CCIRA Sneak Peek
Last year, on a whim, I decided to submit a proposal to speak at a state conference and offer my knowledge to the grand pool of teaching knowledge already available.
I got accepted and presented. You can watch the highlights of that presentation here: look for the bowtie and glasses.
This year, on less of a whim, I submitted another proposal. Again, I got accepted.
Actually getting ahead of the pressure curve for once, I finished my presentation early--literally yesterday.
Today, I wanted to acknowledge the points in presentation and provide a sneak-peek into what I will offer to the five teachers that happen to choose to come to my presentation in February.
First, here's a link to the presentation. Peruse away.
It might not make sense, but it's pretty to look at.
Second, I want to give you the excerpt that I wrote to lure people into my presentation.
Lure is a weird word here. And yet...
Josh Kascak - Session 341: What should your students know? Countless forces prescribe answers. Explore methods to innovate dictated content: self-guided projects, skill-based goals, leadership experiences, and social-emotional needs. Through Core Knowledge, energize your class.
Riveting, isn't it?
Self-Guided Projects and Skill-Based Goals
With this, I am saying that students need choice.
With choice, they are able to create projects and moments that matter to them.
They propose ideas and are given the chance to see those through to fruition.
These projects are the crux of my instruction. We introduce the standards to the students; we instruct and test those standards; students then choose, when proposing ideas, which standards they would like to improve upon and fix.
Here are some educational buzzwords for you: differentiation, goal-based motivation, project-based learning, standards-based grading, student choice.
All in one project.
Leadership Experiences
My school has recently changed our mission and vision. Instead of being an inspirational message of excellence, we are now in search of creating and building leaders.
Even though our mission and vision has changed, our school and our teaching has yet to change to match its values. It's a battle I feel like I've been fighting for a long time.
Ever since I took my curriculum class and created an ENTIRE curriculum about how to create these sorts of leadership experiences, I have been working on trying to implement these values both into my own classroom and into the school. In my own classroom, I have been succeeding; in the school, I have yet to make enough of an impact to have people truly listen to this request. But, you know, a recent email chain proves that OTHER people can move this initiative. It's fine. I'm fine. They'll listen eventually. I just think it's time we make a change. What else is a mission and vision for?
/end rant.
Anyway, this part of my presentation relies on that new mission and vision. With that, however, the natural skills and abilities that leadership within a classroom creates are important to a motivated, engaged, and involved classroom of students.
Leadership, then, in my classroom seeks to serve two purposes: prove the importance of leadership and model an initiative within my school to actually make an overarching change.
Choosing their own skills, projects, and publishing creates leadership.
Vulnerably sharing their own thoughts and feelings in a restorative circle, creates a safety and ability with vulnerability--a cornerstone of leadership.
Giving students the chance to share their knowledge and learning through a book giveaway project gives them an opportunity to impact the community around them: the results of effective leadership.
In a classroom, those are learning experiences, those are memories, those are skills that last within a student's education.
Social-Emotional Needs
As a teacher, I somehow have created this persona and environment of support. My classroom through that persona and environment has become a place of safety and a place of lots of tea being poured into my emotional sponge of a personality.The couch, the Christmas lights, the pillows, the stuffed animals help in creating that, I guess.
With that, though, there is a lot of social and emotional learning happening in class--for good or for ill... I guess.
And I take this as an immense responsibility.
And as an honor.
With that, I have recently gotten more involved again with Restorative Practices. Look it up, there will be more on this later, probably.
One of the structures involved with Restorative Practices is called a Restorative Circle--I call it, "Circle Time."
This year is the first year I have actually tried to implement in class. The goal is to establish a safe place and environment while sitting in a circle with your classroom. There is a talking piece, an opening ceremony, a closing ceremony, and personal questions and feelings shared. It's a whole thing.
The goal being: get to know your students, give them an opportunity to share feelings and experiences, and create restorative relationships.
My own personal goal with this implementation?
As a teacher--because of the aforementioned reasons of my classroom being a place of safety and support--my students are naturally pretty comfortable and vulnerable with me.
Last year, I realized that they are not vulnerable with each other, and that was a problem in my classroom.
Students weren't sharing answers to questions.
Students weren't willing to be open about their own ideas.
Students felt unsafe presenting.
Since starting circle, I have noticed an immense change in my students ability to share and be open--not only in circle but in the classroom.
And it only takes 15 minutes a day.
And, well, that's my rundown, my presentation, a culmination of my graduate school learnings.
If you're not one of the five that end up being at presentation in February, this is just about as good as I can get.
I hope it sparks something--as is always my goal.
