Community Building Activity Ideas

This week we will be beginning our Phase II of programming for the ExpandED Schools program at The Island School. On Monday, students will begin their new courses (Graphic Novels, Robotics, Dance, Art, Athletics and STEM...just to name a few), where they will learn domain specific skills and vocabulary in order to conquer real world, authentic challenges.

As we begin, it is as important as ever to remember that classroom community does not just happen. Instead, it takes a conscious effort to create!

Here are a few tried and true activities to help bring this community to life:

1) The Name Game
As a high school teacher, it drove me crazy when in March a student would say, "I forget her name, but she had a good idea." How can we have safe learning environments, if we do not even know the names of all our peers?! The name game is a simple way to alleviate this issue. Have students stand or sit in a circle. Start and end with yourself (you will have both the easiest and hardest job, modeling that you are in it with them, growth mindset, etc.). Pick an adjective that begins with the same letter as the first letter of your name. Then put the adjective and your first name together, for example: Bashful Brittany. Now, move to the next student. Before he or she begins, the student must say all the adjective/name combos from before and then add his/her combo, for example: Bashful Brittany, Jolly Javier. After all students have gone, go through all the combos, starting with yours and ending with yours.

Students will often add silly reminders to help their peers, demonstrating one of the core elements of community. After the activity is done, feel free to complement all the things your students have already done to help each other out ("I really loved how many of you.... in order to help your peers succeed!"). Be sure to tie this back to community ("This shows that we are already committed to this class because...").


2) Symbols of Me
When I taught English, I used this activity as a way to introduce both creativity and abstract thinking. Have students pair up based on something such as month of birth, first letter of name, favorite color, etc. This will naturally mix them up, encouraging them to work with a new person in a non-awkward way. Then, have pairs trace the dominant hand of their partners on pieces of computer paper.

After all hands have been traced, begin by introducing what a symbol is ("A symbol is an object that means more than it's face value. For example, if I use a bird as a symbol, I am not saying that I am a bird. I may not even be saying that I like birds. Instead, I may be thinking of the qualities of a bird. This allows me to explain that I like to go to different places and that I enjoy freedom without using words). Now, instruct students to draw symbols of things that represent them. Challenge them to think about the colors they use, the objects they include, and even how they hold their paper! For younger students, you may need to provide a few more examples and provide some individual scaffolding.

When all the students are done, have each student present his or her hand. You can either have students explain their symbols or have the class guess what the symbols represent. Many teachers then cut out these hands and place them around their classrooms or paste them on their class rules.

At the end, be sure to tie this all up by explaining to your students that in a community we all bring unique talents, interests and personalities to the table.


3) My Name
This is an introduction with a literary twist. As a class, read aloud Sandra Cisneros' vignette, "My Name". Then tell each student to select his or her favorite line. Going in a circle, have each student read just his/her favorite line in a consecutive fashion. (If you have time, this is a great opportunity to talk about how many students picked the same or different lines). Then, have students make a list of the types of things that the character used to describe herself. Instruct students to make their own My Name vignettes using this list and more. (For younger students, a guided practice sheet--aka the frame of the poem with blanks--may be helpful).

Have each student read his or her poem to the class. Be sure to link this exercise back to a strong community ("While our poems are so different, they also have many things in common. In a community, we each bring different attributes to the table, but we also have so many things that unite us").


4) Where I'm From Poem
Following the same format at the My Name Activity, have students read, analyze and create their own poems based on Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon. This poem is a little more complex, so it may be better for older students. However, if you walk through the poem with younger students, you can definitely still use it!


5) All Over the Map
If you are working with a diverse population of students, this is a really exciting opportunity for them to share pieces of their personal and family stories. It also helps many students feel as if they are not alone. This activity also often leads to more stories, naturally allowing students to gain more information about their peers.

For me, I think this is a special activity because it truly embodies the idea that we are all on different paths, but at this specific moment in time, all our paths have crossed. Without getting esoteric, I think this is one of the most profound concepts that students can encounter, but I digress...

Start with a world map. Make a mark where you--or your family--are from. Have each student indicate where their family is from. If you have many immigrant students, feel free to let them explain when they came to America. Depending on your students, this can be as recent or as distant as you want it to be. It can also be as local or global as your classroom population needs. Make a mark on the map to indicate each child's response(s). After asking all students, have them look at the map and make observations.

