Just finished my third session in the Virtual Learning environment of the VLN. Things are so hectic in there I have not taken any screens my self yet - but my co-ordinator did!
This was from the second session where we dipped our toes into the galaxy just to see what that was like... the numbers out there are RIDICULOUS!
The start of today's session involved a triad of multi-tasking. Not just two things but three for a minute or two. That gets the blood pumping and the synapses firing!!
I have been creating and expanding the potential for more interaction (something I perceive as vital to engage students in a format that has the potential to slip into a mundane fact filled lecture) - however that system is not entirely in my control as it involves students actually remembering to do the small tasks such as going outside and spotting for the moon - so that they DO have something to contribute in the next session.
If today's session had not been taken up with ten minutes of techie issues it may well have scored low on my expectations for interaction because no one did go outside and look at the moon this week
(and it was a blue one too. Figuratively, not literally...).
Have sent a follow up email to the principals of the schools with students in the class to try and gain some support for those issues. I am quite uncomfortable with just lecturing at them as I know that is potentially a wretched yawnfest!
Another strategy is to come up with more mindsparking deep thinking questions that are opinion based but time is a bit of a limit there as well, perhaps.
We discussed our nearest star today - I had asked them 'how long it would take to get there and who would go' as their between class thinking last week - however not everyone did that so the deeper thinking part (who would go) did not actually spark for some of them until they heard in today's show that it was 78 000 years.
So then we talked about the Battlestar Galactica concept - a community of people travelling through space to a destination that they themselves would never reach but many many generations in the future would.
Then I blew that all away by saying that then it would be too late because in 33 000 years time that wouldn't even be our closest star anymore, MUWUHAHAHAHAH!
P.S. Yes, I realise there is a danger that my sense of humour is really only funny to me.
I have taken on a professional challenge!
This term I am to be an eTeacher for the VLN.
I am starting by teaching a 6 week Astronomy course.
I found out today that there are already enrolments for my course and I start on Thursday!
I am quite nervous about how to engage learners in what is basically a lecture style format - small group webcam/skype kind of thing with a screen sharing function - a set up I have not used before!
I am doing a flurry of research as Astronomy is not something I consider myself an expert on - but that is not a concern I have.
A nice boost today was the release of my eTeacher profile written by one of the VLN co-ordinators...
Shine is an experienced classroom teacher living in sunny Nelson. She is passionate about the environment, loves hiking and geocaching; also playing Minecraft and Lego. Shine places a high value on equality in education, promotion of student directed learning and collaborative learning. Shine has been an environmental educator, with strengths in Science and eLearning. Later this year Shine will be travelling to Nepal with with First Steps Himalaya to build earth bag education facilities.
All that and I can whistle too!
The resources and discussion board for it will be up on WeLearn but that is user only viewing - I will attempt to keep you all updated with some screenies at some point.
I have seen a lot of discussion lately about schools in New Zealand introducing elements of Mindfulness into their school culture and the wildly varying reactions to this. From the parents that think it's great, to those that don't mind to those that think it's taking away from the important stuff (I assume they mean reading, writing and maths...) to those that think it is airy fairy nonsense and those that oppose it on religious grounds.
"Some members of his congregation felt mindfulness was inappropriate for children, he said."stuff.co.nz
I found this notion dumbfounding and did some digging to discover that this comes from Christianity (in NZ). Mindfulness (and hence the resulting self-empowerment) is linked to meditation which is linked to religion (as it is a foundation practise of Buddism, for instance). Christianity relies on people getting their strength externally through Christ and they see mindfulness as a threat to that (I could spend a whole blog post delving into the validity of this kind of linking but that is not a great use of MY attention right now...).
Richard Burnett is the creator of a Mindfulness in Schools programme to provide a fundamental skill that benefits all people. Training the muscle of our attention - the foundation of mindfulness.
In the TEDX talk below he talks about where we put our attention and how important this is. He mentions his experience and also current research by others showing our mental health and happiness are profoundly shaped by what we do with our attention.
I have to say that I believe, based on my personal and professional experience, that Mindfulness is a crucial skill. This has been a fundamental part of my pedagogy for a long time now. Through my experience with connecting and re-connecting (especially those) 'at-risk' students with a love of learning (or in the very least a respect and appreciation for it!) and the curriculum.
In the very least it provides the mind the down time it needs to do what it does - sift through a vast amount of information and make connections to come up with unique solutions to our problems and create pathways forward in our life journeys.
I have linked to some more mindfulness resources below (some I have not viewed in depth yet).
