Girls

When I describe Gamers, I mostly mean boys. I don’t worry about boys and their games. I expect that they’ll grow up and broaden their interests, or not, and they’ll end up living in their parents’ basement. This is the threat we hold over our boys when gaming becomes a singular focus for them. Boys can unplug though, and go and play some other kind of game outside. As long as they’re playing something, they’re happy. But girls, now that’s where I find challenge in teaching. I find most of my female students to be simply delightful. They love to talk to me, as an adult girl.  I really enjoy teaching girls because we speak the same language. Actually, we don’t even have to speak to understand each other. I usually find that the girls in my classes can see the bigger picture, and they know what it takes to learn. My concern for many girls though is their lack of self confidence. I see so many girls who are really great kids-they’re clever, ambitious, creative, and yet they see themselves in comparison to others, often sure that these “others” are better/more skilled than they are.

My greatest success with girls whose confidence is impairing their progress, is with one-on-one or partner work. While boys seem to thrive (in general) in the team approach to group work, I have found that girls who are vulnerable to self-inflicted criticism are most successful in a supportive setting. I once taught a math course for students who had weaker math skills. After a lot of experimentation with group dynamics, I found that I could set the boys up with working teams of 4-6 boys at a table. Some girls chose to join in, but most of them were happier working with one buddy. I reserved my individual attention for the girls (and a few boys)  who had nearly given up on math. Two to three minutes of uninterrupted individual instruction with these girls went much further than any group instruction. Then I would leave them to work alone , solving problems on their own, and returning to check in (while keeping order with the big tables who were racing each other to be the first done.) None of these boy or girl-only boundaries were fixed in this class, but I left the option open for students to choose. The majority of students who both chose and succeeded with individual or partner work, were girls.

There are, of course, so many factors affecting self esteem in students. I consider the knowledge and skills I have to offer all of my students to be far less important than helping them to develop confidence.  I wish that lack of confidence weren’t an issue for any child, but I know its root is beyond a teacher’s control . The best thing that schools can do is to avoid reinforcing self-doubt. For now, I’ll just continue to share my ideas and successes here. I think the best place for educational reform to begin, is in the classroom.

Gamers

Some of my students refer to themselves as gamers, not just serious gamers, but high-level advanced gamers. They have made a  personal commitment to their computer games, and they make no apologies about it (when they are talking to certain people.)  For some reason, they like to tell me about the amount of time they spend playing online. I have been trying to look at the gaming phenomenon in comparison to rock music, a generation ago.  I grew up surrounded by popular music, but I know that parents who were older than mine just hated everything about the music industry. They saw the time that their kids devoted to listening or playing music as being completed useless. They couldn’t see any purpose in the activities, and felt threatened by the entire culture surrounding it. Is the parallel sounding familiar? I know my students see gaming as something that belongs to them; adults don’t ‘get’ them. I know I don’t understand them, but I do understand the attachment they feel to an activity with which they so closely identify.

I used to play piano every day. I know how it feels when time evaporates while you are absorbed in something that engages your brain, your body, and your heart. I can’t imagine that a computer game might engage a player to this same level, but I try to accept this possibility and the ramifications of this. When I am engaged in music, whether listening to it or playing it,  time is irrelevant. Csikszentmihalyi uses the term “flow” to describe this feeling. In teaching, the ultimate goal is to provide opportunities for this level of engagement.  Whereas video games are seen as addictive, or an escape from reality, activities such as my piano practice are still socially acceptable, though no less addictive. I have been thinking about the elements of gaming that are engaging these students, hoping to find ways to include the positive aspects of them in my own curriculum design.

Gaming is never passive. Gamers are problem solvers,  often playing in teams, working together on a quest. It is collaborative group work, solving questions that have some personal meaning to them. The competitive aspect attracts players, not because they might win in the end (there really is no end to the games, as far as I know) but because they want to beat another team, to get better. Individual success is not as satisfying as a team win and increasing status. I have seen the difference in engagement when my students work in teams. Not all students enjoy teamwork, but often those who struggle on their own are completely involved when they get to work with other students. They enjoy talking to (and over) their teammates, and thrive on the pace of the activity. Speed is also an issue. The action in gaming is constantly incoming, challenging the players. Nothing is simplified. Players will push themselves until they succeed, while the bar is continually raised. Gamers are intelligent, active thinkers. If teachers can approach lesson design, keeping in mind some of these elements of video games, we may just be able to interest our Gamers in school.

