Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a...
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#51. Pivot! Lessons in Growth from "Friends"
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This morning my students were supposed to graduate from high school. We had a socially-distanced, outdoor ceremony planned complete with performances from the choir and band - and then it rained. Graduation was moved to the following day. How perfectly 2020. Or should I say 2021? As I reflected on this change in plans, and the disappointment that I am sure my students and their families felt, I thought about all of the ways that this year has forced us to adapt, change, and pivot at a moment's notice and how as a result of these experiences we will never be the same again - nor will education.
One of my favorite clips from the sitcom "Friends" is when Ross has to move a sofa up a set of stairs. (If you haven't seen it, please take a moment to watch the clip. It is hilarious!) Ross had a detailed sketch outlining how he will accomplish this feat. He recruited his friends Rachel and Chandler to help him. However, as they began to move the sofa they ran into a series of problems. On their first attempt, Chandler was nearly thrown off the staircase. Exasperated, he said "I don't think we can turn anymore." So they changed their plan and tried again.
As soon as they overcame the first obstacle, they were faced with another. They needed to maneuver the large sofa around a small turn. Ross shouted instructions to his friends to "PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOT!" And the sofa got stuck. Rachel says,"I can't believe that didn't work. I mean, you had a sketch." I kept thinking about this scene this year as the word "pivot" worked its way into our everyday lives.
This year, we began with a plan that required teachers to teach in a way that was radically different from how they were trained to teach. Our plan constantly changed due to changing mandates and community transmission conditions. There were times when it all felt like too much. Like Chandler, I didn't think we could turn or change directions again. Yet we did. Only once one obstacle was surmounted, another rapidly appeared in its place. There were times where I felt just as stuck as that sofa. I just didn't see a workable solution to our many problems. At the end of the episode Ross had to cut the sofa in two to get it unstuck - much like we had to dismantle our view of what education can and should look like in order to succeed.
In the final scene, Ross tries to return the sofa. The salesperson looks at him like he is crazy. She says, "Sir, it's cut in half" and offers him $4 in store credit which he accepts. For me, that is where the metaphor ends. The trials and tribulations of this year have been both extraordinarily painful and cost much more than can be measured in dollars and cents. All of us have experienced a significant amount of trauma this past year, some to a much greater extent than others.
There is a rich body of research in the field of psychology regarding trauma. Much of the research relates to the adverse effects of trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. However, not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD. A newer body of research explores how and why some people experience tremendous growth as a result of traumatic events.
Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) is a theory developed by psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawerence Calhoun. They define PTG as " the positive psychological change that is experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances." It explores how some individuals grow as a result of adversity. To be clear, this does not mean that trauma is good. Instead, it recognizes that "adversity and suffering are part of the human experience, and knowing that our human tendency is to put more weight on the negative, this is another way to recognize positive aspects of life that we often don’t pay attention to."(Source)
As the end of the year approaches, a common refrain that I hear in the halls of my school is how hard this year was and how much we have grown as a result of the challenges we faced. We taught online, we taught in person with masks, we taught both groups at the same time. We disinfected desks in between class periods, we reworked school schedules and we learned new LMS's. We did this all while balancing our own worries and stresses with the psychological and physiological needs of our students.
In the immortal words of Nietzsche, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” As this school year comes to an end and you begin to process this crazy, never-ending year, I challenge you to ask yourself the following questions. Did you:
Discover a strength you didn't know you had?
Appreciate something (or things) in your life more than before?
Improve an important relationship or end a bad one?
Get better at communicating your feelings (or improve some other aspect of communication)?
Gain confidence or become braver?
Become more compassionate, forgiving, or understanding?
Repair or strengthen a relationship?
Identify any of your own shortcomings that could be improved?
With all that being said I will admit that I am totally and completely exhausted. We not only moved that metaphorical couch - we moved it multiple times to multiple locations. I can say without a doubt that myself, and the educators that I am blessed to work with, have given it our all and have left nothing on the field. After a much needed break, I will be back to explore how we can foster resilience in ourselves and our learners.
I hope you all have a chance to rest and recharge this summer,
This past November, I had the honor of presenting about blended learning at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference in Austin, Texas. I was happy to see that there was a great deal of interest in this model of teaching! In my presentation, I differentiated between different models of blended learning and shared how I use the Station-Rotation model in my own classroom. I have found the Station-Rotation model to be my "go-to" model for blended lesson design. The essence of the Station-Rotation model is that students rotate between different stations within the classroom walls. However, as you will see in my example, they can also use flex time to complete some of their learning tasks. The key to a well-designed, station-rotation lesson is balance. One of the most helpful resources that I have found in my blended learning journey are a book and blog by Catlin Tucker. According to Tucker, a strong lesson balances teacher-led stations...
If you have been following my blog you already know that I am a HUGE fan of the station-rotation model. The essence of the station rotation is that students rotate between carefully curated online and offline learning stations. This can occur both within and outside of the classroom walls so this model lends itself well to the remote and hybrid learning environment. In this post, I will share how I transformed my existing lesson plans on the theories of emotion into a station rotation that can be used both in-person and online. The key to a successful station rotation is balance . One of the most helpful resources that I have found in my blended learning journey is a book and blog by Catlin Tucker. According to Tucker, a strong lesson balances teacher-led stations with online and offline stations. You might already have ideas of what types of online and offline activities you could build into your station rotation. If not, consider checking out this document she created th...
Are you looking for another blended learning strategy to try that provides your students with choice and a voice? Consider designing a playlist for your students. A playlist is an interactive digital assignment that provides students with a roadmap for how to achieve their learning goals. I am really excited about incorporating playlists because it allows for a more personalized and differentiated learning experience for my students. They also require the students to assume ownership of their own learning because they choose which direction they take on their learning path. When I begin the process of designing a learning playlist, I focus on the following questions: Learning Outcomes:What do my students need to know at the end of this lesson? Assessment: How will I know if my students know what they need to know? Choice: What choices can I give my students in regards to the time, place or modality of learning that they can engage in? Teacher: How can I best support my students duri...
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