Something Wonderful
Most of the world believes that the punishment/reward control system works and works really well. In school we find that while some students are motivated by the reward of grades, many are not. If they are rewarded, the effect often doesn’t last and the reward is way more important than the learning. Choice theory is just the opposite. It holds that children should learn because it is need satisfying and a reward in itself. I was fortunate to watch that unfold in my classroom today.
Background: Every year we hold a Penny War at the middle school. The goal is to raise money for the local food pantry, which is admirable. The reward for winning the “war” is a pizza party. Over the years students have reported feeling that they are coerced, threatened, bribed and bullied into bringing in money, not because it is the right thing or the noble thing to do, but they need to win and win that pizza party for their grade level. The eighth grade has consistently won for the past 3 years.
Final Day: Today was the final day of the war and there was a big push by some to get that money in….As I was preparing to start my 6th hour lit class one of my students asked me if we had to have the pizza party if we won. I asked her what she was thinking. She replied that the pizza for the entire 8th grade probably cost $200.00 or more. She thought it would be better if we donated that money to the food pantry too and just forgot the reward. I asked why she felt that way. She replied that we should be giving because we choose to give and help, not because of the reward. I agree with her completely. We then talked about how she could go about sharing her proposal. It was decided that talking to the president of the student council would be a good beginning. She explained her thinking and asked him what he thought. After several moments he replied, there should be some reward for winning. Isn’t giving to those in need reward enough?, was the reply. By this time other students were listening to the discussion and had their own opinions to share. Many agreed that the money for pizza should go to the food pantry too. One student even suggested that we create our own reward. Again asking what she had in mind I got this response. Why can’t each of us bring in a dish of our favorite holiday food to pass and have a huge potluck where everyone can share? This was met with approval and enthusiasm. The students in my class agreed that the idea was good and if we win the war, we will have a class meeting and the three of them will share their proposal with the rest of the 8th graders.
I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I was moved to tears as they worked through their thoughts and ideas. They put others ahead of the reward. They want to start a new tradition of giving from the heart because they want to, not because of the reward at the end of the “war”.
Is this choice theory? Are they satisfying their needs? Is their quality world in balance with the real world? YES!!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Hope
December 2, 3007
Friday was our workday following the end of the trimester. It was a quick job to post grades this trimester...I felt I really knew what my students knew. The hardest part was giving those few students who hadn't demonstrated mastery no grade. That in itself wasn't hard...but I really needed to examine why they hadn't mastered the targets. What choices did they make? What needs were they trying to satisfy? What do I have to do in order to create a more need satisfying environment for those students? Have I built enough of a bond with them?
Tough questions without quick easy answers. I will spend some time with each student talking to them and trying to find out what we can do together to get them to master the targets and hopefully value learning and helping them understand that no grade isn't the end, but rather the beginning.
During the course of the day Vicki and I also had several opportunities to share choice theory and quality classrooms with other teachers. It was great. Many are interested in my use of the A, B No Grade option. They asked how it was working, which was a bit hard to answer. While I feel it is working quite well, I am concerned about those students who didn't achieve the targets. I have a plan and we'll see where it leads. The main thing I emphasized to the other teachers was knowing what quality looks like. Teachers have to be experts in their area of expertise. They have to work with the students to make the learning targets student friendly and they have to have a clear idea of what quality looks like. They also have to know that each student in their class is starting from a different point and the expectations have to match each individual student.
In working with students, I found that my questions for some were more straight forward and knowledge based while others were of a more analytical nature. That doesn't mean that some students "got it" more than others, it just means that some were more ready to move from the concrete to the abstract than others. I learned so much more about what my students knew by talking to them than by just marking their answers either right or wrong. It takes time to do this, but while I was conferencing with one, the others were working on another aspect of chemistry. Chaos doesn't reign in my class....it does get loud at times, but the "science talk" that I hear is incredible.
The second conversation took place later in the day. That discussion centered around learning targets and possible ways to change what is currently being done in another class. This conversation was interesting. I saw myself of 2 or 3 years ago in many of the things that were said. It is so hard to give up things we as teachers enjoy teaching. We see value in it and want to share that with our students which is admirable however, it sometimes leads to curricula that are all about schooling and not about learning. We have to be willing to let go of some things in order to help our students not only reach the targets, but also learn what quality looks like and strive to get there.
I'm thrilled that others are asking about choice theory and quality classrooms. I hope that their interest continues as our success continue.
On another note...I had one student who was really struggling to understand some of the more abstract concepts. In talking with him I asked if he would be willing to work with one of his classmates who really got it. He agreed and the two spent about 20 minutes working through the material. At that point they came to me and said they were ready to talk to me. I asked a few questions and found that there were still some gaps in the students learning. They went back and worked some more. When they came back again, the concepts were mastered. Both students were beaming. When I asked the student who had received the help how he felt, he replied "great". I asked him if he had anything to say to the other student and he said yes. He then put out his hand and said "thank you. You really helped me understand this stuff" They shook hands with huge smiles on their faces. When I asked the student who did the tutoring how he felt, he said "awesome". It was one of those great teacher moments when you know something great happened.
December 2, 3007
Friday was our workday following the end of the trimester. It was a quick job to post grades this trimester...I felt I really knew what my students knew. The hardest part was giving those few students who hadn't demonstrated mastery no grade. That in itself wasn't hard...but I really needed to examine why they hadn't mastered the targets. What choices did they make? What needs were they trying to satisfy? What do I have to do in order to create a more need satisfying environment for those students? Have I built enough of a bond with them?
Tough questions without quick easy answers. I will spend some time with each student talking to them and trying to find out what we can do together to get them to master the targets and hopefully value learning and helping them understand that no grade isn't the end, but rather the beginning.
During the course of the day Vicki and I also had several opportunities to share choice theory and quality classrooms with other teachers. It was great. Many are interested in my use of the A, B No Grade option. They asked how it was working, which was a bit hard to answer. While I feel it is working quite well, I am concerned about those students who didn't achieve the targets. I have a plan and we'll see where it leads. The main thing I emphasized to the other teachers was knowing what quality looks like. Teachers have to be experts in their area of expertise. They have to work with the students to make the learning targets student friendly and they have to have a clear idea of what quality looks like. They also have to know that each student in their class is starting from a different point and the expectations have to match each individual student.
In working with students, I found that my questions for some were more straight forward and knowledge based while others were of a more analytical nature. That doesn't mean that some students "got it" more than others, it just means that some were more ready to move from the concrete to the abstract than others. I learned so much more about what my students knew by talking to them than by just marking their answers either right or wrong. It takes time to do this, but while I was conferencing with one, the others were working on another aspect of chemistry. Chaos doesn't reign in my class....it does get loud at times, but the "science talk" that I hear is incredible.
The second conversation took place later in the day. That discussion centered around learning targets and possible ways to change what is currently being done in another class. This conversation was interesting. I saw myself of 2 or 3 years ago in many of the things that were said. It is so hard to give up things we as teachers enjoy teaching. We see value in it and want to share that with our students which is admirable however, it sometimes leads to curricula that are all about schooling and not about learning. We have to be willing to let go of some things in order to help our students not only reach the targets, but also learn what quality looks like and strive to get there.
I'm thrilled that others are asking about choice theory and quality classrooms. I hope that their interest continues as our success continue.
On another note...I had one student who was really struggling to understand some of the more abstract concepts. In talking with him I asked if he would be willing to work with one of his classmates who really got it. He agreed and the two spent about 20 minutes working through the material. At that point they came to me and said they were ready to talk to me. I asked a few questions and found that there were still some gaps in the students learning. They went back and worked some more. When they came back again, the concepts were mastered. Both students were beaming. When I asked the student who had received the help how he felt, he replied "great". I asked him if he had anything to say to the other student and he said yes. He then put out his hand and said "thank you. You really helped me understand this stuff" They shook hands with huge smiles on their faces. When I asked the student who did the tutoring how he felt, he said "awesome". It was one of those great teacher moments when you know something great happened.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Grade Day
I've just finished posting my grades. I feel really good about the progress I've seen in my students. They didn't all earn A's or B's but they are all making progress. Out of all my classes I only have 4 students that are not getting a grade for this trimester. The good news is that they know that no grade doesn't mean they "failed". They know that it means that they have to work a bit more in order to master the concepts covered thus far. They know and understand that they are successful in my class and that I will continue to work with them (if they choose to) to ensure that they learn it.
