Pitfalls and Do Overs: A Classroom Reboot

From Mind to Momentum

The first thing you need to know about me is that I am an overachiever. I want to try new things, but I want to implement all of them, at the same time. This of course causes a lot of pitfalls and do over’s. The second thing you need to know about me is my mind is never quiet, I am bombarded with ideas, some good, some bad, constantly- I look at something interesting and need to pause and see how it can become a part of my classroom or how it can become something new. This I think, is because I have Dyslexia and so my brain is always on overload trying to make sense of my world. I need to work a little harder at seeing the big picture.

These two aspects of myself, cause my brain to be distracted a lot, as I revamp, tweak and envision. They also cause frustration because I never feel satisfied with something. I doubt my comprehension and always need to pause and make sure I understood things correctly or that I said something accurately. At the beginning of each class period, I replay the last and look for every smudge, every tear in the fabric. But, I also recognize the vibrancy of the tapestry. The positive aspects of the lesson. This in turn, sparks new ideas and the cycle starts again. My mindfulness strategies have such purpose here: breathe, own the pause, accept, and above all own it. Own my choices and never regret the fail.

Pitfalls and Do Overs

I tried a few things last year, that for one reason or another, didn’t work. The EDISON boards (see examples below), creating a wall with yarn and connections between concepts. This fell flat. It required students to collect artifacts and add them to the wall. Let’s just say, we had a half of a board all year- and it was the first unit. It ended up being dead space. As a community, we just couldn’t get motivated to keep up with it. Now, Hurricane Harvey through off the flow at the beginning of the year, but it was not an intriguing or inspiring space and thus it fell flat. I thought this would be amazing- I saw all these examples of ‘big picture’ connections gloriously forming- but alas, we didn’t even make one. This is one of those things that are time consuming and needs constant maintenance, so for me a pitfall that stays in the pit.

A second endeavor that fell flat was the community board (see pictures below). The calling cards were great- we used them repeatedly, throughout the year, to create collaborate groups and for students to find partners across class periods. But the board itself, again stayed almost exactly like it looked week one of school. The follow-through just wasn’t there. I finally took down the cards and moved them to a different wall and covered the community board with awesome student work. This, I consider a do over. I am going to try this again but make it wall of cultural heritage, interests and hobbies and science curiosities. Broaden it to me more of a fluid spot where weekly a different class updates it. This way they can maintain it easier. I love the idea of artifacts from all the different cultures represented in my classes all coming together as a mosaic of diversity. This makes it more personal. This is my #1 do over.

There were things that worked well in my classroom last year. Things that I have utilized for many years that will be dusted off and improved upon: flexible seating, makerspace design and the graffiti wall. These were appreciated by students and never felt like a chore or task, but rather an aspect of the classroom design, that helped the room feel communal and accessible. But, reconfiguring the tables and creating more cozy seating arrangements is step one. Not setting up the makerspace before school, rather, letting students organize it, to where it is user friendly for them, step two. Step three, buckets of chalk and no tables blocking the graffiti wall- making sure it feels like a fluid and free space for science expression and artistic creativity. It needs to be not only content specific, but a place to sketch, draw and collaborate for students. These are do overs, but in the magical sense that they are already a highlight and now just need a fresh coat of paint.

The Reboot in Thinking

The last thing you need to know about me, is that I reflect a lot. I write a lot. Yes, I blog a lot too and podcast, however, most of my writing stays, in my journal or on my computer. I share very little of it because I am extremely hard on myself. But I have flashes of inspiration, I read amazing educator blogs and Tweet’s and get a jolt of insight. There are so many educators, that I am so thankful for, that listen, read, and send positivity my way. There are also many more who support me by their presence, their openness to change, their collaborative nature, who chat on Twitter and with every click inspire someone. This is the epitome of change- when we share our pitfalls and do overs, we hopefully spark others to do the same.

This profession is glorious. It is global and universal. It is collaborative in nature- we truly make one another better, when we open ourselves up and let our voices be heard. Our words may fall flat, they may be overlooked. But, often, they resonate. Someone reads them and thinks to themselves- see other people struggle, with the same things I do. Someone else feels exhausted, underappreciated. Someone else is joyful and excited to be in the classroom. There is so much optimism and mindfulness in our Educator Twitter verse.

Pitfalls and do over’s, successes and refurbishing these are the cornerstones of education. Not everything goes as planned and that is okay. We know this going in. Our emotions as well as our profession, are truly universal and when we recognize this, we form a bond, a connection that runs deep. We will most likely never meet in person, but virtually we are friends. This wave, this network is a conduit – each circuit a surge of inspiration, each current a life-line and together, they create the mainframe for all educators. All you need to do is plug in. Can you feel the spark?

What are AP/Gifted Learning Skills, are They Exclusive?

The Seeds of Self-Learning

As educators we instinctively know the basic skills every student needs to thrive in the classroom. We design and implement lessons to enhance these skills, give our students the opportunity to grow and hone these skills. Research and literature, and almost every educator out there, will tell you, that there are certain skills, aptitudes and level of readiness that students and learners need to be successful. But what are these skills?