Then, ask your students how this relates to our classroom community. If they are struggling, be sure to wrap the lesson up ("As you can see, we all have different paths that we have taken to get to this class in this moment. This is amazing, because it helps us remember that we are all different, but in this room we also have one thing in common: we are now from here too").

If you have access to technology and a projector/SMART Board, Piktochart has a GREAT--free--map feature that will allow you to highlight over specific countries and see the names of the students who are from that country).

What are your go to ice breakers/team builders? Comment below to add to our go to list!!

The Quickest Way to Learn Problem Solving: The Hour of Code

A buzz filled the air as I looked around my computer lab. Some students were so enamored with their work that they could not take their eyes off their screens. Some were excitedly pointing to other students' windows, sending helpful hints, explanations and sometimes just telling the answers. Despite the occasional cries of frustration, my students were hooked.

The Hour of Code was working its magic. 

Last month, all 269 of my Computer Applications students participated in The Hour of Code. While I was excited that my students were learning this key 21st Century skill, I was more enthralled by the metacognitive opportunity that these brilliantly crafted tutorials offered.

If you haven't hear of it, The Hour of Code is learning disguised as a bunch of games. Crafted by some of the top computer science minds and funded by a plethora of foundations and big names, the program is designed to help students independently acquire an understanding of the syntax and fundamentals of coding. After completing a series of tasks, students are presented with a certificate of completion.

Although it is not marketed as such, The Hour of Code is also a metacognitive gold mine! After my students completed the program, they were asked to reflect on the following two questions:

I ask questions like these after each and every unit. Most times, I get surface answers that lack serious reflection or insight. However, to my pleasant surprise, The Hour of Code lead to very different discussions.

After meeting with all 12 of my classes, the same strategies and themes emerged. They were compiled into the following chart.

(Brittany Spatz, 2014)

These strategies are sophisticated problem solving and critical thinking tasks, requiring that students work at the highest levels. These tutorials pushed my students to use the skills we use when we face real-world problems. Finally, The Hour of Code encouraged ownership of independent learning, while still allowing for collaboration.

Simply put, my students learned everything they need for life in just one hour. 

As I compiled the student reflections into our anchor chart, I found myself coming back to two main questions:

Question 1:
Why was it so much easier for students to identify patterns of thought when talking about coding?

I have many theories about this one, and I invite your input as well, but I have come to the conclusion that students find it easier to think about their own thinking when they don't think that they're learning... did you follow that?

In my masters classes, we have explored using video games in the classroom to facilitate conversations about thought, problem solving and critical thinking. As someone who was forbidden from having video games as a child, this option has never really appealed to me. However, there is no doubt that The Hour of Code, like video games, offers students similar situations.

Students are using complex skills without realizing that they are. This makes it less threatening and less confusing to explore their own movements.

Question 2:
How can we capitalize on this?

In our classroom, this chart has become a touchstone, an anchor lesson. We refer back to it often. We use it to provide us with the vocabulary and skills for learning anything new.

Moving forward, I can't help but encourage ALL teachers to try the Hour of Code. Teachers do not need ANY coding skills. They just have to be able to have their students get to code.org, and let it work its magic.

Then, teachers can step in and talk about what they know best: how we learn, how we solve problems, how we overcome obstacles, how we persevere.

Next year, I plan on starting the year with the Hour of Code, using it as the cornerstone of our class.

How will you incorporate this amazing resource?

Lessons from Mrs. O'Rourke

Once, when I was twelve years old, I met a woman who showed me exactly the person I wanted to be. 

It is interesting how much we don't remember about the most important days of our lives. I don't remember the season. I don't remember where the rest of my classmates were. I don't even remember why we were by the church.

All that I remember is Mrs. O'Rourke folding her lanky limbs to sit eye to eye with me on the small, marble front steps as I cried. I had been left out of the latest, greatest party, and to my already awkward middle school self, this was crushing.

Yet, although she was a grown up, and although she realized that this event was so small in the grand scheme of life, she sat there with me anyway. She soothed me. She affirmed me, told me that she saw something in me. And, by the end of our talk, she made me believe that that something was really there.

While I can't remember the details of that day, I will never forget those moments that I spent with my hero. I think about it all very often. That day was a turning point in my life all because of the kind heart of a dedicated teacher.