The really good news is that of those 4 students, none of them feels like they have failed. They have spoken to me and have asked questions and made plans to demonstrate their understanding over the next few days. I believe that my students have learned more over the past few weeks than student have in the past. I don't have any solid quantitative data to support that statement, but I do know that the level of understanding is deeper this year than in the past. My students have always "learned" the material and achieved proficient (80% or better) grades on my tests, but this is the first time I actually believe they have learned the targets.
In the local paper over the past 2 weeks there have been articles about the chemistry of plastics and how they are affecting human life. I shared the articles with the students and the discussion that followed showed a high level of understanding for chemistry. It was also fun for me to see that they saw the value in learning about chemistry. One student commented that they never really knew that chemistry was important.
It isn't all roses though. I'm not sure if those 4 students will demonstrate understanding before I move on to the next topic. I do know that I will continue to work with them so that they feel successful and competent.
I've just finished posting my grades. I feel really good about the progress I've seen in my students. They didn't all earn A's or B's but they are all making progress. Out of all my classes I only have 4 students that are not getting a grade for this trimester. The good news is that they know that no grade doesn't mean they "failed". They know that it means that they have to work a bit more in order to master the concepts covered thus far. They know and understand that they are successful in my class and that I will continue to work with them (if they choose to) to ensure that they learn it.
The really good news is that of those 4 students, none of them feels like they have failed. They have spoken to me and have asked questions and made plans to demonstrate their understanding over the next few days. I believe that my students have learned more over the past few weeks than student have in the past. I don't have any solid quantitative data to support that statement, but I do know that the level of understanding is deeper this year than in the past. My students have always "learned" the material and achieved proficient (80% or better) grades on my tests, but this is the first time I actually believe they have learned the targets.
In the local paper over the past 2 weeks there have been articles about the chemistry of plastics and how they are affecting human life. I shared the articles with the students and the discussion that followed showed a high level of understanding for chemistry. It was also fun for me to see that they saw the value in learning about chemistry. One student commented that they never really knew that chemistry was important.
It isn't all roses though. I'm not sure if those 4 students will demonstrate understanding before I move on to the next topic. I do know that I will continue to work with them so that they feel successful and competent.
Monday, November 26, 2007
What have they really learned?
Learning vs Schooling
The end of the first trimester is Thursday.....I'm aprehensive and yet calm as I enter grades into the gradebook. Most of my students have learned a great deal of chemistry....the key word in the sentence was most. If you recall, I have tried to create a competency based quality classroom in which my students earn either an A or a B or no grade at all.
I have watched with amazement as students have worked through this first unit on Chemistry. Some have worked very hard and have demonstrated competence in their understanding of the learning targets. Others however have tried to approach my assessments the same way they approach all assignments given in school. They complete the task quickly and really do answer the questions well...often using vocabulary that isn't typically in an 8th graders spoken or written language....I'm sure they were confident that they had answered the questions competently. I however asked them to explain, give examples or further clarify the answers they had written. If they could do this, I knew they knew the material. If they couldn't, we discussed what they didn't understand and talked about what they would do to help them better understand the material.
I reminded them that they had learned a lot, but they needed to really be masters of the material. I never told them they "failed". I never held a "failing" grade over their head. I did tell them that I would like to help them understand the concepts more completely and that I was available before school, during class, at lunch and after school to help them. I watched them walk away from my desk with amazed looks on their faces after I had them come up with a plan to help them accomplish the task. They have a few more days before the end of the trimester to show me what they've learned. I'm really hopeful that all of my students will be competent.
I have seen more learning so far this year than I have in a long time. Students are helping each other understand. Questions asked show a deeper understanding than in the past. They aren't afraid to turn in their work because they know that they will have an opportunity to not only correct, but to also really learn the material. I believe that learning occurs when corrections are made and they have to explain their thinking and logic or support their responses with evidence.
The end of the first trimester is Thursday.....I'm aprehensive and yet calm as I enter grades into the gradebook. Most of my students have learned a great deal of chemistry....the key word in the sentence was most. If you recall, I have tried to create a competency based quality classroom in which my students earn either an A or a B or no grade at all.
I have watched with amazement as students have worked through this first unit on Chemistry. Some have worked very hard and have demonstrated competence in their understanding of the learning targets. Others however have tried to approach my assessments the same way they approach all assignments given in school. They complete the task quickly and really do answer the questions well...often using vocabulary that isn't typically in an 8th graders spoken or written language....I'm sure they were confident that they had answered the questions competently. I however asked them to explain, give examples or further clarify the answers they had written. If they could do this, I knew they knew the material. If they couldn't, we discussed what they didn't understand and talked about what they would do to help them better understand the material.
I reminded them that they had learned a lot, but they needed to really be masters of the material. I never told them they "failed". I never held a "failing" grade over their head. I did tell them that I would like to help them understand the concepts more completely and that I was available before school, during class, at lunch and after school to help them. I watched them walk away from my desk with amazed looks on their faces after I had them come up with a plan to help them accomplish the task. They have a few more days before the end of the trimester to show me what they've learned. I'm really hopeful that all of my students will be competent.
I have seen more learning so far this year than I have in a long time. Students are helping each other understand. Questions asked show a deeper understanding than in the past. They aren't afraid to turn in their work because they know that they will have an opportunity to not only correct, but to also really learn the material. I believe that learning occurs when corrections are made and they have to explain their thinking and logic or support their responses with evidence.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Reality Check
November 20, 2007
I thought things were going so well in my classroom until yesterday at the end of the day. It had been a long exhausting day and I was rapidly running out of patience and steam. We had discussed the 7 caring habits and agreed that they were worth working on. Not tough I thought. I had been working since July to make them a part of my world.
I had just finished explaining that I would be handing back their chemistry assessment. Many were not quite quality and I had asked questions or made comments on almost all of the papers. I also told them that I wanted them to have a chance to read my comments and questions before I conference with them to talk about their answers so that I could further assess if they understood the chemistry concepts on the assessment. Remember that I have set up my classroom as an A/B , no grade classroom where students need to be proficient and meet the learning targets for each unit I teach. I also re-explained that sometimes it is hard for me to really know if they know without talking with them.
With that said, I began to return papers. The talking started almost immediately. By the time I finished more than one student was complaining loudly. Then it happened...one student yelled I wrote the answer here in the margin! Its not wrong. I replied...I don't remember exactly what you wrote, but I must not have been sure if you really understood the concept if I asked questions about your response. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Of course the eye rolling and huffing followed. No sooner had those words left my mouth than another student yelled Of course I know what conjoined means. I was taken aback. I turned and looked at the student who loudly added "I didn't copy and paste it from the Internet". This was the point where I lost it. Rather than respecting their words, I became defensive, which in turn caused the student to become defensive. Before long I was using the deadly habits with ease to put this student back in their place. It was horrible. Choice Theory went out the window in a blink of the eye....
With 3 minutes left in the class period, I walked out into the hall to speak with students who had come into the doorway earlier to ask me a question. The bell rang while I was still in the hall. They left for the day and I felt absolutely horrible. I looked for the student and caught them just as they were walking out of the wing...they did not wish to speak to me. I couldn't blame them. Had I destroyed the relationship I had with that student? Would I be able to mend it?
Needless to say I had a miserable night. I really felt terrible. I looked for the student as soon as the first bell rang the next morning and asked if they would talk to me. They agreed and we moved into a quiet area. I started out by apologizing for my behavior. I also explained that I thought we both had knee-jerk reactions to each other. He smiled and agreed. I explained that I really didn't want to lose the relationship that we had and that I thought of them as a great student and someone I enjoyed getting to know in class. I then told them what I was willing to do to mend the fence. I asked if there was anything he could do. Happily he reported that he had talked to his dad about it and felt that he could work on being less defensive when I said I didn't understand what was meant in his writing. I ended the conversation by asking if we were still friends...With a smile on his face he said yes.
In the past, I never would have felt bad about dressing down a student. I would have justified it by complaining about their behavior and disrespect. I didn't sleep well and I was really concerned about my relationship with this student. I knew that if I destroyed my relationship, success in my classroom would be fleeting not only for that student, but for all of them that witnessed the meltdown. Respect would be gone. I wasn't willing to let that happen and I was willing to admit that my behavior was out of control and I wasn't driving my own car. Thankfully, I have developed a good relationship with my students through using Choice Theory. Choice Theory allowed me to take the steps necessary to mend the fence not only with the student but with the entire class. It has given me the tools to mend fences rather than burn bridges and perhaps loose a student to defiance, non-learning and misbehavior for the rest of the year.
