Breakout!

I have found it quite difficult in my current role being 'out of the classroom'. I am still passionate about researching and trying out the latest educational tools, apps and strategies to get students excited about their learning, and miss the opportunities for practical application that comes when you have your own class.

Just recently, one of my colleagues purchased a BreakoutEDU box. I had read articles and tweets about this immersive learning game platform, and was dying to see it in action and try it out for myself.

One of the best ways of building capacity as a teacher is to engage in peer observation. So, I visited my colleague's classroom where he was about to trial the BreakoutEDU box with his Year 12 History class. He gave me a quick explanation of how it all worked before the students entered the room. I listened to him give his instructions, and then sat back and observed the students as they tried to think critically, problem solve, and work as a team to find the codes for five different locks from solving physical and digital clues placed around the room. I also observed my colleague, as he anxiously watched the team dynamics at play and tried to refrain himself from giving away hints and let his students make mistakes.

This type of 'game-based' learning excites me. The task frustrated some of the students, but others were driven to find the solutions to the presented problems. The task was also somewhat frustrating for the teacher, as what clues were obvious to him, were a mystery to his students. This learning platform highlighted the need for students to use 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication when it came to solving the clues.

The Year 12 class successfully broke open the box within the 45 minutes' time frame, with 14 seconds to spare. Would my Middle School staff be able to do it as well?

Not having a class of my own on which to trial this concept, I decided to base our next staff meeting on having to break open the box in order for the meeting to finish (a pre-written game scenario available from the BreakoutEDU website). Perhaps more thought should have been given to the timing of the game; it was not optimal - at the end of a full day of teaching, when brains are fried and enthusiasm is waning.

From the moment the staff received the instructions (via paper aeroplane), collegiality was fractured - some didn't know where to begin, some didn't want to begin, some just wanted it to be over and rushed straight in to trying to crack open the locks without any clues at all!

I observed staff members keeping clues to themselves and solving problems on their own. I heard a graduate staff member verbalising his ideas and making suggestions quietly, but too afraid to share them publicly with the rest of the team. I witnessed a staff member slowly examine every inch of the room, silently digesting clues and artefacts. I saw some staff members sit down, defeated, and not participate.

As the minutes ticked by, collaboration and communication improved. 'Overthinking' was the biggest obstacle. Needless to say, the 'team' ended up opening all of the locks with minutes to spare (after finally deciding that it did not make them 'losers' for asking to use their HINT cards). They broke out of the meeting and enjoyed their treat of snake lollies that was hidden inside the box.

What was, perhaps, the most valuable part of this game for the staff was the reflection afterwards. Comments such as, "Now I know what it's like to feel like the dumbest one in the class!" and "I didn't know where to start or what I was looking for" or "I got so frustrated when [name] wouldn't share what [she] was doing", drove our discussion and put the teachers in the students' shoes.

This game highlighted the importance of learning how to 'Breakout' of your comfort zone, problem-solve, communicate and collaborate. While the staff meeting activity did not play out as successfully as I had hoped it would, there were definitely some lessons learned.

The Power of a #PLN

Although joining Twitter in 2009 (according to my Twitter profile), I didn't really begin to actively use it until 2 years ago. And it wasn't until this year that I really recognised the power of Twitter in helping me create an amazing Professional Learning Network (PLN). This blog, from Teacher Challenges, explains exactly what a PLN is, and why having one is so important for a teacher.

Since finishing my university study, I have discovered I have 'spare' time, so I read books - professional, teaching books. So far, my favourite has been "Teach Like A Pirate", by Dave Burgess. You can read my #tlap book review blog here. Currently, I am reading "The Innovator's Mindset", by George Couros. I discovered both of these authors, and their books, on Twitter.

"The Innovator's Mindset" has got me thinking and questioning why we do the things we do, and why do we do them the way we do? The first example that popped into my mind was our Middle School's Student-Led Conferences. I know exactly why we do them - you can't argue with the research.

