21st Century Classroom Reflections

The Dobbs Fellowship cohort has been investigating and experimenting with the topic 21st century learning during the 2009-2010 school year. Ten teachers, along with two facilitators, have been researching, discussing, and trying out new ideas in the classroom. The work of every fellow can be found on our wiki. The following is an account and illustration of my 21st century journey.

I. Defining the 21st Century Classroom

What a daunting task. Asking to define the 21st century classroom is like asking someone to describe a piece of artwork or a meal. Sure there are similarities and facts that can’t be argued, but a 21st century classroom changes often and sometimes, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case, the participant. That being said, there have been some topics and ideas that have really stuck out to me in terms of defining 21st century learning and a 21st century classroom.

We began this journey by reading Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, which illustrates the importance of using both the left and right sides of the brain. With modern technology and oversees economic competition, using only the left side of the brain is becoming obsolete. To truly prepare our students for success in the world, they need so much more than the ability to crunch numbers and edit papers. According to Pink, we all need to have some form of the six senses: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. These six senses blend well with and somewhat parallel the five 21st Century Competencies that we have been discussing since January. The five C’s are: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, Connectedness, and Critical Thinking. These skills are what our students need to be successful in the world they will join after graduation. To hear my thoughts on these five C’s, click here.

A 21st century learning experience could have all five of these characteristics at once or it could alternate between the individual skills. The idea is to essentially have a classroom without walls; a classroom that goes into the “real world” and brings the “real world” into the classroom. One step in achieving this is for schools to breakdown the barriers between subjects (easier said than done!) and think creatively about how students learn best.

Collaborating with one another and across subject areas is a way to make a class a 21st century learning experience. Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN, is working to collaborate across their curricula. In the article The Power of Collaboration from the GPS magazine, I read about how their middle school students use the book Letters from Rifka to study the Jewish faith and a young girl’s travel from Russia to America in 1919 in all of their classes, even dance and technology. This causes the students to have an emotional relationship with what they are learning, and certainly deepens their understanding. Collaborating across subject areas certainly helps to make topics more tangible and “real world” to the students.

Another way of fostering 21st century learning is to connect with the local environment. In the article Going Local, the Environmental School in Portland, Oregon, takes science to a whole new level as the students catalog, research, and plant species in a “brownspace”. The project turned the students into problem solvers, and now they want to fix everything around the school and in the world!

One final idea that really stuck out to me is the idea of having students explain and verbalize their process and reasoning when it comes to problem solving. In Creating a Timely Curriculum, Heidi Hayes Jacobs discusses how, in Japan, math students only cover 8 principles in the eighth grade where we in the US try to go through 35 topics. The students in Japan know those 8 principles backwards and forewards, and they are able to explain how and why they solve problems the way in which they do. Students in the USA typically memorize how to solve a problem for a test and then quickly forget it. Now, which student is really sharpening their critical thinking skills here?

Overall, if I had to define the 21st century classroom or 21st century learning in one sentence, I would say this: A 21st century classroom prepares students for life after school by cultivating creativity, communication, collaboration, connectedness, and critical thinking skills using real-world scenarios that cause the students to have a relationship and vested interest with the subject matter.

II. My Goals

My goals for this school year originated with a Skype (how 21st century!) conversation with both Laura Deisley and Brandi Saab. During that call, we discussed my challenges and hopes for my Precalculus classes. I really enjoy teaching the subject of Precalculus, but at the time of our call, I felt that my methodology and classroom environment were a bit stale. I think I ran a solid class but it lacked excitement and often felt like students were just “going through the motions”.

A few weeks later, Brandi came to observe my Precalculus class. As you can read in her formal observation, my class ran smoothly, but students lacked confidence in their mathematical ability and the class lacked variety overall. From Brandi’s feedback and our conversation after the class, my goals were officially born:

Goal #1 – Make my Precalculus class more interactive and interesting for the students.

Goal #2 – Create situations where students can differentiate their learning and collaborate with one another.

Goal #3 – Incorporate technology tools in the classroom.

III. The Methods

Goal #1 – Make class more interactive and interesting for the students.

To achieve Goal #1, I began to use math activities and labs in class. Instead of having ¾ of class time devoted to lecture, note-taking, and questions, now ¾ of class time is spent on problem solving. The problems are designed to guide the students toward our ultimate lesson of the day. Instruction is spaced out throughout class time and happens in short, 5 minute, intervals every 10 to 15 minutes. I also began playing quiet music via Pandora while the students were collaborating on their labs. The music seems to relax them and encourage creativity.