It isn't always easy to do, but it is definitely worth it. The student was happy and talkative with me today in class. I also saw more work being done than I had in the past few days. I truly believe that success is directly proportional to how well the people involved get along together. Today was a much much better day!!!!
Choice Theory is work and I believe I've come a long way. I have a long way to go, but it is worth my time and effort. It isn't a one day or week idea. I do know that my students are achieving more and I see more learning than I have in the past. It is easy to fall back into old habits, but I know that it is important that I keep on the choice theory path. One day at a time...
I thought things were going so well in my classroom until yesterday at the end of the day. It had been a long exhausting day and I was rapidly running out of patience and steam. We had discussed the 7 caring habits and agreed that they were worth working on. Not tough I thought. I had been working since July to make them a part of my world.
I had just finished explaining that I would be handing back their chemistry assessment. Many were not quite quality and I had asked questions or made comments on almost all of the papers. I also told them that I wanted them to have a chance to read my comments and questions before I conference with them to talk about their answers so that I could further assess if they understood the chemistry concepts on the assessment. Remember that I have set up my classroom as an A/B , no grade classroom where students need to be proficient and meet the learning targets for each unit I teach. I also re-explained that sometimes it is hard for me to really know if they know without talking with them.
With that said, I began to return papers. The talking started almost immediately. By the time I finished more than one student was complaining loudly. Then it happened...one student yelled I wrote the answer here in the margin! Its not wrong. I replied...I don't remember exactly what you wrote, but I must not have been sure if you really understood the concept if I asked questions about your response. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Of course the eye rolling and huffing followed. No sooner had those words left my mouth than another student yelled Of course I know what conjoined means. I was taken aback. I turned and looked at the student who loudly added "I didn't copy and paste it from the Internet". This was the point where I lost it. Rather than respecting their words, I became defensive, which in turn caused the student to become defensive. Before long I was using the deadly habits with ease to put this student back in their place. It was horrible. Choice Theory went out the window in a blink of the eye....
With 3 minutes left in the class period, I walked out into the hall to speak with students who had come into the doorway earlier to ask me a question. The bell rang while I was still in the hall. They left for the day and I felt absolutely horrible. I looked for the student and caught them just as they were walking out of the wing...they did not wish to speak to me. I couldn't blame them. Had I destroyed the relationship I had with that student? Would I be able to mend it?
Needless to say I had a miserable night. I really felt terrible. I looked for the student as soon as the first bell rang the next morning and asked if they would talk to me. They agreed and we moved into a quiet area. I started out by apologizing for my behavior. I also explained that I thought we both had knee-jerk reactions to each other. He smiled and agreed. I explained that I really didn't want to lose the relationship that we had and that I thought of them as a great student and someone I enjoyed getting to know in class. I then told them what I was willing to do to mend the fence. I asked if there was anything he could do. Happily he reported that he had talked to his dad about it and felt that he could work on being less defensive when I said I didn't understand what was meant in his writing. I ended the conversation by asking if we were still friends...With a smile on his face he said yes.
In the past, I never would have felt bad about dressing down a student. I would have justified it by complaining about their behavior and disrespect. I didn't sleep well and I was really concerned about my relationship with this student. I knew that if I destroyed my relationship, success in my classroom would be fleeting not only for that student, but for all of them that witnessed the meltdown. Respect would be gone. I wasn't willing to let that happen and I was willing to admit that my behavior was out of control and I wasn't driving my own car. Thankfully, I have developed a good relationship with my students through using Choice Theory. Choice Theory allowed me to take the steps necessary to mend the fence not only with the student but with the entire class. It has given me the tools to mend fences rather than burn bridges and perhaps loose a student to defiance, non-learning and misbehavior for the rest of the year.
It isn't always easy to do, but it is definitely worth it. The student was happy and talkative with me today in class. I also saw more work being done than I had in the past few days. I truly believe that success is directly proportional to how well the people involved get along together. Today was a much much better day!!!!
Choice Theory is work and I believe I've come a long way. I have a long way to go, but it is worth my time and effort. It isn't a one day or week idea. I do know that my students are achieving more and I see more learning than I have in the past. It is easy to fall back into old habits, but I know that it is important that I keep on the choice theory path. One day at a time...
Monday, October 29, 2007
Assessment For Learning
Assessment Day
October 29, 2007
We have been working on Chemistry for the past 4 weeks in my Science classes. During that time, I have used class meetings to write student friendly learning targets with my students based on the state standards and the learning targets developed by the science team here at North Shore. We also used that time to write understandable definitions for the chemistry vocabulary and divide the big topic up into 4 smaller easier to work with topics. Once that was done, the students began to research their topic, do activities, and work with me to further their understanding of the ideas, concepts and targets for each part of the chemistry unit.
Today my students started the first assessment for learning....They were given 4-6 questions that they need to answer to show understanding on one of 4 chemistry topics. The great thing is, it isn't an all or nothing grade. It is my chance to see what they have learned. They can use each other, me, the computer or even their parents to help then figure out the answers to the problems posed. Once they have that done, they will meet with me and further explain or defend their responses.
As an educator, it was extremely gratifying to walk around my classroom today and hear "chemistry talk" from every group. Students were explaining things to each other and asking each other for help. They were coming to me and asking really good questions to further their understanding. They weren't saying "I don't get it" or "this is too hard". They didn't feel "pressure to get it right" or suffer with a failing grade. This to me was utopia. Students were engaged and learning was occurring. I know what they know and they know what they know.....it was GREAT!!!
My students know that I'm looking for quality and that that doesn't happen instantly. To be good at something you have to be willing to work at getting better. That also means that you have to know what quality looks like. My students seem to have a good handle on that and are willing to work at getting to the point where not only do I know they have done quality work, but they know it too.
October 29, 2007
We have been working on Chemistry for the past 4 weeks in my Science classes. During that time, I have used class meetings to write student friendly learning targets with my students based on the state standards and the learning targets developed by the science team here at North Shore. We also used that time to write understandable definitions for the chemistry vocabulary and divide the big topic up into 4 smaller easier to work with topics. Once that was done, the students began to research their topic, do activities, and work with me to further their understanding of the ideas, concepts and targets for each part of the chemistry unit.
Today my students started the first assessment for learning....They were given 4-6 questions that they need to answer to show understanding on one of 4 chemistry topics. The great thing is, it isn't an all or nothing grade. It is my chance to see what they have learned. They can use each other, me, the computer or even their parents to help then figure out the answers to the problems posed. Once they have that done, they will meet with me and further explain or defend their responses.
As an educator, it was extremely gratifying to walk around my classroom today and hear "chemistry talk" from every group. Students were explaining things to each other and asking each other for help. They were coming to me and asking really good questions to further their understanding. They weren't saying "I don't get it" or "this is too hard". They didn't feel "pressure to get it right" or suffer with a failing grade. This to me was utopia. Students were engaged and learning was occurring. I know what they know and they know what they know.....it was GREAT!!!
My students know that I'm looking for quality and that that doesn't happen instantly. To be good at something you have to be willing to work at getting better. That also means that you have to know what quality looks like. My students seem to have a good handle on that and are willing to work at getting to the point where not only do I know they have done quality work, but they know it too.
Quality School Visit
Aspen Elementary Visit
10/19/2007
Vicki, Dale and I spent an absolutely wonderful day at Aspen Elementary in Illinois. It is the only quality school in our area and it was very exciting to see choice theory being used in every classroom and throughout the school. The most amazing thing about the day were the class meetings, and despite there being 550 students in the school the hallways were quiet throughout the day, even before and after recess.
Watching 2 classrooms use class meetings was particularly interesting. In one of the 6th grade classrooms they were discussing the problems the class had when there was a substitute teacher in the room earlier in the week. They discussed what happened without using anyone's name and without blaming their actions on someone else in the class. It was great to hear the students admit that they were disrespectful and out of control. What was even better was that they then came up with a plan for better choices the next time they have a sub in their room. In a "traditional" classroom they would have been yelled at, and threatened with loss of something if they didn't behave better the next time the teacher was out of the room. It was obvious that the students understood that they were responsible for their actions. No one person was to blame, but they as a class needed to figure out the solution. The best statement to come from the class was from a young man who simply stated: "I was looking around and I thought this just isn't us. What class is this?"
