their hearts content.

This week I have been a teacher at our "Science Through Time" summer camp at the Shaw Steam Center. This camp is for inbound 4th and 5th graders. Several years younger than my students. Each day this group of 90 students is rotating in groups of about 15 through 5 different 30 minute blocks of activities. They have been covering all aspects of science: Ecology, Chemistry, Biology and even Physics. They made crystals, flying machines, wind-powered cars and solar ovens. They raced Spheros, created slime and even made stop-motion videos demonstrating dams and flooding. Each day I have been the makerspace activity teacher.

Throughout the week, I have asked each group several questions: do you prefer making things from scratch or on the computer? Would you like to use technology-digital or your hands-digits today to create something? It was an overwhelming response- makerspace, hands-on, cardboard and crayons. At the end of each day, when asked as a large group, their favorite activity has always been a makerspace activity. Yesterday they made bottle rockets, makerspace style and then got to race them. The combination of create and race was the perfect combination of cooperation, competition and community. Each group being cheered on by their peers. A fantastic and energetic activity.

Today rather than using Spheros I had students create a toy using recyclables, an endless supply of arts and crafts and their imaginations. They were thrilled and I think it made them refocus on the simplicity of just cutting and pasting, coloring and playing. A makerspace is universal. They were giggling and laughing and had so much fun. They actually created some pretty cool toys. The only instructions I gave them- make a toy with a movable part. This is what they came up with. I appreciated the time to just sit and observe (in between the glue gun and drill moments) because it helped me put it all into perspective. Children are incredibly inventive, they are adaptable and malleable and can literally make something from nothing. Some paper towel rolls, cardboard, tooth picks etc. and they created a toy they are proud of not because it is cool, but because they were given the opportunity to design and construct it from scratch, the process was the gift and they got a personalized novelty they will share and enjoy- at least until it breaks.

Spheros, Slime and Science Camp

I have always taught middle school, I have delved into an elementary classroom or two during my student teaching but knew early on that I was meant to be teaching junior high. Every summer, I teach a science summer camp at the STEM center. My audience is 3rd and 4th graders. I enjoy a week of connecting with these beautiful little people. They are energetic, out-going, friendly, loud, funny, affectionate and did I say loud. They are wiggly and squirmy and need constant reassurance and affirmation, yet they are eager and willing to try anything and don't mind getting a little dirty in the process. This year our theme for the camp is Science Through Time and each of the five instructors chose a century and are highlighting scientists from that era and the science that was coming to the foreground during that time in history. I chose the future, so my scientist of the century (seeing as he is a futurist) is Neil deGrasse Tyson. An astrophysicist that few of my students knew. So it was fun to get them excited in astronomy and travelling to Mars.

Every group of 16-20 students rotated throughout the day to each of our rooms. My room was decorated like Mars and while others were making solar ovens, crystals and conducting chemistry experiments, very science indeed, at my station they made vehicles from recyclables and used Spheros to race them, made slime, used K'Nex to make wind powered machines and used fans to race them, and used the Speros to get their mars rovers (built in the makerspace) to traverse the surface of mars- a student designed course. I focused on my favorite tool of our classroom, a makerspace. I love to get messy and have students tinker and design. My cuticles are still blue from the food coloring in the slime. It was a very productive week with many STEAM activities. I am thrilled to be able to work with these youngsters. It was exhilarating and a definite reminder that I am a junior high teacher. It is always a good thing to get out of our comfort zone and during the summer is a great time to branch out and help bring curiosity and the wonderment of science to all.

Indelible, Universal, Transcendent: Joy

External it is in the beauty of seeing someone we love achieving their goals. Graduating high-school, getting into the college of their dreams. A friend getting married to the love of their life. Watching our students struggle and overcome their difficulties to grow as learners. Internal it is feeling valued, understood and feeling like you belong. Setting a tough goal for yourself and over time with hard work and dedication achieving it. It is a deep sense of satisfaction from knowing you can do it. Taking a risk, pushing through the fear and win or lose entering the battle. It is a mindset, a thought that does not dissipate but adheres itself and leads us to be motivated and driven. Resilient and eager. All bringing us to a place of fulfillment and contentment.


It is an emotion, an expression, even a sentiment. It can lead to a prosperity of happiness and rejoice from the success of the day, if we heed its call. It can also be a momentary elation or amusement when revelry makes itself known. We embrace it when our family is near and the quiet simplicity surrounds us, while our children lay their head on our shoulder, just because they love us. Merriment and jubilation take flight as it approaches. Then they hunker down within its embrace when we focus on what is important, recognize our blessings and contemplate our impact. While it gives of itself freely we often take it for granted, losing sight of it when we are exhausted or dissatisfied. It need not be fleeting and can become a fixture of our surroundings if we simply breathe, focus and find purpose in everything we do- Joy.

Joy is illuminating. Bringing out the best in us. It is infectious and can begin with a simple smile or word of kindness. In order to perpetuate it and bolster its luminosity we must stay mindful. Slow our thoughts and narrow their beam to pinpoint focus. For many, joy is easy, they are optimistic and open-minded and see the good in things. For others, it can be challenging to maintain a gaiety for too long as outside forces cause a shift in emotion. Most of us live in the middle, finding joy with our lives at the end of a fruitful day or the beginning of a busy one. Many seek joy in their accomplishments or their work. Joy is personal and meaningful. But it needs nurturing. It requires balance or it slips out of focus. To stay motivated and driven the lens we interpret life through needs to be clear and sharp: exposing every nook and cranny, magnifying our gratitude, keeping our field of view indefinite and unrestricted. If we broaden our field of view we will recognize it all around us. Joy is abundant, we observe it daily in the laughter and giggles of our children. We feel it when we are generous not only with others but with ourselves.

Maintaining a constant state of joy is impossible. The forces of life knock us off kilter and we often get too engrossed on the expectations placed upon us to hold it in our grasp for too long. We need to welcome frustration, hindrance and disappointment in order for joy to have a reason to present itself, permeate through us and attract us to it. Joy is a temptress, it offers reward of hope and enjoyment, elation and forward thinking for we want to achieve it again. So we set it as a purpose, we are motivated to claim it and we put it to memory so when we feel down trodden and out of place it is the line of strength and fortitude that we can take hold of. If joy is a picture we carry with us we can take it out to remind us it is still there. Joy is indelible, universal and transcendent. All we have to do is be patient and it will find us, often when we least expect it.

Guest Post: The Power of Student Led Conferences by Sheldon Soper

The Power of Student Led Conferences

The parent-teacher conference is an age-old educational tradition. At these meetings, parents sit down with their child’s teacher(s) and the two parties exchange some insights about a child’s progress. Meanwhile, both parties are typically evaluating each other: what impact is the other is having on the child in question? How can this group of adults work together to positively impact the student?