Goal #2 – Create situations where students can differentiate their learning and collaborate.

Goal #2 fit hand-in-hand with Goal #1. The labs and activities were designed to help the students visualize the topics of study. They were tactile when at all possible and students were able to collaborate to solve the problems in any manner they found appropriate. They learned from one another and were exposed to different ways of solving problems.

Goal #3 – Incorporate technology tools in the classroom.

Students were asked to keep electronic journals that were linked to our class blog. Many students enjoyed this exercise, and it not only allowed them to learn to verbalize mathematics, but it also helped them to organize their thoughts and give their opinions on topics of study and the class in general. In addition to the class blogs, I also periodically made and used Jing videos, which are video captures of my computer screen, when appropriate for the class. The students used the Jing videos to help them with running a regression on excel during a modeling project during first semester.

IV. Effectiveness of Changes

If you walked into my classroom today, the biggest difference you would notice from the beginning of the year is that I am not up at the front of the room as much as I was at the beginning of the year. Instead of talking at the students from the board, I now walk around, observe their reasoning, and ask for explanations from the students. Being able to explain the “why” behind your method illustrates a strong understanding of the topic and process, which in turn builds confidence and improves student performance. We still have instruction, but it is in short sessions periodically during class.

According to the student blogs, my students have enjoyed the change. You can read some of their comments below and listen to some of the comments here.

“I’ve really liked our change in the classroom environment. It’s extremely helpful to work with partners or groups because you can work through new materials together. And if one partner already understands the new lesson, they can probably explain it to their partner well. Even though the class is split up, it is a more engaging method. Instead of just listening and taking notes, we’re actively learning the new material with worksheets and discussions.”

– Blaise, 11th Grade

“…it was nice to do short spurts of instruction – it becomes harder to be distracted or bored…. The background music is nice sometimes, but others distracting.”
– Chelsea, 11th Grade

“I like the changes to our class structure. The lab activities give me more practice with the material, which is how I learn math best. This change, I believe, is partially why I feel so confident with trigonometry. More exposure and practice to a topic creates a higher comfort level, which yields a better understanding. In addition; I do not have many musical prejudices, so the wide range of background music is wonderful. It adds a calming atmosphere that helps me keep focused.”
– Jordan, 11th Grade

“The material doesn’t feel as rushed (on labs) as taking notes on the white board does. The colorful worksheets also help me stay organized and it’s a good way to keep all the notes organized when studying for a test.”

– Rebecca, 11th Grade

V. Conclusion:

In addition to the positive reaction from the students, I have also seen a deeper understanding of trigonometry and the trigonometric graphs. Students who have struggled all year now seem comfortable with the new material, and trigonometry is one of the most difficult topics in Precalculus. Time will tell if retention over the summer improves, as that is one of our main struggles at school.

I continue to have new goals for myself. One goal for next year is to incorporate more real-life scenarios in my class to help the students have a more tangible use for the skills. Another goal is to use technology to enhance class and not just for technology’s sake.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I will use my summer break to reflect and recharge for next year. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Well, I have to admit that I had full intentions of reading this article right when I received it…but alas, here I am reading it the night before our final cohort meeting.

I enjoyed the article overall and a few things struck me: 1) This “experiment” was with college students…how could you apply this to middle school students? 2) Google docs, wikis, blogs, etc. almost seem to be things of the past now. I know they aren’t, especially in education, but I keep wondering, “what’s the next big thing?!? Am I a “has been” if I try to use these tools now?”  3) I need to be more creative without overloading my grading…isn’t that the million dollar problem! 4) Finally, as usual, I see many problems with math and online typing, etc.

I welcome your comments and/or suggestions

Thanks!

SG

For the remainder of the school year, my precalculus classes will be focused on Trigonometry. This year, I am using some materials and methods I learned about at the GISA conference back in November. The idea is “Trigonometry without Memorization”. I have always used the basic idea behind this method – the idea that the unit circle is really just the special right triangles and if you know about those, you already know the unit circle, etc.

At the GISA conference, the two teachers who presented (Mrs. Vesey from Westminster and Mrs. Harkey from Blessed Trinity) were very kind in sharing the worksheets and labs they had created that help with this process. I have been using some ideas from their worksheets and adjusting them for my classes. So far, I have been very pleased with the results.

