Best of Show: Upcycled Education

Most of the blogs I read do a "best of" series at some point.  I thought I'd try my hand at one.  What's lovely about blogging on Blogger is Google keeps track of all sorts of statistics for me.  For example, I can see which posts are the most viewed, which search terms readers use to find Upcycled Education and from which countries viewers hail.

Did you know our sweet, lil blog Upcycled Education has viewers from over 20 different countries?  With the United States, Canada, India and UK readers heading the pack, the blog has also attracted readers from Germany, Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, Greece, Romania, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Denmark - to name a few.  Upcycled Education goes internationale - in spelling, too, apparently.

Ready to countdown the top five, most viewed blog posts on Upcycled Education?

#5 - Dafont.com

I am seriously still addicted to this freebie font website.  Three case-in-points, the photos in this post.  See the cool fonts I used in all of them?  The tippy-top font used on the train track photo is "St. Andrew."  The middle script font used with little O modeling is "ChopinScript."  The last font used with the flowers is "Woodcut."  I literally keep a list of the fonts I download taped to the wall in my studio, so I remember the unique names of my favs.

#4 - DIY Artwork

On my to-do list next week is to make a couple of presents for friends using this post.  This summer, you could make your own artwork and have them ready to hang-up in your classroom just in time for back-to-school in the fall.

#3 - When less is more....

I am not surprised this post made it into the best of show.  Dr. Mitra is brilliant and his work can be applied to just about any educational setting.  If you didn't get a chance to watch the TED talk included in this post, treat yourself.  By the way, I have the TED phone app and it is the perfect way to watch TED talks on the go.  Actually, I headphone up sometimes while I am washing the dishes at home and listen/semi-watch a TED talk.  Not only am I tidying up the kitchen, but I also enter a state of flow.  Remember this post?

#2 - Presenter Media

There may be two reasons this post ranked so high on Upcycled Education.  One, it was our first giveaway.  Two, because it rocks.  Check out Presenter Media when you want to snazzify your PowerPoint presentations.  Remember, they offer an educator's discount, since this is a pay, subscription service.

And the #1 top post, best of show on Upcycled Education.....

#1 - Montessori Education, Part II

I could cry.  You know how I love - wait, that needs more emphasis - L-O-V-E Montessori education.  If you haven't read this post or Part I of it, you must.  Ms. J and Ms. Z did a fantabulous, amazing job explaining Montessori education.  I have literally never received so many emails and thank yous about the post.  This shows the power of this "best in show" post - to demystify Dr. Montessori's classic and pure methodologies.

I'm off to celebrate the top five with an early morning road bike ride....

My best,

Jen

The "Other" Jen

As you remember from my blog post here, there are over 1.4 million Jennifers in the world.  I'd like to think we are all created amazingly equal.

And so I will.

A decade ago while attending my first International Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Conference, I met another Jennifer - Jennifer Stanchfield.  She like me shared similar interests:  a passion for working with kids and adults, knowing learning experientially is powerful & rich and recognizing the AEE community is comprised of kindred spirits like us.  I've attended at least seven AEE conferences since meeting Jen.  We always embrace when we see each other.

Kindred Jens, we are.

The "Other" Jen has authored and co-authored books.  She leads numerous workshops and trainings around the country on topics such as creating classroom communities and differentiating instruction.  She has the neatest store with the perfect educational props.  Look at this unique Miniature Metaphors set.  Isn't it divine?  You know how I love metaphors.  Seriously, can this collection of miniatures be more engaging?

Did I mention Jen blogs?  Check out this blog post on starting off your lesson with style.  Then, you must read her inspiring post on using quotes in your classroom.  Click here to do so.

If you are like me and can't get enough of her creative ideas, then go visit Jen's blog or her website, Experiential Tools. 

Jen S. is making me proud to be a Jen, too.

Thanks, Jen. 

Best,

The "Other" Jen

Dear Crayola

To Whom This May Concern,

Please send me a case of the following items.  I am a teacher and need them for my classroom.

Window crayons and markers so we can thematically decorate our boring windows.....

Fabric markers as my students and I want to make lesson t-shirts.  They sure would be fun to wear on test days.

I could really use some help spicing up my dry-erase boards.  I think these bold color dry-erase markers would do just the trick.

