Fall 2014 Reflections Part Two: Getting Started with Self-directed Learning

This is my 23rd year of teaching and, by far the most groundbreaking for me. This summer, through Twitter, I found out about Genius Hour.  I learned more through the many links on Twitter and the comprehensive Live Binder created by Joy Kirr. I regularly blog about our work this year with self-directed learning. In this two part reflection, I want to share excerpts from my posts with the focus of how we got started (Reflection Post 2) and then ongoing progress (Reflection Post 3). 

Self-directed Learning: Getting Started

9/18/14

I am very excited about incorporating self-directed learning into my curriculum. I work with two awesome fifth grade teachers who embraced the idea when I shared it with them. Great to not be doing this alone! 

We had two sessions where we got all the fifth graders together to brainstorm ideas and do an activity to see what a project might look like.

Now we are working with the students in our homeroom only. The students filled out a survey about their strengths, interests, life experiences, etc. They also listed whether they had an idea for a topic and project.

I have met with 8 students the past two days. Each initial student conference lasts about 10 minutes. It is time consuming in the beginning, but once they get going, the conferences will simply be me checking in on progress and facilitating learning/process. 

Self-directed Learning

9/28/14

Students are learning how to research their topic and are taking two column notes: main idea/details. Also, in their spirals, students are writing reflections about the process. This week, I have a surprise for my students. They will each have their own blog on Kidblog. This will raise the stakes for the kids since now their work will be seen by the world! I am hoping to share my students' work with my Twitter PLN  and Facebook friends and get some immediate feedback for students. Please read their blogs and leave positive comments!!

New Developments with SDL

10/2/14

Students are almost ready to start blogging about the process of self-directed learning. My teammates and I drafted a permission letter to parents explaining Kidblog and online safety guidelines. Students will get their passwords when they pass in the signed permission slip. 

It was exciting, earlier this week, when @joykirr contacted me through Twitter about putting my blog on the Genius Hour live binder. She also put me in contact with @robynthiessen who facilitates the Global Genius Hour Project.  Our self-directed learning blogs will be part of this project. Students around the world will see Room 16's blogs! We will be able to see others' blogs and share praise and feedback. I will explain this to my class tomorrow. They will be excited, I  am sure!

We have been lucky to have access to the computer lab the last two weeks. Not anymore. Time to get creative with laptop/ iPad accessibility.

Learning to draw

Building a Lego City

Ice Age Interests

Researching Goalie Jerry Cheevers

Sewing Project Runway Wannabe

Blogging Begins

10/9/14

On Friday, I gave my fifth grade students the blogging permission form and told them that they will get their passwords when they return the signed form. As of today, there is only one student who has not returned the form. Many are blogging and commenting. They love it!

Of the 20 forms I have received, only six parents did not sign permission for their students faces to be seen. That was surprising to me. I thought more parents would be wary of this. I was pleasantly surprised.

I am creating mini lessons to improve the quality of my students' blogs, as well as a kid friendly blogging rubric.

With Kidblog, I approve all blogposts and comments before the public sees them. I like having that safety net!

Please read my students' blogs and leave encouraging, helpful comments. If you have trouble getting on to the blog, please let me know. I may need to double check my settings. I think it is ready to go though!

http://kidblog.org/MrsMilnersClass-2/

We Have an Audience

10/16/14

Our progress with blogging is exciting! Students are thrilled to be getting comments from all over North America,  as well as the Bahamas and New Zealand! Our blog has over 4,000 views after one week of blogging!

Now that students see they have an audience, they are stepping up their game for sure! I am almost done with the blogging rubric. I shared it with my team and am revising based on their feedback. I will share it when done. I shared examples of great kid blogs and will be showing them how to cite sources next week after our overnight field trip. The rubric will also clarify what is expected and includes relevant standards.

Here are a few pictures that show examples of posts and comments, but please visit our site  http://kidblog.org/MrsMilnersClass-2/   read the blogs, and leave a comment! You will make their day! 

Blogging Rubric

10/22/14

Here is the blogging rubric that I created for my students' self directed learning blogs. It is a work in progress. I was inspired by an article I saw on Twitter, "Your Rubric is a Hot Mess: Here's How to Fix It," posted by Jennifer Gonzalez. The single point rubric is just brilliant! We tend to look at the "Meets" column while grading a rubric, so why not just have that on the rubric with space for not meeting and a space for exceeding. Our report cards are standards based anyway, so this is more organic/informative about each child's progress. As much as possible, I used the language on our report cards...common core standards. I recommend the article and feel free to use and tweak this rubric for your needs.