The second class meeting that we watched was in a third grade class. During this meeting, they discussed solutions that they tried to problems that were brought up at the last meeting and came up with some more possibilities. From there, they celebrated good things that they saw and shared and they then ended the meeting with compliment time. Those students that wanted to recognize another student for something had the opportunity to do so. Interestingly enough, every student was complimented either by another student or by the teacher. They were genuine words of encouragement and praise.
I was struck by the lack of talking going on during the meeting time. The students were sitting on the floor, as was the teacher and there were NO side conversations going on at all. They sat and listened respectfully and shared when they were either called upon or given the koosh ball.
Towards the end of the day we were fortunate enough to meet with some parents as well as the fifth grade teachers. The parents shared their role in developing the Parent Academy to educate parents about Choice Theory. They did this not only to share with parents what was happening in their child's school, but also with the hope that parents would apply choice theory at home too. In our talk with the parents we learned that students that leave Aspen and go on to the middle school are among the most respectful students at the middle school and are indeed the best problem solvers. They also reported that the students from Aspen are leaders in the middle school and Aspen has the highest number of students getting into the GT programs in high school. It would appear that something is definitely working.
Every teacher we talked to reported that they loved coming to work each day. Our main tour guide was a retired teacher that left Aspen 3 years ago. She missed it and decided to come back as a learning assistant! It would be wonderful if we could partner with them in our quest to be a Quality School. I believe they would be an invaluable resource.
I dream of being a part of a Quality School. It would mean that North Shore Students would have a reputation for being leaders and problem solvers rather than troublemakers. It would mean that we are on a path of excellence rather than mediocrity. It would mean that all teachers at NSMS are trained in Choice Theory and are encouraging their students to take responsibility for the actions and their education. Most of all it would mean that QUALITY is valued and sought....no longer will we be a school that is grade driven.
I hope to see my school move towards a quality school with each year that passes. I would like to be around to see North Shore become the first Quality Middle School in Wisconsin.
10/19/2007
Vicki, Dale and I spent an absolutely wonderful day at Aspen Elementary in Illinois. It is the only quality school in our area and it was very exciting to see choice theory being used in every classroom and throughout the school. The most amazing thing about the day were the class meetings, and despite there being 550 students in the school the hallways were quiet throughout the day, even before and after recess.
Watching 2 classrooms use class meetings was particularly interesting. In one of the 6th grade classrooms they were discussing the problems the class had when there was a substitute teacher in the room earlier in the week. They discussed what happened without using anyone's name and without blaming their actions on someone else in the class. It was great to hear the students admit that they were disrespectful and out of control. What was even better was that they then came up with a plan for better choices the next time they have a sub in their room. In a "traditional" classroom they would have been yelled at, and threatened with loss of something if they didn't behave better the next time the teacher was out of the room. It was obvious that the students understood that they were responsible for their actions. No one person was to blame, but they as a class needed to figure out the solution. The best statement to come from the class was from a young man who simply stated: "I was looking around and I thought this just isn't us. What class is this?"
The second class meeting that we watched was in a third grade class. During this meeting, they discussed solutions that they tried to problems that were brought up at the last meeting and came up with some more possibilities. From there, they celebrated good things that they saw and shared and they then ended the meeting with compliment time. Those students that wanted to recognize another student for something had the opportunity to do so. Interestingly enough, every student was complimented either by another student or by the teacher. They were genuine words of encouragement and praise.
I was struck by the lack of talking going on during the meeting time. The students were sitting on the floor, as was the teacher and there were NO side conversations going on at all. They sat and listened respectfully and shared when they were either called upon or given the koosh ball.
Towards the end of the day we were fortunate enough to meet with some parents as well as the fifth grade teachers. The parents shared their role in developing the Parent Academy to educate parents about Choice Theory. They did this not only to share with parents what was happening in their child's school, but also with the hope that parents would apply choice theory at home too. In our talk with the parents we learned that students that leave Aspen and go on to the middle school are among the most respectful students at the middle school and are indeed the best problem solvers. They also reported that the students from Aspen are leaders in the middle school and Aspen has the highest number of students getting into the GT programs in high school. It would appear that something is definitely working.
Every teacher we talked to reported that they loved coming to work each day. Our main tour guide was a retired teacher that left Aspen 3 years ago. She missed it and decided to come back as a learning assistant! It would be wonderful if we could partner with them in our quest to be a Quality School. I believe they would be an invaluable resource.
I dream of being a part of a Quality School. It would mean that North Shore Students would have a reputation for being leaders and problem solvers rather than troublemakers. It would mean that we are on a path of excellence rather than mediocrity. It would mean that all teachers at NSMS are trained in Choice Theory and are encouraging their students to take responsibility for the actions and their education. Most of all it would mean that QUALITY is valued and sought....no longer will we be a school that is grade driven.
I hope to see my school move towards a quality school with each year that passes. I would like to be around to see North Shore become the first Quality Middle School in Wisconsin.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Perceptions
October4, 2007
Perceived World
What do you picture when I say the word bread? I would be willing to bet some of you, depending on your age, thought of homemade bread just out of the oven, while others thought of money. I have to admit, I'm one who thought of homemade bread, because one of my best childhood memories is of Saturday mornings when my mom would make 5 loaves of bread and the smell of baking bread would permeate every part of the house...it was wonderful! My quality world picture played a big part in my perception of that word.
We talked to students about their perceived world and how perceptions effect their behaviors both positively and negatively. Imagine being called "fat" Most of us wouldn't like it, however in today's slang, "phat" is a good thing and most teens wouldn't thing anything of it. Other words that we used were rap/wrap; beetle; plane/plain. With each of these words there is a positive, negative or neutral connotation depending on your perceptions.
This led us then to a discussion about perceptions at school. If someone bumps into you in the crowded hallway, do you think it was an accident or do you think someone is picking on you? Was it a friend just trying to get your attention or was it done to make you angry? Your perceptions of what happened will have an affect on the behavior you choose. If you look around and see your friends, you are likely to shrug it off and forget it because those people are part of your quality world. If however, you see someone that has picked on you in the past you might just haul off and shove them as hard as you can. Our perceptions of the actions that happen to us play a very important part in our total behavior.
It was interesting tow watch student faces as this started to sink in. I asked my students if we all sometimes jump to conclusions and respond without really thinking about it. They agreed that we do and that this sometimes causes more problems than it is worth. I left them with these questions to ponder...How could you have done things differently? What will you do the next time someone bumps into you ?
The students are starting to really understand Choice Theory. The G/T kids are doing blogs for my literature class. Vicki and I respond to their posts, for the most part with Choice Theory questions that get them thinking beyond just retelling the story. It is great to read their insights into character motivation in terms of need satisfaction and perceived world pictures. I've even had students ask me about characters behavior in terms of need satisfaction. It is fun and rewarding to note that some are really getting it. Others get it a bit and most can tell you what need they are trying to satisfy most of the time which is definitely a step towards more responsible behavior.
Perceived World
What do you picture when I say the word bread? I would be willing to bet some of you, depending on your age, thought of homemade bread just out of the oven, while others thought of money. I have to admit, I'm one who thought of homemade bread, because one of my best childhood memories is of Saturday mornings when my mom would make 5 loaves of bread and the smell of baking bread would permeate every part of the house...it was wonderful! My quality world picture played a big part in my perception of that word.
We talked to students about their perceived world and how perceptions effect their behaviors both positively and negatively. Imagine being called "fat" Most of us wouldn't like it, however in today's slang, "phat" is a good thing and most teens wouldn't thing anything of it. Other words that we used were rap/wrap; beetle; plane/plain. With each of these words there is a positive, negative or neutral connotation depending on your perceptions.
This led us then to a discussion about perceptions at school. If someone bumps into you in the crowded hallway, do you think it was an accident or do you think someone is picking on you? Was it a friend just trying to get your attention or was it done to make you angry? Your perceptions of what happened will have an affect on the behavior you choose. If you look around and see your friends, you are likely to shrug it off and forget it because those people are part of your quality world. If however, you see someone that has picked on you in the past you might just haul off and shove them as hard as you can. Our perceptions of the actions that happen to us play a very important part in our total behavior.
It was interesting tow watch student faces as this started to sink in. I asked my students if we all sometimes jump to conclusions and respond without really thinking about it. They agreed that we do and that this sometimes causes more problems than it is worth. I left them with these questions to ponder...How could you have done things differently? What will you do the next time someone bumps into you ?
