As the semester comes to a close, I have said "we all need a break" too many times to count. What should be a joyful time of year turns into a miserable one, ready to just be done and move on.
Lately, I have been in a funk because my classroom has turned into one I despise, full of rote-memorization and regurgitation of step-by-step procedures. I do not want to build robots, I want to build thinkers, and I am not teaching just math, there should be more. When travelling down the rabbit hole of reading online, I stumbled upon an Edutopia article, 9 Brain Breaks That Teens Will Love and some reasonable ways to incorporate breaks daily. This article connected to an article written by Paige Tutt, 17 Brain Breaks Tailored for High Schoolers. Here were a few I loved.
I hope these brain breaks will bring some joy back into the classroom but also some 21st century skills, like communication, collaboration, and creativity. We all need a break once in a while from the routine of school, but why can't we take a break and still be learning and growing together?
References
9 brain breaks teens will love. (2023, November 9). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBjMEVbnZ4E&t=166s
9 brain breaks that teens will love. (2023, November 9). Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/video/9-brain-breaks-teens-will-love-middle-high-school Tutt, P. (2023, September 1). 17 brain breaks tailored for high schoolers. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/17-brain-breaks-tailored-for-high-schoolers/
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What is fantastic about my collaborative group is that not only do we influence our social ability, we delegate our time and conversations between the courses we are taking together. While there are a lot of similarities between how we approached our course on Leading Organization Changes to the Growth Mindset course, there were also distinct differences. These differences can be categorized into leading, organizing, and changing, just like the class covers and they apply to my individual approach as well. Leading Leading for me is not necessarily attached to an official title, but rather being the example or role model for others to see, hear, and act like to be better themselves. Being actively engaged in the weekly class meetings as well as in the discussion boards were some ways I led, but something I know I can improve upon though is my timing and being proactive in completing readings, reflections, and posts in case of setbacks. This term's setback was getting the flu. Could I have foreseen the illness? No, but I could have not procrastinated to the point where I needed to ask for an extension on my Big Picture Growth. If I had been intentional about spacing out my work and not relying on being able to complete it in a short amount of time, it is likely I would have been fine. Even after my submissions, I would go back and adjust components based on my new learning and perspective.
Organizing What felt like the most intense reading expectations so far in our master's program, we identified that splitting the work and becoming mini-experts in a section was best. We agreed that everyone would be expected to read the introductory and concluding chapters, otherwise the reading was divided amongst us by chapters or topics and we would summarize we have read in a shared document. Choices were made based on our innovation plans and education roles. A screenshot of our Influencer book notes. A screenshot of our 4 Disciplines of Execution book notes.
We also looked to include examples we found in past student work, articles, or other professional blog posts that included the fundamentals of the four disciplines of execution or explaining the why. It did not hurt either that Hillary's husband found a great summarization of 4 Disciplines of Execution and that Amanda reads Crucial Conversations every year (I think she has some fancy certification as a trainer for it). Even if I did not always participate in the discussion boards during the appropriate weeks, that did not prohibit me from reading what others shared to start formulating my own connections and ideas. This also led me into a routine of revisiting assignments or blog posts to integrate my new learning and connections from other's viewpoints or ePortfolios. Changing A lot of changing happened during this class too. There were times when the readings, assignments, videos, and discussions were deprioritized. Even now, when writing this, I am fully aware there is a discussion board I have not posted to... yet... but my self-responsible nature will nudge me to getting it done. I sometimes become figuratively paralyzed due in large part to the juggling act of all of my professional and personal roles especially in the midst of a NOW culture. Reflecting my journey from where I have left to where I am headed, including my mental health journey, helps me remember that we exist in a gray world and depending upon the day and circumstances, we could be anywhere in that spectrum of gray. It changes every day. Ultimately, the course on leading organization change incorporated each word: changing in the form of Big Picture Growth, leading and organizing in the form of Big Picture Goals. We often let life and the whirlwind can take over but once the storm clears and the rainbow comes, we can keep moving forward together. While I was never at 100%, I would give myself a 93/100 to my contributions to learning in my Leading Organization Change course. If I keep leading, organizing, and changing, it will only get better. References Covey, S., McChesney, C., & Huling, J. (2018). 4 Disciplines Of Execution. Simon & Schuster Ltd.