Reading

I apologize for my recent blogging absence- I have been reading. There are times, as a teacher, when reading becomes all-consuming, and for me this month has been filled with reading my students’ work (aka, marking!) I actually love this kind of reading. It starts as a short conversation when I ask my students to show me what they know, then the floodgates open, and the writing starts piling up on my desk. There are a lot of kids who are just desperate to be heard. They need a place to voice their ideas, without interruption, and in writing for school, on any topic, they get an audience. And yet, some students still feel so threatened by writing. It’s a shame we have to confine most writing assignments to being something “for marks.” The limits that are imposed by getting the right answer or trying to sound knowledgeable are the hardest to break. The challenge I pose to my students in their writing is to tell me what they think, not what they have read. Reading, and adding in the ideas of others can come later, but if I can convince my students that their ideas are valid, and that I want to hear them, then, that is when I start to see growth in their writing.

One of the most freeing experiences in my own writing happened in my first graduate course, when we were given permission to write our papers in the first person. In fact, we were told that personal authoethnographical writing had more validity than standard, objective research. This concept was incredibly difficult for me to accept. I had learned, and I had been teaching for years, that an author’s opinion was not valid information for any credible journal. Apprehensively, I tested the waters of writing in the first person, and I found that the depth of my own thinking expanded, as I read other authors, reflected upon their ideas, and made connections to my own world. Now, I’m completely sold on the value of writing as thinking, using the personal perspective.

I use this approach in teaching my students to think about the material they read, and I’m starting to see much more thoughtful writing coming from them. I have 14 and 15 year-olds asking important questions, questions that make me think too. So , I have no complaints about the number of hours I have spent reading my students’ writing this month. This time, for me, is the culmination of a year of learning, and it’s probably the greatest reward I can have for the work I have done.

The Modern Child

Every year around this time, I meet with teachers and parents from elementary schools to set up an intake plan for students who are coming to the learning support program at my high school. Here is a collection of descriptors of a typical student who will be coming to my school next year, one who I see as the “modern” child.

Strengths:

• highly verbal, active participant in class discussions and projects
• charming and engaging personality
• loves to  read; reads above grade level
• highly capable with the use of any form of technology
• kind, empathetic, has lots of friends
• enjoys being active, outside
• plays piano and guitar
• talented in performance: singing, acting, public speaking

Needs:

• weak math skills
• poor organizational skills
• difficulty getting started with writing, or completing written assignments
• easily distracted, impulsive/ or/ daydreamer, slow to get started (it’s often one or the other, not always ADHD, but often showing some signs of inattentiveness)
• some history of failure in school
• some conflict with teachers, but very cooperative if he likes the teacher

I call this an example of a modern child, because these are the qualities of so many students today. (I have taken bullet points from the Individual education plans of a random selection of my students.) Most of the students coming into the support program for students with learning disabilities have many of these traits in common. The severity of the challenges that these students face describe the nature of a learning disability, these students have so much potential as learners, but lack success as students.

I  think it’s time for all educators, not only teachers in “special education” to take a look at the challenges that schools pose for the modern student. (What if the school could be adapted to eliminate many of this modern child’s challenges?)

I’ll start with his strengths-who wouldn’t want to meet this child-he’s bright, affable, interested in learning, and he enjoys reading and the arts. Is this not the renaissance child? Now, the needs, or challenges he faces in school. How are his impulsiveness, lack of organizational skills and inattentiveness so severe that he cannot perform at an age-appropriate level  in math and in his writing? What are the expectations for him in these subjects?  Is there not some way that he can be taught math? What is inhibiting his writing voice?  I may sound frustrated, but I have met so many of these children, year after year, who have so much potential to learn, yet they are fed up with school by the time they’re 13. Some arrive in high school, ready to give it a try in a new setting, but they are stepping onto a train that is going in one direction. My job is to keep them on track.

The traditional student, one who has relatively easy success in school is one who follows direction, always gives their best effort, is responsible, respectful,and a diligent worker. This child will succeed as an employee, and as a functional member of society. There should be room for both the modern and the traditional child in schools today. The idea that one curriculum should fit all learners is absurd, but it continues to drive our planning. I include myself in this, I am not criticizing teachers -it is very difficult to design learning activities around the needs of each student. But it’s not  impossible.