When all is said and done, there’s a problem with this format: while it is about students, it very seldom involves students.

In schools across the globe, a shift is happening that is transforming the parent-teacher conference into a student-led conference. In these conferences, the script gets flipped and the adults get real feedback from the most important stakeholders, the students. This fundamental change can be the launching point for more meaningful conversations about growth and the student as a whole.

How It’s Done

The majority of what you need to know about student-led conferences is in the name. On conference day, each student stands before an audience of their teachers and family members and reflects upon their experiences and growth, not just as students, but as people. They provide insights into what they feel is going well and sincerely ask the adults in their lives for the specific support and help they need to be even more successful. Everyone in the room learns and grows from the experience. And yes, tears happen.

Student-led conferences can be effective in both elementary and secondary settings; the students just end up requiring different types of support structures to be successful. As such, student-led conferences look differently depending on the school and the age level of the students involved. Regardless of the procedural differences, the key to a positive student-led conference is ensuring the experience personal and relevant for each student.

In our district, students start their conference preparation with a Google Slides template. Included are bare-bones slides dedicated to common conference information like grades; but there are also places for students to highlight things like their executive function skills, personal points of pride, as well as short and long-term goals. Along the way, students add in relevant information and insights while customizing the template’s appearance to best represent themselves.

Beyond the presentation, students also assemble a cross-curricular portfolio of work that goes home with the parents after the conference. In some cases, students will opt to share selections from this portfolio as part of their presentation, but this choice is entirely up to each student and how they choose to run their own conference.

Ultimately, as long as a student-led conferences are as student driven and student focused as possible, there really isn’t a wrong way to do them.

There’s No Single Right Way

When it comes to variations on student-led conferences, there are a slew of them! While our urban, PreK-12 district does them a certain way, schools put their own spin on the process to make it work for their populations. This makes sense that such a personalized endeavor can take on so many unique forms. 

Some districts opt for more of a portfolio-walk approach while others put almost all of the conference planning on the students. The concept can even be modified to work in non-standard educational formats like tutoring or home-schooling. 

The magic happens when students are the ones assessing themselves and setting the agenda for growth. Whatever form a student-led conference takes, there is an inherent power in elevating the student’s role while diminishing the focus on the adults.

Setting the Tone for Success and Ownership

From a practicality standpoint, student-led conferences can require significantly more preparation than the typical parent-teacher variety. The reason being, students are the ones that are expected to run the show. Regardless of the child’s age or grade level, this is a process that needs to be scaffolded and supported to be effective.

The role of the educators is to help facilitate the conference process rather than direct it. This can happen in a variety of ways:

·      Teachers provide students with guidelines and/or templates that are flexible and customizable

·      Teachers provide students with a system (analog or digital) for saving and evaluating work for use in conference portfolios

·      Teachers provide ample class time for conference preparation and rehearsal

It is crucial to make the student-led conference process as authentically student-centered as possible. This helps to drive home the message to students that they are truly the focal point of the upcoming meeting. Furthermore, teachers can show their commitment to both the students and the process by making conference preparation a focal point of class time. In all of this, the goal is to allow the student the opportunity to shine as genuinely as possible come conference day!

So What Do the Teachers Do?

As conferences approach, it can become harder as an educator to commit to letting go of the reigns. Part of this comes from the nagging feeling that the conference is still supposed to be between parents and teachers. Fight this feeling! 

In both preparation and during a student-led conference, teachers should certainly be available to offer suggestions or probing questions to help students get ready; that being said, teachers should never edit or try to oversteer a student’s presentation. For these types of conferences to work, the students cannot feel like they are creating a presentation based upon the expectations of others. For example, whether a student’s long term goals turn out to be going to college or becoming a popular YouTuber, the student should be free (and encouraged) to put forth an honest portrayal of themselves.

Furthermore, if there ends up being a litany of grammatical or spelling errors in a student’s presentation materials, those errors should be left alone as a reflection of the student’s ability and/or attention to detail. Teachers may suggest things like extra proofreading or peer-editing but in the end, the presentation belongs to the student.

For student-led conferences to be meaningful and impactful, they need to be as student-focused and student-driven as possible. The adults are still involved in a student-led conference, but in a purposefully diminished capacity. On conference day, this means the adults in the room (typically the main players in traditional conferences) need to take a back seat and let the child shine.

As students are presenting, the adults in the room are the attentive and inquisitive audience. To prevent interruptions, consider saving questions and comments for the end. The students are likely going to be nervous; repeatedly throwing off their rhythm with interruptions will only make it harder!

The golden rule for successful student-led conferences is baked into the name: the adults must step back and let the students lead!

The Results Are Real

Probably one of the most immediately noticeable changes brought about by student-led conferences in our district has been the dramatic increase in conference attendance. In the five years since our junior high school has shifted to the student-led conference model, we have had years with upwards of 90% conference attendance. 

A large part of this shift rests on the excitement and ownership students take over the conference process. After putting in the work to craft an honest self-assessment (…and they are typically very honest!), students are eager to share their presentations and insights. In many cases, this leads to students becoming the strongest advocates for parental involvement and attendance. It doesn’t get much better than that!

However, as with all parent meetings, sometimes life gets in the way and attendance isn’t possible. In our district, parents that don’t make it to their child’s conference are still given access to the child’s presentation (thanks Google Slides!) and portfolio in the hopes that the student will still share their hard work. Since the process is student-led, often times we get reports of missed conferences happening later at dinner tables and in living rooms. Sure the input from the teachers may be missing, but once again, it’s about students not the teachers. These parents can (and often do) follow up with emails or phone calls to address any lingering questions or concerns.

Perhaps some of the most inspiring moments since our shift to student-led conferences have come when students come to their conferences even when their parents cannot attend (being a walking district in a small city makes this feasible for us). In these instances, even without parents or guardians in the audience, the students present their introspections to their team of teachers just like every other student. It shows both a sense of pride and commitment to their own growth and that they take the conference process seriously.

Shifting to student-led conferences can be a big paradigm shift as a teacher, administrator, or even an entire district; but, as with all things in education, any time you can shift the focus from adults to students, everyone involved is better for it.

What impact have you seen from student-led conferences? What suggestions do you have for making the process even more student-centered? Share your thoughts in the comments below and on social media!

About Sheldon Soper:

Sheldon Soper is a content writer for The Knowledge Roundtable. He is also a New Jersey middle school teacher with over a decade of classroom experience teaching students to read, write, and problem-solve across multiple grade levels. You can follow Sheldon on Twitter @SoperWritings and on his blog.

Kobayashi Maru: A No Win Situation: Is Failure Inevitable?