The students are starting to really understand Choice Theory. The G/T kids are doing blogs for my literature class. Vicki and I respond to their posts, for the most part with Choice Theory questions that get them thinking beyond just retelling the story. It is great to read their insights into character motivation in terms of need satisfaction and perceived world pictures. I've even had students ask me about characters behavior in terms of need satisfaction. It is fun and rewarding to note that some are really getting it. Others get it a bit and most can tell you what need they are trying to satisfy most of the time which is definitely a step towards more responsible behavior.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Who's Driving Your Car?
October 17, 2007
Total Behavior
I've learned that despite the fact that students are quick to tell you that only they can control themselves, they really don't believe it. Whenever they are asked why they chose the behavior they chose, they will undoubtedly say "because he/she did something to me first" With this in mind, Vicki and I taught the student about total behavior and they now know why we keep asking them Who's driving your car?
We used running as our example. We asked four students to come up to the front of the room. One student was asked to show the action of running, another was asked to represent the thoughts a runner would be thinking, the third showed the physical responses to running and the fourth illustrated a runner's feelings while running.
Once we had all four "wheels spinning" we asked them to stop and then gave them a visual representation of a car in order to complete the analogy. The front right wheel of the car represented the action while the front left represents the thinking that took place. The back left was the emotional reaction to the running and the back right was the physiological reactions the body went through while carrying out the action. I hope you can picture this in your mind, as I have been unsuccessful in importing my drawing of a car.....
We then explained that the front wheels, the action and thoughts, are driving and directing the car while the back wheels, the physiology and emotions tend to follow along. All four part are there at the same time and if we change any one of the parts the others will change as well.
Translated into middle school language this meant that all behavior is total behavior. If they are angry, it is because they are choosing to be angry...no one is making them feel that way. They struggled with this idea because most believe that they can't really control how they feel. In order to illustrate this, we ran through another scenario. In this example, they were having a fight with their parents about something when the phone rings. The call is for them and upon hearing their best friends voice on the other end, they choose to be upbeat and happy rather than the anger of a few seconds ago. We made it very clear that feelings are acceptable, however punching someone because you are angry is not. So when student A grabs your notebook and you get upset, you can choose to grab it back and yell loudly, or you can ask nicely for it back. You can choose to let something ruin your day and possibly everyone else's or you can let it go.
This is tough not only for students but also for adults. We do indeed have the ability to drive our own car....why then do we all at times choose to let others have that control?
Total Behavior
I've learned that despite the fact that students are quick to tell you that only they can control themselves, they really don't believe it. Whenever they are asked why they chose the behavior they chose, they will undoubtedly say "because he/she did something to me first" With this in mind, Vicki and I taught the student about total behavior and they now know why we keep asking them Who's driving your car?
We used running as our example. We asked four students to come up to the front of the room. One student was asked to show the action of running, another was asked to represent the thoughts a runner would be thinking, the third showed the physical responses to running and the fourth illustrated a runner's feelings while running.
Once we had all four "wheels spinning" we asked them to stop and then gave them a visual representation of a car in order to complete the analogy. The front right wheel of the car represented the action while the front left represents the thinking that took place. The back left was the emotional reaction to the running and the back right was the physiological reactions the body went through while carrying out the action. I hope you can picture this in your mind, as I have been unsuccessful in importing my drawing of a car.....
We then explained that the front wheels, the action and thoughts, are driving and directing the car while the back wheels, the physiology and emotions tend to follow along. All four part are there at the same time and if we change any one of the parts the others will change as well.
Translated into middle school language this meant that all behavior is total behavior. If they are angry, it is because they are choosing to be angry...no one is making them feel that way. They struggled with this idea because most believe that they can't really control how they feel. In order to illustrate this, we ran through another scenario. In this example, they were having a fight with their parents about something when the phone rings. The call is for them and upon hearing their best friends voice on the other end, they choose to be upbeat and happy rather than the anger of a few seconds ago. We made it very clear that feelings are acceptable, however punching someone because you are angry is not. So when student A grabs your notebook and you get upset, you can choose to grab it back and yell loudly, or you can ask nicely for it back. You can choose to let something ruin your day and possibly everyone else's or you can let it go.
This is tough not only for students but also for adults. We do indeed have the ability to drive our own car....why then do we all at times choose to let others have that control?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Catching Up
I've been having some trouble keeping up with my posts, so today I decided that I would fill you in on everything that has been going on in my classroom since we completed Pete's Pathogram.
Vicki and I surveyed our classes about their middle school experience prior to this year late in September. Despite the fact that we asked them to focus on their 6th and 7th grade experiences, we got a few comments on changes to the lunch program and advisory program that took effect at the beginning of the year. Since they brought up these two issues, we felt that it would be important to do another survey that just pertains to this year.
We discovered that a few of our students felt that school was boring....teachers either went to fast and they couldn't keep up, or spent too much time on one idea that they became bored. Overall however, they reported a positive experience here at the middle school.
With those results, I decided to ask my students to write down why they came to school every day. They could list as many reasons as they wanted, but once the list was finished, they had to rank them in order of importance.
57% of the students reported that the most important reason they come to school was for social reasons. Given the nature of the middle school student, this was not surprising.
13% of the students said they come to school because the "have to". It is mandatory that they be here. They would do something else if they had a choice, but since they don't, they come to school....It would appear that this group has a high need for freedom, but I would need to talk to them to learn if this is true or not.
28% reported that they attend school for an education. Many stated that they had plans to attend college and their future careers depend on more education. It was interesting to see that some reported that their future earning power depended on a good education. Power and again freedom seem to be the needs driving this group.
2% reported that they come to school to avoid boredom...it is something to do. I wonder if this same group sees school as fun?
We have decided to ask the same questions at the end of the year to see if there is any shift in their responses. Vicki and I are the only teachers using choice theory with the goal of making learning fun and creating quality classrooms. Their answers to the same questions will go a long way in helping us determine how effective we were. It will be interesting to see how classrooms affect their opinions of school.
Class Meetings
I have been conducting class meeting since mid September, but just recently put a name to our discussion time. It is a time when we push the tables out of the way and pull the chairs into a circle. The student have said they like the arrangement because they can see every one's face and because I seem to be more a part of the group, than their "teacher" I really try to keep this time non-threatening and encourage everyone to share their opinion and I will tell them what I see as well...without blaming or accusing.
During this time, we have discussed school policies that they like and dislike, as well as science and lit related curriculum ideas and issues. The results have been awesome.
One of the things that came up during a discussion was the new food program we have here at school. They reported that often when they get to lunch (they have the last lunch time) the food they wanted was gone. They would also like to see ice cream back on the menu once in a while. Once their suggestions were compiled, they were sent to Dale and he recognized their ideas and discussed it during advisory time and assured the students that he would look into their concerns. That really gave the students a boost. They felt that their opinions mattered and that someone in "charge" would help them out. I was impressed with their ideas and suggestions for improving the lunch situation. We'll see where it leads.
Another issue that was covered in a class meeting was their talking while I was trying to teach, or while another student was responding to discussion questions. I really wanted to know why they, in some cases talked continually. I learned that they were trying to satisfy their need for fun, freedom and power. The power need came out slowly, but they realized that when they talk in my class, they usually get 4-6 other students off task and listening to their conversation. We then talked about needs and I asked them if their needs were more important than mine or another student in the class. They quickly responded NO. I then asked how their need satisfaction might be interfering with others need satisfaction. They quickly noted that they were keeping others from learning and me from teaching. I was impressed, but I really wanted to know if they would take responsibility and come up with a way that we all could have our needs met. They asked if they could have 5 minutes to chat either at the beginning or end of the class. I asked what they would be willing to do for that time. Their response was that some would choose to sit at different tables and that they would listen when the lesson was being given. Worth a try...we all would win if this solution works. I'll let you know after we have worked on this for a while.
The main way I have used class meetings is to get the students more involved in their own learning. In Science, I have used the class meetings to share the learning targets with them. I explained that a learning target was a written statement of what I expected them to learn through a unit of study. I then had them break into groups to look at the three learning targets that have been established for the chemistry unit. I had them talk about what the targets meant and how they would like to show me that they have mastered the target.
Once each of the four groups came up with ideas, we got together in a class meeting format and everyone shared their ideas. I asked questions of clarification and took notes on what they said. I then had them brainstorm more student friendly language for the targets. Once they had that finished, we got together again and chose the one that we all felt best fit our needs and the original targets. The work that they have done is posted on my school web page, and I think/hope that it will help the students not only master the material, but have fun doing it since they had a hand in designing the learning.
