In Students We Trust Part 1

I learned a valuable lesson this term that I’ve just started to chew on.

I taught a new class titled Teaching English Language Learners, and I designed it to be student led. The students selected the reading assignments, led small and large discussion groups, taught effective teaching strategies, and evaluated themselves and each other.

This was my first attempt to put the learning needs of my students into their own hands, and I think it was a huge success. I checked in with the students regularly to make sure their learning needs were being met, and I ensured them that we could take the course in a different direction if they needed.

Here was my thinking.

First of all, these students are learning to be teachers, but they get very little opportunity to practice teaching. The students in this class have chosen to obtain a degree in Elementary Education without a teaching license, so they do not experience student teaching. They are enrolled in a practicum in the public schools each term, but the hourly commitment and involvement in the planning and implementing of instruction is minimal.

I had a hunch that my students, all seniors, may enjoy an opportunity to practice teaching in a supported environment, and I’m glad that I followed my hunch.

So why haven’t I considered designing a self-directed course before? Why aren’t more teachers handing the reigns over to the students? I started reflecting on these questions, and my mind has honed in on two complicated abstract nouns: fear and trust.

I was fearful that the course would tank and the students would think I was lazy for not taking control of their learning; after all, I’m supposed to be the expert and they paid good money to learn from my expertise.

While I was in the middle of drafting the syllabus, I asked a colleague who used this approach last school year for advice and guidance. She said that the students liked it, but they wanted her to teach more because they didn’t feel competent enough to be in control.

So I made sure to design assignments that were within the zone of proximal development of the students, and to hold them to a very high standard. They have a practical, interesting textbook as a resource and I strongly encouraged the use of the library, offering the contact information of the education librarian on campus. I know that students are willing to take risks when they know they have a valued voice in the community and they are given opportunities to share their ideas, concerns, and questions in a safe environment.

So, we discussed issues as a community of learners and made decision about the class as a team. The students were able to see me model community building and utilizing the talents of each students as we were learning about these topics in class.

To alleviate my fear and worry, I asked for continual feedback in class discussions and anonymously written comments at the end of each class (see my “The Courageous Seek Student Feedback” blog from Nov. 17, 2010). Throughout the term, the feedback regarding this approach was overwhelmingly positive.

I was willing to take a risk despite my fear and it paid off!

But the lesson I really learned it about trust.

I find that many teachers are perfectionists and/or have a hard time letting go of control.  We can be control freaks.And trust is all about letting go and having in faith that it'll all work out.

In Part 2, I’ll talk about trust. For the time being, I’m going to spend more time reflecting about this topic. Just another opportunity to practice what I teach!

By the way, it’s cold and frosty here in Southern Oregon. I’m reading winter stories about holidays and traditions around the world. It’s a splendid time to be indoors, getting to know friends and family, both real and fictional, more intimately. I’m also reading Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol for the first time. I’m inspired to celebrate my holiday like the awakened Scrooge:

"I don't know what to do!" cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath; and making a perfect Laocoön of himself with his stockings. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!"

Just Call Me "WriMo"

At the beginning of this school year, I started writing my first book. It’s a collection of memoirs centered on my childhood. Some of the stories are fun to write, while others are deeply personal and difficult to put on paper. My goal is two-fold; I want to take a stab at being a writer and I think this project will propel me into a new phase of personal growth.

There is a faculty writing group on campus. I expressed an interest in the group to a colleague and briefly explained my writing project. She excitedly told me about National Novel Writing Month and connected me to a former student who participated last year. Here’s some information about NaNoWriMo’s website www.nanowrimo.org:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2010, we had over 200,000 participants. More than 30,000 of them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So now I have two writing projects- this blog and my book project. I’m making steady progress, but I started late and I’m definitely editing as I go which is slowing down my word count.

I already feel like a much stronger writer and I’m enjoying the Pep Talks that frequent my WriMo email account. I especially appreciated the no nonsense kick-in-the-pants from the former student with whom I connected. Over the winter holiday, I’m going to meet her in Portland. I was dragging my feet over the fact that I technically shouldn’t be a WriMo because memoirs aren’t fiction. But this young woman reminded me that our memories were mostly fiction (a fact that I ironically pointed out in my opening chapter) and I just needed to get writing. Screw the rules and just do it.

