| Thank you for joining our book club! I loved your ideas about focusing on improvement rather than grades. I have already incorporated your "tell me more" idea in student responses. Now that we are fortunate enough to be a 1:1 school I have begun to experiment with a "digital notebook." It is a work in progress, and I was interested in your e-portfolios. I was wondering how they have evolved over the years as you have used them, and is there anything you still would like to improve in the way your students use them? Thanks for sharing, and your classroom sounds like an amazing experience for all of your students! | Thanks so much for the kinds words! 😀There is always room for improvement, and I would definitely love for our ePortfolios to continue to grow and get better over the years! What I've found is that I have a very high expectation for our blog posts and not everyone will meet my expectations without regular feedback, so a few times each trimester, I make sure to give feedback and opportunities in class for my students to make revisions (even long after the report card has counted the grade). Since we don't use grades in class other than report cards, students just see it as another task that is expected of them. I think one recent improvement is our "Blog Assignments" page, which organizes most of the blog post assignments in one place: http://paulsolarz.weebly.com/blog-assignments I've also created "Blog Buddies" who are semi-permanent partners who are responsible for looking over their buddy's ePortfolio both on their own and when given class time. These buddies are groups of 3 for us and include a student who struggles with blog posts, one who is average, and one who excels at it. I try to give time every few weeks in class, but also remind them every few days to be checking on their partners' ePortfolio and giving them feedback in person. |
| Thank you so much for joining our book club! It has been great reading your book and gathering some great ideas for my classroom. While reading your chapter on 21st century skills, a part that stood out to me the most was Making Math (More) Meaningful, since I am a sixth grade math teacher. I loved your explanation of how you were using all of these 21st century skills during your math lessons, even if someone wouldn't know that just by entering the room because they would see note-taking during a lecture. You incorporated cooperation, collaboration, feedback, and more during your 70 minute class period. How do I incorporate meaningful, personalized feedback daily to all of my students in a 46 minute period? Do you have any suggestions of how to incorporate this feedback on a daily basis in such a short chunk of time when I still need to teach a new lesson? What do I do if I am giving this feedback individually as you mentioned, but I have specific groups of children who constantly fool around when left to work in pairs/groups? | A 46 minute period would definitely be harder to do all of the things I am able to do on a daily basis, so I might suggest splitting some things up. None of my suggestions are perfect, but they represent the things I might try if put in a similar situation: Maybe give feedback to students every other day (or do half the class each day). Maybe flip some of the lessons using videos for homework. Maybe provide individual feedback while students are collaboratively practicing that day's skill instead of doing it prior to the lesson. As for the misbehavior, I find that a combination of classroom meetings, individual conversations, and consistent consequences make the most impact. Dedicating one period to discussing the current behavior situation with the class and re-solidifying your relationship with each student to ensure respect goes both ways will prevent many issues. Working hard to bond with students who misbehave the most will make a huge difference, and teaching the class how to redirect their peers effectively will also help. I always start the year telling my students how I promise to "find a way" to like each and every one of them! (I say this in a silly way.) I want them to work hard to find a way to like me no matter what too! I notice the kids who are misbehaving, and I give consistent consequences, but also take the time to talk with them about how important it is that we work on our relationship together and prevent further occurrences. Some students just need to feel the positive peer pressure that other students can provide when they say, "OK - Let's get back to it." and ignore their behavior! Either way, good luck! I appreciate you taking the time to read Learn Like a PIRATE and try to increase the level of student leadership in your classroom!!! |
| Many thanks for engaging with us Mr. Solarz. My question for you is this: I am an elementary art teacher. I see my students once a week for 45 minutes. I find that over the course of time (especially after a long break or even missing a week due to snow or an assembly for example), the students forget many of the classroom norms that we established. How would you recommend building a self-sufficient classroom with those parameters? As I read your book, I can see and would love to have my classroom operate the way that you have yours. Any advice would be wonderful. | Thanks so much for the kind words! Yes - I definitely notice that each year as well (this year was quite a bit better than most, but I think it's the exception, rather than the rule!). Usually, on the last day before break, I tell them about this "phenomenon" and ask them what they think we could do to prevent this from happening this year. We have a 5-10 minute conversation about it. We often make a plan (a goal) and on the first day back, we remind each other of this goal as we enter the room (it's on a small white board that we use to set daily class goals). This year's "Winter Break Goal" was re-named by my students as our "New Year's Resolution" and it went something like "We need to work hard to remember all of our rituals and responsibilities and try to help everyone get back into the groove." (My words, can't remember theirs.) Yesterday at the end of the day, I told them that although we had some struggles this week, it was one of the best weeks back from Winter Break I've ever had because everyone was trying hard to be responsible. I reiterated that our goal is always to improve no matter where we start, and I saw lots of improvements this week and very few setbacks! Hope that helps! |
