One minute, 60 seconds, the briefest moment of an effective exchange. To many it seems short, almost insignificant. While for others it appears the perfect interlude for a quick conversation or bite to eat. Albeit a snack on the run. In my student-centered classroom, to keep the flow and pace, I like to have them chunk activities, most of course take 10-15 minutes but I figured brain breaks, collaborative chats and of course my conversations or check-ins with them needed to be an expanse of ease not extended too long to leave a lull. I mulled over the time frame for awhile, what episodic interim would I use as my check-ins & collaboration with students. Two minutes seemed to invoke anxiety, it sounded like a long time to have to talk to your teacher. It also seemed more then enough time to accomplish a brain break or synergistic chat. Thus our transitions became focused and quick and students became very familiar with the slender shift between concepts and activities. So I decided on a one minute check-in as well. A section of time that creates urgency but also invokes possibility, challenge and a competitive edge.
A lot can happen in one minute. This turned into our motto for the class. What can you do in one minute: get materials you want to use for a lab or activity, review the evidence of your findings with a partner, clean up & pack up. It didn't matter we incorporated this time-frame throughout the classroom very early on. This not only got the pace more stream-lined it also created that need for urgency, because when students feel this surge they stay focused, at least temporarily. I always provide longer respites of collaboration and problem-solving, some situations require a slower, trickling of time but the house-keeping, transitions and turn to a partner time need only be a minute, this gave my students plenty of time to complete assignments in class and talk to their friends. The most integral addition to the one minute schedule were the one-minute check-ins that students were required to have with me every week. They were comfortable with the precise flux of a minute time-frame and thus when I introduced the concept they did not hesitate to jump on board.
The first round of check-ins were at my desk. At the time I had a long table, perpendicular to my desk that all the classrooms were set up with. Turned out it just became a table I placed copies on and eventually it looked messy and unorganized. So I turned it into the check-in desk. But, this felt to formal, I wanted these minutes to feel more informal so students would feel safe to talk science and just open up to me. So I moved the table and used it as part of the makerspace. Opening my desk up to the classroom. Then students during these conversations sat across from me, chair to chair, more intimate. This made students feel like it was more personal and less proper or precise. At first we both felt awkward. While one student would just be excited to look me in the eye and tell me everything they want to do in life, others would sit across from me, shrug their shoulders and say "What am I supposed to say, am I being graded on this?" It was frustrating and often I felt despondent but over time it changed. Modeling and practice led to very effective and cozy conversations.
The first week or two was torture for them and for me. I had to drag them kicking and screaming, hesitant and annoyed. Slowly but surely though we started having fun. I would bring up something they told me the week before, "so how is that going?" and they would smile at the thought that I remembered our prior conversations. The sign-up sheet was no longer blank on a Monday morning, students were signing up for the next week right after they finished a check-in. Then one boy tried to stump me by asking me a hard science question, I knew the answer. He said "I will get you next time Mrs. CJ." Then my students were actually reading science articles so they could share new information with me and try to stump me. We also talked about their grades, if they should participate in the remediation circle this week or the enrichment circle, their behavior if warranted. But the conversations were no longer one sided or awkward. By week six they were something students and I looked forward to. They actually stood in line to make sure no one took their spot. I had to tell them "there is a schedule its all good, go work on your assignment and I will call you up, I promise."
They are formally called 1-minute check-ins but they turned out to be much more then a check-in. Sometimes they came up for a second check-in with a friend to discuss something they read, something they experienced in a game or in another class and would ask me if it was scientifically explainable. There were a lot of questions about dreams and space, that seemed to be the topic of the year. But each unit brought different concerns about vocabulary or projects and we would talk those through as well. I learned about their families and friends. Their anxieties and stress levels. This is how teach mindful came about. I asked my students if mindful and calming strategies would help them and if they would want to explore some. They all wanted to and thus, our breathing and relaxation moments before tests and quizzes were implemented. Our community goals became more of a communal discussion where rather than "you did this or that" students used "I am aware that....but it hurt my feelings."
In a nutshell. One minute chats are an integral part of my classroom. Every student needs to schedule 1-minute minimum to sit with me one-on-one and discuss science, the classroom or any other concerns. We rarely got off topic unless it was a behavior issue that needed addressing. Each quarter there was a final grade for check-ins so at first students felt obligated to come and talk with me, as I expected, but quicker then anticipated these discussions turned to choice and excitement within the first quarter. They began to prepare for the chats not just coming to me without anything to say. They wrote down their questions and concerns and these chats became a way for students to get clarification as well as help me to write lessons and design new ways of doing things in the classroom. At first they were once a week but they became 2-3 times a week for most students. They would sit down with me in class, come before school, after-school and even in the halls during class change. I was always open to a visit. Eventually the grade was no longer mentioned even expected only the building of a strong relationship between student and teacher.
These 1-minute check-ins could be implemented in any classroom and they are by far the best strategy I ever came up with. It changed the entire dynamic of my classroom, by the end of the first quarter, when I called someone over to chat, no one was curious, there was no "ooh, you're in trouble." it just felt natural for me to be speaking to students. It made the class a community, of listeners, high expectations and personal interaction. It also gave me a purpose, facilitator and listener. While the role of learner, director, sage of the stage, collaborator and leader was placed in the hands of my students. A student-centered classroom revolves around communication not only between students but most importantly between teacher and student and to be able to maintain these relationships where students are eager to chat with me just made the year fantastic. I could be proactive, I was able to anticipate their struggles before they did, recommend a course of action, create learning partners that led to both remediation and enrichment. All this from doing one thing, listening and interacting with every student, not only the outgoing leaders but also those students who are not there yet, who just needed a little guidance and compassion. This practice ultimately allowed all my students to end the year successfully.
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