Blogging Rubric

Student: ____________________________                          Month: __________________

Room to Grow Progress Towards Standard	On Target Standards for this Performance	Above and Beyond Evidence of Exceeding Standards
	Criteria 1:  Clear and Coherent Writing The student clearly expresses original ideas and stays on topic. Writing is appropriate for the audience. Each post has at least 5 sentences.
	Criteria 2:  Effort The student wrote at least one post a week.
	Criteria 3:  Follows the Writing Process  The student’s posts show improvement from planning to final draft due to drafting, revising, and editing.
	Criteria 4:  Prod./Distribution of Writing The student commented on other blogs at least once a week. If applicable, the student cited others in their research and writing.
	Criteria 5:  Use of Media The student enhanced their blog by regularly using video, audio,   images or other media

 

Fall 2014 Reflections Part One: Classroom Setup and Book Talks

Due to summer professional reading, EdCamps, the Scholastic Reading Summit and Twitter sharing/chats, I have incorporated many changes in my classroom, as well as enhanced former practices. So at the calendar year end, I feel the need to reflect on this school year so far. 

Classroom Set Up

My blogposts about this topic: July 24, July 30, August 27, Sept. 11

After seeing many tweets from educators who had transformed their classrooms into creative working spaces, I was inspired to do the same. First, I got rid of my cumbersome teacher desk. It opened up a good amount of space in my room to have three tables. We didn't have enough tables to seat all students, so I kept some student desks and clustered them together to form two more "tables." The desks are turned around so that they are empty and easy to move around. Students have areas around the room for their materials and there are no longer messy desks to clean! This new setup created spaces around the room for students to work, not just at the tables/desks. Our classroom library has a larger hangout space now too.

Book Talks

My blogposts about this topic: July 17, Oct.17, and Nov. 26

Going to Alice Ozma's workshop on Book Talk Clubs at the Scholastic Reading Summit this summer was motivating, as well as challenging to me. How would I make this work within the school day, during Reading Workshop? 

I announced the opportunity to students and those who were interested met with me during workshop time once a week. They were given two weeks to read their books and then students wrote drafts of their book talks. It was interesting to watch students give each other feedback. They were able to successfully identify what needed improvement in each other's writing and give advice on how to make it better. Once revisions were complete, an educator from the local television station came to teach the booktalk club how to use the film camera and edit their talks. The talks were then posted on YouTube. 

http://youtu.be/V3OPctwlYME

I am pleased with how the first round of book talks went, and now we are tweaking and changing things up for round two! Incorporating QR codes on books in our library that link to videos and audio book talks is one project in the works. 

I will share more reflections in the next post which is all about self-directed learning. I may do a third post about math and other topics as well.

Self-Directed Learning

In my last post about our self-directed learning project I shared some of the project ideas students are exploring:

- learning how to sculpt/ researching  

   techniques/ maybe display at town    

   library or sell and donate money to a 

   charity

- learn the parts of a computer/take apart 

   a computer/ IMovie to document 

   process

- research recycling and energy 

   conservation/ create an informational 

   stop motion animation movie about it 

   with Lego Animator

- learn how to sew on sewing machine, learn how to use patterns, document learning in pictures

This past week, we were lucky enough to get into the computer lab to get the ball rolling. Students were motivated and focused. It was amazing!

Students are learning how to research their topic and are taking two column notes: main idea/details. Also, in their spirals, students are writing reflections about the process. This week, I have a surprise for my students. They will each have their own blog on Kidblog. This will raise the stakes for the kids since now their work will be seen by the world! I am hoping to share my students' work with my Twitter PLN  and Facebook friends and get some immediate feedback for students. Please read their blogs and leave positive comments!!

My First EdCamp Experience

I went to my first Edcamp yesterday at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, MA.  It was a small group, so probably not a true representation of what an EdCamp is like, but I loved it. We all stayed together instead of going out to different sessions due to the number of participants. 

Burlington is a Google Apps for Education district and is one to one with Ipads grades 1-12!  It was inspiring to hear how they put aside 25% of their technology budget for PD .  They have a full time technology educator at every school and a Director of Educational Technology for the district who is not IT. He focuses on helping the teachers implement all this new technology.  An amazing, long term endeavor that is paying off for Burlington, for sure!

At the EDcamp yesterday, which is another way BPS supports their teachers,  educators from all around the MA area benefited from this district’s lead.  I learned how to manage my twitter activity with Tweet Deck, Diigo, Feedly, and Storify. Tweet deck makes it easier to see multiple columns at once and will help, especially during chats. Diigo is a great way to archive links that you want to revisit. Feedly helps you keep track of your favorite blogs. I became familiar with Storify when I saw chats on Twitter being archived using Storify. Very cool tool!