On one hand, I am really seeing the benefit of these labs and the students are enjoying working together, but I am afraid this is limiting my work on my artifact. Some changes I have made to my classroom so far this year are:

1. Students work in groups as often as possible.

2. Students blog about twice per month.

3. I play background music during group work to make the atmosphere more fun.

In class, we typically come together to discuss and jot down notes for about 5 to 10 minutes then they spend 10 to 15 minutes working in groups, and then we repeat the process.

Brandi and I discussed doing stations and Laura and I discussed doing notes as videos for students to watch for homework. I haven’t really implemented these ideas yet and am trying to figure out where they will best fit in, or if they will. I like the idea of stations, but with this being my first go at using labs in math class, I am usure of what lies ahead. My goal for the fourth quarter is to figure out if stations and video notes will be helpful, and if so, when to implement them.

Yesterday we heard from author Jonah Lehrer. He spoke to our student body and faculty for about thirty minutes about how the brain has those “a-ha” moments when you least expect it – in the shower, while you’re falling asleep, when you are taking a walk, etc.

He had three pieces of advice to help us be more creative and get the most out of our brains:

1. Think like an outsider. If you’re into writing, take a physics class. If you are into the arts, try calculus. He used the example of how Proctor and Gamble employs many scientists but sometimes their scientists are so schooled and focused on a topic that they can’t be creative with it. Big problems are often not solved by the experts in that particular field but by intelligent people in a related field. Innocentive is actually a website where some of these tough-to-solve problems are posted.

2. Learn to be actively bored. In a world of technology, we often bust out the iPhone, Blackberry, or other device anytime we have a free moment. While it’s great to be connected, we aren’t allowing ourselves to be actively bored. Daydreaming and allowing your brain to wander is imperative for creative thinking and problem solving. So lay off the technology whenever you can and just let your brain do some wandering.

3. Relax. Relaxation is extrememly important when it comes to creativity. It has been proven that people are better able to solve their problems and think creatively when on vacation. In the rat race we live in, relaxation can be tough, and sometimes you may even feel selfish making time for it, but according to Lehrer, it’s a neccesity if you want to reach your full creative potential.

Well, I’m back! Glad to be back in the states but it was a great trip with lots of learning. The learning wasn’t just about biodiversity and the Costa Rican culture, but about not losing passports, the effects of not wearing enough sunscreen, etc.

My take-away from ten fun-filled days of rainforest hikes, mangrove reforestation projects, snorkeling, and soccer games with the locals is that I saw first-hand what a difference experiences make in learning both for students and teachers.

Exhibit A: Student loses passport in San Jose airport. My first thought was “Seriously?!?” when I had a tap on my shoulder in the immigration line and a 15 year-old girl saying, “Um, Mrs. Clayton, I can’t find my passport.” It was an ordeal, and the gate agent had a look of disbelief on her face when I explained the situation. The student left her passport on the plane and luckily the flight attendant found it and was kind enough to bring it to us. It took us about an hour total to go through this process, and I although I think the student learned her lesson, I almost think it was too easy. I tried to make it a bigger deal by telling her that if she hadn’t found it, she would have been put on a plane back home by herself because she wasn’t technically in Costa Rica yet. I honestly don’t know what would have happened in that situation, but I figured I would rather scare her than downplay the situation.

Exhibit B: Learning Through Taste and Smell. With all of the wonderful plants and fruits in the rainforest and farm lands of Costa Rica, the students were able to learn about healing powers and nutritional information by tasting and smelling the plants and fruits. Now they may not remember the names, but they will say, “Remember that fruit that smelled and tasted like cheese? It is good for people with arthritis!”

There were many other times of learning through expereience. The students lived with Costa Rican families for two days and realized that they don’t actually “need” as much as they think they do. The families in the Osa Peninsula often shared one bathroom and some didn’t even have electricity. It was wonderful for the girls to gain a new perspective on life and what truly is “enough”.

This certainly has me thinking about how I can work expereintial learning into class time more often since it certainly helps topics stick with students.

Well, I don’t have much to report on my artifact this week because I haven’t started the planning just yet. I am aiming to “transform” my classroom by the end of March when my juniors are back from London, I am back from the 9th grade trip to Costa Rica, and spring break has concluded. With all of this travel, the next couple of weeks are really crazy.

I love for my middle schoolers to participate in World Math Day where they get to play arithmetic games against other students from all over the world via the web. My only problem is that the site is overcrowded and super slow this year. I can’t even seem to get my kids registered. Not sure if this is a problem with our system here or the website itself, but I have a message into my tech department to check on it.