Multicultural markers so we can....accurately represent diverse skin tones from around the world?  Really?  OK, I will try anything once.

My college students think I am the coolest professor when I take them outside for class on a sunny day .  This sidewalk chalk would be great for lesson review and reflection; Students could visually draw their understanding and the whole campus could walk by and stare and be envious.

Would you say Model Magic smells as good as Playdoh?  My kinesthetic learners would be elated to sculpt their learning. 

I don't mean to be presumptuous, but if there is any room left in the boxes you send, can you throw in a Glow Station for little O?  This looks like a great item for a long car ride.

By the way, little O and I are big Crayola fans.  See your Window Crayons at work?



Thank you, Crayola.

Sincerely,

Jen

The Wheel

Happy Wednesday!  Are you on Spring Break still?  Right now, those of you not on Spring Break - like me - are envious.

No, make that jealous.

Yep, I feel jealous.  I deserve another Spring Break.  (Yes, I already had one).

To keep my posts less-text and more visual this week, I have a download for you.  Why not get your students reflecting on what they've learned in class?  Remember these deluxe reflective tools I shared with you?  How about these paper Twitter debriefs? 

You would make John Dewey and Jean Piaget proud if you nestled reflection in your lessons.  Apparently, Confucius, too:  "Study without reflection is a waste of time, reflection without study is dangerous."

Click on the above image and download this favorite reflective tool ready-to-go.  When you get back from Spring Break, all you will have to do is make copies.

Sorry trees,

Jen

HALTED

Update: Here's another post to support this...the Feelings Wheel.

This one is seriously one of my favorite strategies to teach students of all ages (and adults).  It is a way to describe your emotional state when you are feeling less-than-perfect.  Since I am an adult, I use HALTED to dissect how I am feeling.  My husband will attest to the fact that I am not myself when I am feeling "H" - hungry.  I know I am not myself when I am feeling "T" - tired.  Since little O is young, I think of HALTED when she is acting out-of-sorts or experiencing a melt-down.  I run through the acronym in my mind to figure out what is driving her behavior and in doing so, I am able to better help her.

Ready to HALT yourself?

Are you feeling....

H - Hungry?
A - Angry?
L - Lonely?
T - Tired?
E - Embarrassed?
D - Disappointed?

Some days I think, HALTED-OS might also be helpful:

O - Overwhelmed?
S - Scared?

I would love to give credit to the student who taught me HALT a decade ago.  Since that time, my college students and I have added the ED and OS parts.

Do you have other tools that help humans express their emotions or at least recognize their emotional state?  Daniel Goleman has said the first part of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. 

With HALTED, we are on our way.

Jen

PS - I think little O might be ready to be formally taught the acronym.  The other morning she woke up incredibly cranky.  For at least five minutes she was giving me a hard time about nothing.  Then, I ran through the acronym in my mind and said, "Are you hungry?"  I didn't even need to get to the other letters because she agreed, she was hungry.  I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a string cheese, she devoured it and was a new person in minutes.  The rest of our morning was enjoyable.

PSS - Here's the link to the Feelings Wheel.

(Deluxe) Reflection Tools

Most teachers and educational theorists agree - "real" learning involves reflection.  Thus, save a bit of time after a lesson to provide ample time for students to reflect - five or more minutes is ideal - depending on the complexity and familiarity with the topic.


(From Leo Reynolds Flickr Stream; Photoshopped by Jen)

Here are some easy-peasy reflection tools; I've gathered these over the years from other educators, conferences, and workshops, thus no citations are included:


Symbols – Using playdoh, pipe cleaners, and/or art materials, have students create a symbol representing what they learned that day.  My favorites are the giant piper cleaners – look for them at craft stores near you.

Weather, Geography or Landscape Report – Ask students to connect what they learned in class that day to a weather pattern, geographic location or type of landscape.  For example, a student might say, “The story of Romeo and Juliet to me is like a partly sunny day with severe thunderstorms in the afternoon.  The sunny part of the day is when Romeo and Juliet meet.  The thunderstorm happened when Juliet died.”

Switch-off - Create a thoughtful, open-ended, higher-order thinking question for students (you should be thinking of Bloom's Taxonomy right now, yes?).  Allow students time to reflect and write their answer.  Then, have students switch papers with a classmate and react to what their classmate wrote.  Do these switch offs as many times as you see fit.