I've used much the same process in Literature. We have used class meetings to format our book discussions and our written responses to the various readings that we do in class. I am currently working through what good writing looks like in a response to literature by having class meetings.
I really love this format. I learn so much more about what students value and want. It has made the start of this year one of my best. I feel more relaxed and comfortable with all of my students. They seem to know that I value their ideas and suggestions and they really like determining how and what they need to know. Whenever they come into the room and see the tables moved, they know its class meeting time and have told me how much they enjoy it. I will be collecting a great deal of data over the course of the year to determine how effective this format is in improving student learning.
Vicki and I surveyed our classes about their middle school experience prior to this year late in September. Despite the fact that we asked them to focus on their 6th and 7th grade experiences, we got a few comments on changes to the lunch program and advisory program that took effect at the beginning of the year. Since they brought up these two issues, we felt that it would be important to do another survey that just pertains to this year.
We discovered that a few of our students felt that school was boring....teachers either went to fast and they couldn't keep up, or spent too much time on one idea that they became bored. Overall however, they reported a positive experience here at the middle school.
With those results, I decided to ask my students to write down why they came to school every day. They could list as many reasons as they wanted, but once the list was finished, they had to rank them in order of importance.
57% of the students reported that the most important reason they come to school was for social reasons. Given the nature of the middle school student, this was not surprising.
13% of the students said they come to school because the "have to". It is mandatory that they be here. They would do something else if they had a choice, but since they don't, they come to school....It would appear that this group has a high need for freedom, but I would need to talk to them to learn if this is true or not.
28% reported that they attend school for an education. Many stated that they had plans to attend college and their future careers depend on more education. It was interesting to see that some reported that their future earning power depended on a good education. Power and again freedom seem to be the needs driving this group.
2% reported that they come to school to avoid boredom...it is something to do. I wonder if this same group sees school as fun?
We have decided to ask the same questions at the end of the year to see if there is any shift in their responses. Vicki and I are the only teachers using choice theory with the goal of making learning fun and creating quality classrooms. Their answers to the same questions will go a long way in helping us determine how effective we were. It will be interesting to see how classrooms affect their opinions of school.
Class Meetings
I have been conducting class meeting since mid September, but just recently put a name to our discussion time. It is a time when we push the tables out of the way and pull the chairs into a circle. The student have said they like the arrangement because they can see every one's face and because I seem to be more a part of the group, than their "teacher" I really try to keep this time non-threatening and encourage everyone to share their opinion and I will tell them what I see as well...without blaming or accusing.
During this time, we have discussed school policies that they like and dislike, as well as science and lit related curriculum ideas and issues. The results have been awesome.
One of the things that came up during a discussion was the new food program we have here at school. They reported that often when they get to lunch (they have the last lunch time) the food they wanted was gone. They would also like to see ice cream back on the menu once in a while. Once their suggestions were compiled, they were sent to Dale and he recognized their ideas and discussed it during advisory time and assured the students that he would look into their concerns. That really gave the students a boost. They felt that their opinions mattered and that someone in "charge" would help them out. I was impressed with their ideas and suggestions for improving the lunch situation. We'll see where it leads.
Another issue that was covered in a class meeting was their talking while I was trying to teach, or while another student was responding to discussion questions. I really wanted to know why they, in some cases talked continually. I learned that they were trying to satisfy their need for fun, freedom and power. The power need came out slowly, but they realized that when they talk in my class, they usually get 4-6 other students off task and listening to their conversation. We then talked about needs and I asked them if their needs were more important than mine or another student in the class. They quickly responded NO. I then asked how their need satisfaction might be interfering with others need satisfaction. They quickly noted that they were keeping others from learning and me from teaching. I was impressed, but I really wanted to know if they would take responsibility and come up with a way that we all could have our needs met. They asked if they could have 5 minutes to chat either at the beginning or end of the class. I asked what they would be willing to do for that time. Their response was that some would choose to sit at different tables and that they would listen when the lesson was being given. Worth a try...we all would win if this solution works. I'll let you know after we have worked on this for a while.
The main way I have used class meetings is to get the students more involved in their own learning. In Science, I have used the class meetings to share the learning targets with them. I explained that a learning target was a written statement of what I expected them to learn through a unit of study. I then had them break into groups to look at the three learning targets that have been established for the chemistry unit. I had them talk about what the targets meant and how they would like to show me that they have mastered the target.
Once each of the four groups came up with ideas, we got together in a class meeting format and everyone shared their ideas. I asked questions of clarification and took notes on what they said. I then had them brainstorm more student friendly language for the targets. Once they had that finished, we got together again and chose the one that we all felt best fit our needs and the original targets. The work that they have done is posted on my school web page, and I think/hope that it will help the students not only master the material, but have fun doing it since they had a hand in designing the learning.
I've used much the same process in Literature. We have used class meetings to format our book discussions and our written responses to the various readings that we do in class. I am currently working through what good writing looks like in a response to literature by having class meetings.
I really love this format. I learn so much more about what students value and want. It has made the start of this year one of my best. I feel more relaxed and comfortable with all of my students. They seem to know that I value their ideas and suggestions and they really like determining how and what they need to know. Whenever they come into the room and see the tables moved, they know its class meeting time and have told me how much they enjoy it. I will be collecting a great deal of data over the course of the year to determine how effective this format is in improving student learning.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Pete's Pathogram
September 20, 2007
The lesson today focused students attention on discovering how important the various need were in their lives. Each student was given a sheet of graph paper and asked to make a bar graph with a vertical axis from 1 to 10 and on the horizontal axis they were asked to write the needs (love & belonging, power, freedom, fun) down. Using three different colors and bars, they determined how much of each need they wanted (bar 1; color 1), how much energy they put into getting that need met (bar 2; color 2), and finally how much of that need they felt they actually had (bar 3; color 3). Their graphs looked something like the example below.
Once they had their graphs complete, we discussed them and applied them to their lives in school. It was during this discussion that we talked about nonnegotiable. Nonnegotiable are those rules that can't be broken. We all agreed that each and every classroom must be physically and emotionally safe and no one's individual need satisfaction could interfere with that. We also agreed that all students have the right to learn and again no one's individual need satisfaction could interfere with that.
The lesson today focused students attention on discovering how important the various need were in their lives. Each student was given a sheet of graph paper and asked to make a bar graph with a vertical axis from 1 to 10 and on the horizontal axis they were asked to write the needs (love & belonging, power, freedom, fun) down. Using three different colors and bars, they determined how much of each need they wanted (bar 1; color 1), how much energy they put into getting that need met (bar 2; color 2), and finally how much of that need they felt they actually had (bar 3; color 3). Their graphs looked something like the example below.
Once they had their graphs complete, we discussed them and applied them to their lives in school. It was during this discussion that we talked about nonnegotiable. Nonnegotiable are those rules that can't be broken. We all agreed that each and every classroom must be physically and emotionally safe and no one's individual need satisfaction could interfere with that. We also agreed that all students have the right to learn and again no one's individual need satisfaction could interfere with that.
This was a really good activity to get the students really thinking about their needs. The biggest problem I saw with the day was the length of time it took to get through it, but it was well worth it. As Vicki and I discussed the outcome of today's lesson, we agreed that loosing an entire class period to choice theory was sometimes necessary, however from this point forward we would spend Monday's on choice theory activities and Thursday's would be spent having short class meetings. I've already had a class meeting with my lit classes and it went really well. I will explain them more in my next post.
Basic Practium
Wednesday September 12, 2007
Basic Practicum
On Saturday the 8th, Vicki and I traveled to Chicago to begin the second part of our certification process which is the basic practicum. During this phase of our training, we will meet with a small group for more training and 9 months of implementation of choice theory in our classrooms. This was the first of three meetings and I was really encouraged with the progress I've made in using the "language" of choice theory. I felt very comfortable using the language, almost as if it was second nature, rather than a language I was just learning. The day flew by as we worked to improve not only our understanding of choice theory but ways to bring it to our respective jobs.
On Monday when we return to school, we met with Dale to write an Action Research proposal for implementing choice theory in order to help our students become accountable not only for their behaviors, but to improve their overall learning as measured on both standardized tests and classroom assessments.
I'm already seeing a difference in my students attitude toward learning. I believe that these goals will be met and students will actually look forward to learning and achieving.