Although we have completed 3 rounds of successful and well-received SLC's, I am not convinced that the way our students present their work folios to their families adequately reflects their creative capabilities. Currently, our students create a slideshow (boring) or use Adobe Voice to share their semester's achievements. Surely, there are some more innovative ways of wowing their parents!

So, I put it out there. In the Twittersphere. One simple question:

The responses I received were fast and fabulous. And if some of my Twitter followers didn't have any ideas themselves, they knew someone that did and asked them. Within hours, I had some amazing ideas which I am going to share with the staff. Better still, they need to ask their students to come up with their own ideas about how they want to lead their next conferences. As George Couros says in his book:

 I'll share some of the links I received with you here:

http://mrsevonsthirdgrade.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/student-led-iconferences.html
(This woman is amazing!)

https://sites.google.com/a/hightechhigh.org/pbl-resources/presenting-beautiful-work/pols-and-slcs

Authentic Learning

Providing more authentic learning experiences for our tweens has been a focus at Riverside Middle College this past year. Posted below are examples of how our tween teachers have incorporated these experiences into their curriculum.

Year 9's Night at the Museum

The Year 9 History students concluded their study of World War I with a task that required them to be a museum curator, tasked with the job of creating an exhibit about any aspect of WWI. Their exhibit, combined with the remaining Year 9 students' exhibits, would educate and inform other Middle College students about the war. 

Students chose an aspect of WWI, generated an inquiry question and 8 sub-questions, researched their topics using primary & secondary sources, and chose a method of presentation.

The presentations included the creation and explanation of artefacts (diary entries, weapons, posters, replicas, dioramas, models), performances (dances, poems, song, drama), and digital pieces (blogs, screencast, stop animation, interactive poster, video games)

               

The students opened their museum to an authentic audience of Middle College students from Years 6-8, then again at night to their parents and families.

Middle College Fair

All our Homeroom classes from Years 6-9 organise and run stalls at our annual Middle College Fair. Linking this activity to the Australian Curriculum for Humanities and Social Sciences - Economics and Business, our students discussed and set business goals, developed a concept, advertised their product and sold to their Junior and Senior student consumers and staff.

This project was a term in the planning, but culminated in a colourful and exciting afternoon when lots of money was made. As a Middle College student body, they then had input (through their Class Leaders) as to how they would like to see their profit spent - donation to a charity or community project. 

Student-Led Conferences

This year, our Middle School initiated Student-Led Conferences.

The introduction of this method of reporting to parents followed on from my reflective report on inquiry into Student-Led Conferences, for my GradCert. in Educational Studies. Lack of student engagement in the learning process, and diminished responsibility for their academic progress was becoming an increasing issue in the Middle School, and the staff were keen to try anything that would turn around this common student attitude.

Our Student-Led Conferences took on the form of students selecting, reflecting on and presenting a folio of work samples (ones of which they were both proud and disappointed) to their families, and setting SMART goals as a group (student, family & teacher) to work towards achieving by the end of the next semester.

Promotion:

• Parents were informed of the change to the traditional P/T interviews via explanatory letter, College newsletter, Homeroom newsletters and social media quite a time prior to the SLC taking place.

Preparation:

• Some staff visited Meridan State College (a pilot school for Junior Secondary on the Sunshine Coast) to gain better understanding of what was involved in SLC.
• Students reviewed their previous school report (which many of them had not even seen) and listed their grades for academic achievement and effort.
• They reflected on their results and conferenced with their Homeroom teacher, discussing their identified strengths and areas needing attention.
• Students collected work samples which reflected work in which they did well, and not so well. Some classes chose to create a folio of work using Evernote which enabled students to link and share digital files.
• Students completed and practised their 'script' with the assistance of their Homeroom teachers and Learning Support Assistants. This was particularly important for some our students with learning difficulties, in order to gain confidence and become familiar with the process.

This preparation was the most time-consuming part of the process. Teachers did become stressed at the amount of time it took to conference and practise with each student (but it was worth it!)