Describing Failure versus Success

There are so many words for making a mistake: blunder, misstep, snafu, flub, faux pas. Just to name a few. But when it comes to brass tacks, how many do we have in use for success? We have a lot that are a result of success: fortune, prosperity, fame, progress. Even accomplishment and achievement generally represent an occurrence after a success, not before. We seem to have far more words that imply we made an error or are defeated then we do for if we win. I am curious about this fact because as humans we are measured by our successes not our failures. When we feel good about ourselves it is due to an advancement or triumph, not how we got there but what was achieved. Yet, in life it is our struggles that push us forward. It is the setbacks that drive and motivate us to overcome and endure. To take-risks and solve the problem. But, it is not the process we acknowledge it is the completion. Predicaments, complications, and quandaries may not be solvable. At some point, we will be faced with a cascade of dilemmas that simply spiral and expand without recourse. We will be faced with the inevitable fact that there are situations that will leave us out of breath, confused, perplexed and down trodden. Events that even with proactiveness and contemplation will elude us.

Kobayashi Maru

Kobayashi Maru, a no win situation. In Star Trek if one attends Starfleet Academy, at some point they will be put in this position deliberately and unexpectedly. It is meant to tear down arrogance and provide insight. It creates a sense of humility because in deep space you can’t carry with you a sense of vanity, pretension and egotism because it will put those who are under your command at risk. You must be able to see a problem from all sides and be willing to take a loss, if necessary, if it is for the good of your crew. One must expect uncertainty because dangers are around every corner and if you do not anticipate them you can’t fight them, you can’t conquer them. This acceptance that failure is inevitable, that not everything can be solved, cured, or fixed has always scared me a little bit. But, as much as we should never be defeatist, we always need to be a realist, recognize our own hubris and not let it dictate our actions. It is one thing to be proud it is another to be smug and arrogant. As teachers, we know students must feel safe to fail, take-risks and grow but do we set them up to fail? Do we provide the opportunities for them to not just make small mistakes but to down-right fail, without consequence, without a grade getting in the way?

Kobayashi Maru in the Classroom

To bring Kobayashi Maru into the classroom, we must focus not on the failure or the success, but the process itself. The steps of experimentation should not be written out for them. Pre-determined supplies should not be put in buckets on their desks. Pre-made models or examples once given or displayed, limits them because even if you say it is just one way to get there, they will use it as a guide or base-line and what they need is a blank slate from which to leap. This is radical, I know, but if you start the year with three questions in mind every morning: 1) Is this lesson expecting a pre-determined result? 2) Have I limited student’s creativity by providing too much direction? 3) Have students had an opportunity to create their own experiment or activity to achieve the same result?  then you can begin to place the ownership and direction of the class into the hands of students. If you demonstrate failure by using discrepant events and science blunders and talk about why they did not work and in what ways can student’s redesign them to make them work, then failure is an opportunity rather than a result. A fluid occurrence not a finality. We must set them up deliberately to fail, Kobayashi Maru, to tear down their expectations while building up their confidence because ultimately having to analyze our mistakes, reevaluate our process and let go of our ego and settle in to failure is what being human is all about. We walk before we talk because we have the drive for mobility and exploration. But with that comes the inevitable certainty that things will not go accordingly to plan.

Students are resilient. They are motivated and determined more by a challenge then by a simple task. If we set goals high, just out of reach, they will become achievable. They must dig in their heels as they climb the summit, dirt and gravel forcing them to slip and tumble. They need to feel the urgency to continue and a little bit of apprehension. This will cause them to pause and reflect. Reflection is not something that should only happen at the end of a lesson but be a continual process as they ascend. Allowing them to notice the weak terrain and to reposition for a smoother approach. Reflection will also, make the failure more palatable because with honest reflection comes a dismantling of gall and conceit. It brings with it a vulnerability and awareness that fosters courage, poise and a little fearlessness: knowing they may be in over their head, but will persevere because they have failed many times and will use those as a catapult for success. Fortitude from failure, pliancy from practice and ultimately response from rigor and not rejection. Failure needs to be built into the routine, an expected part of their learning. Not every student gets a trophy. Not every job well done needs a sticker. What makes all the difference is not reward but the hike, reaching the peak, and looking out over the landscape, once intimidating, but now comfortable, cozy, home. 

The Feeling Begins

The feeling begins. The strum of an acoustic guitar, liberating, like a door once closed: everything is open waiting for you. Hidden beneath, it lingers. It has resided deep below for so long you are not sure if you should coax it out, keep it imprisoned or extinguish it once and for all. Energy lulls at first then slowly builds like the rapid beat of a million drums, echoing, reverberating, drawing you forward. The path leads straight ahead, little option if chosen. Yet, comfortable and safe. It is the book opened by many, words taken as gospel, a route often traversed because it guarantees arrival. Arteries branch, providing continuance, current, continuity of thought. Violating the typical, establishing a resonance of pulsation, melodic and cathartic, a heartbeat, speeding and thrumming. Instinctual and emotional. It rises, bringing with it an unravelling, extrication and resolve. Luring you, sheltering you from the storm, temporarily, you hear what you want to hear, disregarding the uncomfortable truth. You must face it, claim it, no one can rescue you from the unavoidable. You feel like you might be sinking in the vibrating quagmire from which it escaped. Trapped before you ever realized, its mission.

Stripped, exposed, the storm subsides but the after-math surrounds you. Raw, vulnerable, uninhibited you stand, tired yet exhilarated. It is a temptress, demanding a new frame of mind. Forcing you to move over and give it some room. Unrelenting yet tender. Ensnared by its beauty you choose not to escape. Committing to the battle, regardless of carnage or bloodshed. It provides you the schematics then slips away to avoid capture. You are left to be the renegade in this rhapsody. The reverberation begins again, percussion, beating, beating, numbness in your feet, gravity seizing, knees hit the ground. You are caught up in between, it doesn’t matter how hard you try, consequence catches up, no more excuses, you leap. You can laugh it off, but from this valley, eyes are peering from all sides. You chose to stand amidst the crusade for this is really who you are inside, but no one knows it. You fight, undeterred. The campaign has ended, you remain, emerging into reality. Wiser for the effort. Relaxing for merely an instance, owning it, believing in its cause. Before the feeling begins again, strum of an acoustic guitar, easing your troubled mind, it is tempting you, it is easy for it is a calming voice, you are a captivated audience. It has bewitched you before, it is relentless and you are welcoming.

