Shadowing a Student - Part II

First read "Shadowing a Student - Part I" - posted November 24th
http://stacymoirkhs.blogspot.ca/2014/11/shadowing-student-day-1.html 

What an experience it was being Megan, the new grade 8 kid. I learned more than I initially anticipated I would. When I first went to administration with this wild idea, I wasn't sure what kind of response I would hear. When I received the supportive and jubilant "yes", I thought I was hearing things. But I wasn't. It was going to happen. I was going to be in grade 8 again. I wanted to make sure my second time around in 8th grade wasn't like the last (trust me, it probably wouldn't have been good - or very productive). 

What I noticed during my time in grade 8:

Takeaway #1: The majority of the time (roughly 70%) I was passively learning. I was half engaged, half checked-out. My SDADHD (self-diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) kicked in around half-way through each class each day unless we were working on a project or I had some sort of research to do on the computer. I've never been the best auditory learner.  

This first takeaway brings me to inquiry work. Inquiry (in simplest terms) is making student-led, informative, engaging, and interesting lesson plans and units where the students take control of how they learn and how they present what they learn. I've been trying for the past year to really incorporate inquiry in every unit I have. The students feel more involved, more engaged, and they're participating because they have work to do to get the end product. It's awesome. It truly is. Check out the rest of my blog to see what kind of inquiry-based projects I conjure up for my students (specifically grade 9 as they just finished a large short story unit led by their decisions and unique voting process) I know that not every student learns the same way; we're all different. Some are auditory learners (learn by listening), others are visual like myself (learn by seeing charts or watching videos), and others are kinesthetic (like to move around and learn through hands-on activity). Inquiry works well and hits all of these learning styles in some aspect. I know that there are times in ELA when there will be teacher-led lectures, but I need to try and keep it to a minimum; for their sake and mine. 

Takeaway #2: I was confined to my desk 90% of the time. Wow. My rear-end was sore. 

We sat a lot. A lot! I know my ELA class can be quite motionless if we're reading, writing, or having an open discussion , but it doesn't bother me, of course, because I'm the one moving!

They have to be mobile at least once. Even for 5 minutes. Something as simple as doing “think, pair, share” where they get up from their desk and walk to the other side of the room to get their partner, or setting up questions on the wall and having them roam from one to another to discuss with their partners or groups. It’s so simple! Get them out of their “jail cell” every once in awhile. I do this occasionally during teacher-led lessons, but definitely not enough.

Takeaway #3: 8 periods is A LOT to transition between throughout the day. 

All in all, 8 periods slammed into one day is a bit overkill. That’s 8 classes working on 8 different things (some days). By noon I felt an overwhelming feeling of sympathy for these kids. It’s only noon and I’ve had 4 different classes with 4 different things going on or 4 different assignments to work on or multiple handouts. Now, it’s nothing we can change right now (it’s our schedule) BUT if we're ever given a say, please take this into consideration. I think I'll be a bit more lenient on the kids who forget what we did the day before (even though I write on the board about it everyday) because let's face it, they've had 7 other classes to attend to besides my own. What makes mine so special?

Takeaway #4: They don't have time like we think!

Again, it comes down to time.

The theme of my grade 8 experience could've been: "I aint' got time for that!"

I didn’t have time for anything: to go to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get to my class on time, to work on my assignments, OR as a teacher, I don't have time to get a deep-thinking, well-organized, or thoughtful discussion in during the opening, middle, and end of my lesson. I just don't.

So, when a student asks to use the washroom, it’s okay. Let them! I looked forward to PE class, not only because I got to play basketball but because I had enough time to use the washroom!

When a student leaves a binder or other materials in another class, don’t freak out - hey, it happened to me! (I left my pencil case in ELA class and was late for math!)

Be patient if they don’t remember what you did the day before - they had 7 other classes besides ELA. It's okay if the grade 7s don't remember simple and compound predicates the second you ask them. It's okay! It really is!

Takeaway #5: Make it memorable.

When I asked students (who I was specifically shadowing these two days) which class they found to be the most memorable, they both said the last class we had (block 7 before I interviewed them). When I asked why that class, they simply said, "Well, because we just had it."

Okay, fair enough. Someone once said that people will remember the first thing you said and the last thing you said. What does that mean to me as an educator? Start off my class with a hook and end with a strong close. I don't want to feel like I'm wasting time making my lessons when students, at the end of the day, are just going to forget what we had just done the moment they walk out of my classroom. Ouch. Okay, I know what I need to do with my class: Make it stand out. Make it interesting. Make it engaging. Make it memorable.