Grenny, J. (2013). Influencer : The new science of leading change. Mcgraw-Hill Education. In the blink of an eye, my second term of my master’s is coming to a close. We just started the semester right? The accelerated program definitely feels accelerated… Fortunately, what is really working well has been maintaining the collaborative group I met this summer, but our approach to collaboration shifted once the school year started. Amanda, Hillary, Lindsay, and myself, along with Mikeela and Samantha, have drastically different schedules and family lives, so we found ourselves texting each other encouraging, and sometimes witty messages, as we struggled balancing all of the obligations of our jobs, our families, our Leading Organization Change class, as well as the Growth Mindset course. We found stability in dividing and conquering some of the reading, summarizing what we have read in a shared document, and providing feedback to blog posts and assignment pages when needed in Zoom meetings. Through our collaboration too, we often delegated who was the “leader” in that particular assignment or phase because we knew that week-to-week, someone would be a little less active in the collaboration due to other components of life… which includes…. when I got sick with the flu the first weekend of September and fell behind in my coursework. There were nights when the readings, assignments, videos and discussions were on the bottom of my list because it was necessary for me to take care of my physical well-being first. Part of the reason I became so quickly incapacitated was my struggle with time management. My body rapidly decided I need to stop for a moment. Balancing my different roles, such as campus Algebra 2 team leader, campus department leader, district national merit preparation program facilitator, along with wife, friend, daughter, was overwhelming but really I am partially to blame. My inner-procrastinator came out, and even though I know procrastination is a fight-or-flight response (check out this article from Psychology Today), this little bird wanted to desperately take flight. Recognizing where I have been and how far I have come in my journey, including my mental health journey, brought into perspective that we exist in ebbs and flows, and it is okay to be at a low as long as you do not settle there and dwell in the pit. Considering my why and how I want to be a butterfly, I did not let these setbacks stop me from moving forward one small step at a time. Even if I did not always participate in the discussion boards during the appropriate weeks, at least twice a week I go into the boards and read what others have written. I would reply when I feel as though my perspective would add value to the conversation or when I think words of affirmation or gratitude would support the growth of others. This rang true in our weekly class meetings and discussions, speaking up to engage in conversation, individually messaging people with ideas and feedback, etc. These intentional actions led me to consistently be one of the top contributors to the discussion boards and breakout rooms. This also established a routine for me of revising assignments or blog posts to incorporate my new learning and connections after revisiting discussions or other people’s ePortfolios. All of my posts and replies are very authentic and genuinely driven by my desire to connect with people and encourage others to do the same. Ironically, the only discussion board that I did not directly engage in was the networking discussion because I felt as though the list I would create would not be true to my actual engagement with them. The groups I engage with the most frequently are not necessarily formal because I do not have the capacity to devote any more time or energy into another thing that would only be done to satisfy an assignment requirement. Ultimately, the course on growth mindset has helped me see growth mindset in growth mindset... life and the whirlwind can take over but once the storm clears and the rainbow comes, we can keep moving forward together. While I did not reach my fullest potential, I would give myself a 95/100 to my contributions to learning in my Growth Mindset course. Now that I have experienced the beginning of the school year in addition to late nights completing my master’s program, I am back on track ready to keep learning, growing, improving, and being the best I can be each day. References Tarnowski, D. (2023, September 13). Instagram. Www.instagram.com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CxIuYEhuRul/?hl=en
Stumbling upon a Reddit post about New York City and the reputation of being rude, someone clearly articulated why there are people who agree with this stereotype and others simply don't see it. The response was about ask culture versus guess culture. The moment of new perspective and clarity hit me so hard that I have to share it and connect it to my classroom. The following video is a great explanation of the two different cultures.