Presentation:

• The school library was chosen as a 'neutral' and inviting venue in which to hold the conferences. Furniture was arranged in comfortable, relaxed configurations and included comfortable lounge chairs, footstools and booth seating, as well as byte tables and chairs.
• Some classes chose to create displays showcasing what they had been doing in class to enhance their Homeroom conference space.
• SLC's were held over three afternoons to offer families some flexibility. Those parents who were unable to attend, received a recorded/videoed conference of their child with their Homeroom teacher and another adult/teacher of the student's choosing. Teachers also made alternate times for parents to attend the SLC (which extended up to two weeks later).
• Together, students and their parents set SMART Goals for the next semester. These were recorded, printed, laminated and displayed at both home and in the classroom. (Teachers reported that this was the most difficult part of the SLC).

Reflection:

• Parent attendance increased substantially - not only did more 'both' parents attend, but we also had grandparents and siblings come to share in the students' learning.
• Most SLCs were positively received, although a couple of Year 9 students refused to take them seriously and the SLC ended in embarrassment, argument and/or refusal to set SMART Goals.
• Despite the promotion of the change of format, some parents still wanted the one-on-one time with the Homeroom Teacher to discuss 'delicate' issues. As a Middle College staff, we have decided to allocate 5 minutes at the end of a conference to speak to the parents alone, or offer the parents the opportunity to make another appointment.
• The students felt more accountable for their effort and achievement and, despite being very nervous about having to 'talk school' with their families, did an amazing job!

From as far back as 1897, Dewey (in My Pedagogic Creed) talks about the necessity of children to take responsibility for their education. The use of SLCs, as a means of enabling students to take greater charge of their learning, has many positive implications and reflects many of the elements od Middle Schooling. SLCs provide the opportunity for Middle School students to take the lead, 'own' their work and be part of an authentic, reflective assessment. They improve the quality of communication between home and school, and encourage parental involvement in student learning. They help develop strong relationships between student and teacher, and encourage schools to work towards becoming learning communities where learning can be shared. Student-Led Conferences empower students to be active participants in the learning process.

Learning Walks

About two years ago, my school embarked on a reform process which included classroom 'Learning Walks' to improve instruction.

In pairs or threes, teachers would visit their colleagues' classrooms, spending 5-10 minutes looking at the 'learning artefacts' around the room, observing how the students were engaging with the learning, talking to the students about what they were doing, and asking them what the next steps of learning might be.

Focus during the 'Learning Walk' was on student learning - not teaching, and how Learning Goals, Success Criteria, Anchor Charts and Exemplars were used within the classroom to improve student understanding.

What we, as teaching staff, learned throughout this process was immeasurable. Not only did we see creative and different ideas that we could use in our own classrooms, but we also witnessed a real improvement in the students' understanding of where they were going, how they were going and where they had to go next.

Our 5-minute conversations that followed each classroom visit, also helped us to better understand the purpose and benefit of the 'learning tools' our reform was asking us to use.

Since then, our 'Learning Walks' have progressed from formalised 'professional learning' time slots, to colleagues inviting each other into their rooms to show how their students 'do' things. Many teachers began to recommend the practices of others, and began to 'seek out' classes that they could observe to help improve their practice and, ultimately, their students' learning.

For a detailed look at Riverside's Walkthrough path, please visit Assistant Principal, Stuart Taylor's, blog.

CSI London - Year 9 History

I am often inspired during my Learning Walks and classroom visits, when I see other Middle School teachers doing creative things with their adolescent students.

Just recently, I joined a Year 9 History class who was learning about living conditions in England during the Industrial Revolution.

To engage the students in this often 'dull' topic, the teacher had set up the classroom as a crime scene, exhibiting primary and secondary sources of information on the walls, as clues for the students to use to solve the crime of how "Elizabeth" had died.

In investigative teams, the students gleaned information from the sources, discussed the relevance and reliability of the information, and put together their case to explain how "Elizabeth" had died.

The chief agent from each investigative group then presented their case to the inquest judge, using the evidence to support their case.