Taking her advice with humility, I haven’t looked back.

I’m hoping that the holiday break will prove to be extremely productive and my word count will soar. I’m learning a completely new level of self discipline as I arrive home each night, tired from a day of writing, reading, speaking and listening. I sit down at my terribly uncomfortable desk, turn on some music (Iron & Wine, Band of Horses, and the Twilight New Moon soundtrack have been saving my writing life), and start banging away. 

In this way, I suppose I can relate to my students who come home from a long day of student teaching and classes and have to do homework. Maybe this experience is great preparation for when I enroll in a doctoral program J

So wish me well! I’ll be back when the month is over!

My Summer "Vacation"

Each summer I teach at least one graduate course, but this summer I added a completely new experience to my teaching repertoire. I worked for Landmark College’s High School Summer Program that was based at SOU. I was hired to teach a college writing course to high school students who learn differently; I was also an academic tutor and I taught a creativity class.

Briefly, the goals of the program are to help the students understand their learning needs, to learn effective writing strategies, to develop improved daily habits, and to learn general study and organizations skills and strategies within content courses including history, psychology, America sign language, theater, etc. We had approximately 40 students from all over the US living in the dorms for three weeks and experiencing a rendition of college life. Students attended workshops on applying for college, how to complete a successful interview, and health and wellness.

The students attended two classes in the morning, ate lunch in the dining hall, attended a third class in the afternoon and then went to a special activity until dinner. In the evenings, they attended a two hour study session with academic tutors and had the option to do fun activities with the residence assistants until lights out.

Now that you have a framework for what a typical day looked like for me and the students, I’d like to share a few of the lessons I took away from the experience.

Boy, I learned plenty. First of all, I learned to never work a schedule that starts at 9:00am and ends at 9:30pm. It was hardly a summer vacation, but I know the professional development that came from this experience was worth it. Not to mention that I have a bunch of new high school buddies who keep in touch with me via email.

While facilitating the creativity class, I sadly discovered that my students weren’t willing to take risks with their creativity. Many assumed that they weren’t creative. Others would start a project and quickly quit because it wasn’t good enough. I heard the students make harsh, judgmental comments about their creative endeavors. The vast majority seemed to have lost their ability to just play with materials to see what might happen- to just enjoy a couple of hours messing around with art supplies. They were product oriented instead of process oriented. I can’t help but deduce that this may be product of taking music, theater and art out of the schools. And I can’t possibly imagine where they may have learned that the product is more important than the process. Yes, I’m being facetious. 

But there were glimmers of hope. One student wrote really funny poetry. Another student turned her poetry into a podcast. There were short stories written, music created, pictures drawn, and we started to make a music video that would have gotten a zillion hits on YouTube if they would have finished it.

Another thing I learned is that most kids are completely undisciplined with technology. Asking them to turn off their phones and laptops makes them cringe in pain, as if they are being asked to chop off a leg. I didn’t allow them to use phones in class unless they used the calendar or other apps to organize their homework assignments. I made them bring their laptops everyday which was a very interesting, and often annoying experience. 

 

We’re in a writing class, so I figured we didn’t need to be archaic and use pencils and paper. These students struggle with spelling, getting their ideas on paper, organization, sentence structure- the works. So why make them write and rewrite continuously on paper? Well, I discovered that putting a laptop computer with Internet access in front of them adds a whole new list of struggles to the writing process.

The students were sloppy Internet searchers. They didn’t know how to successfully use a search engine. Then, when they were browsing a website, they got easily distracted. They started clicking all over the place and completely lost track of their original intent. They listen to music and get absorbed in the beat instead of their work. They’re chatting, checking email, viewing 15 different websites, playing computer games and supposedly writing their college application essay ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Yea right.

There was a time when multitasking was considered an honorable act. But now I’m reading more and more criticism about it and I can see why. These students hide under the guise of being multi-taskers, when in reality they’re just undisciplined. Plain and simple.

Now don’t get me wrong, by the end of the three weeks these students had written very powerful essays of which they should be extremely proud. Students wrote about life changing experiences like feeding the homeless in inner cities, working with indigenous people in South America, rising above the temptation of joining a New York City gang, straddling major cultural differences that come with being biracial, building homes on Native American reservations, and yes, even the ups and downs of joining the Glee Club. They poured their heart onto digital paper, shared their work with peers, and reworked their paper several time sitting side by side with me.