Headlines – have students generate a newspaper headline to represent what they learned in class that day.  Also, use this activity to assess students’ energy levels, emotional states, connections to material, etc. 

Thermometer of Learning – This one takes the least amount of time.  Post temperatures on the wall by the door.  Ask students to touch the temperature that represents how much they learned that day. 

Photographs – Ask students to reflect on the lesson that day.  What stands out in their minds?  Now, ask students to take a photograph (in their mind) of that part of the lesson.  What does it look like?  Who was doing what?  What was their role in the photo?  This might be a fun one to recreate with cell phone cameras.  Oh, does your school still ban cell phones used educationally?


If you missed the tweet exit ticket from last week, click here.  It, too, encourages reflection.


Best,
Jen

Twitter Exit Ticket

Are you on Twitter?  Are your students' parents and families?  Did you answer yes?  Very techy.  No?  Are you living under a rock?

...OK, that was mean.  But, this is the 21st century.

According to Twitter's blog, 140 million tweets are sent a day which adds up to a billion tweets every eight days.  Yes, I just quoted a billion.  What's everyone talking about?  Life, love, the pursuit of happiness, favorite coffee drinks from Starbucks, what's on the dollar menu, how much snow dumped on Colorado's ski resorts, education, why Trader Joe's is so cool, Pink's new song...wait, did I just say "education?"

Rewind.  Yes, people are tweeting about education.  One of my favorite educational tweets is from Edutopia (George Lucas created this foundation, so you know it is cool).  You can visit (or follow) their tweet here.

Why not tweet in your classroom?  Oh, I know what you are going to say, you don't have enough computers, iTouches or smart phones.  No problem, I made you a tweet exit ticket.  See?  You can go old-school with this download and print it on paper. 

Voila, a paper tweet.  To get yourself a full page of these tweet-a-licious reflection tools, click on the image below.

...I'm kind of sassy today, aren't I?

Tweetles,
Jen

PS - In case you liked yesterday's post on cloud computing and Common Craft, you might also like this video made by Lee and Sachi explaining Twitter.  I am helpful and sassy, yes?

Helping students from poverty

This is Part II of our discussion on poverty from last week.  If you didn't read that initial post, click here.  Today, we will arm ourselves with creativity and ideas from academia to help students from poverty succeed in our classrooms and beyond.


(From Leo Reynold's Flickr stream; Photo taken in Scotland)

Ideas to consider:

Roots and Wings - Help students feel deeply rooted in their communities (families and schools), yet have strong wings to attempt new adventures and opportunities.  The best way to grow strong roots is to embrace the "it takes a village..." philosophy.  When mom, dad, grandma, cousins, aunts, uncles and caregivers are involved in a student's schooling and school, roots naturally become strong.  To help students grow wings, look at enrichment opportunities in your area or in an interest.  For example, if you know a student has an interest in outer space, could you find a mentor in your area (or via email) to buddy-up with your student and share their space expertise with them?  Or could you help a student write an essay to secure a scholarship to "space camp" for the summer?  Roots and wings...foster them both.

Developmental Assets - Remember this post on the Search Institutes's developmental assets?  This is a great way to help students from poverty as it is not about finances, but about other supports to help students.  Remember the more assets a student has, the more likely the student will not engage in risky behaviors.  Consider going back to this original post and printing off the developmental asset sheet for your students' age range as a reminder of which assets should be fostered.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Since poverty affects the foundation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, brainstorm ways to help students get their "deficiency" needs met.  For example, if a student is homeless, can you have the address handy for a local homeless shelter and slip it privately to them?  If the student does not have a safe or quiet place to complete homework, could you open up your classroom 2-3 afternoons or early mornings a week for students to use the space as a study hall? 