If you are feeling annoyed, frustrated and overwhelmed with all the things you have to do in your days, you need some mindfulness in your life. It may seem counterintuitive to put aside time to just 'do nothing' - but that time will support your brain to more effectively deal with all the stuff you are throwing at it. Try it yourself, you will be surprised! In the very least experiment with it on your class and watch their learning outcomes and social interactions improve!
Mindfulness is VITAL to enhance personal happiness and success in whatever we are doing to sustain ourselves in this life.
I actually missed the session - having reminded myself many times during the day! Thankfully they have a Transcript so I can catch up!
Question 1: What does it mean to have a growth mindset?
I emphasis a knowing.. a belief that challenges are fun and that you can improve your own outcomes with practise and effort. Failures are part of the process of learning. Effort is positive. Finding a way to get it done.
That learning itself is a dynamic entity and not a destination.
Q2: Why is it important to have a growth mindset?
I would have to say so you can have an empowered, happy, sustainable, positive life. You have peace of mind knowing you can move through any challenges you are presented with - because change is inevitable (and change is a challenge!).
Sustainable because your efforts feed your confidence for future efforts.
Q3: Watch video first.
What does this video tell you about learned helplessness?
That people get stuck in tradition/routine and can be sheeple* - especially when under pressure or "busy". People forget their power and wait for someone else to "fix it" for them. Can present as entitlement.
Q4. So - how do we begin to develop those growth mindsets in our students (and ourselves)?
What I know so far is you have to be careful with lavish praise. Praise needs to be on process and effort ("You must have worked hard!") rather than blanket smartness/intelligence ("You're a genius!").
Have discussions about "Who had a fabulous struggle today?"Emphasis on the things they (and you) put effort into and work hard on - the challenges you meet as the thing you can be proud of - rather than praising for something they did quickly with little effort (because who will bother to put effort into something when you got awesome praise for something you didn't even try for).
Encourage opportunities to fail, embrace them as learning opportunities for reflection (reflect on the journey rather than focus on the destination).
As their teacher let them see you fail and react in a growth mindset fashion (model learning - teach how to think not what to think). Show them you problem solved your way through your challenge and the world goes on. Teach how to support failure - with reflection rather than ridicule.
Remember to model also with examples and student voice (photos of students on wall with speech bubbles of their proud struggles).
Steve Mouldey Growth Mindset Activities for Students
Q5. Describe a particular time when you saw a student change their mindset. "I don't know what to do. He took my flax. I can't make a raft, I have never made a raft, this sucks, I suck." Then he turned around to expertly help another student WHO WAS HAVING A PROBLEM MAKING THEIR RAFT!
What needs to happen after this kind of situation is a reflection/debrief clarifying what just happened with some process praise and curating to encourage acknowledgement.
(I seem to be identifying more things for Q4 above now!) - for those students who are so deeply into their fixedness perhaps the class can come up with strategies for a wall display to both recognise when you are slipping into fixed mindset and steps to proceed. "Unpack" just what it is those growth mindset people seem to do when faced with a challenge - a Y chart (what things do they say, do, feel?)
Q6. How does setting goals help to develop a #growthmindset?
For those students who are doggedly fixed mindset, curated goal setting helps you clarify what you want and provides something to work backwards from to work out what you can do to get there (steps that are not so daunting and conceivably achievable). It is something you put effort into to move forwards/towards.
It is empowering (ownership) and intrinsically motivating.
Q7. Describe a time you overcame your fixed mindset about a particular obstacle and how it relates to ss perspectives
I have to point out that I know as a teen I was VERY fixed mindset. I did not meet learning (or anything really) with any sort of esteem/hope in high school.
When I first encountered Dweck's work during in-house PD in 2013 I was very clear that people can move from fixed mindset to growth mindset because I clearly remember doing that in my 20s.
I still battle/struggle with the concept of "wanting to be a better teacher" not meaning that I am "not a good teacher" right now. Let's not get sidetracked into that discussion in this post though!
Resilience - is this the key to opening a growth mindset lifestyle to a fixed mindset person? I will think about this more because in hindsight I was very resilient and that is what a growth mindset person is...
I am making a connection here that Growth Mindset stuff should be incorporated in the "How We Learn" unit I like to start a new class with... for me teaching is not just about Knowing Your Learner but also encouraging your leaner to Know and Accept themselves.
Q8. What is the next thing that you are working on to build your growth mindset? Next goal?
Apart from the struggle I mentioned in Q7 above (!)... Solid concrete methods for growing a Growth Mindset and incorporating them into my pedagogy.