The Twitter Chat that had a Mind of it's Own

What happens when technology does not work the way we planned? Tonight, I had one of my Twitter chats, moderating that usually goes on without a hitch, decided to take a nose dive. Many people couldn’t see the questions. Several others were seeing Tweets delayed. On the chat feed, #stucentclass, as far as I could see, it looked as if everything was normal but then Tweets began to not send, I began to see the Tweets of participants asking where the questions were and where I was, they were not seeing any of my posts. So obviously things were amiss. But lucky for me, people went to my feed to find the questions, many of my friends began to retweet the questions and those didn’t reach the feed and then they were copying the pictures and creating different Tweets to get them to reach the feed. It was very stressful. I have been in several Twitter chats where I could not see the questions and people had to retweet and I had to go to the moderator’s page. So, I have seen it happen, rarely, TweetDeck is usually very reliable, but tonight it happened to me.

As frantic as I was, I was literally retweeting, retweeting, retweeting to no avail, but slowly it became a beautiful thing to watch as my PLN banded together and helped the chat continue without interruption. My tribe united and while a few disserted in frustration, most stayed and battled the barrage of misfires. The Tweets finally arrived by several people Alana Stanton, Erin Giblin, Krista Penrod and others sending them and then the discussion picked up pace. I am so very lucky to have such great friends on Twitter. I am also very relieved that I have been able to have both of my chats on going for many weeks before this happened. So, my followers stuck in there and I am so amazed at how much Twitter truly is a family. This could cause fear and apprehension but because I have a growth mindset I look at this as a hiccup, a learning experience. Stay mindful and calm and those around you, if you are blessed, will come to your aid. I am blessed in so many ways, this is for certain. But, from here on out, a better contingency plan. TweetDeck is awesome but having the slides ready to Tweet on the computer, will be a good way to set up next time.

In the classroom, these types of technology issues are bound to happen and to me they often do. Having an open-mind, being able to laugh it off, staying mindful and present and never ever giving up will get you through anything. The kids will most often be able to solve any issues anyway. I ask my students a lot for help when the tech goes awry. I expect it to happen. But, tonight I was not expecting it and it threw me for a loop. But, I took deep breaths, calmed myself down, focused on the goal- keep the chat flowing and just relaxed. But I could not have pulled it off without my tribe. Thank you to everyone who came, endured and persisted and answered the questions. Thank you to everyone for being patient. Finally, thank you friends for being supportive and mindful and stepping up to help me in my time of need. So, when anyone tells you Twitter is full of haters and negativity, you can say, maybe, but more often than not, you will find you have a PLN which is a tribe of friends and they will do whatever it takes to make sure we are all successful in our professional endeavors.

Unlocking Motivation: Getting Students and Ourselves to Break Out From the Pack

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. - Thomas Edison

What is motivation- Really?

It is often defined as the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a specific way or the general desire or willingness of someone to do something- Webster’s Dictionary, but what does that mean? For some it is a whisper in their ear, a spark of curiosity or even a glimpse into the future. An idea that embeds itself like a worm, slowly nagging until they act upon it. While for others motivation is a part of them: enthusiasm and determination both a driving force in their personality and perseverance. While one thing may be a focus to one it may be a distractor to another. How do we hone in on our interests? Psychologists and educators have written countless books on the subject. However, what truly motivates us as individuals is not fully understood because motivation is internal, personal and fluid. What may be a catalyst for some is a hindrance for others and we simply will never know why. Seeing as motivation is unique to each of us, how can we tap into someone else’s- get them interested and invested in our ideas, or their own?

Can we tap into someone else’s motivation?

In a round-about way maybe. If they display interest or fervor in something we can help them establish goals and a road map for success. But for us to do that, we must be present and listen. I have five children and believe me when I say, they are not motivated or driven by the same things. Their talents have evolved not by my guidance but of their disposition, impulse and motives. They each chose what they are passionate about and I stayed out of their way. Academics first, this inclination may have needed a nudge or two but they found their affection, engrossment and actuation all on their own. Many parents steer their children down the same path they travelled and for some this is all the motivation they need but for many their identity comes from the independence to explore all things until they hone in and pursue what truly embodies them. Their calling. The only way we can tap into our children’s interests is for them to tell us what they are. The only way we can get our students to open-up and share their passions and hobbies with us is to value everything. No matter how simplistic it may seem. Because to them it means everything. Our attentiveness and support will make all the difference.

How can we construct our own motivation framework?

In the immortal words of Eddie Vedder- I use the image of her in this song, Hard Sun, as a metaphor for motivation and personal drive. When I get down on myself, which I tend to do, or doubt myself, which I also tend to do, I listen to this song and it reminds me that the world is difficult and challenges come and push us to our limits but ultimately it is us, our motivation, our minds that lead us into the shade so we can keep moving forward. There will always be a big hard sun all we can do is find a huge umbrella to keep us cool.

“When I walk beside her, I am a better man, when I look to leave her I always stagger back again. Once I built an ivory tower so I could worship from above, when I climbed down to be set free, she took me in again. There’s a big, a big hard sun, beaten on all the big people, in a big hard world.” The big hard sun is a permanent fixture in life. Creating obstacles, challenges and forever changing our outlook. But motivation is not constant, it is static ebbing and flowing like the tide. We can become unmotivated in an instant or motivated in the blink of an eye. But motivation is forgiving when we drop it, always letting us back in to her good graces when we need her. The most important things we can do to build our motivational framework: 1) always be honest with ourselves, 2) seek out new adventures and ideas by reading, watching and living, 3) reflect and take the time to understand why we lose motivation, 4) believe in ourselves and do not get too hard on ourselves when we lose our impulse and inclination. We need to follow our internal voice as it gives us something to believe in or to let go. It is our internal drive after all. This does not mean get lazy and complacent, merely allow ourselves the flexibility to find new stimuli and incentives that steer us on our journey.

How can we spark motivation in our students?

Gimmicks, ploys and artifices will only motivate our students for so long. They may ‘hook’ them quickly, but very soon thereafter they will wiggle from our grasp. Counterfeit coaxes do not work for long. Genuine experiences that they design based on interest, relevance and just plain comfort level, motivate them. If they are self-driven, personal and respectful lessons they will embrace them and we will continue to hold their attention. Students need to be renegades, pioneers, outlaws and rebels and in their minds, they need to feel like they are. We need to dare them to step away from the norm and get lost in the unknown. Provide the line of strength that they can use to stay connected but also the length and distance to feel the urgency of action. To be dissidents in the sense that they were taught to think for themselves. This is motivating. Anyone can find reason and actuation when they are given the tools, strategies, and encouragement to take risks, openly fail and falter, and see the finish line. If we are motivated we can see the goal, measure its distance away and gear ourselves up for the trek. But when we are unmotivated due to stifling rules, expectations, leering eyes of judgement upon us, we place that goal miles away and in between a dry, harsh, terrifying desert of uncertainty and doubt emerges.