Read Dr. Ruby Payne's book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty - This book should be mandatory for any educator who works with students from poverty.  A favorite section of mine is Dr. Payne's discussion of "resources" for students.  Of course, the obvious resource for a student from poverty would be money or strong finances, but let's face it, as a teacher, that resource is often times lacking even for us.  Dr. Payne states that being impoverished is not solely about money.  In fact,  in her book she lists seven other resources that can be just as valuable to students.  The top resources for students, in addition to having financial resources, would include:

1. Emotional - Having emotional intelligence and the ability to be resilient when failures or setbacks occur.  I feel a blog post on this topic coming on.....
2. Mental - Basic academic skills like reading, writing and mathematics; necessary for promotion in school and business.
3. Spiritual - Believing in a purpose greater than oneself.  (Very Daniel Pink, this one, isn't it?)
4. Physical - Having adequate physical health and wellness.
5. Support Systems - Knowing that a strong network of family and friends exist and can be supportive.
6. Relationships/Role Models - Having access to nurturing adults who model appropriate behaviors.
7. Knowledge of Hidden Rules - Knowing the unspoken rules of a group.  An example may include writing a thank you note after a person does something nice for you (a very middle-class rule).  My grandmother would be saddened to know I still have not written thank you cards for gifts received over the holidays - four months ago!  As a teacher, you need to explicitly teach the hidden rules to your students from poverty if they do not know them.
8. Financial - Having enough money to purchase goods and services.

According to Dr. Payne, three or fewer resources for a student is problematic.

Mirrors and Windows - Surround students with good people and growth experiences that allow them to see themselves in a clear light (and see others who are just like them), while providing windows to see beyond their immediate situation or neighborhood.  When I taught on the Navajo Nation, I comfortably provided many windows for students to see beyond their lives on the reservation, but since I am not Navajo (read: not a great mirror), I sought alternative ways to provide mirrors.  For example, how can students see themselves in a book character or a time period in history?  Which chemical element is most like them?  If you need help with mirrors, try what I did and connect mirrors to your subject area or content.

I believe this would be a fantastic post to hear from you in the comments section.  What other ideas do you have to help students from poverty?

Best,
Jen

Teaching Abroad

Many of you know my background from reading my initial post here.  If not, I have taught in a hodgepodge of amazing places both in the US and abroad.  Here are some leads and tips for landing a job abroad.

(Drawn on fabric by Jen; Hand painted by little O)

International Teaching Fairs

• Attend an international teaching fair.  Two of the biggest are the UNI Overseas Recruiting Fair and the ISS Fairs.  Both organizations offer fairs in February, thus, I'm planting a seed for next year, 2012!  I attended the UNI fair a decade ago just to see what the fair would be like and literally landed six jobs all in South America, my targeted destination.  Both fairs require you are a certified teacher.  The fairs also require an application fee.  What I appreciated about the fairs is they mean business!  The international schools in attendance are ready to hire - impressive schools from all parts of the globe - Switzerland to China to Ecuador and beyond.
• Before the fair, prepare!  Research schools, countries, curriculum, special programs, etc.  Many schools abroad have IB programs, so familiarize yourself with those if you are not already savvy. 
• In your research and at the fair, target an area of the world you'd like to teach or be open to many areas of the world.  For me, I only wanted to live in South America (a life-long dream of mine at the time) and thus, I focused on job positions there.  I didn't even apply to positions in other countries while attending the fair nor entertain requests to interview with other countries.  And yes, many schools will seek you out to interview as they all have access to your resume and credentials.  I must say, it felt really great to be wooed by schools.
• At the fair, be ready for long days!  You will need to dress professionally, have extra resumes on hand, possibly bring your teaching portfolio (more on this in a moment) and arrive to the fair ready to shine!  You need to be your most engaging self while at the fair.  Get a great night's rest.
• Most job fairs are multiple days.  I did land all six jobs in one day and thus, the second day of the fair was spent determining which job offer to accept - which is awfully exciting.  However, many of my comrades were interviewing and scouting out schools on the second day, so be open to a busy fair schedule.
• I only advise bringing a current teaching portfolio if you plan to use it.  I like to use my portfolio (which could stand a major revision and update) when a prospective employer asks me a question that I know my portfolio (and I) can address.  I then will flip to the part of my portfolio that demonstrates my response to their question and the employer can visually see my response while I describe it.  For example, if an employer were to ask me about assessment, I could flip to my assessment section and show some of my original assessment tools and assignments.  Seeing is believing sometimes and that's when portfolios are most helpful.  If you have an electronic portfolio, use it if you can easily access the artifacts.  You certainly don't want employers to wait for you to locate and open your documents or photos.
• After your interviews at the fair, bring thank you cards to hand write to the schools who interviewed you and leave them immediately for your prospective employers.  I made my own cards that said, "The world is my classroom," on the front.  Thank you cards help put your name in front of the prospective schools one more time.
• If you are married or in a relationship with another educator, you can also apply and interview as a team.  Most of the fairs have a system for doing so which makes interviewing and landing positions together doable.  If you are married to a non-educator and/or have children, most international schools have systems to hire you and have your family accompany you with ease.  US kids growing up in international schools have a unique opportunity to see the world, learn new languages, and travel.  Win-win-win.

