"One Word" for 2017: Purpose

My #OneWord For Teaching and My Classroom This Year 

"Purpose"

Every activity we do should help kids focus on at least one of the 4 C's: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity.  We need to help prepare kids to be members of a global society.  Answering true/false, multiple choice, or matching questions doesn't do that.  Taking standardized tests doesn't do that.  Doing the same old worksheets doesn't do that.  We need to rethink how education works.  And it can start in each of our classrooms.

How do we move from compliance to purpose in the classroom?  

Two beginner steps:

1.  Choice

Telling kids what to do and how to do it, all day, every day, kills their spirit.  Embed choice throughout the day.  It can be as simple as allowing students to choose to write with a pen or a pencil.  choosing to work with a partner or by themselves, or choosing where in the classroom to work on an assignment (think: flexible seating).  

It can be more complex, like choice boards for projects, units, or for early finishers.  It can be allowing students to decide in what order they will complete their work (think: flexible scheduling).  The more students choose for themselves, the more they feel in control.  This leads to increased ownership in the classroom for them, and a smoother running classroom for you.  

2.  Voice   

Students get a LOT of feedback about their work: peer feedback, teacher comments, rubrics, grades. Let them give you some feedback.  Ask them: What do you like best about school?  What do you like least about school?  If you could change one thing about our classroom, what would it be?  If you could change one thing about our school, what would it be?  What worked well about this lesson?  What could we do differently next time?  

Kids need to know you care about what they think.  They have amazing insight and ideas to share ~ we just need to tap into it.

My #OneWord is Purpose

* I want to be purposeful about integrating the 4 C's: 

Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration.

* I want to be purposeful about helping my students 

develop as members of a global community.

* I want to be purposeful about integration 

of design thinking and STEAM activities.

* I want to be purposeful about my own 

professional development and that of colleagues.

* I want to be purposeful about helping students 

develop their individual interest areas.

* I want to be purposeful about 

effective technology integration.

What's your #oneword for teaching this year?

Makerspace

Two years ago I converted my classroom to a Makerspace environment.  In preparing for a couple of professional development sessions we are presenting this summer, I have been reflecting on what has helped the Makerspace concept be successful in my classroom.  Here are some tips!


Makerspace Tips

M - Make learning meaningful.  Makerspaces are full of opportunities.  Students can "make" to show their learning on a topic, demonstrating how they are meeting the learning standards for your district.  They can "make" as part of genius hour/passion projects/independent study/innovation hour. They can make in response to a teacher prompt.  Or, they can make as part of a PBL project.

A - Ask for donations of supplies.  Give parents, staff, and the community a list of materials you would like to add to your space.  I have received LEGOs, wood and foam scraps,  sewing supplies, art materials, and more.  People are very generous, and are often looking for a place to donate things they no longer use.

K - Keep it organized.  I use tubs to sort cardboard, plastic, and Styrofoam.   I put pictures in LEGO kits to help keep the pieces in the right place.  I sort materials by the type of supply. Ikea has fun and inexpensive containers, and the dollar spot at Target is a great place to visit. (Okay, Target in general is a great place to visit.)

E - Expand the possibilities of your space.  Find open-ended supplies that will enable students to do a variety of different things.  Some examples include Makey Makey, Green Screen, Raspberry Pis, Circuit Stickers, Squishy Circuits, and Roominate.

R - Robotics.  There are some really cool robots available to add to your space, in a range of prices.  I have added Ozobot, Wonder Workshop's Dash and Dot, Cubelets, Snap Rover, and LEGO WeDo.

S -  Start with what you already have.  I started with the art supplies that had accumulated over 18 years of teaching.  My first summer, I saved cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  I collected cardboard boxes, plastic lids, Styrofoam from packages, and plastic containers from food items.  If you have an iPad, you can download a stop motion animation app and be on your way.  Kids can take apart old technology to see how it works, then repurpose the materials to make something new.

P - Passion Projects.  If you run a genius hour/innovation hour/20% time, students can use the materials in your Makerspace to create "answers" to "problems" they have identified.

A - Add materials over time.  Start adding materials in your classroom budget.  Write proposals and grants through websites like Donors Choose, Think It Up, Kids in Need, and local foundations.

C -  Challenges.  There are so many challenges out there.  Use your Makerspace to participate in the International Cardboard Challenge, LEGO creative uses challenge, Wonder Workshop Robotics Competition, Hour of Code, Rube Goldberg Challenge, or Google Science Fair.  Watch social media channels to spot additional challenges ~ they pop up all the time!

E - Even more ideas.  Play with polymers.  Use 3D Doodler Pens. Try claymation.  Solve a problem in the world.  Complete a STEM challenge.  Learn to program.  Just tinker!

But, most importantly, keep it organized!

A few things I have made for my Makerspace:

Download an "I'm a Maker" poster.

Try Makerspace Idea Cards if kids need an idea to get started.

Link to the Makerspace Poster at the top of this post.


What tips do you have for Makerspaces?

Choice Boards for Early Finishers

Choice is a powerful tool for the classroom.

Students feel empowered when we offer choices for their learning.  Providing students who finish their work early with options that require higher order thinking is meaningful and motivating.  This year, I am giving my fourth and fifth grade students monthly Choice Boards.  The tasks utilize creative options from the top two levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (create and evaluate) and from the SCAMPER mnemonic, developed by Bob Eberle (substitute, combine, add something, magnify/minify, put to other uses, eliminate, and rearrange).

Simple pocket folders decorated by the students hold the choice boards and "projects in process."  Students choose activities from the board that reflect their strengths, interests, or new areas they would like to try.  

*We also talk about other options that are always great choices when they have free time ~ the perennial favorites of reading and writing stories, poetry, and research.

Free Download: 
August Choice Board for Early Finishers

TPT

The tasks for August focus on timely "back to school" topics!

Teachers: Click through the link of your choice above to find the free August Choice Board and try it with your students.  You will find a color version and a black line version. Enjoy!