Instead I showed them pictures of these guys:
and I asked them what they did years and years ago? Did they run to google? Did they ask their teachers to guide them step by step in their exploration of sound or light?
"No, they experimented."
"They tried things, and when it didn't work, they tried again."
"They revised their plan."
"They asked questions."
"They gave it a shot."And the light bulbs went off. (YAY!)
I assured them that experimenting, trial and error, trying something and revising it, reflecting on things, etc. was all part of much daily work: inventors, designers, automotive workers, mechanics, even teaching and parenting. And, even though the lesson was about their learning about circuits and electricity, the trial and error part of teaching was resonating with me...
Enter the Write/Right conversation/inner battle I have from this morning...
Yesterday we read a blog post by @suzemuse which talked about passion and how she was inspired by @Cmdr_Hadfield's passion from his posting from the ISS. We tweeted with Susan. We had wonderful discussions. We talked at length about passion and being passionate.
This morning, we talked a bit more about passion. Students looked up the meaning in the dictionary to make sure they were really 'getting it'. There was a lot of discussion about NHL hockey teams and the playoffs. We pondered the question, "Can you really be passionate about something when you're young or does passion need to develop over time?"
We were going places... deep places.........................................or so I thought.
I asked the students to write on a piece of paper their feelings, thoughts, ideas about passion. We had a word splash on the board. We had our questions on the board. And I was met with an astounding
"I don't know what to write!"
And I wanted to SCREAM! (But I didn't.)"I don't have anything to write!"
Instead, I started to write their thoughts, complaints, groans as tweets...
(click that link above in case the storify doesn't embed properly below)
These kids were SCARED to write. Intimidated. Embarrassed. And I was left thinking,
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?"I felt so defeated. So let down. I asked my colleagues about this; one assured me that that's "always been the way with that group". Huh? Unacceptable. Someone has to light their creative fire somewhere... and it's MAY!... and I feel that someone is me... and I feel like I've failed. BADLY.
But now as I sit back, I can't help but wonder if it wasn't just a bad morning, a bad day for some of these kids. They've written well in the past. However, I still recall being faced with the I-Can'ts earlier in the year, too.
I've gone wrong. And like any good inventor, I'm reflecting on what I can do to revise and refine things to make them work better. And like any good thinker... I'm also open to suggestions...
GO!
Dawn, I love how you wrote about a lesson that didn't go according to plan, and now you're re-looking at what might work. I'm not going to pretend to have the answers here. I'm not sure. I will share with you some things that have worked in my class this year.
ReplyDelete1) Would the results have been different if you had students work in partner groups to write first? What if they got started in a group, and then broke up to write the rest of their thoughts on their own? I've had some success with this strategy.
2) What if you gave them a choice of tools to write with? What if "writing" was done orally to start? What if some students shared their writing with doodles and initial thoughts, and then moved into a more formal piece of writing? With tools like Siri around, much writing nowadays is done aloud. I've had success with getting students to "write" aloud by dictating their thoughts or even recording them on the Livescribe Pen or iPad. Then I've gotten them to listen back, hear what they said, and turn this into a written piece.
3) Did everyone struggle? What about a guided writing group? What if you gave the choice for one? If some students were able to write on their own, then they could, and others that needed more support could have this support as well.
4) Going back to option #2, what if the paper wasn't your typical roll of paper? What if you had butcher paper on the floor? What if students added their thoughts in a student voice forum idea -- much like what is here -- (http://sjn.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/2013/05/07/the-writing-on-the-wall-jec-2013/), and then used these ideas for their own writing? I know there was lots of discussion before students started to write, but maybe they need a stepping stone between full class discussion and independent writing. This could almost be a shared writing activity.
What do you think? Could any of these ideas work? I hope that you find something that helps. I'm curious to hear what others have to say.
Aviva
www.weinspirefutures.com
Hi, Aviva! Can't thank you enough for your support today and your comment!!
Delete1) group work may have worked, but I was looking to move away from it for this short writing task. Fail. LOL
2) The oral thing may have worked had we the proper tools... and the individual space for those shy students to say what they wanted... see response to 3...
3) Reflecting back on the whole sha-bang, it wasn't actually a whole LOT of students. It wasn't the majority, however, it was a few who are very outspoken and love to be heard. It's through their very loud outspokenness that others were being interrupted and second guessing themselves and spiralling out of control! Through nervousness, some were reacting negatively to the whole lesson. GAH! This is now something I'm reflecting on as well...
4)The butcher paper idea would have TOTALLY solved all of this schmazzle! Everyone would have had a voice. A strong one.
You've given me so much to think about!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yippee! I'm so glad to hear that you found something that would work. I love using the butcher paper. Aaron Puley (@bloggucation on Twitter) gave me this idea, and he actually thought of it for our combined activity at the Junior Empowerment Conference. I was thrilled with the results, and he said that he always has the same amazing results. As you mentioned here, everyone then has a voice. Aaron has used the butcher paper a lot with his Student Voice Forums. It's amazing how such a simple tool can be so powerful!
DeleteIf you have students that struggle with pencil/marker/paper writing, you could try a Today'sMeet Room as well. I use this a lot in my class. Students can then type their thoughts and respond (in writing) to their peers. This may have quieted some of your louder students and given a voice to some of your quieter ones. Combining this option and the butcher paper one could have given you student choice but in a simple way.
Looking forward to hearing about how your next writing activity goes!
Aviva
www.weinspirefutures.com