I think the  place to start is through innovation. Try out new activities that can incorporate your existing learning materials. You don’t have to throw out every lesson you have in your filing cabinet/computer.  Little things, like the arrangement of tables and desks in a classroom can change the learning environment, and consequently the amount of learning,  significantly. You don’t have to go all the way to creating a flipped classroom, though aspects of this idea sound great, but make the centre of the classroom the student, not the teacher. If you’d like a place to start researching, start with Barrie Bennett’s Beyond Monet for more information on intelligent instruction.

A final note for the end of a rainy long-weekend Monday:  I do hope some teachers find my ramblings to be helpful in some way. Please feel free to share.

ref: Bennett, B., & Rolheiser, C.  (2001).   Beyond Monet: The Artful Science of Instructional Integration. Bookation.

Accidental Brilliance

I had a great lesson today- well, hopefully more than one, but I love it when one of my spontaneous ideas really works. I feel like sharing, because, as mentioned on my previous post, no one other than another teacher would be remotely interested in hearing about this inspiring lesson.  I was teaching my ESL English class today, and I was thinking about a way to move their written language to match the level of their  spoken English.  I  often tell my students some little anecdote that pops into my head to help them make a connection to the point I’m trying to convey to them. Today, it was a Bart Simpson story. I described the episode in which Bart goes on a student exchange to France, is forced into slave labour,  he cannot communicate in any way with his captors, and he’s desperate to escape. After enduring weeks of hard labour, immersed in the French language, Bart finally finds a police officer and desperately tries to describe his plight, in English. The officer is about to walk away, thinking Bart is some crazy person, when, from out of nowhere, Bart starts speaking French and realizes with some shock that he is, in fact, communicating. So, after the blank stares from my students (who do not watch the Simpsons, apparently) I asked my students to start a free-write with a picture prompt. I assured them that, like Bart, if they just started to write, it would come, they would start sounding like fluent English speakers somewhere in the middle of their stories.  After 10 minutes of questions, bordering on whining, my students finally settled in to some silent, focused writing, and the entire class wrote for about 10 minutes. Do you know what-it actually worked! Some wrote more than others, but for those kids who were just riding along that cusp of shorter, grammatically fine but dull sentences, they somehow just started writing as if they were talking. It really was brilliant. I’m so proud of them, and can’t wait to tell them!

Sharing in the Modern School

One of the nicest aspects of working with other teachers is collaboration. Teachers are happy to share their ideas and lesson materials with their colleagues, because that is how schools work. The Professional Day is the best example of this sharing between colleagues in similar disciplines. It is inspiring and invigorating to discuss our work with others (especially since our spouses are rarely that interested in hearing all about our days!) But as we move from worksheet to website, I wonder how far the sharing will go. Just as file sharing has moved into the music and film world, I wonder how much of the work that teachers create will become accessible online. As far as I know, most teachers have secure websites or use other forms of social media that have restricted access to their students. I suppose that if someone really wanted to find my unit plans though, it would be possible. That’s fine with me- sharing my lessons will not cause me any loss of income. But the camera (via cellphone) has entered my classroom. Students freely copy notes from the board because it’s convenient and quick. That too is fine. But what if that camera, or my website contains student work. What if my students create the most brilliant works of literature and art – Who owns that art? Can a student photograph another student’s work and use it? What if they sell it? Does the school own the rights to anything created in the school? I ask these questions because they are things to consider when you’re teaching, and I suppose the need to discuss plagiarism will be ongoing,  but as far as I’m concerned, anyone is welcome to my teaching ideas. I’m not likely to use them again- my lessons evolve out of materials, but I doubt they’ll ever be the same twice. Lessons and unit plans are not commodities. Our inspiration for teaching is not something that can be copied. I don’t think we need to fear the movement of schools to an online world any more than musicians need to fear the loss of the recording industry. There have been significant changes there, but broadcasting a song does not take away its value. The classroom is growing, and teachers are not being replaced by online reference materials. The school of the 21st century is still a place for sharing.

Movement and Thinking

A student who is not moving can often be a student who isn’t thinking, much. I think restless students are just trying to find a way to keep their minds active. I’m not talking about moving from place to place, though that would be preferable for many students, but movement of some part of their body. The best method I know to promote thinking, myself, is either through actively getting up and using large muscle groups (walking, swimming, running) or focusing in on smaller muscles. I would prefer to play the piano when I really want to think, but writing or drawing have the same effect for me. I am not an artist at all, but it doesn’t matter. There is something about the movement of a pen or typing on a keyboard that allows my thoughts to flow. I think the ultimate goal for any classroom is for ideas to be flowing freely.