We can spark motivation in our students not by thinking we can create it for them, but in the belief and confidence that they are self-determined and motivated to find it themselves. We generate curiosity not with smoke and mirrors but with individual opportunity for growth. Challenges that push them a little bit out of their comfort zone, they will persevere not with rewards and incentives but with personal drive to investigate, arouse interest and summon success. We all have a sense of vindication. We all want to accomplish new things but if they are too hard we become unmotivated, but if they are just out of reach and we must problem-solve to accomplish them, we are willing to push ourselves just a little farther, a moment longer until we reach the solution.  Provide these authentic, thought provoking, stimulating opportunities and students will be motivated not because they are flashy but because they are gratifying. For motivation is an instinct a personal emotion we have created to fulfill this need. The need to know we can choose our place in this world, our interests and our own accomplishments. For these accomplishments make us who we are and the motivation for self-discovery is endless.

We Walk Before We Talk: Exploration is a Human Need

We evolve, improve and progress because we are curious beings. Students grow as learners when teachers let them control their learning. We solve, invent and process data because we can see the big picture. Classrooms are the conduits for the power of knowledge and students should be free to harness it on their own. Direct it towards their interests and use it to make connections. We make informed decisions, form fundamental understandings, and develop skills because we explore the world around us. Curiosity leads us in a forward motion while motivation keeps the momentum. If students are not lead but simply directed to their individual thoroughfare the potentiality for personal interest and growth is boundless.

If we are given specifics, commands and decrees with little negotiation, we may forge ahead and innovate however, we lose the drive of imagination that makes us engineers and inventors. Likewise, students without freedom and independence might comply but they will never become truly responsible for their own actions. The spark of limitlessness and ingenuity is only bright when our vision is not shadowed by apathy and compliance. Teachers need to step aside. Student drive and motivation will remain steadfast if they are given opportunities to sharpen their technique. Provide the objective and let students write the lessons that will allow them to learn at their fullest potential. As humans, we are not a collective of one mind, one thought, one solution we are individuals with independent notions that when combined with other ideas determine the course of history, lead us to the ends of the universe and to the deepest depths of the oceans, but we are only as strong as the limits we place upon ourselves. Through collaboration comes genius and innovation.

We walk before we talk because we are mobile beings always in search of answers. Our instinct is to use our senses and acquire new knowledge with every moment. Sitting in a desk limits a student’s perspective. Completing handouts takes most of creativity out of learning. A continuous flow of data is entering our data stream and being processed allowing us to make sense of everything. This is how we live every day of our lives, gathering, processing and applying new information, altering and changing our circumstances in a split second. We are inquisitive, analytical and scrutinizing. But if students are placed inside predetermined learning experiences the experience becomes routine and mundane. Students need to have self-determination, this is when they are no longer walking but jogging and eventually running to keep up with the influx of new ideas being added to their imagination and thinking.

We are reflective and deliberate. We learn best through experience and are designed to be scientists, mathematicians and cartographers, mapping out a continuous plan to keep assimilating new information, trying new things and growing as individuals even if we are unaware of it. Therefore, every student has the same potential for greatness. They just need teachers to understand the way they think. To provide them strategies to be successful. Learning is integrated into our neural framework and the classroom is the network of nerves, synapses and neurons that provide the stimulus for response, reaction and resolution to occur. The classroom is a literal playground if we allow it to be. A place for discovery, calculation, experimentation and revelation. It is place where exploration removes desks, inquiry extinguishes explanation and experimentation produces evidence that in turn leads to further curiosity. If teachers step back and let students have autonomy and ownership of their learning, every student will take their first steps, toddle forward and begin to walk with ease until learning is a sprint exhilarating, fulfilling and automatic.

Will it Blend? Does a Blended Classroom Work with a Student-Centered One?

If you have not watched the Will it Blend? segments on You Tube you must. They are simply hysterical. Each clip is a different item being shredded to dust in the BlendTec blender. Everything from I-phones to golf clubs, highlighters to Hot Wheel cars. A true testament to the immense power and design of the product because no matter what he puts inside the blender, it blends with ease into a fine gray powder. I was watching one such video today, a set of billiard balls colorful and shiny were obliterated into a dark, wispy concoction. This got me thinking about the word blend and how it is used to describe many flexible learning environments. A mixture of things or qualities, like a blended classroom but also to mix or amalgamate into a mass. How can we blend our curriculum, creating a combination of technology: pre-loading information at home on an individual level and hands-on: classroom activities that are both collaborative and authentic? How can we truly blend our classroom, creating a unique mixture, like the dusty, dirty, talc from the videos and yet keep the integrity of the content and objectives?

There are many different definitions of blended learning. But the most frequently used is one written by The Christensen Institute, a non-profit think tank:

Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns 1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path and/or pace; 2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; 3) and the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

When I read over this very defined explanation just now, two things came to mind: 1)  if the two aspects were blended per se, then could they remain distinct elements of a learning strategy? or would they become indistinguishable? and 2) this sounds a lot like a student-centered classroom to me. An atmosphere that is malleable and fluid through self-pacing, flexible seating, and most importantly, very little homework unless it is purposeful, relevant and based on choice and interest. I decided to blend my student-centered classroom two years ago and over these last few years, the qualities of a blended curriculum have adapted and progressed along side my student-led one. I will be honest, I tried several different approaches before I ended up with my current version. My self-taped lectures for note-taking became student pod-casts and sharing of their notes in table groups. Power-points of information because web quests and self-directed assignments. Basically a blended classroom did not enhance my classroom at first, it hindered it. It felt constrictive, cookie cutter. All I could do to continue to use it in my classroom was to let a lot of the strategies go in order to keep my student-centered approach alive and active.

In other words, my classroom became the dark, gritty, pulverization that the BlendTec blender is known for. So I had to reverse course and let my students have a say in their note-taking tasks as well. For the most part, they do not want to listen to a lecture (I wouldn't either) or sit through a power-point (me neither) they want to be presented with an objective: make connections between these concepts using the vocabulary words from the unit. These vocabulary words are never a secret, they are written on the board. So I asked them, "What is your strategy for note-taking? Choose what works best for you and use it." These are not notes I collect or grade they are for their reference use only. Last year students were using Sketch Notes, Cornell Notes, Mind Maps, pod-casting, vod-casting even blogging. What ever worked for them and what ever they chose to use worked, because students learned the basic vocabulary and concepts on their own, at home before the lesson and when in class they were designing labs and activities to demonstrate their understanding. They were not bogged down with the ingredients because they understood the recipe and they became chefs, creating the most delicious of entree's that they themselves developed in their own restaurants.