These takeaways are the things that I can take into consideration to enhance my classes for not only myself but for my students as well. I need to remember that I’m not an entertainer (neither are you). I did not get a bachelor’s degree in drama & entertaining teens, but what I can do is make my classes memorable in some capacity for these kids so at the end of the day they won’t forget that they did, indeed, have english class at some point in the day. I need to be patient as they're busy too. I need to remember that, at times, they're forgetful and they will ask what happened in class yesterday and that they WILL forget their binder or pencil in their locker (as long as it's not a habit, we'll be just fine). Inquiry-based lessons are key (in my opinion) to making lessons appealing, stimulating, thought-provoking, and most importantly, memorable! 

I am so thankful and so extremely lucky that I have administration and colleagues who allow me to do things like this. It's incredible! These are just a few of the insights I found when shadowing grade 8s. I could go on and on about my experience. I truly could. I thought I had a good idea of what it was like to be a student, but seeing and doing what I did through a different perspective was insightful to say the least. It was meaningful and motivating. I am truly refreshed.

Who knew being in grade 8 would teach me so many things?! Now, what about high school...(to be continued?)

Drum Rolllllllllllllllll...

The winning short story is...

The Call

Vanson Hamel, a grade 9 student, chose The Call to present to her group members. Once her story was chosen in her group, they then had to recreate the short story in video format, present the story to the rest of their peers and "fight" for it to win the best in class! They must have done a fantastic job because Vanson's short story won (and may I add it won by a landslide). Way to go, guys!

Now it's my job to do some work. I had to find similar short stories to have the class read and analyze. It was no easy task. When I first heard Vanson's group describe their story, I was reminded of those ominous and mysterious urban legend stories - you know, the kind you hear around the campfire and give you nightmares for weeks. That kind.

I found some frightening short stories to share and I cannot wait to delve deeper into our short story unit. Their final project will consist of the students creating their own urban legend, getting into groups and choosing the best one to recreate in video format. Exciting stuff is happening in the 9B class. And people say English is boring.....



The 9s Fight For Top Story! - The Final Voting Process

Okay, so the 9s don't actually fight like the title of this blog entry portrays, but the 9s DID have a class today where they essentially had to "sell" their story to their classmates during an intense question and answer period. 

Each group (which consisted of the group members for each remaining short story) ask the other groups questions about their stories in order to come to final decision of who they would vote the "top story". 

Some questions posed were: 

- What story (out of the 5, besides your own) did you vote as the best? Also, tell the class why we should vote for YOUR story over the story that you liked most. 

- What story did you like the least? Why shouldn't that story win?

- What is the genre of your story? Why would we find yours the most interesting out of everyone elses'? What sets yours apart?

- What would say is the main theme of your story? 

- Honestly, would you vote for your story to win if you were able to? Why or why not?

Those were some intense questions which put a lot of groups on the spot. It was awesome!

The top story will be used in our short story unit. I will take the winning story, find 2-3 more short stories that coincide with the winner (in either theme or genre) and create a short story unit. So far it's looking like I'll have to find some more suspense-type literature to feed the students' appetite for mystery as their votes seem to be swaying towards "The Call" (Vanson's story). 

I'm so impressed with how far the groups have come in terms of how deep they delved into the questions and discussions in their groups and how well they worked with one another. Even after someone's story was voted out, there was no time (or room) for pouting and each group member helped out until the bitter end. I'm excited to see who the 9Bs vote as "top story"! We'll be collecting the final vote tomorrow morning!

Great work, 9s! It's been a pleasure! Check out some pictures from their question and answer period today!

Shadowing a Student - Part 1

I am well aware of how amazing my administration and colleagues are here at Kitscoty High School, and they lived up to their remarkable reputation this past week as I went into the classroom as a grade 8 student named "Megan". Megan is my grade 8 persona. She likes One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer and can't wait to hit up the Taylor Swift concert in August! I really tried to delve deep into my character and the kids noticed how little I swayed from being my grade 8 self. By the end of the day, without skipping a beat, they were calling me by my alias and asking me questions about my "old school" and hometown. It was a great day! Not only was my research insightful, but I got to work on my relationships with students that I don't get to teach this year, which is quite the bonus! 