Through years of school and getting older, adults learn to sit still and at least look like their listening, but I’m pretty sure most of us have experienced moments of a wandering mind, even with the best of intentions. Most adults have learned that we shouldn’t disturb others, but really, a wandering mind is a good thing. It shows that you’re thinking. The challenge for teachers, is to invite those wandering minds in your classroom to join you in your own thinking. As a teacher, you can move around, but the layout of a typical classroom restricts student movement.  In some educational settings, large muscle group activity is possible within the time of  a class, but with the areas of curriculum based upon written language (reading and writing in any language, including math) it’s usually more practical to limit most of your students’  movement to the smaller muscle groups of the hands.  Limiting movement to the hands does not need to be restraining in any way though. I think it’s important to discuss this with students, as a way of inviting them to think without interfering with  other students’ thinking.

I invite you to experiment with ways of introducing movement of small muscle groups into your students’ allowable classroom activities. For my most hyperactive students, I have always suggested that they find a way of moving without letting anyone know they’re doing it. Scrunching up toes, stretching fingers or alternately flexing calf muscles are some possibilities. They can have some fun experimenting with these movements that allow them to sit without disturbing other students. But for students who don’t have the constant need to move, I suggest writing and drawing. If you work free writing and doodling into your lessons, the level of active thinking going on in the classroom will increase. I’m sure of it because I have used this with my students, but I also invite you to try it yourself. Get a notebook and start writing and drawing in it and see where your thinking leads you. The brilliant ideas that pop into your head as you start to write will amaze you!  I’m actually just starting to read a book on this topic now. To quote I Swear I Saw This by Michael Taussig, “Drawing breathes life into an idea.” Actually, he was quoting someone named Christopher Grubbs, but my point is, there a many ways of incorporating movement into your classroom, and if you not only allow them, but encourage them, you will be helping your students to become life-long thinkers.

Youth Conformity

I have just read an article by Diane Conrad from U of A about the issues behind youth incarceration in Canada (2006.)  I have taught many students who were considered to be “at-risk”and I am continually trying to find ways to help them. I have looked for one key sign to watch for in students before they start to “derail”, hoping to intervene before it’s too late. Some of the issues posed by Conrad were the ability of schools to create welcoming, relevant environments, the attempts of schools to normalize behaviours,and the distribution of power within schools. It was this third issue, of  power, that resonated with me when I read this article. I have actually seen one consistent factor behind students who do not succeed in school, and overall, it’s non-conformity. I have taught so many students who have significant learning issues, yet, if they work to the best of their ability, they get through school. With the right support team, it is possible for a child who can barely read, to complete high school. I know, this raises many issues regarding special education, but please stay with me on the conformity issue. I am not worried about the desire of special education teachers to do everything they can to support their students. The students who are most seriously at-risk, are the ones who have a  need to resist the conformity required to be a student. I have had students who will hang on to a self-destruct position of resistance as if their very survival depended upon it. I’m not talking about abused nor neglected children. These are children from a variety of backgrounds who fight an inner battle on a daily basis to resist the expectation to follow the rules of school. I have seen the resolve in their eyes: If pushed, they will face any consequences, rather than give in.  I’m talking about a minority of students in my own experience, maybe about 5-10% of the population, but this is the common trait I have seen in each of them. It has become so obvious to me now, that I can spot the students who aren’t likely to stay in school beyond grade 9 within one or two meetings with them. Conrad refers to Scott (1990) in a history of subordinated peoples using subversive acts as their only protest against oppression: “Youths’resistant behaviours”, says Conrad, “can be seen as responses to relations of domination and subordination.”  She then goes on to define a “curriculum of conformity”, and I know that Conrad understands these kids that I’m talking about! If justice is based upon consideration of individual needs, rather than a system of rules, then the power imbalance that these students are so strongly resisting will dissolve from schools. This is exactly what I speak of when I describe classroom management, and I try to acknowledge the voice of students. I applaud the strength of character it takes for students to stand up for their rights, and I think that as teachers we have to commit to finding ways to create a balance of  power in our classrooms.

In fairness to Diane Conrad, her article can be found in the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (4-2) 2006.