Go To the Mirror!

Those who are longer-term readers know that I am very into protocols, routines, and procedures.  The students at my school have many executive function difficulties and the more consistent and familiar the classroom schedule is, the more success they generally have during that class.

However protocols, routines, and procedures do not have to be boring and dull.  Take reflection.  This is one of the most important parts of my lesson, and there is some form of reflection integrated into all my my activities.  This is also a place where I have the ability of having lots of fun.

It is also important for students to reflect on all aspects of the classroom, not just the 'academic learning targets.'  How are students feeling about the class? How did they like a lesson?  Do they have a suggestion for the improvement of the class?

SOAPBOX DISCLAIMER: Reflection is very personal.  It allows students to think about what they have learned and to process that learning.  It is also a great tool for me as the teacher; if the student didn't write the 'correct' information about what was learned, it is an indicator to me that my method, presentation, or delivery didn't have the intended effect.  I don't 'grade' reflections for content (thought I tell them grammar rules always apply), and I never tell someone they did not reflect correctly (unless, of course, they don't answer the prompt given.)

Sometimes reflection doesn't connect to reality. Use that information! 

Today's reflection: Mystery bag. 

For this reflection I gather students into a circle.  This is another procedure we have practiced many times throughout the year.  I've outlined this in my previous blog.

Once there I held an old lunch box up and shake it up a bit.  The students make some guesses as to what might be in the bag.  Then I dump the contents right in the center of the circle:

Well that was unexpected...

After the circle is ready, I pose the question.  For example, the first time we did this activity I simply asked "Which of these objects remind you of math?"  I explain that there are no 'wrong' answers, as long as you can make a connection to math.  I give them 2 minutes of think time and at the end ask them to put a thumbs up if they have an object and reason.  Most, but not all, usually will be ready.

I explain that we're going to go around the circle.  Each person in turn will pick up the object, explain why they chose it, then return it.  This means there is no worry about someone else 'taking' your item.  I also explain that if someone picks your object and has the same reason, that is fine.  You will just pick the same object and say your reason in your own words, even if it sounds like someone else's response.

I then address the students that are not ready.  This is a VERY abstract concept and not all students will be able to connect an answer.  I tell them that their job is to listen to everyone else's response and I will be calling on them to make a connection (or agree) with someone's reasoning.

I love doing this activity for a number of reasons.  First, it is completely unexpected.  Students have never walked into a math classroom and seen something like this.  It let's them know that "we'll have routines, expectations, and protocols, but don't expect it to be dull."

Second, I LOVE the responses I get.  It allows me to get some insight into the thought process of my students as well as their abstract reasoning ability.  Here is a smattering of thoughts that came out from the first week of school:

• Math is like the dice because it has numbers (very concrete thinker.)
• Math is like the battery because it has positive and negative signs. (attention to detail!)
• Math is like the turtle because you have to just keep swimming (movie connection!)
• Math is like the multi-colored pen because there are lots of different ways to solve problems (are you kidding me?)

Reflection does not always have to be exit tickets, written statements of what I've learned, and 3-2-1 cards.  Feel free to mix it up, but always get them reflecting!

Get in the Game!

I love board and card games.  They are incredibly fun and social. They get me to think.  They give me an excuse to hang out with friends.  And, best of all, they get me off of the screens!

Board and card games also give me an opportunity to learn by playing - a part of education that seems to be frowned upon in today's world.

This year I have used games in the classroom as often as I can.  There are a few games I regularly use in my classroom. This blog will explain two of them: Settlers of Catan and Blokus.

Settlers of Catan
This game is great for math and social studies integration.  Students begin by exploring the map which represents different geographical features and resources.  I explain that the number value represents the die roll needed to produce a resource from that land.  Each land tile produces a specific resource.  Recalling their knowledge of dice and probability, they have to determine what are the best locations to settle.

During this game students are faced with many challenges that early explorers faced - acquiring resources, controlling trade routes, and finding quality places to settle.  They quickly learn that the 'best' settlement areas are quickly claimed by rivals.  If their settlements aren't productive, they need to come up with creative ways to meet their resource needs, either through diplomacy or settling less desirable areas.

Students also learn that as the game goes on, the relative value of a resource changes.    

Four students start - only one will win.

After the game students reflect on their play.  Yes, I said reflect.  As is true in any learning activity, the learning occurs in the reflection aspect of the lesson.

What resources, number values, or trade routes did they control?  How did they start and finish the game? Was there a missed opportunity or a great play by an opponent? This is a great way to tie students back into tracing settlement over periods of time, the randomness of probability in short experiments, and long term goal planning.

Blokus
The Boston Globe recently published an article about Why the US is falling behind in Math.  In it the author discusses the lack of logic curricula as a key reason.

Blokus is a chess-type game (abstract strategy - no luck, all information is given) so players constantly need to think ahead.  It develops a student's geometric and spacial reasoning - being able to see how certain pieces fit in the negative space - as well as developing logic with tactical thinking and strategies.  The students learn what pieces are most important to play early, mid, and during the end game.

Students also just take their pieces to 'fill the space' to make a perfect square or rectangle.  They all do this - I'm convinced that it is built into their DNA.

