Learn Like A Pirate: Active Learning

It's time for another chapter of Learn Like a Pirate! I was late to the game last week, but you can check out my post HERE, where you will also find this great FREEBIE I made to go with the discussion about classroom jobs. Chapter 5 was definitely my favorite, so make sure and check it out!

When I'm thinking about what to blog about the reading, I really like to focus on what stood out most to me when I was reading. You know...that thing that when you read it you immediately text someone who will think it's just as amazing as you? 

So, maybe you don't do it at 1:39am like I do, but my teacher friend Shari is not surprised by this.  

But before I get to the story behind the text, I want to focus on something significant in this chapter. Solarz spends a great deal of time discussing Science Fairs. I'll be honest when I say that I thought Science Fairs were dead. Or optional. Or at least that's the way it was at my kids' school. If you wanted to you could, but it was to be completed at home on your own time with these vague instructions. And don't even bother asking questions because if you didn't understand the instructions, maybe you just shouldn't do anything at all for the Science Fair.

Sound familiar?

But, hey-I'm not going to put all the blame on the schools. I have 3 kids of my own, and seriously, the last thing I want to do after being at school all day is work on a science project. Ugh. Seriously.

So this is where LLAP comes into play. Solarz asks a serious question:

Aren't science fairs one of the best ways to do this? Solarz says that students become much more invested in the learning process when they are given time to explore interests of their own. Science fairs allow students to do just this and put the focus on science.

Here's the key (and the beginning of the connection to the middle of the night text):

The ENTIRE PROJECT must be done in school.

That's it. Pretty simple, right? And I'm pretty sure parents would appreciate it.

Of course, Solarz helps by supplying most of the needed materials and helps students collect data. Not to mention, additional help is always available from classmates. 

But this will take time away from instruction!!!

Only if you let it. Solarz allows students to work on projects before and after school and at recess. All the "paperwork" is done as a class, and he walks the students through a few steps each day and allows them some time to work.

But what if the students aren't working???

Solarz has deadlines to keep all the students on track. But, he also emphasizes that since they are in charge of choosing their projects, they are even more motivated to learn and more engaged. 

Now, remember that text to Shari? I told her that Solarz said that students lose ownership when they take work home. Think of how many times you have "helped" your own child. I know for a fact that I dominate projects at home. I am so guilty of taking ownership away from my boys. I thought it was better for them and quicker for me. Now I realize I wasn't really doing my kids a favor. In fact, I now realize it was an injustice to them. But talk about some serious mom guilt. Isn't it my JOB to help my kids? 

Well, instead of dwelling on that, I'm going to focus on the fact that Solarz also says that student skills will be able to mature because parents aren't there. Now-am I saying to be completely hands-off when it comes to homework or home projects? Absolutely not! But-I think it's time we-and especially I-start to understand that allowing kids to lead their own learning and make mistakes is valuable to the learning process. 

I also want to point out that Solarz is still there to oversee the entire process and give feedback to the students. But-I think the real truth lies in what students are able to do independently without the interference of adults. I can't wait to try it!

Well, lots of you are in Vegas, and I hope you're having a blast! I'm sitting here at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City listening to the sounds of kids sleeping after a hard day of playing.

And I would not want to be anywhere else. :)

PS: Don't forget to check out the blogs below for more insight into this chapter.

An InLinkz Link-up

Learn Like A Pirate: Responsibility

It's week 5 of the Learn Like A Pirate book study...and I have been so excited to share my thoughts on this chapter! Let's just get right to it, shall we?

Chapter 5 has been BY FAR my favorite chapter. It dives into student responsibilities, which are vital to the student-led classroom. But, how do we determine which responsibilities fall on the teacher, the whole class, or individual students? How do I decide which jobs need to actually be assigned to a single student versus a job that could be done by anyone? How can I make sure all those paper scraps get picked up off the floor? And pencils get sharpened? And the absent kids' chairs get stacked? (Because we've all heard, "But that's not my chair!" a million times.)

And-of course-how will this impact the student-led classroom? 

The first thing to point out is that Solarz has two categories for student responsibilities: classroom jobs and collaborative responsibilities. 

So what do you consider important jobs that must be done daily? I immediately thought of someone to dump the pencil sharpener. That thing drove me nuts this year. They would wait until it wouldn't sharpen anymore, and then they would insist it was broken. Oiy. And a mail person-if I waited until I had time to do it, it would never get done.

Solarz did mention these jobs, plus several more like an announcer, morning greeter, and an evaluator. The evaluator is my favorite since it allows students to reflect on their day and set a goal for the next day. That one will definitely be in my room this year.

But let's not forget about everything else that still needs to get done (like stacked chairs). This is where collaborative responsibility comes in.

Now, let me point out that in order for our students to recognize these collaborative responsibilities, we need to first identify them and give our students the opportunity to actually do them. This could include transitions between subjects, getting materials, answering the phone, and stacking chairs. 

But what happens when they neglect these responsibilities? Well, Solarz suggests a couple of things. You could do it for them, and then tell them you expect them to take responsibility for it in the future. You could ask a specific student to do it, then let them know someone else will do it the next time. If it still doesn't stick, you could make it a permanent job or simply allow natural consequences (like missing recess or being late to specials) to occur.

The chapter goes on to discuss the difference between routines and rituals, which I won't delve into, but you should definitely check out. To be honest, I never realized the difference until I read this chapter. Also, I was really intrigued by Solarz' end-of-day ritual. This is where that evaluator job becomes so important. Definitely check it out!