Experience in the classroom as an educator, has shown me, that these personal approaches and tactics are extremely important. These methods range from effective communication, organization, critical thinking, teamwork and confidence. These strategies are something engrained in every classroom to some degree and are necessary facets, of the foundation of every students’ learning arsenal. Advanced curriculum, gifted, advanced placement, academic and Special Education, alike. These skills are universal.

As educators we understand the need for these skills- they are fundamental to our students’ knowledge acquisition and self-advocacy. So are adaptability, initiative, motivation, curiosity and imagination and even a bit of humor. Even though these attributes are more personal, we can model them and push our students outside the box, nudge them out of their comfort zone, to help them strengthen these traits. When students are surrounded by these strategies, they become more empowered and more equipped to deal with the challenges of learning. This is also why it is so critical as teachers, that we form strong relationships, not only with our students, but with their parents, then together we can reinforce these.

Gardening

I took an on-line professional development class this week, about making connections between junior high gifted education and high school AP education. Trying to find a bridge between the skills needed to pass and excel on the AP College preparatory exams and the junior high advanced curriculum. One of our assignments was to read over part of an AP exam, I chose the AP Biology exam, because I am a life science teacher. After reading the exam questions, we were to determine what skills, we felt were pertinent to mastering the test. Not just the knowledge skills, but also the learning skills.

As I was reading the test, which was challenging indeed, there were short answers, multiple-choice questions and one long essay, where students had to combine their knowledge of human and bee anatomy, plant germination, biomes, cells and climate change. It was an awesome question, which included graphs and charts, students needed to interpret and analyze. It also required students to make connections, predict results, justify conclusions all the while, integrating scientific knowledge and facts.

I read over the essay question several times and dissected its structure and vocabulary. Then I read it again. Then I went through the short answer and multiple-choice questions and broke down what the question was asking and what skills students would need to answer it quickly. It is all about speed on an AP exam. The tests are timed and if a student struggles with the needed skills, they may not finish. They may completely understand the content, but processing the framework of the question, especially on a written assessment, is just as important as the content knowledge required. It was a very enlightening assignment. It really got me thinking about my lessons with my gifted curriculum in 7^th grade. Do I provide enough opportunities for them to acquire and enhance these skills? Also, how do I also integrate them more in my non-gifted curriculum class?

Watering, Fertilizing and Pruning

After analyzing my data, I came up with six learning skills, I felt would be critical to possess, to be able to answer the questions, on the AP exam thoroughly. The first being, interpreting and designing graphs. The essay asked them not only to read and analyze the provided data tables, but to also design one to display their conclusions. Now in a science, math, and social studies class reading, and interpreting graphs and primary sources occurs frequently, at least it should. So, this, I feel confident that I do well. But, I will do it more. More drawing and writing graphs and data tables. More primary sources and peer review articles. This is a must. Not just being able to draw them and understand them but to use them to make connections between concepts and ideas.

Interpretations of graphs and data leads right into the second skill, evidence-based research. If students can’t conduct research, find valid data and discover reliable information, then it is all for naught. We must teach them to be able to distinguish fact from opinion and repeatable and trustworthy evidence, from mistruths and outright lies. We also must provide them the best search engines, periodicals and web sites in which to find scholarly and scientific research. The internet is full of bias and manipulation and we need to provide them ample opportunity to conduct research, compare articles and conclusions and determine for themselves, what is reliable and respected data based on different sources and well-respected research.

Evidence gathering is critical but conducting experimental design projects- observing, asking the right question, developing the procedures and conducting a controlled scientific experiment, is the best way for students to integrate all these skills and build their scientific prowess. Cookie-cutter labs will not do this-labs need to be written and designed with a goal in mind, by students. They need to be able to formulate their own questions and reach their own conclusions- not a specific result. In my classes, we have three six week long experimental design projects per year. This goes hand and hand with the third skill: prediction, reasoning and analyzing information. If they can do this, they can muddle through the mounds of misinformation and find the authenticated and supported evidence they need to interpret their ideas.

The fourth skill, as aforementioned, is experimental design. This embodies both the fifth and sixth skills: understanding correlation vs. causality and argumentation and justification. If students can design a well-thought out experiment, conduct scientifically based research and determine conclusions based on cause and effect not just interconnection – they will be able to successfully justify it. They will be able to use verifiable evidence and write accurate conclusions based on their results. Without a controlled experiment using experimental design, one can’t claim causality. We can say that misbehavior correlates to a low grade on a test- it may appear to be undeniably true- however, without conducting research and measuring different levels of behavior over time, we can’t claim a causality. We can only say that we feel there is a correlation- that the two things have something in common.