Personally, I lean more towards ask. Being direct with me eliminates any ambiguity of what you might actually mean and it is not my fault that you did not clearly articulate your needs or desires. The superpower of mindreading is one of the last things I would want, especially if I don't need it when you can just tell me what's on your mind if you feel comfortable to do so. Being direct can also mean actually telling me you aren't comfortable to share. Around certain people, I become a guess because it's my attempt to mirror their style and not be offensive. Now, when in my classroom, I have to consider how my students live with these different perspectives and how our interactions are a result of these cultures. Naturally, like-minded people tend to get along well with each other. It's when an ask person and a guess person start to communicate that trouble could happen. Every year, I start the school year off by sharing with students The Yet Mindset but this has me thinking there could be more this or that perspectives worth exploring and sharing, starting with Ask or Guess. Being aware of your own perspective, other perspectives, and how all of them come across to others really opens up better communication and collaboration between students, building a positive classroom culture. Initially, I thought about simply fostering an ask culture in my classroom because that's what I am comfortable with. We tend to follow confirmation bias, especially as we grow older, so rather than restrict students for my benefit (I am literally rolling my eyes with how selfish I sound by saying that) , embracing both viewpoints is another opportunity to incorporate 21st century skills: communication, collaboration, metacognition, and reflection. We can start Teaching 21st Century Skills in a Blended Learning Environment and really building the whole student while also learning and growing ourselves.
References
Therapy in a Nutshell. (2022). Are You Ask Culture or Guess Culture? This Communication Skill Is Life-Changing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OXlZUfbsPI
I mentioned in my post Learning from Others and Myself - Applying Disruptive Innovation that when I began the Applied Digital Learning (ADL) master's program, I thought the perceived asynchronous nature would mean going "Balls to the Wall" or Not At All and finishing all lessons, assignments, and tests before the July 4th weekend. After the class opened online and our first virtual class meeting, I quickly realized my expectations were way off the mark, but in the best way possible. My collaborative group, including Amanda Mask, Lindsay Krueger, and Hillary Turnage (with Samantha Jimenez and Mikeela Pittman joining on occasion), mostly discussed our other summer class, but we intentionally spent time reviewing each other's ePortfolios. Our different backgrounds and experience, along with the various platforms we use, allowed us to get inspiration from the different perspectives but also confirm our own voices. We created a vulnerable space where sharing our struggles and anxieties of building the ePortfolio from scratch was normal because through each other's experiences, we got better. I would consider Amanda, Lindsay, and Hillary my core group, as we plan on sticking this program out together until the end, holding each other accountable when balancing life, work, and school gets tough as well as celebrating each other's victories. There were other classmates who reached out a few weeks later looking to collaborate and while our key group was established, I replied by saying one-on-one collaboration was something else I would love to participate in. The only person who took me up on my idea was Nwamaka Nwaeme. We spend time focusing solely on our ePortfolios, discussing changes we have made and reading each other's blog posts, as well as commenting. This included changing font sizes and colors after feedback on my post ePortfolios - GenuineLee Me Pt. 2 as well as adding pictures and citations to a variety of other posts. Nwamaka and I during one of our collaborative meetings These meetings are one element of how I have contributed to my learning and the learning of others. Naturally, I track quantitative data. Here are some numbers on my discussion board contributions for the ePortfolio course:
Exactly like my other class, I participated in class meetings and breakout rooms and watched the recordings again if needed. In whole class discussion, I often waited to hear other questions and perspectives, then chimed in when a question had not been asked or addressed. Occasionally, I wrote messages in the general chat or to individual classmates about resources or thoughts that could help support their learning. When I examine how I contributed to the learning of others and myself, particularly comparing my efforts with my professor's key and supporting contributions I would grade myself 98/100. We all have room for improvement but establishing high standards for myself from the onset has really pushed me to reach outside of my comfort zone and grow more than I expected. Starting the Applied Digital Learning (ADL) master's program, I assumed it would be a breeze. I would knock out all of the presumed asynchronous work in a few weeks with time to spare until the next round of classes. Almost instantly, it was apparent that I was wrong. Not only because collaboration is part of the grade, but more importantly because it was what I truly craved in seeking higher education. My life motto is "Balls to the Wall" or Not at All, and that's how I started off in my class "Applying Disruptive Innovation". When class started, I immediately posted an introduction and spent time reading about others' lives in theirs. The next day, after our first class meeting and connecting with Amanda Mask and Lindsay Krueger in breakout rooms, I reached out to them to start collaborating. Dr. Harapnuik didn't give any rules/details on how to form collaborative groups and that initially bothered me because it forced me to a place of vulnerability. What if they already had a group? Would I come off as way too eager? What if they find me overbearing? Thankfully though, I noticed they were equally as enthusiastic about posting in discussion boards and replying to others' ideas, so we started meeting weekly, quickly bringing in Hillary Turnage. Also, Samantha Jimenez and Mikeela Pittman joined on occasion. From left to right, top to bottom: Lindsay, Amanda, myself, Samantha, Hillary, and Mikeela in one of our collaborative meetings Through this group, we divided and conquered! Part of our collective plan has been to stay ahead in order to create opportunities to give/receive feedback, as well as reflect on how we are feeling through the process. This has meant a lot of comments left in Word documents, questions asked and feedback provided during our Zoom conversations, and text messages sent. This really helped to build my innovation plan Teaching 21st Century Skills in a Blended Learning Environment into what it is today based on the feedback I received and the revisions I made accordingly.