But, before I head out, I wanted to share the job cards I made for my class this year. They are pulled from the book, and I cannot wait to use them. You can click HERE or on the pictures below to download them for free. There is even a separate file with editable cards to add more jobs for your room. 

I hope you all have a happy holiday weekend! And don't forget to check out some other thoughts on this chapter.

An InLinkz Link-up

Learn Like a Pirate-Got Concerns?

This-my friends-is an understatement. To say that I find committing to a student-led classroom absolutely terrifying does not even begin to cover it. I've actually caught myself beginning to sweat when I first starting contemplating the idea.

Seriously people...I was sweating like a gal who just ran a marathon. Except without that feeling of accomplishment. Unless you count the king-sized Hershey bar with almonds I finished off in under 3 minutes calm myself down. (It's the small victories.)

Okay, so obviously I have a problem. And that problem would be a control problem. (The eating a king-sized Hershey in under 3 minutes is a gift.) See...I like being in control. Of everything. It spans across my home life and work. I thrive off of it.

Why would I ever let it go? (Cue Elsa.)

Alright, alright. If you read my synopsis of Chapter One from last week, then this should be old news to you. But for those of you just now joining in, I have admitted to my problem and have committed to change. Why?

Because I want what's best for my students. Don't we all?

But I was scared of what might happen. All the doubts and questions flooded into my mind. Worse-case scenarios. What ifs...

Until I read Chapter Two.

Chapter Two laid it all out for me and dispelled EVERY SINGLE CONCERN I had coming into this. I'm not kidding-every single worry that popped into my mind had an answer that made me feel a thousand times more confident in my ability to make this happen.

I don't want to rehash the entire chapter, but I do want to point out my top 3 concerns, share some of the advice Paul Solarz, the author, provided, and give my thoughts:

• My students can't do this. Start small. Give simple jobs. Get them to do single tasks without reminders from you. Slowly build in more responsibility. (I was thinking there would be this massive dump of responsibility on the students. Just like most procedures and activities in the classroom, I need to allow students to build that "stamina" and gradually release them.)
• I don't want chaos. I have students who will ruin it for the class. Solarz discovered that problematic students can do amazingly well in student-led classrooms. He lists power and attention as the two main reasons students misbehave in the first place. A student-led classroom allows them to have both! (This actually makes total sense to me. It's hard to explain, but I want to say I've heard something similar to this before, like allow purposeful disruption. Ultimately, it will still take regular feedback from me and good modeling to limit inappropriate disruptions.)
• I can't fit it all into our curriculum. We'll never get through everything. Solarz suggest we begin by tweaking lessons so that students take on a more active role and teachers take on a more passive role. (We tweak lessons all the time. My thought is if I have to slowly build responsibility for the students, then surely I can slowly build into this idea.)

Chapter 2 goes on to discuss the additional positives of a student-led classroom like increased retention, more time for student feedback, and additional benefits for your teaching career. Seriously-if you get the chance-read it! (And don't forget to check out some additional thoughts by following the links below!)

But-before I head out-I want to leave you with my favorite quote from this chapter...

"Any progress you make toward empowering your students to become active leaders and doers, rather than passive followers who don't know how to think for themselves, will benefit their education." Paul Solarz, Learn Like A Pirate

No matter what happens, I know we will all be better because of it.

Have a great weekend!

An InLinkz Link-up

Learn Like A Pirate-Chapter 1

During my time as a teacher, I have heard this question many, many times. And you know what? I don't think I ever really knew for sure what it was. That's part of the reason I am so excited about this book study. Most of the time I feel as if there is just not enough time in the day to do everything myself. Wouldn't it be great to take something off of my plate and put it on my students' plates? And what if doing that actually benefitted the students more than me? Oh boy...Chapter One definitely got me fired up!

Confession time: I was raised in and still hold a very strong fondness of the traditional, teacher-led classroom. So, doing this will be SUPER HARD for me. I have always struggled with letting go of the reins to my students because...

What if they mess up?

What if they act up?

What if they don't do anything?

What if one student doesn't participate?

What if one student dominates over the other students?

But...I kept coming back to something I read in the introduction of the book. Students need to become risk-takers. How could I ever ask my students to take risks if I'm not willing to do the same? I mean, what might happen? 

Actually, they could...

Make their own decisions without consulting me.

Work together in meaningful tasks.

Listen to one another and ask questions without worry.

Take on more responsibility.

Celebrate and encourage one another.

Guide and lead one another.

Work hard for their teacher.

Seriously??? Why wouldn't I want this kind of learning environment? Ultimately, don't I want what's best for them?

I want my students to know that I care immensely about their success, which brings up another excellent point in Solarz's book. He says, "Student-led classrooms are only effective if students feel safe, appreciated, and connected to their teacher." If this is going to work, I also have to make sure that my students know how much I care for them and want them to succeed. I have to be willing to take a risk. 

So, here I go. I'm taking the risk. You think you might take the risk, too? 

I can't wait to join up again next week when we talk about some of the very questions that went through my head when I started thinking about a student-led classroom. Don't forget to check out some other perspectives on the book study by following some of the links to other blogs below. See you then!

But before you leave...want to win a $50 Target gift card to celebrate the book study? Enter in the giveaway below!

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An InLinkz Link-up