Basic Practicum
On Saturday the 8th, Vicki and I traveled to Chicago to begin the second part of our certification process which is the basic practicum. During this phase of our training, we will meet with a small group for more training and 9 months of implementation of choice theory in our classrooms. This was the first of three meetings and I was really encouraged with the progress I've made in using the "language" of choice theory. I felt very comfortable using the language, almost as if it was second nature, rather than a language I was just learning. The day flew by as we worked to improve not only our understanding of choice theory but ways to bring it to our respective jobs.
On Monday when we return to school, we met with Dale to write an Action Research proposal for implementing choice theory in order to help our students become accountable not only for their behaviors, but to improve their overall learning as measured on both standardized tests and classroom assessments.
I'm already seeing a difference in my students attitude toward learning. I believe that these goals will be met and students will actually look forward to learning and achieving.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Quality World
September 11, 2007
Yesterday in class we did an activity that was designed to help students understand their Quality World pictures. Our quality world is made up of those things we want the most...it is made up of specific pictures that show the best ways to satisfy one or more of our basic needs. These pictures fall into three categories: 1) the people we most want to be with, 2) the things we most want to own or experience and 3) the ideas or systems of belief that govern our behavior. Any time we feel very good, we are choosing to behave so that someone, something or some belief in the real world has come close to matching a picture of the person, thing, or belief in our quality world. To do this we had them write down what they would do on their ideal day. Money was no object and they could spend time with anyone of their choice. The goal was to have students think about their world and how they would really like to spend their time. It also gave them some insight into their needs. Many students would travel and shop all over the world, others would spend time at various theme parks, and still others would visit different ball parks. This would indicate a high need for fun which isn't at all surprising.
Most of the students reported that they would like to spend the time with their friends and family. Again not surprising that friends out ranked family with this age group. This is the time when peers become a very important part of a teens life. It also shows that most have a high love and belonging need.
As they were sharing their ideal days, I noticed that many of them expressed a great deal of happiness at being able to choose everything they would do without having to worry about anyone else or considering anything like time or responsibilities. They enjoyed the power they were given over making their own decisions.
The people and things they put into their quality worlds are important to them....they are neither good nor bad, they are there because we believe or at least hope that it will feel good to be with them and bad to be without them.
We ended the activity by talking about how their quality world will change as they continue to grow and determine if the people, things, and beliefs are need satisfying or not.
Yesterday in class we did an activity that was designed to help students understand their Quality World pictures. Our quality world is made up of those things we want the most...it is made up of specific pictures that show the best ways to satisfy one or more of our basic needs. These pictures fall into three categories: 1) the people we most want to be with, 2) the things we most want to own or experience and 3) the ideas or systems of belief that govern our behavior. Any time we feel very good, we are choosing to behave so that someone, something or some belief in the real world has come close to matching a picture of the person, thing, or belief in our quality world. To do this we had them write down what they would do on their ideal day. Money was no object and they could spend time with anyone of their choice. The goal was to have students think about their world and how they would really like to spend their time. It also gave them some insight into their needs. Many students would travel and shop all over the world, others would spend time at various theme parks, and still others would visit different ball parks. This would indicate a high need for fun which isn't at all surprising.
Most of the students reported that they would like to spend the time with their friends and family. Again not surprising that friends out ranked family with this age group. This is the time when peers become a very important part of a teens life. It also shows that most have a high love and belonging need.
As they were sharing their ideal days, I noticed that many of them expressed a great deal of happiness at being able to choose everything they would do without having to worry about anyone else or considering anything like time or responsibilities. They enjoyed the power they were given over making their own decisions.
The people and things they put into their quality worlds are important to them....they are neither good nor bad, they are there because we believe or at least hope that it will feel good to be with them and bad to be without them.
We ended the activity by talking about how their quality world will change as they continue to grow and determine if the people, things, and beliefs are need satisfying or not.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
School Starts
Sept. 4, 2007
Day 1: It is hard to believe that school is underway....To start the year off, the 8th grade team gets to know the students by getting them involved in various team building activities. They "Move That Line", "Tie a Human Know", get in the "Lifeboat" and try to develop some positive relationships between each other and their teachers. This year Vicki and I gave them their introduction to Choice Theory by trying to have them play the "Triangle Game." In this activity they are supposed to pick out two other people that they would like to include in their equilateral triangle. They were not to tell the two people they picked, nor were they supposed to indicate to these two people in any way that they were a part of their triangle. It was a real bust. When done correctly the triangles wouldn't be obvious, and you wouldn't know if someone else had formed a triangle with you in it. We learned that 8th graders have lots of ways of communicating with each other....They almost all went to the sides of their friends and formed very small triangles so we ended up with a space filled with lots of mini triangles rather than a space filled lots of bodies with no apparent pattern.
The goal was to end up with a win-win situation in which all members of the team got what they wanted without trying to control the other people that formed it. Had they approached the game and played it correctly, they would have seen one of the goals of choice theory....win-win. However, they played the way we should have guessed students in school would play....they did whatever they had to to be correct. We told them to make equilateral triangles...they did. We told them not to indicate who they picked, that was more difficult initially (many simply pointed to their friends and they then moved to where they needed to be)...after reminding them that they couldn't indicate who they had picked, the body language and non verbal communication became more subtle and it wasn't until I watched really closely that I realized that they really were communicating. In school there is a really strong need to succeed or be right, they all wanted to be right and to get the game right which caused them to choose behaviors that involved trying to control others in order to get it right.
Next we had them fill out index cards with the following information in the four corners: corner 1: 3 people (one older, one younger, one peer) that are important to them. In the next corner they listed 3 things they would be doing, if they weren't in school. In the third corner, they listed 3 things they were good at and in the last they wrote 1 rule that they felt everyone should follow, 1 rule they thought was stupid, and a pet peeve.
Once they had that completed we asked them who, in the whole world, they thought they had control (in thought, action, emotion) over. Answers ranged from pets to younger siblings, but a really short discussion led them to say no one except for themselves. We continued the discussion by pointing out that when they talk out of turn it is irritating....but we as teachers can't make them stop. I know you're probably thinking a teacher worth his or her salt certainly should be able to make them stop, but with 26 years of teaching under my belt, I can assure you that they will quiet down for a time, but within 10 minutes, they are chatting again. They have to choose to stop talking...I cannot make them. We talked then about behavior and explained that all behavior is purposeful...that is it is designed to satisfy a need. If they were sitting quietly and listening, it was by choice. If they chose to not listen and were thinking Geez! when is this going to end...they did that by choice. Each and everyone of us tries to control the people around us, but we cannot. We can only control ourselves. We can coerce, manipulate, or try to intimidate someone into doing what we want, but ultimately it is their choice to do it or not. We always choose to do what is most satisfying to us at the time.
I mentioned that all behavior is our constant attempt to satisfy one or more of 5 basic needs. Those needs are 1: Love and belonging--the people the students listed on their index cards represent those people who they love and value as friends or family. 2: Fun--their answers here represent those things they like to do to have fun. Everyone wants to have fun and fun can include anything from learning, reading, or participating in sports. It is anything that you enjoy. 3: Power--this need comes in two forms on is power within which includes accomplishing a goal, succeeding at something, or teaching someone something that you know. Power over is trying to control those around you and is not constructive. 4: Freedom--this was the final corner of the index card. There are certain rules that must be followed however and our freedom must not come at the expense of someone else.
The goal for this year is to ensure that all of our students feel like they belong and are loved. We will foster positive relationships with all of our students. We will also make learning fun. This will involve getting them more involved in their own learning. Giving them the chance to pursue things they are interested in while still covering the curriculum. We want to make learning fun so that they enjoy their time at school. Next, we want to teach students to tap into their power within, so they meet with success in school. No one can do a new skill perfectly the first time they try it...students will have many opportunities to improve and develop their skills and feel that power within. We want to give students the chance to see that power over others doesn't really work. We also want them to have the chance to figure out what they need to have to be free and how to figure out the boundaries, so that they aren't interfering with someone elses needs.
This is getting really long, so let me close by saying this, we want to develop relationships with our students so that they really want to come to school to learn, not just hang out with their friends. This means that we all need to learn to compromise in order to have a win-win school year. We want to teach the students to take responsibility for their actions so that everyone is having their needs met, and most importantly learn to do competent quality work.
This is getting really long, so let me close by saying this, we want to develop relationships with our students so that they really want to come to school to learn, not just hang out with their friends. This means that we all need to learn to compromise in order to have a win-win school year. We want to teach the students to take responsibility for their actions so that everyone is having their needs met, and most importantly learn to do competent quality work.