(I always thought it would be enjoyable to teach in Costa Rica, too...)

DOD Schools - Department of Defense

• This is not my expertise at all, DOD schools, but I do know of educators who have enjoyed working at DOD schools. 
• According to the DOD website, you can target an area of the world that interests you and explore current job postings.
• Most DOD schools are located on military bases and attended by US students only.  International schools, alternatively, are mainly attended by locals from that country - which is my preferred clientele while teaching overseas.

Teaching in the US, but immersing yourself in another culture

• If you are not quite ready to make the jump to another country, consider staying in the US, but teaching in another culture.
• If you are from a rural area, consider teaching in an urban setting.  If you are from a Hispanic community, consider teaching in a predominately Asian one.  In the US, there are many opportunities to immerse yourself in new cultures and environments.
• My personal favorite spot to teach in the US is in Kayenta, Arizona on the Navajo Nation.  Gosh, I adore my Navajo high school students and their families.  Thankfully, many of my students from a decade ago still keep in contact with me.  This school district, Kayenta Unified School District, was superb and each year, they look for dynamic teachers.  You can see their current job postings here. 

If you have any questions on landing a job overseas or even teaching on the Navajo Nation, please email me at jenglara at gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Happy teaching, exploring and traveling,
Jen

Motivational spa treatments

In preparation for tomorrow's post on Daniel Pink's book, Drive, it is time to incite your motivation.

Give yourself the luxury of five minutes.  I know, I know....who's got five minutes to spare?  Consider today's post a spa treatment for your soul.


Photo by Leo Reynolds; Photoshopped by Jen

Spa treatment #1 for motivation
Set the timer on your cell phone for three minutes.  When time begins, answer the question:  What motivates me?  Keep writing nonstop until time is up.  If you run out of things to say, keep repeating the question aloud "What motivates me?" and answer it.  Do not concern yourself with spelling, punctuation or being repetitive. After, take a look at what you wrote.  Underline common themes or big ideas.  Your stream of consciousness has something to say.  What did it reveal about what motivates you?

Spa treatment #2 for motivation

Use Pink's "big question" activity.  "In 1962, Clare Booth Luce, one of the first women to serve in the US Congress, offered some advice to President John F. Kennedy.  'A great man,' she told him, 'is one sentence.'"  What is your one sentence? 

Me?  Jen lived her life passionately embracing the motto - life is an adventure.  First draft.

Spa treatment #3 for motivation

Create an inspiration board.  Pink advocates doing this as do most artists and designers.  You can put one together fairly quickly especially if you have your favorite magazines, catalogs, and photos laying around.  Here is my board right now.  It inspires me (although the photo quality doesn't).

Spa treatment #4 for motivation

DIY motivational signage.  This one, which I found in a Patagonia catalog last winter, cracks me up.  For skiers/boarders, it is plain and simple motivation to choose a trail wisely.  Seeing it, brings me delight - which in itself is motivating.

To create your own signage, check out this free web-collection of tools, Big Huge Labs.  I lost count at 20 how many options they have to create your own signage.  The "Motivator" tool might be just what you are looking for...(though, I could see your face on the cover of a faux magazine using the "Magazine Cover" tool).

Alrighty, go give yourself a motivational spa treatment.

Come on, you deserve it :)

Jen

Swotting at education

A year ago, I took my first business class in entrepreneurial studies.  The class title lured me because of these two words: creativity and innovation.  Those seemed useful to me as an educator.  The class was fantastic and my mind stretched.  I couldn't help but think all semester long, "How can educators use these ideas in their classrooms?"

