Entries Tagged 'Thinking' ↓

Today, when I went to get my first graders for TAG, their teacher invited me to be part of their class discussion instead of taking them.  What I witnessed was so simple, yet so amazing. 

Ms. G is one of the more tech-savvy teachers in the building, and her class is structured around the use of her laptop and projector.  She began by asking her students to think of three things they knew about spring.  After giving them time, she asked them to raise their hands if they had three things, then two things, then at least one thing.  Then she said “Good!  Everyone has at least one thing, so I can ask each of you without you raising your hands.”  She then brought up a simple Excel spreadsheet and typed “Spring” in the first cell.  As she adjusted the size of the cells, she talked about what she was doing with the students and talked about how the program was different on her new laptop, compared to the program they had been using. (Yes!  Her class of first graders uses Excel, Word and Powerpoint more fluently than some of the teachers!) She showed them step-by-step how to do the adjustments she was making in a kind of “think aloud” process.

After the page was set up the way she wanted, she asked each student for their response.  I know this may not seem that amazing yet, and part of the magic was actually being there, but it gets better.  The class was so engaged in what they were doing that they could hardly contain their enthusiasm.  After they came up with a list that including every student’s knowledge of spring, she showed them how she was going to put “boxes” around all of their answers, and sent the list to the printer. Before they left their carpet area, she gave them further instructions for the next task.  They were to read through their list and find the things that seemed to go together, like flowers blooming with trees budding.

While the student helper came back with the pages, she had them each get a large sheet of construction paper, scissors and glue and go to their “offices”. (This is what they call their table areas. They each go to their office to do their work.) The students immediately got to work, sharing supplies at their tables, with very few questions. 

What a great example of classifying!  They were engaged, using their own ideas, and showing their thought process with a finished product to share with the teacher and their families.  I had done a similar classification exercise for a TAG project, with ready made pictures copied from a book, but I much prefer the lesson I saw today, where the students made their own list to sort.

The best part for me was watching another teacher in action.  She never raised her voice, handled all problems as they occured in a calm manner that didn’t draw attention to the infraction, and kept the students on task throughout the whole lesson.  I’m so glad I had the chance to experience the artistry of a well-constructed lesson.  Anyone who has ever worked with first graders will understand why I was amazed.

In Roger von Oech’s post today, Creative Think: Flex Your Risk Muscle he tosses out a topic that I have been thinking about a lot lately.  “Bull’s-eye every time? If so, you’re standing too close to the target. If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative. Everyone has a “risk muscle.” You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don’t, it atrophies and you’re no longer able to take chances.” 

When we went in for a conference with my second-grade son’s teacher, she showed us his reading report for the quarter.  He had scored all points possible on almost every test.  She then said that she would rather see a few more 60s and 70s, because then she would know he was challenging himself with the kinds of books he was reading.  At that point, I became an even bigger fan of a teacher I already liked. 

I have said many times this year that I think GPA is the enemy of the gifted student.  They don’t risk taking the “hard” classes because it might lower their class rank, which in turn would hurt their scholarship chances.  I’m sure this isn’t the case everywhere, but I’m also sure it is fairly common in many schools.  It is the same reason that I am tempted to choose easier music for my choir, even though they won’t learn as much from it–it will sound better for a performance with less work for all involved.  The trouble is…this is cheating everyone. 

At a couple of different gifted workshops, presenters have mentioned the following adage: Steal their struggle and you steal their self-esteem. Our students will experience greater pride in their work if they know they have done work, instead of having a good performance handed to them on the “easy platter”.

I hope as I learn more about working with gifted students (and music students) that I don’t let my “risk muscles” atrophy, or allow my students’ to either.  Thanks, Roger for another great Whack!

I just finished reading a book called The On-Time, On-Target Manager. It was sub-titled “How a ‘Last Minute Manager’ Conquered Procrastination”. I knew when I read the sub-title that this book was for me, and besides, it was co-written by one of my favorite self-help authors, Ken Blanchard. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, after seven years teaching in Missouri and a year as a stay-at-home Mom, I stumbled upon The One Minute Manager and have been a fan ever since. For a while, I read anything I could get my hands on by this guy. His style of teaching a lesson through telling a story makes important ideas not only easy to read, but fun and memorable too. I followed the first book with Leadership and the One Minute Manager and was glad to find a book written in a similar style, co-authored by Blanchard’s co-author, Spencer Johnson, (The One Minute Teacher) when I decided teaching was truly what I wanted to do after all. This summer I read Gung Ho! and my library bag currently holds The Heart of a Leader.

Wow! This was not supposed to be a post for the One Minute Fan Club, but I’m easily side-tracked, unfortunately. I think this is part of why I appear to be such a procrastinator in the first place. But then again, that may be where the “confabulation” part comes in. As I was pondering a title for this post, I ran across this word and immediately thought “That’s it!” The definition:

The tips about priorities involve how to “triage” the four categories of activities we are faced with every day:

1. The things we want to do and have to do.
2. The things we have to do but don’t want to do.
3. The things we want to do but don’t have to do.
4. The things we don’t want to do and don’t have to do.