The most rewarding part of teaching the writing class was hearing the students’ stories. I applaud their willingness to open their hearts, their courage to give voice to their most profound experiences, and their perseverance while struggling through the writing process.

I’m tickled that some of my students are keeping in touch with me. I’d love to know what they decide to do after graduation. I wonder if they’ll use the application essay they wrote in my class when applying to universities and colleges. I hope they continue to stretch their thinking and enrich their hearts by keeping up with service projects. I wish that they’ll use technology at a helpful tool instead of a hindrance. And I pray they’ll realize that all beings have creative potential that must be honored.

I’m signing off with a big, warm hug to my high school students. I’ll never forget you.

The Journey from Student to Teacher: The closing of the 2010-2011 school year

What were the qualities and characteristics of your best teachers?

What were the characteristics of your worst teachers? 

What words of wisdom did you wish you knew before starting your first year of teaching? 

We're wrapping up another school year. The public school kids are the squirmiest yet; the college seniors are exhausted and elated. If it were sunny and warm here in southern Oregon even I would get a case of pre-summer laziness. But it's been raining for days on end and since I can't hit a new hiking trail as planned, I'm in the house blogging about work. 

The end of the year equals copious amounts for grading and I'm totally on top if my grade game thanks to the rain. It's definitely something to celebrate.

Our graduates are about to embark on incredible journeys: a couple are headed to Alaska to teach, another to China, some are staying local to serve public school districts, charter or private schools, a handful are planning on being substitute teachers for a year. Many students are continuing on to complete a higher degree in graduate school. I'm proud of the growth the students have made this year. They can rattle off teacher talk and state their philosophy of education without batting an eye. They relate well to kids and are creative in the classroom. They have both internal and external tools to guide them to success. 

They seem to have a fire in their bellies. 

My wish is that they never stop learning, stretching, growing, expanding, living, and laughing. May they laugh and giggle daily and see the world through the eyes of children. I hope they are continually inspired to reach out to children and their families, and to sprinkle their goodness on all of the people around them.

Remember those questions from the beginning of this blog? Now's your time to answer them! 

What were the qualities and characteristics of your best teachers?

What were the characteristics of your worst teachers? 

What words of wisdom did you wish you knew before starting your first year of teaching? 

If you have any words of wisdom for our graduates, please post a comment!

  

PS. Do you want to make a cool word cloud like the one at the beginning of this blog? Go to www.wordle.net and get started! Student would love to show their knowledge and understanding of a topic with this tool instead of writing another paper :)

Assessment: Are my students making the grade?

Lately I've been thinking about grading and assessment at the higher ed level. Truthfully, I've been scrutinizing my own approach to grading student work and wondering if I have high enough standards. These questions are in the forefront of my mind as I read and grade my students latest project.

Undergrads were given a short case study explaining a scenario where a young student is having problems at school. Most case studies explain a myriad of social, academic, behavioral or familial issues that a teacher must troubleshoot in order to ensure the success of the student. The project requires my students to hypothesize which exceptionalities may be impacting the student's performance at school; they must also create an intervention plan focusing on the student's strengths and preferred learning modalities.

It's an interesting time to be reflecting on my assessment approach because my students totally nailed this assignment. As I read their work it's obvious that they have synthesized the concepts from the readings, class discussions & activities, and practicum experience. It's even clear that many of these students are listening to my fly-by advice that is uncontrollably dispensed throughout class sessions.

My students are reflecting back to me via their work that they believe in collaboration, wrap around services for students and their families, creating positive, inclusive classroom communities, and working tirelessly for each and every student in their future classrooms.

My students make occasional spelling and grammatical errors. It's also obvious that they aren't exactly sure how to use some of the education terms to which they have recently been exposed. Occasionally a student forgets to use person first language. I have chosen to ignore most of the spelling and grammar issues, and I use the other errors as a learning moment. I circle phrases or words that should be worded in a more professional, positive manner and write the "corrected" version in the margins.

Some of my colleagues correct every spelling and grammar error. Sometimes I feel guilty for not doing this as well. If a student's ideas are convoluted because there are too many errors, of course they will be advised to utilize peer editors and writing tutors when they revise their work. But I focus on the purpose and content of the assignment. Are the students getting the big ideas? Is there evidence that they are applying course content when designing strategies to help students with exceptionalities? If the answer is yes, the students earn a favorable grade.