Today is all about "swotting" a lesson.  Or in business jargon, doing a SWOT analysis.  The next time you teach a lesson (which always includes teacher reflection in the lesson cycle, right?) or the next time you are crafting a lesson, consider swotting it.

S

What are the strengths of this lesson?  What worked?  What were the greatest moments within the lesson?  What did students enjoy most?  What did you enjoy most?  How did the lesson meet your learning objectives for the day?

W

What are the weaknesses in this lesson?  What part(s) of the lesson seem less engaging?  Where did the lesson lose steam? 

O

What opportunities are available to improve this lesson?  What other resources could you include?  How can you provide extension activities for students who want to learn more?  How can parents and families get involved?  How can parents and families extend the learning at home?

T

What threatens the lesson?  How will you manage your resources and materials?  Time?  Budget?  Volunteers?  How will your lesson be impacted if  technology is unavailable that day?

Put on your business hats and see what other questions you can develop.  Could you teach students how to SWOT their own work?  Could you use the SWOT analysis with the committees you serve? Please post your ideas in the comments section below. 

Off to write a business plan, I mean, lesson plan.
Jen

PS - Did you enter our giveaway yet?  You have until March 4th, 2011 at midnight EST.  Click on the image below for more details.

Giving feedback

As promised, this is Part II of last week's post when we shook up behaviorism.  If you missed that post, click here.  How did the three types of responses work with your students (or loved ones)?  I'd love to hear about them; use the "comments" window at very bottom of the post to share your experience(s).  Like always, leaving comments is simple stuff - no password or user name required.  

Today's ideas will be short and simple - how to give feedback to students (kids, colleagues, loved ones and assorted others) in tactful, respectful, effective and non-behaviorist ways. 

I think of "contrast" when I consider these suggestions.  "Two sides of the same coin," as the idiom goes.....

Feedback Idea #1:  Stars and Wishes
When offering feedback to students, share their "stars" and your "wishes."  Stars are highlights of their best work or behavior.  Wishes are thoughtful suggestions how to improve.  Sometimes, I have peers give each other stars and wishes.  I usually "train" them first by granting me stars and wishes.  When they are savvy at that, I have them give stars and wishes to each other.  Students seem to especially like feedback from their peers versus me all the time.  Of course, caring classrooms and stars & wishes training them is paramount.  For this feedback, I typically use these handy slips I created and have students (or myself) circle the appropriate icon and grant the star or wish (sometimes both).  If you'd like a full sheet of them ready to go, click here. 

Feedback Idea #2:  Pluses and Deltas
A decade ago, I worked for Outward Bound and was taught this useful strategy.  Like stars and wishes, it fosters constructive, non-behaviorist feedback.  In this case, the pluses are highlights of a student's best work or behavior and the deltas are areas that need change.  Delta, in this meaning, comes from the math and science worlds where the delta sign often means, "a small change in....".  I generally use a paper tool like the one below.  If you'd like a full sheet of pluses and deltas, click here.  You can tell I am into paper feedback.

Feedback Idea #3:  Glows and Grows - my new favorite!
I thank one of my graduate students, Josh, for this strategy he picked up from another educator and was kind enough to share with me (and his classmates during a class online discussion).  Like the previous tools, glows are highlights in a student's work or behavior. Grows are areas to improve.  There is something about the rhyme and alliteration of "glows and grows" that speak to me.  It is my feedback tool of choice, at the moment.  Click here for a full sheet of glows and grows.  A big thank you to Josh!

What other types of "contrast" feedback tools do you use? Share some of your ideas in the comments window below.  If you are the first to leave a comment, click on the word "comment" to get us started.

My best,

Jen

PS - One week until the first Upcycled Education giveaway begins!  Want to win something cool?

Dedicate your work

One of my favorite authors is Daniel Pink.  I like Pink for two important reasons: 

1. Pink spends time collecting useful research and succinctly includes this research in his books (two of my favorite reads:  A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future and Drive) .
2. Each book contains thoughtful sections, called "Portfolios"  or the "Toolkit," which include clever ideas how to put research into practice.

You know I adore practical things.  If you don't believe me, re-read my initial post here.

