Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The Power of Choice

Tuesday afternoon, I had the chance to see some science projects that students in Mrs. Gubbins's 6th grade class had been working on for close to the last month. Students were given the chance to explore a topic of interest to them and then present what they learned and created in an expo for their parents. Put simply, it was powerful to see. Here's why.

It's a tough concept for a seasoned teacher to wrap his or her brain around -- the idea of giving up control of class time to students' desires. It conjures up visions of chaos, mayhem, and a whole lot of goofing around. Double this if whatever is supposed to be happening isn't being graded. It just feels so much more secure to structure lessons, time, and activities for the kids. But it isn't always motivating for the kids. And if we are being honest, we know this is true. How motivated are we to do well when our work is structured for us by someone else? Don't we want the chance to work on what WE want to work on? Kids are no different. It is easy to believe that giving students the opportunity to work on their own projects based on their own interests with no grades sounds ideal on paper but nightmarish in practice. But I'm here to tell you I have seen this in action -- and it was a huge success!

It was a success because the kids were given the chance to make a choice about what they wanted to learn, whether it was about how to write code, dream analysis, building volcanoes, understanding the solar system, or figuring out why Mentos dropped in Diet Coke causes an eruption. They had time to learn and explore on their own and then develop their own way of showcasing their new-found expertise. Kids WILL learn a LOT about something they are personally interested in. Kids WILL want to talk about what they learned. Remember the term that was popular so long ago -- engaged learning? Well, this is what engaged learning looks like.

The no grading thing works because the kids are personally invested in what they are learning about, plus they know they've got a loving but tough audience they have to face when their time is done -- their parents! When kids have to show what they know to a real audience, it is a huge motivator. It means more when a student has to explain how quicksand works then demonstrate it with corn flour and Lego people for your mom and your best friend's parents rather than answer some multiple choice questions on a test or write a one paragraph explanation on a piece of notebook paper.

And what's really cool is that if I talk to that 6th grader who researched quicksand in 5 years, he could probably recall everything he learned about quicksand because of what he did in 6th grade.

This kind of learning experience is what is driving the revamp of the STEM class all students take at the junior high. At the board meeting this week, Jeremy McBrayer and Kiley Sommers shared the vision for this class. The goal is developing empathy by using inquiry and student choice. Read more about the evolution of this class here. And check out the slide deck Jeremy and Kiley shared at the board meeting.


The ultimate vision I have is to give all the students in our school district the opportunity the learn like this. Students' passions can be harnessed for learning in every curriculum area and at every grade level if teachers give their kids the chance. Capitalize on their interests and they will love learning.

Engaged learning. Inquiry-based learning. Problem-based learning. Genius Hour. 20% Time. Whatever label, whatever title, whatever iteration -- it works. You'll love learning right along side your kids!

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Beyond Hour of Code

Did you get the chance to participate in Hour of Code last week? If so, in this post, I hope to share with you some ideas how you can continue to give your kids the opportunity to continue trying coding. If you didn't participate in Hour of Code, don't fret! You can still participate, either by using the lessons I shared with you or by finding or developing your own! I am available to come into your class to do this with your kids; you can also talk to your building level technology specialist to come help, too!

Now that Hour of Code is officially over for 2016, what else can you do to capitalize on the kids' excitement and enthusiasm and continue the critical thinking, collaborating, and problem solving that comes with the coding lessons? Here are some ideas/resources:

  • Go to code.org.  This is the best place to learn coding of all different kinds and at all different levels, in my opinion. Some of the coding activities in the lessons I shared with you came from code.org.
  • Extend learning and make curricular connections using the Spheros. The Lightning Lab app uses block coding as well as lets you see the actual code behind the block coding. You can give the kids mazes to maneuver through or give a math tie-in with angles or geometry or connect science with lessons on friction and velocity, just for a couple quick ideas. Added bonus we just discovered this week: with the Lightning Lab app that has been pushed out to the Chromebooks, you can enable Bluetooth on the Chromebooks and control the Spheros using Chromebooks! No more relying on phones or iPads!
  • Khan Academy has lessons on computer programming, computer science, computer animation, and hour of code lessons and activities. This would be a great place for your kids to extend their coding experience and even get some extra learning in for other subject areas, too!
  • There are engineering, technology, and computer science related activities at BrainPop.
  • Kahoot has a quiz you can use that they developed for Hour of Code.
If you had the chance to see any of the kids working on Hour of Code lessons last week, then you probably saw what I saw: kids who were engaged in their learning, kids who were collaborating, kids who were facing challenges and making mistakes and doing creative problem solving, kids who were thinking critically about what they were doing, and kids who were having fun while learning!

Coding isn't just a "science" or "technology" thing, either. Having kids collaborate, learn from mistakes, problem solve and think critically isn't only necessary in science or computers class. These are things we want our students to be able to do in all subject areas, in life, and in their relationships, and in their careers. So coding really has application across all curriculum areas and grade levels. In some schools, coding is indeed part of the STEM curriculum, but in some schools, it is actually part of their foreign language or ELA curriculum because, quite honestly, learning to code is very much like learning a language and developing precision of communication. Don't believe there are meaningful tie-ins beyond STEM? Check out this article about coding and how it can work with the CCSS, math AND ELA!

I encourage you and challenge you to take Hour of Code beyond an hour! I can't wait to see and hear about the great learning happening in your classes!

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Professional Development -- Emphasis on "Professional"

The past two days I was at the Raising Student Achievement Conference in St. Charles, IL, with many other teachers from CSD 17. There were some really great breakout sessions -- standouts for me included one on implementing Genius Hour and another one of implementing standards-based grading. One session I attended was about Future Ready Schools, and the speaker said something that really stood out to me that I felt was "Tweetable" -- check it out:


Here I was, sitting in a breakout session, and earning professional development hours for it, which for many teachers, is a motivating factor for attending a conference or workshop, but for many other teachers, it's just an added bonus. I talked with Channahon teachers at this conference who needed the professional development hours (like I did), but there were some who didn't need them but came anyway.

And many of my colleagues are also like me in that they spend time on Twitter not just helping to share the great things happening in our schools but also reading what experts in all fields of education share on Twitter. I know some teachers in the district who recently attended an ed camp. Many are part of professional organizations and read publications in their field. How many professorial development hours are teachers getting for these activities? None. But they do them anyway. Why? Because as professionals, teachers see the importance in and enjoy taking charge of their own growth and learning.

So my post today is mostly to salute the professionals I work with! Keep learning and growing, truly living this year's theme of developing a growth mindset! I have had many teachers thank me for the things they have learned from me, but I don't often get to thank all of you for what I learn from your leadership. I appreciate that you are so serious about your work, and I really appreciate how so many of you step up and lead all of us, whether it's by sharing a Tweet about something you read, starting a discussion at the lunch table, or sharing what you know and do at an institute day.

And one more real quick "thank you" to all the teachers who are taking the time out of their schedules this week to give your students the opportunity to participate in Hour of Code. It feels really amazing to know our students are part of a global group of learners all getting to try something new and challenging!