At this point, I feel confident in my grading approach. And this assignment in particular provides a strong set of evidence that the learning experience I am providing my students is paying off. These folks are understanding what it takes to be an inclusive educator, and it thrills me to know that our children will benefit.

Educational Technology that Promotes Inclusion

I’ve attended a few conferences this month that have inspired me to explore educational technology more closely. I’m having so much fun considering all of the teaching and learning opportunities of these tools and wanted to share some of my ideas.

Podcasting

First of all, I think podcasting is an overlooked tool in the classroom. During the Educational Technology Summit at SOU this spring, I attended a session about using podcasting in the K-12 classroom setting. In small groups, education professionals and students explored Aviary and were prompted to create a quick podcast telling an immigration story. My group interviewed me and we ended up recording my experience in the Red Light District in Amsterdam! We even added background music that helped to set the tone of the story. We were all novices and it only took about 10 minutes!

This is a photo of the Aviary audio editing area. It may look a bit intimidating but it is extremely user friendly.

If you are interested in exploring podcasting, here is a link to Aviary’s podcasting tutorial: http://www.aviary.com/tutorial?tutorial=getting_started_with_myna&singlepageview=1

VoiceThread

I’ve also recently learned about VoiceThread from an article in CEC’s TEACHING Exceptional Children March/April 2011 magazine titled, “Using VoiceThread to Promote Learning Engagement and Success for All Students” by Stein Brunvand and Sara Byrd. Watch a introductory tutorial at http://voicethread.com/

I’m new to VoiceThread, so I’ll let them explain this tool:

“With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with no software to install.

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.

Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.”

There are a zillion examples on the website for applications to higher ed and K-12 teaching and learning. 

Both podcasting and VoiceThread can make engaging in the general education curriculum more possible for diverse learners in our classrooms. Teachers can give students the option to create multimedia projects in lieu of the overused 5 paragraph essay. Many students have limited writing abilities. Other students have a difficult time giving oral presentations. And overall, I think students are bored with engaging in the same writing activities day in and day out in our schools. Why not offer students options for presenting and communicating their ideas, thoughts and projects?

-Students could create a VoiceThread as an alternative to writing book reports. 

A first grade student created a book report on The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss using hand drawn pictures and a voice recording.

-Students could podcast about their research projects. 

Go to http://www1.gcs.k12.al.us/~podcast/ to hear a wide variety of student made podcasts!  

-Students can present their poetry via VoiceThread or podcasting to make their work accessible to the world!

This VoiceThread is a collection of art and poetry created by a group of students.

-Student could synthesize units in social studies curriculum to show how they are connecting the information. 

-Students could show their process for completing math problems to eliminate math interviews that are so valuable but too time consuming to complete on a regular basis. 

This student explains her process for solving a math problem (and she uses a great strategy!).

I will be sharing Aviary and VoiceThread in my Inclusion Strategies course this term. This summer, I plan to offer my college students the choice to write a paper or create a podcast or VoiceThread to convey their project results and reflect on course content. I’m excited to model for my college students how important it is to offer choice to students when they are creating original projects. Students will select a project format that works best with their strengths plus they will get some practice using these tools that promote inclusion in the classroom!

Educational Technology Summit 2011

I presented this blog at Southern Oregon's first Educational Technology Summit last week. One of my colleagues, Zinn, also presented her blogs and a Top Ten Reasons to Write a Teaching and Learning Blog. Our audience consisted of teachers, specialists, and university instructors who were interested in blogging as a teaching and learning tool. I started the presentation by following this outline and wanted to share it with my blog audience, so here it it!

The Write Stuff: Classroom Uses of Teaching and Learning Blogs

In this session, interactive discussions will be utilized to examine the various benefits of educational blogging to enhance teaching and learning experiences. The session will also provide an opportunity to examine the challenges of maintaining professionalism while sharing practices in the public sphere of social networking. Participants will learn how to set up a blog and will depart with numerous creative ideas for incorporating blogs into their teaching practice.  

Why Blog?