....I just thought of  one more important reason I like Pink (besides the cute color name, no?), he emails back lickety-split when I email (or my students and I) email him a question.  Seriously, can you name other authors who email back?  Or so quickly?  The longest it has taken him to reply is 48 hours.  He is the Nordstrom of writers.

I have been using an activity from Pink's book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future.  It comes from the Portfolio section under the chapter about "Meaning."  Who doesn't want meaning in their life?  Wouldn't learning be more engaging to students if they felt it had meaning?  Pink borrowed this activity from Naomi Epel's The Observation Deck.  By association, Epel is brilliant, too.

Here's the skinny:

First, read students this passage from Pink's book, page 243 (I've shortened and modified it a touch; that's what we educators do to fit the needs of our students). 

"Look at the page immediately before the Table of Contents page in most books.  You will find a dedication page.  Why should authors have all the fun?  Why can't everyone - teachers, students, salespeople, doctors, managers, engineers - dedicate their work to someone else? 

The actor Danny Glover once said that he dedicates every performance to someone - it might be Nelson Mandala or the old man who guards the stage door - but he is always working for someone other than himself.  This focus gives his acting purpose and makes his work rich.

You can do the same.  Dedicate your work today, or this class or lesson, to someone you admire or who matters in your life.  You can infuse your work with purpose and meaning when you think of it as a gift."

Second, provide time for students to think about who (or what) they want to dedicate their work to that day.  I give my students a "dedication log" where they can neatly record their dedications (a PDF is included  here).  For the first two weeks, I make daily dedications mandatory, after that it is optional.  Guess what?  When I surveyed students last year, they ALL continued their dedications throughout the semester - some even made dedications on non-school days! A few more details:  I generally write my dedication on the board to model dedicating.  Sometimes, I even write descriptors like "Dana - my sister."

Third, depending on time (and mood), I may ask students to share their dedication with a partner, small group or the entire class.  This is always optional for them as I want to respect their privacy and dedication.  Some days we write down our dedications and move on without discussion.  The process without discussion takes about 30 seconds at most - think, dedicate, move on.

Fourth, you can stop there with the dedication process - just thinking about someone else can be novel for some students.  Many days, though, I do end class and ask students to revisit their dedication log and think "one more time" about their dedication.

See what you think....it is different.  I was pleasantly surprised when I surveyed students and they all reported this activity brought more meaning to their lives and afforded them the opportunity to think of others.

Ready for my dedication?  You and Daniel Pink. Thank you both, amazing blog reader (or follower).  This post is dedicated to you.

Jen


PS - For Parents:  Little O and I started daily dedications at home.  Over breakfast, we each choose a person, animal or thing (like a doll, for example) and dedicate our day.  We literally are two days into it, so I will  let you know what impact it has on both our lives at a later date.  :)

Dedication log in progress....student sample



Assets: How many do your students have?

At a recent AEE conference, I was introduced to a gem.  A gem on student (heck, human) development. As a practical person, mom and educator, I appreciate succinct information backed by research.  If you can summarize that research in a chart, table or checklist, all the better. 

Let me introduce you to the Search Institute.

Search Institute meet amazing blog visitor (or follower).  Blog visitor (or follower), meet the Search Institute.

The Search Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding what kids need in order to thrive and grow .  Through studies involving 2.2 million kids (now, that's a sample size!), the Search Institute realized that the more assets a student has, the less likely they are to engage in at-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to be successful, thrive and grow.  To me, it is like a checklist for successful development.  All new parents at their child's birth should be given a pack of cloth diapers, a giftcard to Starbucks and a checklist to plan how they will help their child thrive and grow.

The asset checklists are divided by age group starting with age 3 years and going all the way to 18 years.  They are available in English and 14 other languages.  Evidently, the Search Institute is uber-diverse and brilliant, too!

Some of the bummer news: Out of the 40 identified assets, the average female student encapsulates about 20 assets, while their male classmates about 17 assets.  Of course, I felt eagerly inclined to count up little O's assets.  Whew, I counted 39 assets.  You know I am unbiased.

Here's the great news:  It doesn't matter which assets your students have, what's matters is how many assets they have.  Hooray!  As educators (and/or parents) we just need our students to rack up those assets.