Propriety is about rights:

• Do the right thing.
• Do it for the right reason.
• Do it with the right people.
• Do it at the right time.
• Do it in the right order.
• Do it with intensity.
• Do it for the right results.

Commitment is summed up with the phrase “Ya’ gotta’ wanna’,” or What do you want to do? and Why do you want to do it?

I guess a big reason people procrastinate is confusing being busy with being productive. We fill up our time with loads of little, unimportant things, while neglecting the really necessary things we should be working on. For me, this maybe goes back to being somewhat of a perfectionist as well. If I can’t do something the exact way I want it done, I just usually don’t do it.

In the sidebar, where I’ve shared a bit about myself, I tell how I start things, but don’t finish. Part of my current confabulation is that I am a procrastinating perfectionist. I’m determined to get my priorities in line, somehow though, and will address my progress in future posts.

Some of the material for this post is from Blanchard, Ken et.al. The on-Time, on-Target Manager. New York: William Morrow, 2004.

Yesterday, I read a blog post by Christian Long about why people blog and what sacrifices they may make for blogging to be such a significant part of their lives. I guess I fit into his last group:

Some are still figuring where they stand in the aforementioned mix. They have a blog. Sometimes they actually use it. Or they are still wondering if this blogging-business needs to take up precious time otherwise spent with their families and friends and hammocks. They might be in your audience, in your faculty room, or reading your blog right now. They may be looking for Google Juice by linking to you so that you’ll link to them, if they’re clever (he smiles).

I have a blog. I have had one for a few years. I documented some personal ramblings and saved some pictures on another “blogger” page. I was using it as a kind of “therapy” for that mystical experience of figuring out who I am and what I want to be when I grow up. I wasn’t really sure I wanted anyone else to read it, yet I really did want someone else to read it and respond…maybe. But was I up for criticism of my writing?

Now, through a few serendipitous clicks of the mouse, I have discovered a fountain of “Google Juice” inspiration. I am totally guilty as charged of linking to someone, hoping they’ll link back to me, creating a network of “experts” that I can learn from. In my mind, anyway, this may be the antidote for feelings of isolation during the school year.

I had a recent discussion with someone not in education about blogging, and why anyone would want to do it. He said he was a private person, to which I responded “Don’t you ever want to share ideas with someone?” His answer, of course, was that he would much rather do that face to face with someone he knows. I can understand that, but I have identified a particular character flaw in myself. I can’t get past a need for affirmation–someone, anyone, saying “YES! Exactly!” or “I think you’re on the right track” or even “You might want to rethink that one.” I have a limited number of people in my school that I feel I can turn to without being tiresome.

Perhaps, even if I am tiresome here in my own little blogworld, someone I don’t have to face on a day to day basis might have an easier time telling me to stop whining. I think I can be more open to criticism in writing because I have more time to reflect on it before responding. Whatever the case, because of this whole “new world” that has opened up on my screen, I am almost looking forward to getting back to school, collaborating with colleagues, and helping to create the kind of school I envision.

The internet never ceases to fascinate and amaze me. When I first entered a chat room on Christmas break in 2000, it was because my kids were driving me crazy and I hoped for some adult conversation. What followed was a whirlwind of time-sucking, often inappropriate, but ego-boosting conversations with people from all over the world. While the addiction eventually threatened my marriage, and MSN has since closed it’s chat rooms, I have pleasant memories of stimulating conversations with a DJ from Italy, and English professor living in Spain, a Harvard law criminal investigator and a pro golfer. When we were building our new house, I had conversations with a roofer, a framer and a well-driller. I know that people aren’t always honest about themselves online, but I was able to ask enough questions that I was satisfied that I was being spoken to truthfully.

Truthfully or not, I was talking to these people to fill a void, or at least a perceived void in my personal life. Much soul-searching and a renewed commitment to my marriage and my career led me away from the social networking aspects of chat rooms, but the desire to connect with others of similar interests never really disappeared. Don’t get me wrong–I’m not a troll who has trouble making friends. It just seems that life is so busy between my school activities and my sons’ school activities, and everything else that goes along with a marriage and maintaining a home. “Friends” end up being other parents at the same ballgames, or other teachers in the three buildings I work in, but even then, the kind of knowledge-sharing I crave just isn’t there.

This spring I added Google Reader to my iGoogle page and subscribed to updates from several educational bloggers. Through their posts, a whole new world has opened up. There are actually others out there excited about what they do and enjoy learning knew things as much, or even more than I do. They also seem to thrive on sharing what they discover with others! I have been introduced to Second Life, Ning, Scratch, PBWiki and most recently, Twitter.

Twitter didn’t seem like so much at first, but I was led to it through a post on Moving at the Speed of Creativity, so I looked up the author of that great blog to see who he was “following”. From there, I added other educators, reading their blogs as I did, then seeing who they were following. Needless to say, it has once again been sucking up a lot of my time, but it’s much more intellectually stimulating than my earlier “What are you wearing?” chat room days. Although I haven’t personally corresponded with any of the great colleagues I have become fans of, I feel like I have a support network when I do get ready to ask questions.

It’s a great feeling to be heading into a new school year knowing that a whole virtual network of inspired educators is only a click away. As the summer ends, I raise my glass to all who have inspired and continue to motivate me. Cheers!