A blended classroom is one aspect of a student-centered design. If consistent and concise students will organize their notes, create a review and apply their knowledge to the bigger picture through problem-solving, inquiry and individualized, personal learning strategies. It does not replace the freedom and collaboration within a flexible classroom it enhances it. But it can not stand alone because a blended approach simply means using both home and classroom, technology and hands on, individual and collaborative learning to provide students with the independence they crave. However, without structure, guidelines and objectives clearly defined and modeled this style of classroom design will fall short. This I found out through my several trials. But after my student-centered classroom was in full swing, the blended aspect integrated in with ease. The once powdery mess became the nutrients for the garden that has now come into bloom. Will it blend? Only if the expectations are high, engagement and rigor are integrated and personal responsibility is the glue that holds it all together.

You Can't Break a Stick in a Bundle: Having Difficult Conversations with Students

Why do we rush to start and quickly race to the finish line? Keeping the wheels in constant motion. Why do we feel the need to always be on the move. There is such a push to better ourselves, forge ahead, embrace change. These of course are all necessary skills to master throughout life but for some reason the expectation we place on ourselves and often our students is a constant motility of progress and evolution. Test scores, evaluations, approval of colleagues and peers are constantly bombarding us keeping us in a fluid state of uncertainty and doubt. Competition, trials, tournaments, internal battles all leading us to the edge. Everyone finds their ledge eventually that they sit upon, halting reason, becoming frozen in anxiety. After arrival, it is difficult to find the momentum towards solid ground when all of our insecurities are packaged tightly into a parcel. Each blending with another until a single concern becomes a bundle of misgiving and trepidation. We have all felt this way at some point in our careers, nobody said teaching was easy. But these emotions are ever present in many of our students, whether they are due to pressure from parents, struggle with content or rivalry with peers it creeps in, often leading students to withdraw and concede. As teachers we have to travel to the ends of the world, seek out each of these ledges and lead our students back to a comfortable terrain where they feel safe to face these obstacles.

You can't break a stick, of panic, dismay or simple jitters when they are secured tightly in a bundle. So how can we help our students and ultimately ourselves unwind the twine and allow the sticks of discomfort to come undone so we can snap them one by one? The first thing we have to do- have the tough, uncomfortable conversations. These times of struggle are when we need to talk stratagem, tactics and campaigns. It is not enough to have a safe haven where students feel they can take risks. As teachers we need to also build a foundation of communication where students are comfortable to open up and share their apprehensions. If they know with certainty there is no judgement they will do more then take risks, they will accept responsibility for their own learning. Taking risks may be a simple task for some students but for others it may represent the ledge, where their footing is unstable. This is why talking to our students honestly will slowly untie the string that is holding the bundle together. With these conversations comes clarity. Not only for students who begin to face their fears but also for teachers who see every student as an individual with a different set of needs. The more we know our students, the more they let us in and the more our classroom becomes a community.

The best way to strike up these meaningful conversations is one on one with students. I ask them questions that at first may feel awkward but I nudge them to answer by answering the questions myself. I discuss my strengths and weaknesses. The mistakes I made as a child growing up. How I was bullied and have Dyslexia and often retreated rather then ask for help. But that eventually I knew that I didn't know everything and that I had to rely on others to guide me and show me how to learn to my strengths, even though they were not always what I wanted, they were what I needed. I had to come to terms that it takes me a little longer to "get there" but once I arrive, my creativity and curiosity lead me down my own path. I love to try new things and turn things upside down, which can get me some disapproving looks, but I venture off anyway. I tell them simply, "Find your own path, no matter what, just make sure you give me a map so I can find you in case you get lost." The more we show our vulnerability, the more we have some awkward but honest conversations, the more students believe in us. When students believe in us, they trust us and then one by one those sticks, once bundled tightly, building obstacles to learning, become twigs that lie along the road they travel daily.

Student Autonomy: Can There Ever be too Much?

Can We Allow Students to be Truly Autonomous?

Rules, routines, regular brain breaks. Rigor, resilience, resoluteness. There are so many expectations as teachers we place on ourselves and our students. The push for progress and mastery often overtakes our desire for joy, autonomy and pleasure in learning. When the focus of learning becomes intrinsic and competitive it loses two of its most valuable aspects- inquiry and curiosity. It is no longer personal and self-driven but has become expected. When children feel like a certain grade or positive evaluation is expected they forget to have fun and learn for the benefit of interest. But, grades are not going to go away. Standardized testing is ramping up not slowing down. So how can we create learning environments that foster creativity, optimism and joy? By giving our students autonomy and decision making opportunities that will directly impact them. Not just choices of demonstration of knowledge but "unpacking" the standards and helping to choose the lessons and activities themselves. Having input on their grades by being able to reflect, improve and rationalize them. Providing students with optimal seating, a comfortable arena for learning and a student-centered classroom. By preparing our students for the real world- self-guidance, self-motivation, self-determination and self-reflection.

Is Competition a Bad Thing?

In a student- centered classroom competition is inevitable. However, an A does not mean mastery, and an F does not mean failure. Unfortunately students often place a huge amount of pressure on themselves to always get the A. But, memorizing and regurgitating information one day on a quiz or test is not mastery. Staying up all night, the night before a project is due and cramming all the information into a mess of a presentation and getting a bad grade does not mean failure. It simply means you are not there yet. There are endless circumstances that cause students to perform badly on an assessment, that is why it is important to allow multiple attempts over time for students to reach the level of understanding needed to move on. I have always thought of mastery as such a weird word to describe a level of progress because to me it brings to mind an image of completion and expertise that no longer needs reflection or improvement. That is why I use the letters GT (getting there) we are always on the journey of exploration and we always have more room to travel. We may have reached the summit but now we must travel back down to base camp and as we take this adventure it may indeed be more challenging then the climb up. Competition will always be present, it is how we focus on it that makes all the difference.

Giving Students Autonomy with Grades, Feedback and Reflection

It seems very much counter-intuitive to let students provide you with what they feel their grade is depending on the amount of effort and knowledge acquired. Most teachers think students will always give themselves an A. However, especially with advanced students they are much harder on themselves than I am. I lack one component when I grade them: amount of effort. Only they truly know how much time and rigor they placed on their work. Knowing this gives them an edge in grading. This opportunity does not mean that the final evaluation, in the form of a grade, does not come from me. It simply means their input has a large role in determining the grade. This also provides them the opportunity to go back and improve their assignments and resubmit.

Feedback as any teacher knows is a critical part of the learning process. However, this often does not occur until A) it is too late for a grade change B) it leans more towards praise then constructive criticism and C) it is one-sided, teacher to student. In order for feedback to truly be meaningful, purposeful and have an impact on learning it needs to happen as immediate as possible after completion. It needs to be honest and sometimes critical because our students will not grow as learners if they do not feel a push to progress, urgency to reflect and the ability to provide feedback to others as well, especially the teacher. In my classroom students fill out google surveys after each lesson in order for me to grow and improve as an educator. They can be harsh at times, not generally though, but more importantly as the year goes on they become more constructive. This is when they become more meaningful. Feedback is an important part of learning and students should feel safe and comfortable to give feedback to one another as well as their teachers. This makes them feel like their learning is not predetermined but inclusive of their ideas and interests.

