Scare Them into Learning on a "Crazy" Day

This morning I came across Patti Grayson’s post on MiddleWeb about The5 Craziest Times of the School Year. I certainly agree with Patti that each of these times presents a challenge. Students are excited, making it difficult to keep the focus on learning. However, as difficult as these days can be for teachers, they are important for students. The level of excitement that makes educators want to run for cover is one of the things that makes school enjoyable for students.

As I read Patti’s post I began thinking about ways we as teachers can channel student enthusiasm on these days into something productive. With Halloween lurking in the not too distant shadows, my thoughts turned to ways of focusing student energy on a day when they are thinking about costumes and treats rather than the historical significance of a topic we may be studying. Why not embrace their want of a Halloween party rather than trying to fight it? It seems like students might enjoy (and learn something from) a history-themed Halloween party.

Why not have students dress up as people from the past? Or in a costume they think a historical figure might have worn? Or as zombies representing the reanimated corpses of historical figures? Any of these options could be preceded by a small amount of research to establish background information on the individual they will portray. This requires students to learn about their character and justify why they dressed the way they did. Each student could be required to come to the party with a few prepared talking points that exemplify their person.

Alternatively, the party could be set around a specific time period, event, or issue. This would require students to be familiar with course content. Student research could focus on differing opinions related to the topic and how people might have discussed it at a get-together. Students could also research games and snacks that partygoers might have enjoyed during this time in history.

Any of these options could incorporate a number of other fun activities. A teacher could decide to divide the class into committees to decorate the room, develop games, come up with treats, etc. Each committee could ensure that everything adheres to the theme of the party. If a teacher is feeling very adventurous, he or she could even allow students to carve pumpkins that reflect the historical content being studied.

Sometimes we as teachers get so into our content that we forget to embrace the opportunities to make learning enjoyable. School needs to be a place where students feel they are allowed to enjoy themselves, without being shut down on days that might be important or exciting to them. When “crazy” days arise, find a way to use the energy to your advantage.

Happy Constitution Day!!

As History teachers are well aware, September 17 is designated as Constitution Day.  This became a day of federal observance in 2004 following passage of a clause proposed by Senator Robert Byrd to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution. Senator Byrd envisioned this as an opportunity for all Americans to learn more about our founding document. Additionally, this clause requires all schools that receive federal funding to teach about the Constitution.

The Constitution is a regular topic within our classes. However, federal mandate dictates that we offer further instruction on this document on September 17. I have heard teachers bemoan the fact that they must take a day out of their regular instruction to teach the Constitution or complain that this is a way to indoctrinate our young to certain political beliefs. These isolated complaints aside, most teachers I know are supportive of this day and use this break from their regular instruction in a productive manner to help students better understand and recognize the significance of our founding document and resulting system of government.

This day offers teachers and their students another opportunity to explore this amazing document. I know I am preaching to the choir, but it is amazing that the Founding Fathers were able to construct a framework that was (and still is) acceptable to the diverse wants and needs of our nation. This document is exceptional for the way it pulled the early American states together, giving the people and the states a voice in the federal government, but I think it is even more astonishing that the Founders were able to craft a document that has been able to adapt to a changing world. Over the last 228 years this framework has allowed our nation to deal with expansion, division, oppression, innovation, war, crises, and much more.

Constitution Day offers us a great opportunity to expose our students to the wonder of our founding. I encourage all teachers to seize this chance to allow your students to explore the Constitution (what a great opportunity to integrate a primary source!) and to allow them to see why this document has endured through the years and become a model for the world. Below are a few of the thousands of resources available for teachers and students to use on Constitution Day:

• National Constitution Center - includes an interactive Constitution, Constitution Hall Pass videos, Constitution Day Live Blog (answering questions about the Constitution), lesson plans, Preamble kit, Which Founder are You Quiz, naturalization test, and more
• National Archives  - includes information, activities, a teaching unit, and more
• Discovery Education - includes live events, lessons, and resources
• iCivics - includes a number of great activities, lessons, and games
• TCI Lesson Plan (History Alive!)
• Civics Renewal Network - includes lessons, activities, games, and the Preamble Challenge

Give me an I! Give me an S! Give me a T! Give me an E! What’s that Spell!? ISTE!!!