-To document my teaching story

-To collaborate and share with other teachers

-To share effective teaching strategies

-To share my developing teaching philosophy

-To see if a blog is a useful teaching & learning tool

How to Get Started

-Determine your purpose for blogging. This purpose may morph and change as you write.

-Choose a free blogging platform like www.blogspot.com, wordpress.org, www.tumblr.com,

posterous.com

-Consider setting a goal for how often you’ll post

-Start blogging! I suggest introducing yourself and your reason for blogging

Benefits

-Having a place to unload my ideas, feelings and thoughts about my work

-Allows me to process my experiences

-Encourages me to document my courses through video, photographs, etc.

-Having an interactive place where my students can gain a deeper insight into their teacher

-I may use this blog to assist with future academic endeavors

Challenges

-Maintaining professionalism while being authentic

-Fear of peer criticism

-Recruiting followers

-No comments or interaction at this point

-Time/blogging weekly

Ideas for the Future

-Incorporate the blog into my courses

-Redefine my purpose- Professional journal of events, happenings, thoughts and ideas?

-Alumni connection through blogging

Next Blogs: Educational Apps, Ed. Tech. Summit, The Classroom as a Gathering of Spirit Part II, more on New Literacies/Media Literacy

The Power of Parents

This weekend I attended the All Born (In) Cross-Disability Inclusion Conference in Portland. I teach general education teacher about inclusion and inclusion strategies, so I was excited to attend my first official inclusion conference. Many different professionals organized the conference, but parents of children or adult with disabilities played a huge role in putting it all together.

When I walked into the main room after signing in, my hope that this conference would be a bit out of the ordinary was confirmed. First of all, kids were everywhere. There were bands of little guys with Downs Syndrome, family members taking turns holding babies, and teenagers and young adults selling their artwork. I knew we were off to a great start!

Our morning keynote speaker was Kathie Snow. I use her Person First Language materials in my inclusion and exceptional child courses, so I was excited to meet her in person. She gave a dynamic speech about disability being natural and addressed how unnatural and harmful exclusion and segregation is for people with disabilities. Read more at www.disabilityisnatural.com I had a student last term who was originally resistant to person first language and asked, “Who is this Kathie Snow person anyhow? What makes her so credible?” I explained that Kathie is a parent of adult children with disabilities who became a disability advocate and educator (plus so much more!). Needless to say my student quickly accepted Kathie Snow as a credible source.

All three keynote speakers were parents of a child with a disability.

My first session called “Inclusion: Is there an app for that?” was co-lead by two professionals, two parents and a 6-year-old girl with Downs Syndrome. I watched transfixed as the little blonde haired girl demonstrated a variety of educational applications on her iPad. I was equally intrigued watching the mom work with and speak to the little girl as I was viewing the different apps! It seemed like most of the large audience was comprised of supportive parents. Communication and visual schedule tools were also modeled. I’ll be writing a separate blog on these apps.

The session before lunch was perhaps the most inspiring. The session was lead by young adult with disabilities. All of them were selling their artwork during the conference, and this was their time to explain their work and voice their opinions. They were proud of their accomplishments and had plenty to say about inclusion! One young man, Dylan Kuehl presented a motivational speech that brought me to tears. He also shared information about his business, DK Arts, Visual and Performing Arts Co. He’s a dancer, painter, practices Kung Fu, writes poetry, etc. He’s a handsome young fellow who travels the world and raises hope for people with disabilities.

Later in the afternoon I was sitting at a table with a group of teens (maybe young adults?) while Dylan was on stage performing. A young gal told me that she thought Dylan was cute and wanted him for a boyfriend. I agreed that he’d be quite a catch! Dylan’s mother was beautifully supportive of him and his work throughout the day, and it was a joy to see their close relationship. Please support Dylan by visiting his website http://www.oly-wa.us/dkarts/index.php

In an afternoon session about co-teaching models I had the honor of meeting a parent who wants her child’s school to have a more inclusive model of education for students with exceptionalities. I told her about my success story with implementing various inclusive co-teaching models at the elementary level and we exchanged information so that I can consult with the school if they need a hand.

We discuss the importance of parental involvement in the schools and the connection between the school, family and community. But how many teachers have the opportunity to see what these parents are really made of? This weekend, strong parents who know their children inside and out and will go to extreme measures to help their child succeed surrounded me. They’re active. They’re engaged. They want to collaborate with professionals. They have a voice that needs to be heard more than once a year at the annual IEP meeting. Their skills and passions can be utilized for more than PTA bake sales.