Reflection is just as important as feedback because it comes from within our own realm of desire. Everyone wants to be great at something and when we aren't, we can't just walk away and give up. We need to build resilience and confidence to fail and grow. Not simply move forward but pick ourselves up, determine what we can do better, what are our deficiencies and strengths and design a plan to overcome them. If we try to build a Jenga tower and it just keeps falling over but eventually we jiggy-rig it together and it stands does that mean we are successful? Temporarily. But if we stop lay out the blocks and devise a plan, recognize where we went wrong and why? then we will be able to build it easily the next time. If students are successful the first time this does not mean they do not need to reflect. In our classroom students reflect a lot. After a makerspace activity they justify why they chose to make the model or drawing they did. After a lab they explain their experience and what they learned, but more importantly they write about how they can improve on the activity. This is what makes a student-centered classroom operate more smoothly- student involvement in the grading process, feedback procedures and personal reflection.

Autonomy, Is There Ever too Much?

With any thing there can be too much. If there are no rules, goals or intentions and students simply do what they want, then that of course does not work. Believe it or not I have seen this happen in a classroom. A student-centered classroom is a fine balance between autonomy and directed learning, freedom and dependence and organized chaos and calm. There are times when I am talking to the class of course, however I limit myself to 15 minute increments. A mini-lesson per-se. Then most of the class is a student-led activity. Autonomy does not mean anarchy, unfortunately this is often the connotation made with a student-centered classroom. Modeling, community goals, teacher proximity and strong respectful relationships are the critical aspects that must be in place before pure autonomy can be granted. There has to be consequences for those who do not abide by the community norms but in my room they are not harsh nor embarrassing they are dealt with in the one-minute check-ins I have weekly with my students. Generally they self-monitor and redirect one-another, this of course takes several weeks to truly come to fruition. But it happens within the first quarter.

A good balance between autonomy and guidance for our classroom comes in the form of students participating in the design of the weekly lessons and assignments, because they are owners of the learning they tend to be more engaged and thus behavior issues are at a minimum. They rarely are all performing the same task, however, some labs like frog or chicken foot dissection require it. They have strategies and tools that we practice and model and then they choose from these or they create their own. So table groups are often interpreting the TEK or standard in unique ways and are demonstrating these in various ways from mini-debates, summits, skits or even simple makerspace activities. Autonomy in our room occurs in flexible seating, student-designed activities, input on grading, feedback and reflection and most importantly a lot of observation, communication and collaboration. Some days they are engaged and working hard, others they may be off-task a little, you have to be alright with this because over time and by making the wrong choices on occasion they will ultimately get on a track they choose and this track will lead them to learning in the best way for them individually.

Concept to Application: Is a Student-Centered Classroom Right For You?

This is my first attempt at writing what I will call a concept to application article. I generally write more free form but today, after teaching two classes on the subject and having conversations with many teachers I felt that I needed to write a more purposeful and meaningful piece about student-centered classrooms and how this style of education has changed my teaching forever.

Student-Centered Classrooms-What Are They Really?

Ask a teacher what a student-centered classroom is and they will tell you, students working and collaborating, flexible seating, and makerspaces or student options of demonstration of knowledge. They will explain that they are full of engaged students with choice of process, product, or procedures, performing authentic, student-led relevant and interesting activities designed for learning and growth to take place. This is true but they are so much more than that. It is not merely a location, or student generated atmosphere it is a frame of mind that comes from a lot of observation, check-ins with students, remediation and enrichment tables, mobility and malleability but most importantly student voice: they are the writers, generators, designers, implementers and listeners. Students need to not only be the participators but the creators as well. This is the hard part. As teachers’ we want to control the information, the guidelines and the rules, but for a true student-centered classroom to evolve teachers must no longer be presenters of knowledge but catalysts that keep the momentum and energy of the classroom flowing so that students can take-risks, fail fast and change their outlooks continually.

What Does a Student-Centered Classroom Physically Look Like?  

Flexible seating is the first necessity. Not just a variety of seating but the option to be mobile and switch tables or find a quiet nook to study independently. Students can sit where they want, work with whomever they choose and can of course have the freedom to talk and interact. Even if the conversations get off topic, as they often do, if there is some pressure: based on pacing, deadlines and student motivation built in to the framework, students feel the sense of urgency and this usually keeps them on the straight and narrow. Makerspaces are the best option for students to be able to see endless possibilities, tinker, design and create their best option. They have choice and they need the tools, and the tinkering process in which to bring their ideas to fruition. These makerspaces can be technology based with I-pads, Arduinos and Maker Maker items or they can be purely artistic with paper, pipe cleaners and Play-doh. Either way they need to be at the center of the classroom, accessible always and of course a little bit messy to elude a feeling of availability, convenience and cleverness.

                             

I have always been the teacher that decorates every inch of my walls with colorful and relevant posters. Leaving a space or two for student work to be displayed. But no more. The walls need to be incorporated into the student-centered arena by remaining minimal and often blank until students choose to put something on them. A giant interactive word wall, a chalk-board in my classroom is a place where students complete interactive formative assessments and doodle their ideas. This year I am adding my new concept an EDISON board (Evidence Driving Inquiry and Science Observations Now) where the whole back wall will be a giant "crime-scene" style board with thumb tacks and yarn connecting a student-driven "big picture" concept map. Articles, pictures, vocabulary anything they want to add to make it a cohesive account of their learning and growth over the quarter.

                                

Finally, the room should be comfortable and cozy. Not a place of bright lights and rows but one of softer seating, optimal to a student’s learning style including standing desks, giant cushions, rugs, round community tables, group circles and even pacing paths and think tanks. Stations and centers that are both mobile and accessible when students want to change things up. Allow them options and they will choose the style of seating that they feel most connected to each day. Often, they work in groups but I also see just as often a student choosing a corner or spot on the floor to independently complete the activity of the day. When students feel comfortable and are given time to ease into their study routine, they will be more likely to commit and stay engaged in their learning practices.

How Did I Set Up My Student-Centered Classroom?

Step one, flexible seating with standing desks, round-tables and science desks. However, this needs enhancement and next year giant cushions, rugs and some areas where students can pace-pace paths, and a think-tank an isolated, corner where a group of students can have some privacy to design and create activities for the classroom or simply to just think away from the rest of the students. A student-centered classroom must begin with a comfortable, cozy, home-like feeling where students feel safe to explore and take-risks without penalty or judgement. If you have no budget for a variety of seating options just allow students to move the desks or tables around and sit where they feel most engaged in learning.