Choice Theory Basic Intensive Week
July, 2007
Prior to attending the workshop I read several of Glasser's books including "Choice Theory", "Choice Theory in the Classroom", "The Quality School Teacher" and "Every Child Can Succeed". I learned a great deal about the basic needs, building positive relationships, quality school work and the competence based classroom. I felt I had a good start at understanding his theory and was eager to learn how to take the knowledge and put it into practice. I not only wanted to understand it, I wanted to own it.
WOW!!!!
The week of training was intense, exhausting, but absolutely terrific. We studied Glasser's entire view of choice theory and reality therapy from a personal, school and business point of view. We participated in group discussions and various role play situations as well as some lectures to learn the various aspects of choice theory. I left the workshop armed with strategies that would help me create a classroom in which every child can succeed and have fun learning. I couldn't wait for the new year to start!!!!
Throughout the week additional books were recommended. I found one by Jonathan Erwin entitled "The Classroom of Choice" to be very good and would recommend it highly. He has some straight forward and easy to understand strategies for teachers. He believes in offering students real opportunities rather than the obstacles that are a part of a traditional classroom based on a punishment reward model. He has dozens of ideas for improving motivation, work habits, opening lines of communication, supporting students in cooperative work and connecting the curriculum with individual interests. He is a teacher, so his ideas make sense and are very realistic and based on his own successes.
We also picked up "The Control Theory Manager" by Glasser. Since teaching is really all about management it seemed like a good choice. I have read it and I'm more sold on choice theory than ever. It has impressed both Vicki and I so much that we have given several of the books to Dale to read. We would like to see North Shore Middle School become the first Quality School in Wisconsin. Dale, our principal agrees and supports the Quality School ideas....something to work towards.....
We will be back at school before you know it. I'm looking forward to teaching the students about choice theory. I'm going to be using the blog as my reflection tool, resource, and source of documentation of the activities and ideas that I incorporate into my teaching. I will invite students, parents, teachers and the world connected through the Internet to watch as I create a competence based classroom in which every child can succeed. Comments are welcome....keep in mind however that we are all sensitive and have a need for power within which includes feeling important and competent at what we do.
Prior to attending the workshop I read several of Glasser's books including "Choice Theory", "Choice Theory in the Classroom", "The Quality School Teacher" and "Every Child Can Succeed". I learned a great deal about the basic needs, building positive relationships, quality school work and the competence based classroom. I felt I had a good start at understanding his theory and was eager to learn how to take the knowledge and put it into practice. I not only wanted to understand it, I wanted to own it.
WOW!!!!
The week of training was intense, exhausting, but absolutely terrific. We studied Glasser's entire view of choice theory and reality therapy from a personal, school and business point of view. We participated in group discussions and various role play situations as well as some lectures to learn the various aspects of choice theory. I left the workshop armed with strategies that would help me create a classroom in which every child can succeed and have fun learning. I couldn't wait for the new year to start!!!!
Throughout the week additional books were recommended. I found one by Jonathan Erwin entitled "The Classroom of Choice" to be very good and would recommend it highly. He has some straight forward and easy to understand strategies for teachers. He believes in offering students real opportunities rather than the obstacles that are a part of a traditional classroom based on a punishment reward model. He has dozens of ideas for improving motivation, work habits, opening lines of communication, supporting students in cooperative work and connecting the curriculum with individual interests. He is a teacher, so his ideas make sense and are very realistic and based on his own successes.
We also picked up "The Control Theory Manager" by Glasser. Since teaching is really all about management it seemed like a good choice. I have read it and I'm more sold on choice theory than ever. It has impressed both Vicki and I so much that we have given several of the books to Dale to read. We would like to see North Shore Middle School become the first Quality School in Wisconsin. Dale, our principal agrees and supports the Quality School ideas....something to work towards.....
We will be back at school before you know it. I'm looking forward to teaching the students about choice theory. I'm going to be using the blog as my reflection tool, resource, and source of documentation of the activities and ideas that I incorporate into my teaching. I will invite students, parents, teachers and the world connected through the Internet to watch as I create a competence based classroom in which every child can succeed. Comments are welcome....keep in mind however that we are all sensitive and have a need for power within which includes feeling important and competent at what we do.
A New Choice
Last year Dale Fisher asked the eighth grade team to participate in a collegial study in which we read Bob Sullo's book "Activating the Desire To Learn". This book was incredible and it was the first time I was introduced to the work of Dr. William Glasser and his "Choice Theory". This theory was developed by Dr. Glasser in the late 90's and he has been involved in schools for over 40 years with remarkable success.
The premise behind choice theory is three fold. First is that we are all motivated by five basic needs: love and belonging, survival, power, freedom and fun. The second is that all behavior is purposeful and chosen to help satisfy our needs at that time. The final premise is that the only person's behavior you can control is your own. No one else can make you feel, act, think or do anything....you always have a choice.
According to both Sullo and Glasser, the cornerstone of all learning is a positive relationship that is need satisfying. Without that, students will seek to fulfill their needs for love and belonging, fun and power in ways that aren't always compatible with a classroom situation. It is also their belief that each and every child can succeed and do quality and competent work in school. Several strategies were outlined in Sullo's book.
After completing the book I asked Dale if I could try some of the strategies and gather data to see if they really did work. He gave me permission and several really positive things came out of my efforts. I was having a bit of a problem with motivating one student in science...he was a good kid, just really unmotivated to do any science work. I sat down and talked with him and found out what he wanted from me. I then told him what I needed from him. Together we worked out what we were both willing to do to get what we wanted and needed. The change was immediate and remarkable. He became the leader of his team in River City. He kept everyone else on task, delegated responsibilities and reported their progress to me. This was a major turn around for the better! It wasn't too long after this that his mom called to thank me. She wasn't sure what I was doing, but she said her son told her he looked forward to science class and that science was his favorite class. What a turn around....
I had also been working with several of our high risk students since the beginning of the year to see if I could help them make their 8th grade year a successful one. They worked on completing all academic work and staying out of trouble in their classes. I spent time everyday and on Saturday mornings developing a positive relationship with these students. I was absolutely amazed at the results. These two students maintained both their grades and positive behavior in their academic classes all three trimesters... I was convinced that Glasser was right on target. The key to learning and success was in positive relationships.
This was a great way for me to end the 2006-2007 school year. I was convinced that Choice Theory could make a huge difference in student motivation, responsibility and success. I wanted to learn more...so Vicki and I asked Dale if we could attend a week long workshop being offered in Chicago during July. He was supportive and together Vicki and I set off for the windy city.
The premise behind choice theory is three fold. First is that we are all motivated by five basic needs: love and belonging, survival, power, freedom and fun. The second is that all behavior is purposeful and chosen to help satisfy our needs at that time. The final premise is that the only person's behavior you can control is your own. No one else can make you feel, act, think or do anything....you always have a choice.
According to both Sullo and Glasser, the cornerstone of all learning is a positive relationship that is need satisfying. Without that, students will seek to fulfill their needs for love and belonging, fun and power in ways that aren't always compatible with a classroom situation. It is also their belief that each and every child can succeed and do quality and competent work in school. Several strategies were outlined in Sullo's book.
After completing the book I asked Dale if I could try some of the strategies and gather data to see if they really did work. He gave me permission and several really positive things came out of my efforts. I was having a bit of a problem with motivating one student in science...he was a good kid, just really unmotivated to do any science work. I sat down and talked with him and found out what he wanted from me. I then told him what I needed from him. Together we worked out what we were both willing to do to get what we wanted and needed. The change was immediate and remarkable. He became the leader of his team in River City. He kept everyone else on task, delegated responsibilities and reported their progress to me. This was a major turn around for the better! It wasn't too long after this that his mom called to thank me. She wasn't sure what I was doing, but she said her son told her he looked forward to science class and that science was his favorite class. What a turn around....
I had also been working with several of our high risk students since the beginning of the year to see if I could help them make their 8th grade year a successful one. They worked on completing all academic work and staying out of trouble in their classes. I spent time everyday and on Saturday mornings developing a positive relationship with these students. I was absolutely amazed at the results. These two students maintained both their grades and positive behavior in their academic classes all three trimesters... I was convinced that Glasser was right on target. The key to learning and success was in positive relationships.
This was a great way for me to end the 2006-2007 school year. I was convinced that Choice Theory could make a huge difference in student motivation, responsibility and success. I wanted to learn more...so Vicki and I asked Dale if we could attend a week long workshop being offered in Chicago during July. He was supportive and together Vicki and I set off for the windy city.
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