Mrs. O'Rourke has always been the teacher and woman that I wanted to be. Her tall, slender body held fire within it. She was witty, intelligent and strong. Yet, she was caring enough to listen to the tribulations of a thirteen year old. She laughed with us, yet we always knew when it was time to be serious. She pushed us, yet she taught us to love learning for the pure sake of learning.

As I sit back and reflect on her life, I realize more and more the depth of her greatness.

I doubt there is any job more important than helping a child believe in herself. 

So, as I write my final goodbye (thankfully I sent her a retirement card when I heard she retired... even though that was three years before she actually did... which I found out when she wrote me a hysterical letter back... classic Mrs. O'Rourke) all I can say is that I will be eternally grateful for Mrs. O'Rourke and teachers like her who truly change the world in unfathomable ways.

I will carry you with me, Mrs. O'Rourke. Thank you.

Image received from (epubbud.com)

"This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page, but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared.

Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognize it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back." 

The Little Prince

How Are You Learning?

Over the past few weeks, my colleagues and I have spent a majority of our time discussing educational software, hardware and web tools. We have shared top resources, analyzed assistive technology, discussed potential pitfalls, and explained the systems our schools have in place to help teachers learn new programs.

However, there has been one, overwhelming sentiment that has arisen after each conversation:

WE NEED MORE TRAINING. 

Post after post, comment after comment, this theme rang true. So the question is:

WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL DOING TO HELP TEACHERS LEARN? 

At Frelinghuysen Middle School, we have a few key programs in place to help teachers acquire the necessary skills and exposure that help ensure the successful implementation of technology, (thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Educational Computer Specialist, Chrissie Flanagan).

FMS's Tech Programs

WEEKLY EMAILS -- FMS TechGoodies Update and Honorable Mentions
Every Sunday night, Chrissie sends out an e-mail with a number of new programs that teachers may be interested in, new applications that may help with our Chromebook 1:1, Atomic Learning tutorials that teachers may enjoy, and interesting IDE Portal PBLs. Chrissie then provides our staff with a brief explanation of each of her links.

PINTREST
As of this year, all the e-mail links bring us to Chrissie's Pintrest Boards! (Follow her!!) This has helped teachers access more specific content or explore new resources.

TECHBYTES
Since it is obviously not enough just to provide links, last year, in-house professional development was offered during our prep time. Chrissie would select key resources or topics, and present them throughout the week on a voluntary basis. This allowed us to go when we had a chance--if Monday didn't work, we went Wednesday. It also allowed teachers to attend the sessions that made the most sense for them--accounting for differentiated levels of teacher ability. These sessions also cleverly featured tasty treats--get it bytes, bites--which were an added bonus! (Learning + Eating = My Kind of PD!)

TEACHER ACADEMY 
Last year, our school also began taking advantage of a Teacher Academy, allowing expert teachers to provide peer-to-peer professional development. This has been a great way to build technology confidence in our building, showcase teacher-leaders, and--most importantly--expose our staff to a wide range of new information.

FMSCHAT
When I was first hired, once a month teachers participated in a focused Twitter chat run by our instructional leader. I loved this, but it lost steam following Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully, we can bring this back as a backchannel for professional development. Many of us also use the hashtag #FMSchat when posting relevant information on Twitter. (For examples, follow @BrittSpatz).

OLD SCHOOL SHARING
FMS has an incredible culture of sharing. It is deeply embedded in the norms of our building, but if I had to pin-point a specific reason for this, it would be that each week, teachers who teach the same grade and same subject meet in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The PLC format prioritizes collaboration as the foundation of successful teaching. (I also love the academic atmosphere that it fosters, encouraging constant learning and growth.)

After learning from the work that our ECS is doing and in the spirit of some good ole sharing, I'm attaching my Top 10 Web Tools infographic. Please feel free to use, share and reproduce. 

Click on the infographic to see it on the web.

SUGGESTIONS??
What does your school do to provide the professional development that is imperative for successful tech implementation? What do you want to see from your schools? Please feel free to share your ideas below! -Brittany

You Did What??: Assistive Tech for ELL Students

(Schadler, 2013)

This past week, my students presented their Visual Autobiographies. In order to challenge them to actively practice analyzing images (you can read about my struggles HERE), I created a Google Form for viewers to fill out.

