The "Detroit" group met yesterday to discuss current projects. Not everything is "CBL," but it's good stuff. Students in a short story class interviewed people who grew up in Detroit or live there now to hear their storied and, I think, to incorporate them into their own writing. A Spanish teacher plans a field trip to talk to people in the southwest part of the city where a largely hispanic population resides. Our group talked about how there is a fear of the unknown among some suburban families, and providing opportunities to connect with people they might not otherwise meet could make a difference in their attitudes about the city.
As for me, the course I'm planning for is not in my schedule again until next year, so I have only ideas swirling around in my head for now.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Not my CBL update
Last week I got an invitation to be part of a panel to listen to the presentation of previously mentioned AP Gov students of their project on health care. Other panelists will include folks in the fields of health and insurance. It's on a Sunday, and it's beyond my job description as a Monday-Friday teacher, but I am happy to go. I want to support what these students are doing and learning, yes. But I think I will learn some things myself!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Not my CBL
Today I sent a link to an article in today's local paper to some students, just in case they might find it useful for a project they are doing. I've done things like that before, but the difference is, the project is not for my class.
As our school moves forward trying to incorporate CBL into the curriculum, there have been some "hiccups" to be sure. But there has been growth, too. One area has to do with conversations and collaborations taking place among teachers of different departments and even staff members who do not teach. Because I have been very aware of the current AP Government CBL, I have asked some of my students about it when it became clear from their conversations that they are are part of the effort.
To be truthful, not every student is entirely filled with enthusiasm, as was the case in my own venture last semester. But when the spark of learning catches fire, it's a great thing to watch.
Another student is not currently in my own classes, but asked to interview me because of my own experiences with her issue. When I saw her again later, she was excited to tell me some of what she had planned in the way of research. She was positively effervescent about the learning experience she and her group had taken charge of. Her enthusiasm fanned the flames of my own curiosity, and I've already told her I would like to see her group's presentation down the road, since the class is during my prep period. I already know that the teacher will welcome me into the class.
Department lines are getting blurred just a bit, as our faculty and staff begin to see we can encourage our students' learning even beyond our own areas.
As our school moves forward trying to incorporate CBL into the curriculum, there have been some "hiccups" to be sure. But there has been growth, too. One area has to do with conversations and collaborations taking place among teachers of different departments and even staff members who do not teach. Because I have been very aware of the current AP Government CBL, I have asked some of my students about it when it became clear from their conversations that they are are part of the effort.
To be truthful, not every student is entirely filled with enthusiasm, as was the case in my own venture last semester. But when the spark of learning catches fire, it's a great thing to watch.
Another student is not currently in my own classes, but asked to interview me because of my own experiences with her issue. When I saw her again later, she was excited to tell me some of what she had planned in the way of research. She was positively effervescent about the learning experience she and her group had taken charge of. Her enthusiasm fanned the flames of my own curiosity, and I've already told her I would like to see her group's presentation down the road, since the class is during my prep period. I already know that the teacher will welcome me into the class.
Department lines are getting blurred just a bit, as our faculty and staff begin to see we can encourage our students' learning even beyond our own areas.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
More about CBL
In professional development sessions with groups of about fifteen faculty and staff members once every six school days, we are wordsmithing challenges that we hope to integrate into the curriculum next year if not before. The groups for each specific challenge were formed in November, so in some ways it seems like we haven't made much progress yet in over two months.
To me it highlights the importance of getting the challenge right.
In the project I did last semester, the challenge I gave the girls was "too amorphous," borrowing words from our CBL guru Larry Baker. In effect, I was really giving each group the responsibility of forming their own challenge. I don't think it's a bad idea if time is not a factor. But considering the importance of a well-formulated challenge and the difficulty of crafting one (at least by those not steeped in CBL), I can see that next time I need to bring the students in a little farther down the road.
To me it highlights the importance of getting the challenge right.
In the project I did last semester, the challenge I gave the girls was "too amorphous," borrowing words from our CBL guru Larry Baker. In effect, I was really giving each group the responsibility of forming their own challenge. I don't think it's a bad idea if time is not a factor. But considering the importance of a well-formulated challenge and the difficulty of crafting one (at least by those not steeped in CBL), I can see that next time I need to bring the students in a little farther down the road.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Reflection on the Justice and Peace project
The mantra in my head during the last weeks of the project process was inspired by a colleague at a meeting a few weeks ago: "I am not afraid of failure." Not that I was worried or anything...
The projects were complete and presented earlier in the new year, and I don't think they failed. One goal was for a "richer" experience for my students than what last year's final project in the class provided. Goal achieved. I hoped to understand better how the CBL process works. Mission accomplished. And along the way I witnessed good thinking, enthusiasm about topics such as community, environment and abortion, and good learning -- about those content areas, technology, and about, well, learning.
But there was room for improvement. The quality of the "solutions" was uneven, though as the presentations were carried out, I saw some good research, some good design, some creativity. At times directions were not followed. Some creative ideas were left by the wayside due to procrastination or for other reasons. Some groups did not take their efforts as far as they could've, would've, should've.
I feel that I discussed the project well enough in class, nudged and prodded, offered feedback and clear directions and guidelines. But those guidelines were not always met. So, based on my own reflection and feedback solicited from students, what will I do differently next time?
1. Maybe I won't present it all at once. Students seemed confused at first by what the "solution" would entail. Maybe I will just have them ask the questions and seek the information and then ask, "What are you going to do with this?" I'm not sure about this yet.
2. Be even more of a cheerleader. And be more insistent about thinking "outside the box" (cliche, I know). Make clearer that "variety of sources" does not mean "different websites."