When I first started looking into the idea of shadowing a student, I never thought that I would actually be allowed to execute such an unusual idea. Recently, I came across an article of a veteran HS teacher who, when approached by her principal, had the opportunity to shadow two students with differing educational backgrounds for two days to see their school experiences through the students’ eyes, giving her a better understanding of the “process” of school and its encumbrance on students these days. I found it intriguing as she gave some incredible feedback of her involvement in the program. The more I looked into a research idea like this, the more my ears perked up and my excitement propagated.  

She wrote (excerpt):

 I have made a terrible mistake. I waited fourteen years to do something that I should have done my first year of teaching: shadow a student for a day. It was so eye-opening that I wish I could go back to every class of students I ever had right now and change a minimum of ten things – the layout, the lesson plan, the checks for understanding. Most of it!

My task was to do everything the student was supposed to do: if there was lecture or notes on the board, I copied them as fast I could into my notebook. If there was a Chemistry lab, I did it with my host student. If there was a test, I took it. 

The author goes on to talk about the changes she would make in her own classroom and provides examples of things other teachers could do to prevent the lethargic, monotonous, tedious days that students drone through day in and day out. This teacher who shadowed her own students is not the only one to do so, nor will she be the last. I read another piece about a graduate student shadowing students at the high school and post-secondary levels to write her doctorate. She listed some of the same insights as the previous teacher I mentioned; students were anxious, indolent, and passive for the majority of their class time and she needed to find a way to fix it. She became the student to become a more intellectually productive teacher. 

As I become more and more passionate about my career and my choices as a teacher, these types of exploration and inquiry opportunities become important, significant, and most certainly worth a shot. Even though I graduated high school a decade ago, I still feel a huge gap between myself as a student and students these days. Yes, the drama and complex psyche of a teenager is still there, but what is it like to be a student; and I mean a full-fledged, inert, and accomplished student? I wanted to know. 

Day 1 as "Megan", the grade 8 student:

I worked on the Pythagorean Theorem in math class, discussed the 3 Gs in European exploration in social, and learned all about osmosis and diffusion in science. I even dusted off my old trombone skills and "played" along with the rest of the 8s in music. It was a busy day and I can't wait to share my insights with everyone when my research is complete. I have one more day of shadowing left and I definitely look forward to it! I don't want to give away too much just yet regarding my findings, so hold tight! 

 

The Outsiders: Character Analysis (ELA 7)

The grade 7 class was placed randomly into groups with each group given a specific character to keep track of throughout the novel. As we read, the students write down information about their character; their personality and physical traits, relationships, conflicts, or any important events they're involved with. Today we started placing the information we have thus far on our character posters. As we read, students can add what they have to their posters for the class to see. 

KHS Read: Short Story Edition Presentations!

The 9s have their top 5 stories and have been working zealously on their group presentations and iMovie trailers. 

The top stories are: 

All Summer in a Day (chosen by Caroline Evans)

The Use of Force (chosen by Tim Finucane)

The Painted Door (chosen by Dallan Keichinger)

An Angel in Disguise (chosen by Paige Laycock)

The Call (chosen by Vanson Hamel)

During the presentations, students took notes and wrote down their initial thoughts on the presentation themselves (from information provided to the performance of the presenters) and the final product of the iMovie trailers. They were given 5 questions to discuss with their group members about the presentations and stories and will decide which short story will win their vote to be crowned this semester's KHS Reads: Short Story Edition champ! 

The winning short story will be read as a class and will be the starting point of our short story unit. I will find 2-3 more short stories that tie into the winner in either theme or genre. I cannot wait to complete our voting process. Here are some pictures from the presentations! 

The Great Gatsby - The Roarin' 20s!

The English 20-1 class started reading the novel The Great Gatsby this week, but before we opened any books we looked back at what was called "The Roarin' 20s". 

The Roaring Twenties is a term used to refer to the 1920s in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom, characterizing the decade's distinctive cultural edge in many major cities during a period of sustained economic prosperity, including New York City, where most of The Great Gatsby is set. French speakers called it the "années folles" ("Crazy Years"), emphasizing the era's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. 

The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. At the same time, jazz and dancing rose in popularity, in opposition to the mood of the spectre of WWI. As such, the period is also often referred to as the Jazz Age. 

What the students did was research subjects pertaining to the 1920s and the novel and created a visual for the class. Some of the topics were: the author and film adaptations, characters, symbols, the american dream, the jazz age, and flapper girls. I think the 20-1 class did an incredible job and came together as a cohesive unit to make one spectacular (and informational) visual! 

(Roarin' Twenties info from Wikipedia)