This is my favorite game to watch the learning happen. Games are relatively quick so they get to play multiple times.  Students go through specific learning stages with similar reflections after each time they play the game.  These reflections include where to play, what pieces to play early, and how to recognize and build "escape routes."

You can't stop red, you can only hope to contain her. (They didn't)

After the game has concluded, students also tally the size of each piece they have remaining and the total percent of 'bloks' they have left.  They then reflect on the board, their game play, and what strategies or lessons they have learned to improve their gameplay.

With all this reflection, students think I'm trying to build master players.  The truth is that many of these reflections tie right back into our 'regular' curriculum.  Did you use your resources wisely?  Did you take your time?  Were you thinking and planning ahead, or were you just making decisions in the moment?  How did these decisions work out for you?

I really enjoy these games because of their multiple tie backs to different learning standards, but also due to the fact there is not just "one way" to win. You can't memorize the 'answer' because there isn't one solution.  This ties back into The Globe's article - students need to think creatively, logically, and two-steps ahead to achieve victory.

There are other games I use on a regular basis in the classroom as well including Dominion, Dixit, and Ticket to Ride.  What games have you used and how have you successfully implemented them in your classroom?

An Attitude of Gratitude.

One of the wonderful things about being a teacher is that I get two times during the year (December and the end of school) to truly look back and reflect.  It is almost like a mid-year do-over twice a year where I can see if I need to adjust my heading.

Today, though, is not about changing course. As I was on my run today (one of my two resolutions that I kept this year) I was thinking about my end-of-year blog.  As I was composing these words in my mind (or thinking about my chocolate milk and pumpkin cookie that I promised myself for finishing all 10k) I noticed most of my thoughts were about how grateful I was for everything this year.   Being a more educational-themed blog, I am going to really stay focused on reflecting about my professional life over the past year.  That being said, I do want to take a moment just to say how thankful I am for everything in my personal life as well - a wonderful wife, two amazing children, incredible friends of all genres (hockey, gaming, professional, parents) - you each could get a post of your own and I'm thankful for each of you.

Professionally I have so much to be thankful for.  I am at an amazing school with a brilliant middle division team as well as fantastic leadership.  I have worked at schools where I got observed twice a year (maybe) for twenty(ish) minutes and was expected to put on the classic dog-and-pony show to ensure that all the little boxes on the clip board got marked off. Now I work at a school that encourages me to push my limits - to remember that we are here for the education of the whole student - to remember that teaching 'safe' lessons does not equate to good education - to remember that if I'm bored giving the lesson, the students will be spiritless in receiving it.  My administration encourages me to try new ideas, be creative, and challenge the students.  I'm not allowed to give formulas, can't provide reference sheets, or just hand out extra credit.  They back that encouragement with weekly planning time, development time, and collaboration time as well as financially supporting the staff to attend professional development workshops and conferences that apply to our individual professional growth goals.

That leads me to my second topic of thankfulness - The AMLE2014 conference.  I had the amazing experience and honor to both attend and present at this year's Association of Middle Level Educators national conference in Nashville. It kicked off with some great footwork from Dru (@DruTomlin_AMLE) and a live twitter feed.  During the three days I attended more sessions than was physically possible (I didn't bother eating lunch as the lines were crazy long) and learned so many new ideas and techniques that it would take me another decade of teaching to implement them all.  But just as important as the learning that occurred were all of the professional connections that I made.  I was so grateful that I attended a twitter session hosted by #mschat guru Todd B (@blocht574).  His session really showed me how to build a professional growth network through twitter.  Before his session I had a dozen followers and about as many tweets.  Now I'm in two to three twitter chats per week and have made more professional connections than I ever could have without this amazing resource.

Todd was not the only amazing educator I met while I was at #AMLE2014.   I attended Jackie H's (@jbhanlon) speed session on "Literacy Gone Wild" and was enamored by her energy and ferver.  I also got to be her plus-one at the #mschat meet up that evening where I met even more devoted teachers.  I am now a weekly regular at this chat for many reasons.  On top of the brilliant ideas that get shared on #mschat, the spirit and energy from the educators that post refocus me on my passion for teaching.  I'm also thankful for my other weekly chats: #ecet2, #edchat, #txeduchat, and of course Teach Like A Pirate #tlap - designed around the fantastic book written by Dave Burgess (@burgessdave).  Dave was one of the keynote speakers and amazed the crowd with his energy, magic, and math.  I attended his Teach Like A Pirate session as well and have implemented many of his concepts in my lessons.  I'm really thankful for his immense list of questions to help me truly cook my lessons perfectly.

I'm going to brag about my teaching partner for a bit for I'm really thankful for her as well.  She is one of the hardest working teachers I've ever seen.  Her lessons are creative, well planned, scaffolded, and thoughtful.  They are engaging and play to each students' strength while challenging the students at a perfect level.  She recently completed a "Survivor Island - Explorers" simulation that I will be blogging about next week which could be used as the template for getting students hooked and engaged for any social studies activity.  If you are having issues with student engagement, this is a post you'll really want to read.

There can be but one winner of Survivor Island

I really have so much more to say - but I'll just finish with this... Thank you to all that have made such a positive impact on my 2014.  Those that read the blog, please let me know how your year has gone.  I'd love to know what have been your highlights of 2014.   Have a save and happy new year!