3. Verify that my written feedback is getting through. I wrote comments on Google docs, but I'm not really certain, now that I think of it, that they were read. I assumed too much.
4. Be more insistent about students documenting roles, responsibilities and deadlines. I feel that our students are used to getting things done by hook or by crook, and all that matters to them is having a final product by a final deadline. It wasn't clear to them that for me, the process was important, too (though it should have been clear, and more so for the 25% or so who actually accessed the rubric provided well in advance on Moodle). For some, collaboration skills are lacking. You can't complain that your classmate let you down if you and your classmate did not reach an agreement about what she would be responsible for.
5. Have another look at the timeline. Too much time? Too little? Most students seemed comfortable with the time given, but I saw them working toward the end of deadlines. One group wished they had learned about the project early in the semester.
Surprisingly, the technology aspect was not too troublesome. I had, I think, two students come to me with issues regarding uploading material. But I also had students editing video and creating websites, in some cases without previous experience.
I don't teach this course in the current semester, so I'll have a while before I go at this particular assignment again, and it's going to have a different flavor. I am in an interdisciplinary collaboration of my own with colleagues who will focus in various classes on "re-imagining Detroit." I'm excited to see where that may lead... next year.
The projects were complete and presented earlier in the new year, and I don't think they failed. One goal was for a "richer" experience for my students than what last year's final project in the class provided. Goal achieved. I hoped to understand better how the CBL process works. Mission accomplished. And along the way I witnessed good thinking, enthusiasm about topics such as community, environment and abortion, and good learning -- about those content areas, technology, and about, well, learning.
But there was room for improvement. The quality of the "solutions" was uneven, though as the presentations were carried out, I saw some good research, some good design, some creativity. At times directions were not followed. Some creative ideas were left by the wayside due to procrastination or for other reasons. Some groups did not take their efforts as far as they could've, would've, should've.
I feel that I discussed the project well enough in class, nudged and prodded, offered feedback and clear directions and guidelines. But those guidelines were not always met. So, based on my own reflection and feedback solicited from students, what will I do differently next time?
1. Maybe I won't present it all at once. Students seemed confused at first by what the "solution" would entail. Maybe I will just have them ask the questions and seek the information and then ask, "What are you going to do with this?" I'm not sure about this yet.
2. Be even more of a cheerleader. And be more insistent about thinking "outside the box" (cliche, I know). Make clearer that "variety of sources" does not mean "different websites."
3. Verify that my written feedback is getting through. I wrote comments on Google docs, but I'm not really certain, now that I think of it, that they were read. I assumed too much.
4. Be more insistent about students documenting roles, responsibilities and deadlines. I feel that our students are used to getting things done by hook or by crook, and all that matters to them is having a final product by a final deadline. It wasn't clear to them that for me, the process was important, too (though it should have been clear, and more so for the 25% or so who actually accessed the rubric provided well in advance on Moodle). For some, collaboration skills are lacking. You can't complain that your classmate let you down if you and your classmate did not reach an agreement about what she would be responsible for.
5. Have another look at the timeline. Too much time? Too little? Most students seemed comfortable with the time given, but I saw them working toward the end of deadlines. One group wished they had learned about the project early in the semester.
Surprisingly, the technology aspect was not too troublesome. I had, I think, two students come to me with issues regarding uploading material. But I also had students editing video and creating websites, in some cases without previous experience.
I don't teach this course in the current semester, so I'll have a while before I go at this particular assignment again, and it's going to have a different flavor. I am in an interdisciplinary collaboration of my own with colleagues who will focus in various classes on "re-imagining Detroit." I'm excited to see where that may lead... next year.
Calendars galore
Even as a teacher interested in ways that technology can help the classroom experience, there is one area that I had been avoiding: calendars. Some teachers make homework assignments available online. I resisted at first, just as I resisted when our school tried to implement a homework hotline that made the information available during after-school hours. My reasoning was that if I tell students verbally and write it on the board, that should be enough. Having the information available at all times gave students an excuse not to pay attention in class.
Which seems a bit silly now, of course.
What changed my mind was that there are always a number of absent students. And now instead of students coming to class and asking, "what did I miss?" I more often have e-mails. After responding to plenty of those over time, I decided there must be a better way. So, for a while I tried to remember to post assignments in a particular spot on Moodle. (Moodle has a calendar feature, but since I don't have different sections separated out, it won't do the job for me). That didn't last too long.
Now, after trying out a couple of personal calendars on Google, I am doing a full-fledged experiment with Google calendars for homework. One for each class. We'll see if I can get into the groove and remember to post, once a week, as I do my plans. I hope it will save time overall, with fewer e-mails to respond to.
Which seems a bit silly now, of course.
What changed my mind was that there are always a number of absent students. And now instead of students coming to class and asking, "what did I miss?" I more often have e-mails. After responding to plenty of those over time, I decided there must be a better way. So, for a while I tried to remember to post assignments in a particular spot on Moodle. (Moodle has a calendar feature, but since I don't have different sections separated out, it won't do the job for me). That didn't last too long.
Now, after trying out a couple of personal calendars on Google, I am doing a full-fledged experiment with Google calendars for homework. One for each class. We'll see if I can get into the groove and remember to post, once a week, as I do my plans. I hope it will save time overall, with fewer e-mails to respond to.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Better late...
Today is a project day, and things are finally starting to get a little more concrete. Students have been enthusiastic all along, but it seems that their project has often taken a back seat to other homework and other things going on in their lives. As Christmas break nears (as well as the deadline right after) some things have gone by the wayside, including what I thought was an interesting idea to do a "whiteboard" video. But some conversations with staff in the building are beginning to happen, and the final product is starting to look more fleshed out for some groups.
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