This 100-minute lesson implemented many of the signifying pedagogical practices of middle schooling - higher order thinking strategies (analysis, evaluation, justification), integrated and interdisciplinary curricula (Humanities, English and Science), cooperative learning, flexible student grouping, authentic and reflective assessment, and maintained student engagement for the duration.

What a great lesson to observe and be involved in!

What makes a REAL Tween Teacher?

During the last week of term, one of the Middle School teachers received this email from a Year 7 student, who had just discovered that she would be in this teacher's class next year. The email is published unedited (just in case you were thinking my grammar and punctuation had a little bit to be desired!) Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent :)

Mrs. Holder,

as my teacher next year i have a few warnings for you. I love you and

sometimes i may not show it but i do, i get really angry and i just can't

control it but i don't mean to upset you or anyone else. i will often get

sad and just be really awful to be around but i will try not to be. i

will be really annoying and probably frustrate you to the limit and you

might hate me, but i really don't mean to be.

And if you haven't noticed i don't like not doing well on things, so if

you have any thing that get my marks up or extra activities to put on my

report card that would be great! And i would also really like you to be

hard and strict on me and make me do everything the way it HAS to be.

Love Ya miss xx

oh and i don't mean to get frustrated with other people, but people

really rant my type :)

Now there are a number of ways in which this Tween Teacher could have responded - indeed, she need not have responded at all. However, her response was so perfect that I asked if I could share it.  

Hi Paris,

As my student next year I have a few warnings for you. I love good manners

and, because I always use good manners, I expect the people around me to use

good manners as well. I also respect the people I love but, in return, I

expect that these people show me the respect that I deserve. You see, I do

not expect anything from you that I am not willing to do myself. I will

not ask you to pick up rubbish for no reason if I haven't already picked

some up myself, except if you aren't wearing a hat. I do not expect you to

work hard on an activity if I haven't worked hard on planning and

preparing it. I do not expect you to achieve good grades on something I do

not understand myself.

I guess what I am saying is that you and I will argue next year but I want

you to understand something. You are growing up and very quickly becoming

a young adult, and with this comes different expectations. I come to school

sometimes and I am upset, angry or feeling down about something, there may

even be times when someone in the class has frustrated me beyond my

breaking point and I would like nothing better than to tell them exactly

how I feel, but because I am an adult I can't. These are skills that you

need to learn - I am in no way saying that you have to put up with people

treating you poorly, I am merely saying that you need to find a different

way of dealing with it. This is something we will work on together.

I am willing to help you improve your marks and deal with all the other

stuff if you are willing to help yourself. I want to help you not feel sad

but when you do, instead of pushing people away how about you sit down and

have a chat with me or someone else that you trust. It really does help to

know that someone understand what you are going through and they love you

enough to just listen.

I know that a lot of students believe that I am very strict but I believe

that I am firm, but fair. If you do the wrong thing there is a consequence

but if you choose to do the right thing there is a good consequence.

I will not, at any stage, tolerate you being awful to me or the people

around you, but I would also never hate you. I will get angry with you but

that doesn't mean I won't still love you. All this means is that I am

human and so are you.

I want you to make the decision that Year 8 is going to be your year of

change. The year you stop looking at all the negatives and start looking

at the positives. Instead of saying "I can't do this!", think to yourself, "At

the moment, this is difficult but I am working to get better at it". Instead

of saying, "Everybody hates me and annoys me", try saying "I am so lucky to

have my best friend, Mrs Holder and Miss Matthew who will listen to anything I

have to say".

It is going to be a great year and I am so excited about all the great

stuff I have planned for us. All I ask from you is to believe in yourself

and talk to me rather than getting angry. I know you are an amazing young

lady and I love that you get my sense of humour.

Be excited about Year 8, 2015 - it will go so quickly and before long it

will be time for you to move on - let's enjoy EVERY second.

Love ya too xx

Mrs Holder

How lucky am I, to be working with REAL Tween Teachers?!