Causality versus correlation, in my experience at least, is one of the hardest things for students to grasp. As adults it is conundrum as well. We want to see cause and effect, in everything that happens- it simplifies things, it makes things easier to understand. For instance, with the long-debated topic of sugar causes children to be hyper. If we give our children candy in the evening, we notice they won’t go to sleep. The sugar and hyperactivity research provide a perfect example of why it’s important to unwind the two notions of causality vs correlation. The fact that sugar consumption and hyperactive behavior often occur together, a correlation, does not mean one causes the other. In fact, research supports that is doesn’t. It is important especially when analyzing data that students understand the difference, or they will misinterpret the data, make false claims and formulate incorrect conclusions.

Letting the Flowers Bloom

As educators, we have a pretty good grasp on the skills needed to be successful learners. These learning skills enhance our growth-mindsets and allow us to see the world not as a chaotic place but an environment of observation and discovery. They help us make sense of our surroundings, but more than that, they help us piece together the layers and connections in our landscape and see our place in it as meaningful. There are six skills that go beyond the basic learning skills, that when combined allow us to go one step further. To be able to make deeper connections. When we can successfully interpret graphs and data, we use them effortlessly to support our evidence- based research, we find reliable, valid data to support and argue our ideas and ultimately, we teach ourselves how to think and how to understand the world.

Finally, when we can reason and predict we can find the confidence to explore our world because we know what to look for, we understand that bias and manipulation are all around us – but we possess the skills to weed out the misinformation, to get to the garden: both flourishing with ingenuity and grounded in science. If we teach these skills, students will understand that cause and effect is present all around them, but that correlation is too. Knowing the difference, will bring clarity of thought, determination of purpose and a mindset of investigation rather than acceptance.

These skills of course, are not exclusive to advanced curriculums, but in my resent PD course, they were focused on making sure junior high gifted educators are strengthening these skills in their students, for students to be more successful in high school AP courses. These strategies are integral to the success of students taking AP exams, but they should be identified as essential skills for every student. This is my focus on my gifted courses and my academic students. Every student is going to get ample opportunities to hone and improve these skills. We must teach our students to teach themselves, believe in their ability to learn and grow, ask the right questions and evaluate their answers. These skills are invaluable, essential and only meaningful if we share the strategies and step back and allow students to use them. Step away from pre-planned labs and set answer assessments and activities and let students take the lead. This is when these skills will become integrated into their learning process, not my repetition but by experience.

Classroom Microhabitats

Gardens can be well-groomed with precise rows of petunias and squash, or they can be unkempt and more natural. The gate can be kept closed, protecting the vegetables and flowers, or it can remain ajar- letting the wild creep in. Pruned, planned, weeded, tended- these all evoke an image of award winning horticultural masterpieces. All perfectly arranged, meticulously maintained. They are a sight to be seen and not touched. To sit in and admire, rather than to climb in and play. You can wander, but you must stick to the path. Stay off the grass.

The more organic, free-form, untamed, overgrown field, however more distracting, is often in fact, very disciplined, with a hierarchy in place, for flora and fauna alike. Snakes, beetles and butterflies, roam more freely, with little hindrance in their habitat. Even the most beautiful, groomed and cultivated of gardens, has the same creatures, they just simply stay hidden, for fear of removal. Nature untouched or contained, always welcomes the native dwellers, in some fashion. This begs the question; can we ever truly have free reign over nature? We can sculpt and manipulate, but can we ever fully tame it?

We must accept the indigenous animals and plants, if we want access to the potential energy that runs through the landscape. We must embrace the weeds, if we want to see the flowers sprout from their midst. We can choose to pluck them, a nuisance to most gardeners, to allow more daisies and daffodils to flourish, or we can let them find their path in the shadows. But, we must acknowledge the balance of nature. We must see the garden in its entirety, whether sleek and pristine or messy and unpolished. Both styles are alluring and graceful to someone. While many will choose the perfection of a private, charming space, others will feel more comfortable, trouncing amongst the tall grasses, hidden blossoms and complexity of a lush, agrarian patch.

Microhabitats form in every classroom. Various styles of gardens and wild fields. Students bounce between them effortlessly. They are the cultivators, indeed. Some areas are loud and energetic, others are quiet with only the gentle sound of crickets, reminding us they are there. The climate is dictated by the energy level, the focus and the freedom. The more we place the learning in student hands the calmer the weather. There are stormy seasons, but that is good, every garden needs the rain to thrive. Whether monsoon or sporadic showers, it is the continuity of nurturance that counts. A garden, absent of the hustle and bustle of nature, will never fully flourish.

The insects, the animals, the pollen and seeds- these are the components necessary for any greenhouse, nursery or natural space to develop, rise and prosper. Every flower, every lady bug, every worm aerating the soil, each a contributor to the space, each integral to the cohesion. Gardens, both uncultivated and unkempt and structured and maintained provide a flow of energy and a cycle of existence. We must recognize their uniqueness, embrace their beauty and let nature take its course. This is when the balance arrives. The equilibrium emerges. This is when the gates open and the wild and tamed become one.