Take a look at the main Developmental Assets Tools page.  The (brilliant) Search Institute has offered all their rationale, research findings and checklists.  Consider downloading the asset checklist for the age group you work with most often.  Then, apply that checklist to a challenging student, a student at-risk or just your average student.  From there you will have a clearer understanding of how to nurture them and cultivate more assets.  By the way, for upper elementary, middle and high school grade levels, you might have the students check off their own assets and plan their own unique ways to acquire more.

Though it is still winter in most parts of the northern hemisphere, I liken this asset post to planning your spring flower garden.  Identify which flowers will be annuals and decide which new flowers - which new assets - you need to plant and grow.

All the best,
Jen

T-shirts and T-charts: Long live them both!

My favorite non-teaching book these days is Generation T:  108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt.  If you are into repurposing, or upcycling, using old t-shirts is a fantastic way to honor the art & craft.  Who doesn't have a stack of old tees laying around?   Plus, this blog (and the book) have so many clever ways to transform a tee into something fabulous.  Over the weekend, my nieces and I upcycled some old tees using Nicolay's ideas.  Funky, no, for a fourth grader?   All those 5K t-shirts are getting a new lease on life.

Thinking about old tees reminds me of a teaching strategy that has been around for a while...the T-chart.  It is an efficient strategy as it can be used with a variety of subjects, in a variety of ways AND students can be coached to create t-charts for themselves.  What you say?  Students can create their own t-charts without teacher-direction?!  Indeed.  Long live t-charts and self-directed-learning!  Let's begin.

First, a t-chart looks just like the name suggests, a "t."  Actually, a lowercase "t," to be exact.  You and/or your students fill in the descriptors, criteria, elements, etc. on the top line of the "t."  I used an old classic, "What does partner work look like and sound like?"  You may be smirking, but how many times have you expected your students to work successfully and diligently in pairs or small groups to soon find out they lack the necessary skills to do so effectively.  In comes your handy-dandy t-chart.

Then, either individually, in pairs, small groups or as a whole class fill out the t-chart.  I often times like to start with individual brainstorming first and then move to pairs and larger groups.  That way, each student individually has an opportunity to process their ideas and the t-chart at their own pace - this would be especially true for students with special needs or English language learners.  A finished t-chart might look like this.....

(By the way, the English teacher in me wants to add "s" to Looks like and Sounds like. I will refrain.)
I adore using t-charts to....

• Discuss pros and cons
• Explore what something "Looks like" or "Sounds like."  This would be super in a science lab setting.
• Good and evil in literature, politics, or life!
• Compare and contrast
• Opposites
• Cause and effect - If, then scenarios (This is especially helpful to discuss how a student might handle a situation.  "If Sandy tries to pick on you during lunch, then..."  "If you do not have Internet access at home, then.....)

Are you in love with t-charts yet?  What about t-shirts?

T-bars?  T-birds?  Model Ts?

How do you use t-charts?  What other ideas for t-charts do you have?  Please leave your brilliant comments and ideas below in the comments section (so adequately named). 

Off I go to t-chart the universe and upcycle a tee.   My sweet husband kindly cleaned out his t-shirt drawers last week for me.  Now, my cup runneth over with cycling tees from every road and mountain bike race in our region.

T-otally happy,
Jen

Bonus Wxdnxsday

For many secondary teachers, it is the start of a new semester.  I always like to have this ditty on the overhead towards the start of a new semester (or school year) to make the point about how valuable everyone's input and participation is in the classroom.  Of course, my elementary friends, I bet this would also work for you, especially with the upper elementary grades Maybe you could pair up students to decipher.

Xvxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl.  It works quitx wxll xxcxpt for onx of thx kxys. Thxrx arx forty-onx kxys that function, but just onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.  Somxtimxs it sxxms that an organization is likx my typxwritxr—that not all thx kxy pxoplx arx working propxrly.

You may say, “Wxll, I’m only onx pxrson: I don’t makx or brxak an organization.” But a succxssful organization, to bx xffxctivx, rxquirxs thx activx participation of xvxry mxmbxr.

So thx nxxt timx you think that your xfforts arx not nxxdxd, rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr and say to yoursxlf:  “I am a vxry kxy pxrson in this organization and I am nxxded vxry much!"

- Author unknown

If I was on my own computer I would PDF this for you, so you could easily download.  I'll aim for that for the future.

Happy day,

Jen