I encourage my student teacher to get parents involved in the classroom. Letters are sent home to communicate about the curriculum. Parents may be invited to see their child present their final performance task. But I think teachers need additional ideas for getting parents involved. Sometimes the teacher must win the trust of parents before they’ll collaborate. Some effective strategies that I’ve used are home visits and calls home to tell mom and dad that their child had a great day or made progress towards a goal. For a writing project, I had students bring family photographs to school, scanned them into the computer, and the students create movies about their lives. When the parents came to view this work, I provided food and time to mingle with each other hoping that they would eventually create a support network. I interviewed parents about their family for a graduate school project. I offered to provide childcare on the weekends and evenings to parents who were desperate for respite care. I started every single IEP meeting by sharing student success stories. These are a few examples, and I know there are zillions of additional ideas that teachers successfully use.

Once again, is there anyone out there who will share a story or strategy for meaningful parental involvement? By sharing your idea, you could help shape future educators!!!

Technology: Where is it leading us?

I have an interesting relationship with technology. I don't like to pay a lot of money for it or be too dependent on it. I worry that the kid love affair with technology is keeping our youth from experiencing some of life’s simplest pleasures: discovering a wild patch of blackberries, walking down the railroad tracks, swimming in the hot sun all day and then having the best sleep of your life. You know, the good stuff.

But technology is fun. And it’s exciting. It’s making my life more connected to the people I love and care about. And I'm managing my life more easily.

You can play cool games, including ones that make you play with language and solve puzzles. I like Words With Friends, Wordoid and Crossword. I play scrabble with my former Penn State women’s studies advisor/teacher/friend. What a fun way to reconnect with the people who mean so much to us!

You can discover new music with SoundHound when you’re out dancing or watching a movie, and then instantly stream it in Rhapsody. You can save songs and entire albums to a playlist that you’ll later listen to in your car or while grading papers at a coffee shop.

Information is more accessible than ever and I’m an info-junkie. I love learning. I’m having so much fun using new apps and assessing their professional and personal benefits. These are a few that I’m trying out:

Google Sky to study the constellations

Mint to manage finances

Dictionary

Flixster for local show times, movie trailers, reviews

MagLite Led Torch for when you need a flashlight

Appolicious to find new cool apps 

NPR to keep up on the news

Skyfire as my browser

AllRecipes for meal ideas

Blogger to keep up to date with this endeavor!

EverNote for reminders and lists, two things I can’t live without

Gmail & YouTube

Netflix Queue to add films when people make suggestions

I’m sure that our brains are changing due to the way we are constantly receiving information in fast, small, often disconnected bytes. I want to know more about how the brain is changing or could change if we don’t temper this “shallow” information bombardment with something else. Like reading novels, taking long quiet walks in the woods, camping for a weekend with nothing more technologically complex than a campfire. 

What do you think?  How do you balance your life? Are there forms of technology that you're avoiding? What are you loving?

Something in the water...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...Spring Term is finally here.

With every SOU corner I turn, I see smiling faces and hear laughter. All of the trees are budding, the birds are repairing their nests, spring flowers are everywhere. It's so refreshing.

I have a new hop in my step too. I FINALLY upgraded to a smartphone (a Droid Pro) and I'm having the time of my life trying to figure it out, working with new apps, listening to new music, etc. I have to give credit to my dear, dear friend Mike Taylor for inspiring me and coaching me on this upgrade :)

I also have slightly lighter teaching load and my students have already completed a work sample which means they are more confident this term. There are many reasons to rejoice!

On that note, I'm going for a walk in the sunshine before class. Get out of your office and enjoy the spring! If you're a teacher, bring those kids outside for goodness sakes!

Blessings to you all :)

Tweeting in Blogger- Oh my!

This is going to be a tweet-sized blog!

Three blogs ago I talked about focusing my blog on strategies/philosophies that work in a K-12 setting and in the graduate school settings. Then I made a mistake- I created a list. Now I feel obligated to follow that list; I feel like each blog I create that's not on my list is a broken agreement with you all. So I'm writing to free myself of these fetters I've created! I may get to the list, I may not! As your friend, I will conclude by saying that I don't recommend making lists when it comes to creative endeavors. Make your lists at work or make a grocery list. But lay off when it comes to your art. Give yourself that much freedom!