I was lucky to attend my first ISTE conference last week. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) is the premier ed tech conference in the world. With more than 21,000 attendees and over 1000 learning sessions it was nearly impossible not to take some valuable information away from this conference. I learned many new things and was exposed to many great ideas, but to me the most valuable part of attending any conference is the inspiration I draw from the speakers and other attendees. Being around so many passionate educators always energizes me and causes me to reflect upon my own practices. I think this is the true value of attending conferences. Sure, it's great to learn something new and to get a few lessons or tools you can turn around and use, but the greatest benefit is that it causes us to look within ourselves. This reflection helps us to keep our passion and to continue changing and growing as educators. As George Couros said in a session I attended, “Change is an opportunity to do something amazing.”

Building on this point, George pointed out that innovation is not the same for everyone. My journey from point A to point B is likely different from yours. Not only do we each implement our own strategies for change, but we each have different starting and ending points. The importance lies not necessarily in where you start or where you end, but in that you are progressing from one point to another. The goal is continual improvement, not reaching a specific end point. This is nothing new, most of us have always wanted to keep getting better, but this really resonated with me as I thought about how it applies to our reflection as educators. It is essential that we reflect upon where we are and how we can continue to grow. This not only improves our professional practices, but it also models reflective practice for our students. This was a key point that Will Richardson brought up at another session I attended; we as modern educators must model modern learning for our students.

The emphasis on students was a consistent theme at most of the sessions I attended. I know this seems like an obvious point (I mean it is an education conference, right?), but often our learning loses its focus. As Scott McLeod pointed out, conference sessions sometimes get sidetracked by highlighting tools or other information rather than focusing on student learning. I think educators need to learn about new tools, but many presenters at ISTE pointed out that in today’s world the importance must be on learning rather than the tools used to achieve learning. George Couros reminded us that the process of learning is much more important than the product created by students. Will Richardson emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for students to learn continuously, adapt, and solve problems. Educators must recognize that the content or skills from our curriculum are not as important as helping students learn how to learn. Will stressed that flexibility, problem solving, and creativity will be the most important skills moving forward. Alan November challenged us to teach kids to ask questions and allow them to find the answers. This motivates and engages students while often resulting in more complex problems than those designed by teachers for a class. George Couros reinforced this point as he reminded us that power is not in the consumption of information, but the creation of it.

As I’ve tried to summarize my thoughts from ISTE (a technology conference), tech is conspicuously absent from my reflections. I saw many new tech products in the vendor’s area, I learned about a few new tools in sessions I attended, and I heard conversations among attendees about new technologies. Some of these tools sound great. I will probably use some products I learned about at ISTE. However, I think the bigger theme was emphasized by Alan November when he said, “Technology makes no difference unless you change the work students do.” He went on to stress that we need to take the focus off technology and put the focus on the learning that can occur when technology is used effectively. Will Richardson shared a similar sentiment as he explained that transformative education is student organized with depth and complexity, but it does not require technology. When used effectively, tech can amplify powerful learning, but it is not a necessity. As George Couros said, “Technology in the hands of a great teacher can be transformational.” But, it is essential that teaching and learning are placed ahead of the technology.

George Couros proposed one simple step to promote change within schools. He urged teachers to tweet one thing a day they did in their classroom to a school hashtag and then take five minutes a day to read each other’s tweets. I think George rightly predicted that this would have an enormous impact upon learning and school culture. This opens up the confines of each classroom and challenges all teachers to create an engaging, stimulating classroom environment. Sharing and collaboration are invaluable in our journey of continuous improvement.

I may not have shared a lot of specific, concrete things I learned at ISTE, but this conference’s affect on me is more conceptual. I began this post by reiterating the value of reflection for educators. I believe this is the most important takeaway from any educational conference. Many sessions advertise resources, ideas, or lessons that you can use on Monday, but the things that truly change our educational practices are not so tangible. To create powerful learning we must constantly be challenged to reflect, refine, and improve our educational practices. The speakers and attendees at ISTE challenged and inspired me, causing me to reflect upon my own beliefs and practices. This is the true value of educational conferences and this is why I would like to see opportunities expanded for all educators to attend more conferences. I think this would help to energize, enthuse and reignite our passions for education.