Canva was probably my favorite new online tool that I was introduced to yesterday. I pray that it continues to be free. I plan to use this site to create beautifully designed posters for my classroom, and I may use it for my blog as well.

It was motivating to talk to other like minded teachers, librarians and tech specialists. Sometimes it feels overwhelming because there are so many great tools out there. I know to start with my learning objectives for students and then match that with tools that will enhance learning and sharing of that learning. Can't wait to go to another EdCamp!

R.I.P. Teacher Desk

This week, I visited my classroom for a short bit to empty my desk so that the custodian can move it out of my room. I have been thinking about doing this for a while, but some helpful teachers on Twitter helped me successfully make the paradigm shift that was necessary.

As I started emptying the drawers, I began to panic a little. Where will I put all my supplies, files, and other materials that have always been in my desk? I quickly realized that communal supplies means I will add my markers, pens, etc. to the class supply. I have a few file containers/crates for the few files I still have. The past few years I have mostly used online resources and have minimal teacher files. The panic subsided and I became very excited for the change. It was a load off my back. I really don't need this monstrous, archaic piece of furniture.

I already have an area in the front of the room for my mini lesson chart pads and materials. I ordered these cool organizers that hang from the whiteboard tray, and I have a pencil pouch in one with my dry erase and chart markers. I also use these trays to organize assignments for the week. No need for a desk!

No desk means more room for students to work, which is the main reason I am doing this. Also, if I expect the students to be on board with not having their own desks, I should model that it isn't necessary. 

Teachers I have corresponded with on Twitter say they got rid of their desks and never looked back. They love it! First step for transforming my classroom is done.

More Space for Our Space!

Every year, around this time, I begin the process of rethinking my classroom space. What worked for my class last year? What was challenging for my students? At the end of the school year, each student filled out a survey about how the year went. There were a few questions about the space itself and it was very enlightening.

First of all, they all loved the carpet remnants instead of one large carpet. These carpet remnants have finished edges and were collected from Building 19 or Ocean State Job Lot. My sister in law gave me a few as well. Students mentioned that they loved the chance to work anywhere around the room with them. My reasoning in getting these was to keep my space flexible. I see one large carpet as very limiting. This is probably because I do not have a designer’s eye at all. When it is time for mini lessons, the students grab the carpets and come to the SMARTBoard or easel pad in the front of the room. Students worked together multiple times a day to arrange these carpets around the room to facilitate their learning and they really took ownership of the space. This was not wasted time because the students were more focused once in these self-selected spots.

Another piece of feedback that showed up on many of the surveys was the fact that it still felt crowded in the room. Students wrote about their desks/chairs being too close to each other sometimes, and the fact that a few people during the year had bumped into the bookshelf that is in the back of the room. The placement of furniture had been a class decision, but we just had such limited space; there were still issues. Many also shared that they wished the library area was bigger.

The last important feedback I received regarding classroom space was that they loved being in one spot for mini lessons and then moving elsewhere in the room to do partner/group work or independent work. Kids know what they need and found they were more productive with a little movement within the learning block. Thank you, brain research!

So, what is my plan? Simply put, create more space for my space! Thanks to my students’ feedback and some very helpful educators on Twitter, I have some concrete steps to take this summer to create a better learning environment for my class:

1. I am going to get rid of my teacher desk. This will not only allow for more space, but it will model that we don’t need our own personal desk at school.

2. Bazinga! Kids will not have their own desks. We already have communal supplies. In addition, I have purchased bins for students’ journals, Math workbooks, etc. In the past, each homeroom student had their own desk and then the other two fifth grade classes came in for writing in my room. There were multiple complaints a week of missing supplies from kids’ desks. Not anymore. Kids have a three ring pencil pouch in their binder for the other two classes outside of my room. When they are in my room, I think they will use the communal supplies mostly. Along with not complaining about missing supplies, this plan will allow for desks to be moved around easily since they will be SO lightweight. The placement of desks will now be as flexible as the use of the carpet remnants. Side note: On the first day of school, fifth graders are nervous and want to know where they are sitting. Temporary name tag tents will be on the desks to ease the transition to this new kind of classroom environment.

3. Now my homeroom class will be able to work together to figure out how we can make the library area larger. This plan allows for students to have a big say in where things will go in the room to make their learning successful.

There are so many other space changes that will be made this year, and I will share them in this blog as they arise. I am still trying to figure out how to handle the materials that the other two classes bring in. Do they put their materials on the floor under the desk like last year? They will learn quickly to bring only what they need. There are issues that I haven’t even thought of yet, but I know my students will think of more creative solutions than I ever could. Wish us luck!!