We have decided to stick together and be each other's motivators to continue the accelerated ADL program as a team. I needed to find others in education who were at a similar place in life so we could be a supportive community to help each other through the thick and thin, especially when we get to taking classes AND TEACHING THEM! Yikes what a thought. Not only did I rely on this smaller group for collaboration and learning, I tried to foster a similar collaborative environment in the discussion boards and class meetings. I read every article and watched every video, usually more than once. My discussion posts and replies did not simply summarize what I read about or saw but rather wrote how the information connected to me. I also attempted to engage others with questioning and replies to their ideas, building on them to consider new perspectives. A way I tracked my progress was collecting quantitative data. Here are some numbers on my contributions:
I attended class meetings, watched the recordings again if needed, and participated in the breakout rooms. When opportunities arose to ask questions or engage in whole class discussion, I generally waited to see what others had to say, then chimed in when a question my small group or breakout room had that others are afraid to ask. Occasionally, I put information in the general chat or individually messaged classmates with ideas or resources that could help support them in their learning. There was often hesitation: What if I come across as a know-it-all? What if people see me as disingenuous? What I have learned so far is that I just need to be me and reflect on how I can continue to grow and be better. If others appreciate that and are drawn to it, great! If others are not, then that's okay too, but I can learn how to better approach those people. Most people want connection but are afraid to step out of their comfort zone, especially with a virtual stranger. Ultimately, when looking at how I contributed to the learning of others and myself, specifically against the key and supporting contributions my professor has defined, I give myself a 49/50. There are always things I can do better, but I set the bar really high for myself from the beginning and I think I've met it and pushed the bar higher. I keep typing, deleting, typing, deleting, not sure how to articulate the many benefits to creating collaborative communities. This is why I used pictures in my About page because there are not words in the English language (or any language really) to describe me or my thoughts succinctly.
There are plenty of personal examples from my life where I have built incredible relationships and learned how to communicate and contribute to the enrichment of my life and the lives of others, but it's my past professional communities that encourage me to share the importance of creating collaborative communities as an educator. Creating collaborative communities are also opportunities to build the 21st Century Skills through Experience I desire my students to also have. My path into the classroom started with Teach For America and the cohort I was a part of included myself and eleven other corps members placed at the same school. We shared the same students, same building, same administration, and there were benefits of this community. Because of our shared experience being thrown into the fire, we learned a lot through our constant communication and collaboration with how to address the plethora of obstacles we faced. Then, an opportunity presented itself to join a Critical Friends Group (CFG) through the district, and while the stipend attached was the initial motivating factor, reflecting back, I discovered the importance of creating a collaborative community with people outside of my campus, outside of my grade level, outside of my subject area (What is CFG Work?) because the variety of perspectives stretched my thinking and held me accountable to keep learning from others. When this group disbanded after two years, my heart and head craved for continued connection. While in my Masters of Education Applied Digital Learning program, I have found a group of inspirational educators, people who I would never have gotten the privilege of learning from if we had not all taken the personal leap to better ourselves and our practice, that have already starting to satisfy that craving. My Community in Collaboration shares the ePortfolios of those wonderful women, see what we've accomplished so far and discover the benefits from our experience. Take the chance on yourself to create your own collaborative community. |
My husband lovingly teases me when I reflect on my day with him and say "I learned something new today!" because he would be surprised if I didn't learn something new.
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