Part of a question sheet our Principal asked to be filled in this week and part of a bigger conversation on Pedogogy I have been having with myself this year - especially in this latter half where I have been part of some astounding progress that has occurred outside of the traditional school environment/timeframe with some of the most at risk young people I am directly responsible for this year.
While writing it I was constantly drawn (guilted?) into viewing my response through the 'academic' lens I mention at the start - "Doesn't this sound like I am making excuses for a lack of academic achievement in my students?"
But actually there is progress, of course, and pressuring myself and my students to conform to the ideas of where they should be created by a government with a traditional view of education as something that produces a rich elite chained to a routine of gaining vast amounts of material possessions and mass producing minions to cater to the needs and whims of that elite.... wait.. I am monologuing (not to mention in danger of digressing!)... you probably get my point.
I am not dodging the question of progress. There is progress (and in many cases big progress and undoubtedly unacknowledged progress) PLUS I truly believe in my heart that the following is the greatest asset to pass on to my fellow learners...
1.Consider the overall
progress in learning so far this year. How do you think things are going?
Learning
is a holistic dynamic and learning success, therefore, cannot be fully appreciated through
a purely “academic” lens.
I can see that all Nile Room students’ readiness
for learning has increased; they have an ever-increasing awareness of their
needs and the importance of being open to learning and putting in effort/work
to attain goals.
Their
ability to access the curriculum has improved as well as their awareness of
themselves and relationship to others. They have a vastly different set of
needs (from each other) and have such a tolerance for where each other are at
with their own goals.
All have made important progress in their
greatest areas of need. For some this is purely academic and for others it is
in learning to overcome (and better understand) their own academic progress barriers
and actually allow themselves to progress and enjoy having academic success.
In
the forefront of my mind is preparing them to be happy and successful in the
world after school. Writing legibly, reading fluently, knowing three different
mental strategies to problem solve and understanding the concept of fair
testing are important and certainly things worth knowing – however, I believe,
the skill that will inevitably prove most useful to them (and keep them
connected to the positive world of learning those important things and striving
in their lives) is the ability to manage themselves through adversity, whatever
life will throw up, with confidence and self assurance.
The life experience that
forms the foundation for this needs to start here... and now.
Hoping to work on a more expanded form for this blog this weekend (although, like most of my blog posts lately {and hence professional learning} it falls at the end of the never-ending list of squeaky wheel tasks linked directly to National Standards and reporting...).
And just for my own benefit, so that I don't forget later (which probably quite often happens but I forget so obviously don't notice it much...), another key component in my line of thought here is the lack of resilience/persistence that students are teaching themselves by repeatedly copping out or taking the easy path. Ironic really because if they knew that they actually were employing the very skill they need to make academic progress to actively not make academic progress, they would create the very life experience they need for their foundation of confidence and self assurance.
Hmm, I need to create a name for that little cycle of irony and start a lecture circuit!
Having a Y4/5/6 class is a great challenge as a teacher as I am constantly looking for open tasks that challenge all my students wherever they are.
Have been having a bit of a focus on maths lately and a few sites have been helpful but generally there is a HUGE lack of rich math tasks online. I found this really surprising! I am used to finding whatever I need/want online.
https://www.khanacademy.org - lots of how to videos that poppets understand better than me. Account easy to make, especially if you want to sign in with gmail or Facebook.
(I haven't used dragon box myself yet but highly recommended by some alternative educators I know. Will be setting up one of my year 6 boys with an account as he wants to learn algebra! The other year 6 boys is going to do Khan Academy.)
Advise all teachers to have a Khan account too! It's good for you!
Yes, its that time again: New Year's is almost upon us. Regardless of where you stand on New Year's resolutions, the new calendar can serve as a helpful reminder about the only true constant in all of our lives: change.
Like it or not, we are all always changing and adapting to circumstances as time rolls on. The positive thing about change is that with some effort we can help direct some (though not all) of the change in our lives as opposed to being victimized by it.
This is not just a sound bite. As a psychologist, I can tell you that real change ultimately comes from within. It is a choice. A decision -- a commitment -- filled with fury, if not sound, signifying everything.
Change is good for your brain and happens to our students in ways we don't often even perceive. It also happens to us both personally and professionally.
I have found the majority of these books useful to cope with change in its many forms over the last two decades in particular. Number 2 is one of my personal bibles and number 3 is my most recent purchase. I haven't read number one but Sir Ken Robinson is extraordinary (and referenced on this blog a few times!).
Even if you don't think you are experiencing change - you are.
Check these out (that will also be good for your brain!)