In order to help my bilingual students, many of whom moved to our country and saw a computer for the first time this past September, I created a modified version of the form in print. This eliminated the additional steps of logging into the computer, signing onto gmail and trying to type a response. It also provided a more reasonable expectation in regards to reading of the images.

As I circulated, ensuring that all my bilingual students understood the expectations (picture: me using the most broken Spanish that you have ever heard pointing to the various pieces of the handout while asking a student translator for help) I was shocked to see that one of my students was already working on the Google Form! It turns out that he had translated the page into Spanish on his Chromebook and was answering the full questions right on the form--no modified handout needed.

This week I have been exploring assistive technologies; what I've come to realize is that I often think about this type of tech through the lens of helping my special education students. But in my class, my student was using an assistive technology to help him master the critical thinking skill of reading an image. He was no longer limited by vocabulary or language acquisition; his mind was free to analyze.

While our ultimate goal is to help our students become fluent in BOTH languages, allowing them to appropriately code switch, there are times when students should be able to use their native language to develop their thinking skills, independent of language ability.

When I was a language arts teacher, I was taught that if a student is reading, no matter the language, she was improving her ability to read. This would make her more successful when she finally mastered English. The same principle should apply to all subjects.

So why don't we see more students developing or practicing thinking skills in their native language while they learn English?

My guess: it's hard to set up as a teacher!

If you, as the teacher, do not speak the same language as your students, it can be incredibly challenging to create learning opportunities like these. However, we all know that teachers love to push boundaries. We love to learn. And, we hate accepting that something cannot be done.

So here are a few ideas and articles to get the ball rolling. Have more? Let us know below!

Using Technology to Assist ESL/ELL/Bilingual Students:

• Flip through NY State's DoE's "Technology--Enhanced Instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual Education" which emphasizes using these technologies to promote 21st century skills
• Check out these amazing iPod apps or iPad apps that were compiled by the Texas Computer Education Associationto help ESL students
• Teach students how to change the main language on their Chromebooks
• Use google translate to help students understand directions

Works Cited:

Schadler, E. (2013). Fun with text. Emily's Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.emilysclassroom.info/2013/09/15/word-clouds-in-the-classroom/

What thousand words?

Yesterday, my students began presenting their Visual Autobiographies. After dedicating weeks to creating these intricate and complex infographics, it was finally time to reveal them. But this wasn't like other presentations; this presentation was silent. The stage was already set with the visuals, now it was up to the viewers to analyze and synthesize the presented Visual Autobiography. The viewer was the ultimate authority, writing the story based upon interpretation, having the final say.

My 6th graders struggled analyzing their friends. They focused on the surface. "Matt loves his dog. He spends time with friends and family." They caught the main ideas, but were stuck on the literal, on the true subject of the image.

The 7th graders were starting to get it, beginning to realize that these images told deeper, more complex stories. They began connecting the dots: "She is artistic. She has a good relationship with her family. Went to Paris. Loves to travel. She is adventurous. Went to Venice." They dug deep to make strong inferences: "Grace is happy with herself and her life. She has siblings, one sister and brother. She loves them a lot. She has a dog which she loves a lot and likes animals. She is clumsy and broke her arm by having fun on a bouncy ball. Grace in on the swim team and enjoys swimming with friends. She is a shining star." 

But the 8th graders, well they just could not be bothered by this activity. This answers fell flat. They lacked the depth that their life experiences had given them. "He has two sisters and one brother. He likes the beach. He plays baseball. He likes to watch baseball. He likes batting. He likes technology. He has an iPhone." 

I was stumped.

Could it be that they did not see the bigger purpose? Did they not understand that they were training themselves to be critical readers of the world around them? Of the images they are bombarded with each day? Of the binaries, stereotypes and social constructions that run our world?

Yesterday, I stumbled upon the incredible series by Joel Pares called "Judging America". This breathtaking collection photographs successful men and women in two juxtaposing portraits: one an authentic, natural portrait, and the other a stereotyped portrait, highlighting and showcasing the most prominent social construction applicable to that person.

Yesterday, the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story" echoed in my head. She reminded me of the importance of learning the stories of many, not just those in power or those we want to hear.