Collective Wisdom

While teaching in New Mexico, my young students taught me about collective wisdom. My students had exceptionalities and were therefore considered by many to be lacking in intelligence and a general “brightness.” But as my time with these children unfolded I could see them shining as brightly as anyone else who wants to be loved and is eager to learn. Why was I able to see their light? High expectations? Attitude? Was it because they were in an environment where they could peel back their protective layers and allow themselves to grow? 

I remember the last words my Pap said to me before he died. He said,

“Angela, don’t you ever hide your light under a bushel.”

Well I was a performer back then (the summer of 1999, I believe) and had been for the previous six years. I just assumed he was telling me to keep on singing. But as years pass by I realize that he wasn’t talking about singing at all. He was talking about life. He was telling me that I had a brightness that deserved to shine. So maybe, more likely, I was primed by my Pap to look for this brightness in other people. I certainly like to think that my grandfather helped me to develop that gift.

Needless to say, I could easily see all of the greatness that was in my resource room. And I’d talk about my students’ gifts and talents in the teacher lounge: “Does anyone realize that Vickie* has a fever for justice?” and “I think Emison* is one of the wisest people I’ve ever met” and “Andy* has the most pure heart I’ve ever witnessed.” I was also displaying their amazing work in the halls and boasting about their rising reading levels. I was trying to help other adults see the brightness of these kids. Or I was inviting them to at least be open to the notion that kids with IEPs can shine too. It worked on some teachers, but not on others.(*I've changed names- you know who you are!)

As a teacher educator, I get to see the brightness in my student teachers as well. Of course it’s a pleasure to get to know their personalities; but they are enduring one of the most stressful years of their lives and I am aware that I’m not exactly seeing their usual selves. I’m often helping them with crises, using core reflection to help them see their strengths, guiding them through projects…

But there is a magical thing that occurs with my adult students. They are learning how to be teachers. I’m a teacher. I am teaching them about teaching. They are teaching almost everyday. We’re all studying about teaching. 

We have a teaching culture. 

And something amazing is born out of this culture. At some point, most of the student teachers begin thinking like teachers. And if the professor has sprinkled enough fairy dust into the classroom culture, they begin to realize that ultimately we are all colleagues.  And here comes the magic…I watch them become teachers right before my little eyes.

So acting as my teacher colleagues, my students begin to tell me how I can improve my teaching practice just like I’ve been advising them all term. To me, this is the cherry on top! I crave constructive feedback and guidance from other teachers just like I crave French fries or adventure or the smell of my dog's fur.

In a final project reflection paper this term, a student suggested a smart way for me to improve the project. His suggestion was driven by his desire for the project to be more authentic. I think that he has truly learned that the best learning comes from authentic experiences and that’s why he took the time to discuss it with me. But what exactly made him comfortable doing it? Is he showing that he cares about the learners who will come after him? Does he see me as colleague? Does he trust that I'm not going to take it personally, but take it as an opportunity to be better teacher? 

To wrap this up, I love that my students offer great suggestions and ideas every term. I have implemented these ideas with great success, and I always attribute the change from whence it came. There’s something special about saying, “This assignment was create by last year’s cohort specifically for you; it’s a gift from those who came before you so that you’ll be a better teacher.” Most students are receptive and even eager for the opportunity. That's inspiring.

I want to end with a question- a shout out to anyone out there who may be reading. Tell me, what have you learned from a student? How did it change you or your practice? What were the circumstances that made this exchange possible? Was there a magical ingredient? If you think there was- what was it?!

Praise & Gratitude: The End of Another Term

Just like the cycle of the seasons, summer fall winter spring, each term seems to turn with great speed. Here we are, the end of finals week of the winter term, with stacks of papers and piles of work samples to be reviewed before the brief freedom of spring break can set in.

I want to take a minute to pause and give thanks. I’m grateful for all of the learning that occurred this term. I feel lucky to have met and worked with inspiring, bright student teachers. Each day, in the expectant faces of my students, I feel encouraged to be the best possible teacher I can be.