If any other middle school teachers want to participate, check out the site. It really is pretty cool. Not the most difficult of math problems but the challenge of the time restraint really sharpens mental math skills and the students LOVE that they play kids that live in China, England, etc.

Well, after a meeting with Laura last week and Brandi’s visit to my precalculus classroom this week, I think I am starting to narrow down my culminating artifact.

Laura and I brainstormed ideas about posting class notes to a blog and having students re-teach them using voicethread. That lead to a discussion about possibly having students watch the lesson the night before coming to class as their homework. Then class time can be spent on problems and activities instead of note taking. Lynnae mentioned in one of our group meetings that she has discovered that she needs to do anything really important during class time. Students are just so busy that if there is something you really want them to absorb, it has to be done in class.

After observing my class, Brandi noticed that I work really hard during class when it should actually be the students working really hard. In order to change this, I need to back off, let the students work together, struggle together, and learn together. Brandi had wonderful ideas about how I can set up different learning stations in my classroom so that class is interactive.

At this point, my goal for the culminating artifact is to make my class more fun and interactive. I may not be able to do this every single day, but my goal is to have alternating notes and activities days. For instance, Monday may be notes day and the student homework will be to either re-teach the notes, review the notes, or view additional notes online. Then on Tuesday, class will be learning stations where they practice what they have learned and even make discoveries that add to their understanding. Wednesday would then be a note day again and Thursday would be an activities day. We have classes four times per week, dropping one class each day. So I think this schedule will work well.

My students are going on a trip to London for a week and a half and then I am heading to Costa Rica with the 9th graders for another week. After both trips, we then have spring break. The schedule this year is certainly an obstacle, but not seeing my students for three weeks will give me time to create these activities and notes sessions. Seeing as I have a few weeks, I would love any input or suggestions. We will be doing trigonometry topics for the remainder of the year.

Well, I am excited about the next week and a half because I am meeting with Laura on Thursday to discuss my plan of attack for the rest of the school year. Then Brandi is coming to observe my Precalculus class on Thursday, Febraury 11th.

Some people are able to fomulate great plans on their own with little input, but even if I think I have a decent plan, I still need to “talk it out”. That’s why I am looking forward to my meeting this Thursday, and I can’t wait for Brandi to come and help me differentiate my classroom next week.

After reading Dan’s blog from last week, I have been feeling really guilty. I feel guilty because so many schools want technology and can’t get it, while I have tons of technology but I don’t really know what to do with it. It’s a classic case of not knowing what you’ve got until it’s gone, I guess. Well, that and a lack of training.

From this feeling of guilt, I have decided to go ahead and focus both on technology and differentiation. I was planning to just stick with one or the other, but I think I owe it to my students and other teachers who would love to have the technology that we have at AGS to use what I have been provided with to the best of its ability.

I will write more later this week once the ball is officially rolling….

Well, I was supposed to post by 8am yesterday but due to storms in ATL, I was stranded in DC without my computer. On the bright side, I got to see my sister, bother-in-law, and nephew for another day. Always look for the silver lining

Right now, there are two ways in which I can go with my individual artifact. The two areas that I want to pursue are 1) The use of technology tools in the classroom and 2) Differentiating my precalculus classes by making them more interactive and inquiry driven.

I would love to take on both challenges fully, but being someone who typically bites off more than she can chew and spreads herself too thin to where everything is mediocre and nothing is exceptional, I feel that I should probably identify one main goal. That being said, I do think that the two topics go hand-in-hand and I will need one to do the other, but I don’t know that my main goal should focus on both topics equally.

I really would appreciate some input on my dilemma if you have any to allow. My decision making process has always been to ask for a lot of advice – whether it reinforces my gut feelings or opens my eyes to other possibilities, it has worked for me in the past…usually.

I also wanted to share this video I received from a colleague. It makes me think about the whole AP animal that a few of us in the Dobbs Cohort have briefly discussed. It’s only 5 minutes long. Feel free to enjoy and comment.

I went to a STEM think tank for girls’ schools at Harpeth Hall last Thursday and Friday. One presentation discussed the idea that online schools offering high school diplomas are popping up and a lot of students are using them.For example, Stanford has an online school in which students enroll full-time and receive their high school diploma.

Obviously these online schools lack organized athletics and fine arts, but how do we need to change our schools so that we add value and keep students? Do you think education is heading in a direction such that it will all be online someday? If so, is that a good thing?