Today, I refocused my efforts to help my 8th graders--and all my other students as well--learn how to read images. If we want to avoid dangerous stereotypes and assumptions, we must teach students how to examine these ideas, teaching them to question the truths they have come to believe. These are not fairy-tale skills; they are essential, necessary to the creation of a fair and just society. If we want students to understand multiple stories, they must know how to read the ones that they are given, in order to find or appreciate others.

Today, I seek your help. What are you doing to help your students develop their visual literacy? How are you challenging students to question the images in their lives? How do you help students avoid stereotypes or single stories? Comment below to help add to our pool of resources and ideas. 

Tomorrow, we can begin to make changes. As teachers we can and should:

-Avoid single stories of any group

-Discuss social constructions with our students

-Teach students about binaries and hierarchies

-Provide students with the skills to break down images, not just texts

-Show students examples of artists and activists who are positively combatting these notions

-Ensure that we are not contributing to any single stories or perpetuating social constructions

Our world and well being depends on this.
-Brittany

Getting a Little Creative

This year I took a leap. 

After years of studying and teaching English, I've begun a new journey: teaching technology. My new position has brought with it a flood of creativity and energy. I'm challenged in new ways, and I am able to challenge my students in new ways. 

As I revamp my curriculum and step into such a radically different position, I find my thoughts continually returning to one central question: What is the purpose of school?

Attempting to answer this question, I have been turning to the one place I know I can always receive some expert advice--TED talks. As I began watching some of my favorites, one key theme appeared.

Schools should and must cultivate creativity. 

Sounds simple enough. So why don't we see it more? Why does it seem so challenging? Why do students resist this type of free thinking? I found a few answers in these thought-provoking talks. 

1. Schools are NOT made for creativity.

In his talk, the witty and poignant Sir Ken Robinson discusses the progressive and radical severing of the body from education. He argues that schools are designed to address only our brains "and slightly to one side" (Robinson, 2007). In one of his most convincing points, he highlights the fact that there are no education systems that teach dance to children everyday. Instead, as we all know, students spend the vast majority of their time pouring over math textbooks and reading materials. 

By placing so much emphasis on the subjects valued by higher levels of academia, we are suppressing the other areas of the brain and body. Students are pigeon-holed into the select and elite subjects, and physical education, the arts and technology become viewed as fluff. (As in any binary, if it is not the valuable piece, it must be worthless). We have limited the creative outlets in our schools, and--even worse--we are killing the little creativity that is left inside our students.

2. Creativity means failure, and we just can't have that in our schools. 

Dr. Tae enters into his analysis of the lack of creativity in schools through the lens of skateboarding, his personal passion. What Dr. Tae reveals is that skateboarding requires A LOT of failure. He shows videos of mess ups, goofs, misjudgments and even some bad spills. But he argues that this failure is necessary for learning, for creativity, for expression. He also critiques the fact that most schools do not tolerate failure. Failure is stigmatized. And after enough time, students begin to internalize this concept; in their fear of being "wrong," they often shed any last glimmers of creativity. Our schools must accept failure as part of the journey, as necessary for the development of a growth mindset. Only when this paradigm changes can creativity really take hold and thrive. 

3. We still believe that creativity is something that you are either born with or without.

In a her seemingly outlandish TED talk, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, discusses ancient notions in regards to creative success. She reminds listeners that the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans believed that exceptional displays of creativity were from external, divine, inspirational beings that would grace artists, providing them with the innovate fruits necessary to create. Although I expect that most creative minds will run into trouble while trying to communicate with these geniuses (that's the Ancient Roman name for these beings), the underlying principle is extremely relevant. 

We have become so dedicated to the belief that artists are born with this these supernatural gifts of creativity. Our schools must shake these notions, acknowledging the external factors that help plant, foster and sustain our creativity.

Start Getting Creative

The best ways for us to break this mindset is to first identify it. Do you value some subjects or classes more than others? Do you tend to assign a specific types of projects? What is your personal relationship with creativity? What about failure? 

As you begin deconstructing these answers, check out the world around you. Does your school value creativity? How is this demonstrated? Does your school stigmatize failure? Do your students have growth mindsets?

And of course, start talking about it! Feel free to post insights or questions here! We teach students to co-construct their knowledge, let's do the same!

References:

Gilbert, E. (2013). Your elusive creative genius. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HBJa279i8M 

Robinson, K. (2007). Do schools kill creativity? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY 

Tae, Y. (2011). Can skateboarding save our schools? [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHfo17ikSpY