I’m grateful that at the end of the term my students take the time to thank me for my hard work and ensure that my efforts have paid off.  Of course it feels good to hear that my students learned an incredible amount of content knowledge in my courses, but nothing quite beats hearing them tell me that I’ve modeled what it means to be a great teacher. That statement just warms my heart to no end. Honestly, I’m so focused on the ways I want to improve my teaching practice that I often neglect to celebrate my successes. I will look back at these comments when I need a boost of encouragement. So…thanks . 

But perhaps most of all, I feel the need to praise the loved ones that surround me each day. I wake up in the morning and I know I’m loved. I sit down to dinner and I know I’m love. I go to bed and I know I’m loved. I’m blessed with a supportive, caring, understanding family. This factor has been the unsung hero of my career in higher education. I feel blessed beyond words.

So, as I reengage in the grading process I will go forth with gratitude in my heart. Enjoy this quote by Melody Beattle:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a future for tomorrow.”

A Focus for this Blog: Effective Strategies for Reaching the Adult Learner

I’ve decided on a focus for my blog after a term and a half of contemplation and piecemeal blogging. Since I began teaching at the university level, I’ve been completing an informal research study exploring how to best teach adult learners. I know best practices of teaching children, and I’ve spent years studying if these same strategies are effective with adult learners. My findings at the point indicate that YES! these practices are effective with adult learners but require a few adjustments. In future blogs I will address some of these techniques, including but not limited to:

·         Offering student choice & providing opportunities for self directed learning

·         Creating a classroom climate conducive to learning

·         Providing ample opportunities to provided feedback to the instructor

·         Modeling

·         Providing “think time”

·         Providing highly engaging lessons

·         Focusing instruction with the big picture in mind

·         Providing ample feedback on student performance

·         Focusing on students’ strengths

·         Being available and involved

Some of these topics will most likely be addressed in a series of posts. I appreciate the opportunity to model what it looks like to be a reflective practitioner, to celebrate successes and learn from mistakes, and to generate new ideas that inspire better teaching and learning for the future.

I also want to say that blogging about my work in a public forum is very intimidating and it often leaves me feeling vulnerable, exposed, and uncertain. There are many times when I deliberate what I feel safe discussing and what information I keep to myself. I suppose this is a typical professional behavior. Considering that we are putting our students to situations that evoke these same kinds of emotions, I’m taking this as an opportunity to further relate to my students. I so desperately want to connect to my students, just as I want our student teachers to connect to their students. I suppose this is just more modeling of professional teaching behaviors. Until next time- Cheers!

Winter, Work Samples & Woe

There’s a reason I haven’t posted a new blog in a while. It’s winter term which means we have 10 solid weeks of teaching without any breaks. Also, students are completing their first work samples and are often frustrated, confused, and totally stressed out. Many students are falling ill. Professors and student teachers look a little bit frazzled and are more prone to having a short temper. In a nutshell, we could use a little more sunshine outside and inside of our building!

Despite this situation, how do we stay fresh? How do we keep balance in our lives? I’m feeling like a work horse: work, sleep, work, sleep… and I know our students are feeling it too. After conducting some informal research online, I’ve found some stress reduction techniques that are suggested for teachers.

One technique is to work smart. Keep your materials organized so you can more efficiently use your time. Last weekend I came to work on a Sunday and reorganized my entire office. It felt amazing, and now I can walk in and get right down to work.

Another technique is to be conscious of our thinking process. We can easily let our thinking spiral in a negative direction. Acknowledge the negative thinking, do some deep breathing, and allow yourself to be open to a more positive message. Also, avoid spending time with people who complain and worry. Seek out peers who are enthusiastic and are able to enjoy their teaching despite the workload.

The last technique that I’ll share is to take a minute or so each day to marvel at something beautiful. Maybe you see an older couple holding hands and laughing- that’s a beautiful sight! Maybe you take pleasure in seeing the kids play on the playground- volunteer for recess duty! In the winter, I like to admire the bare “bones” of the landscape. It’s worth taking a look. It’s also really easy to bird watch in the winter. I have been seeing hawks everyday! Beauty is all around us and it feels refreshing to look.

My own piece of advice for our students is to understand that your first work sample is much more challenging than the next one. You’re getting your feet wet and learning so much through the process. Be gentle and kind to yourself right now. You’ll reap the benefits of this hard work next term and for the rest of your career as a teacher!