Step two, mindfulness and awareness of student need and voice. Every week I ask my students to help design lessons, reflect on the weeks activities, and provide me feedback on my teaching. Usually the feedback is anonymous and on a google survey. But, I read them positive or negative and use them as the impetus to improve the class dynamic. It is necessary to constantly be open-minded and growth oriented because as much of my classroom operates successfully and efficiently, there are times where things go wrong but rather then hiding the mistakes or glossing over them I use them as learning experiences, more so for myself then for them. On occasion, what begins as a simple activity may venture into a more rigorous challenge or an activity that begins one way adapts or transforms into a different one altogether. At times they even get scratched, resulting in an entirely new model. Either way the important thing is to have the flexibility in which anything can happen. I continually ask myself, is this me teaching students science or students teaching themselves science. If ever in doubt, let them figure it out. I usually do this by minimizing the directions.

Recently, my students had a self-directed conference on Texas Ecoregions. Rather than saying “Today you are going to research Texas Eco-regions, I said “I am an investor and I want to spend billions of dollars in one region of Texas- tell me why I should choose yours.” This removed the word research, making it sound less boring and it gave them the opportunity to choose their region, find out what it must offer, and justify it to an investor. It turned a research project into a student-centered activity, conference and all.

Step three, I had to learn a lot about myself. I like to have control and giving it up was the hardest thing I did as a teacher. I like order and organization and it was very stressful for me to let go knowing that a little organized chaos was coming my way. I know that my brain is radical and the things I allow my students to do is as well. I am always fearful that people will judge me or think that my students are misbehaving or not learning in my classroom. This I struggle with still. Naysayers judge and I am misunderstood by many but I keep doing what I am doing, letting go of the reigns and allowing my students to be free-spirited to roam and explore on their own to problem solve and grow. Why do I continue to take-risks knowing that at first there will be failures and setbacks? Because the only things that matter is that students are learning and excited about science and in my classroom, they are. Parents are thrilled, students are engaged and based on feedback and test scores I know students are successfully growing as learners.

Step four, baby steps. Be reasonable with yourself. Is it possible to let go a little and have a few student-centered activities while also holding on to some control and consistency? Absolutely. My student-centered classroom has been 15 years in the making. Take small steps to increase autonomy every year or even every quarter until you feel comfortable with handing over more and more. It takes a lot of modeling, trust and respect. But, with mindfulness and patience it settles into a routine that does not feel contrived nor constructed. Students set the tone, continuity and community feel while the pace flows based on deadline, understanding and mastery. This is how a student-centered classroom is created: flexibility, student control, teacher comfortability and guidance and most importantly easing into it slowly making sure that each phase is complete and cohesive before introducing more independence.

What Makes My Classroom Truly Student-Centered?

Trial and error, being willing to just epically fail in front of my students. I do this at least once a week. I try some new crazy idea I have in my head, I of course mentally see it playing out a certain way: every student is engaged, I am an audience member, they take my minimal instructions and run with it, finding it challenging but accomplishing it with ease. Well, this rarely, if ever happens. What happens often, I am too vague, students need a little prompting and guidance to get the activity started, they hit a road block ask lots of questions, I give them clarifications but little specifics and then after some frustration they eventually master it through a lot of problem-solving and collaboration. Which is a good thing. But it can be nerve-wrecking for teachers because this means the control is gone and a little chaos may ensue but we must remain steadfast and let them fail. We must set them up to fail. We learn more from our mistakes then we do our quick successes. A student-centered classroom is designed for this purpose. To take-risks, fail fast and tinker and design independently for students to truly problem-solve on their own.

I have flexible seating, a well-used makerspace and students have endless options on how to demonstrate their knowledge: podcasts, blogs, models, music, Ed camps, conferences, summits, writing, skits, the list is endless, but that is not what makes my classroom student-centered. My students have independence and freedom but that is the frame work of the student-led design. What truly makes my classroom student-centered is my openness to chaos and fluidity. Every day is different, whether there is a detailed agenda or not. Every day is not a free for all where they get to pick and choose their assignments. There is a pace, deadlines and expectations. The student-centered aspect is integrated fully with the way I ask questions, provide them with instructions and allow them full use of all the strategies and tools I provide them at the beginning of and throughout the year.

I rarely provide handouts, for the frog dissection and organic compounds stations lab for example, they were given specific instructions and guidelines. But, I transform most activities and assignments into personal journey’s by simply removing the “cookie-cutter” aspect. Like the Texas Eco-regions conference by simply being a little cryptic lead to curiosity and this put the design into their hands not under the influence of a document. I ask broad What if… questions and then follow them up by then what…questions. A great resource for these types of questioning strategies is Advancing Differentiation, Thinking and Learning for the 21^st Century by Richard M. Cash. I also, let them tell me how they want to learn the information. If they can justify their learning I am open to anything and anything and everything is generally what I get. You must be open to the fact that students will seem off task, create things you never thought of, and often take your instructions and completely ignore them but if they get there, if the “not yet” moment turns into a “now I got it” experience it is all worth it.

Are Student-Centered Classrooms Realistic or Pure Fantasy?

This week I taught two classes at our Katy Science Conference with my friend Tricia Reyes. She teaches ELA and is very much a student-centered classroom teacher as well. In fact, we collaborate a lot and share ideas to keep our classrooms running smoothly but also in the hands of our students. One course was about differentiation and questioning strategies that lead to student independence and the other was about student-centered classrooms and using makerspaces, Ed camps, conferences and other student-driven activities to foster freedom and flexibility in the classroom. In other words, both were about letting go, stepping back and feeling safe to let students be the owners and leaders of their own learning. However, to many of the teachers attending my courses, this was the fear factor. This is what is holding them back from taking the leap.

After both classes, several people came up to me and said basically the same thing "Easier said than done, how can you just let go like that, aren't you afraid they will be off task and not focused on the assignment?" Truth, yes and no. Yes, I know some students will get off task and waste time but they will only do that a few times before they realize they are only hurting themselves. The pace is still moving forward and while most students are diligent and determined to figure things out every day a few get stuck in a holding pattern. But as a community they help each other get back on track. They collaborate a lot and help maintain a calm working environment. No, because after modeling this independence and responsibility for several weeks, students appreciate the freedom and want to not only get their assignments completed but also the pressure to work and collaborate gets fierce after they settle in to the routine. After a lot of modeling they self-monitor. 

Student-centered classrooms come in all shapes and sizes. They are flipped or blended. But, they always need to be flexible, independent, challenging, mindful and growth-oriented. Failure is an option. Movement is always forward. Organized chaos is inevitable. Teachers will be fearful of loss of control but students will step up and become leaders, self-monitors and eager participants in their learning. If respect, responsibility and rigor are in place a haven will be created and this port in a storm, academic sanctuary, learning refuge is what we all understand to be a student-centered classroom.