| Thank you so much for joining our mini book club! I have a question about active learning through book clubs. I’ve been working with a friend to elevate our traditional book clubs so they are more technology-centered, but I am also looking for ways to bolster student engagement during this time. I liked the progression of lessons you wrote about with the reenactments followed by the trip to Mars, and I’m wondering if you have any ways to utilize those types of activities and skills in the middle school for book clubs? | Yes! The "Literature Circles" section of the book explains a lot of my ideas (feel free to call it "Book Clubs" - mine is not a traditional Lit Circle!). My students get 10 books to choose from. I select their #1 choice whenever possible (based on how many copies of the book I have, how many students chose that book, and who is in their group). But I rarely base it on ability. My 5th graders are typically able to read all of the books I offer because they read aloud with 1-3 other peers, taking turns each paragraph. (Sounds old-fashioned, but in a collaborative classroom, students respect each others' differences and don't tease slower readers, mispronunciations, etc.) Every time they think of a possible discussion or question, they stop and record their conversation. These conversations are uploaded to our YouTube channel and labeled based on the type of discussion it was. I teach them dozens of types of conversations throughout the year and they teach each other even more! Here are some examples: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DeddbaMybPOm66T9TS8wQ/videos Students are required to record two conversations each 60 minute period. They have 10 periods to read their book and need to read 1/10 or more each day (they do the division of the pages). If they finish early, they select a new independent reading book from our classroom library and can read alone or with one or more of their partners from the last group as long as everyone has their own copy of the book. We do this 3 times per week all year long and my students never complain about it. They really appreciate the time they get to read books that they enjoy in class (without homework). The only thing I ask them to do at home is a summary of the reading each night, but they divide the responsibility so they only have to do one summary a week on average! |
| Thank you for joining our group! One of the ideas you discussed in your book is the use of the 21st century skills progress report. Do you, in any way, factor this assessment into the students’ overall grade (report card grade)? If not, how do you get the students to “buy into” the goals that they create based on this report? I really love the idea and would like to use it in my own class, but I find that for many of my students, the end grade is what’s important and they don’t always put 100% into assignments that “don’t count” toward that grade. | No - The 21st Century Skills have no bearing on their report card grades. I teach my students that the 21st Century Skills are abilities that they will be able to use in school and out, for the rest of their lives. We talk about each skill and share examples of when they are important in life and students learn the importance of these skills and ultimately WANT to work towards improving in these areas. My students never ask about grades and appreciate when I focus on areas where they can improve because of the culture we have created in our classroom. My students feel that our individual goals are like a scavenger hunt each week: "What can I improve on next?" They collect goals like they do baseball cards! Each one is extremely important to them because they've learned the value of each. They also know that teachers have traditionally stressed goals and skills that haven't been very important to them, so they appreciate that I've spent time to show them why they should value each of these. They feel more respected and more grown-up. Having taught both a traditional "grades-focused classroom" and a "grades-free classroom," I can't tell you how different my students' work ethic and attitude about learning is! And it's not starting in earlier years - it starts in 5th grade with me! |
| It's very exciting to have you in our group. I was wondering what you suggest for creating a student-led classroom with a group that does not have many natural leaders and does not necessarily have the drive to learn or do on the their own. What do you do when the group is wasting time rather than using it effectively? Have you ever worked with a group like this? | Yes! Many years passed between solid natural-born leaders for me! These past two years have had one each and before that, not really anyone for several years. Both classes presented different challenges. These past two years, I've worked hard to prevent my natural leaders from taking over (albeit in appropriate ways) because I wanted a room filled with students who could lead, not just one student who became the teacher! In those other years, it was more about "planting" leadership ideas throughout each day for individual students (e.g. "Hey Jason, can you do a Give Me Five and say..." or "Hey Nicki, can you show that method to the rest of the class if I gather them?). And then I would follow up that experience with a whole class announcement saying that I'd like to see more students do what Jason or Nicki just did WITHOUT TEACHER PERMISSION! The key is allowing the students to make all of these decisions without needing permission first. Leadership happens spontaneously and can quickly disappear if not acted on. When teachers allow students the freedom to interrupt the class and make group decisions without permission, they become true leaders. Then the only problem moving forward is how you react when a student does something wrong while leading. I always say something along the lines of, "I'm not mad at all, but next time, I'd prefer you say it this way..." or "Next time do this instead..." and I tell them how proud I am that they took a risk! The students always look relieved and often talk with their parents about how proud they were of themselves for attempting to direct the class! |
| I am so glad that you brought up Mystery Skype in this book. I have done a few and my students love them! I was wondering if you have any other tips or lessons that incorporate that tool? | We love to connect with Skype for Educators and have experts Skype into our classroom on topics we are studying or interested in. Richard Chapman has tailored several of his Yellowstone National Park lessons to match our curriculum like "Geothermal Energy" (with his Sueprvolcanoes lesson) and our "Oregon Trail Simulation" (he taught us about trappers along the trail and the animals they trapped). We've connected with the grand-daughter of Rube Goldberg to learn more about the man who created amazing comics and chain-reaction inventions (we created our own as well). I bought 30 copies of Mission: Mars for use during our Mars Simulation and we Skyped with the author (who is a NASA astronomer) and got a ton of our questions answered! http://www.amazon.com/Mission-Mars-Pascal-Lee/dp/0545565324 I also Skype with many groups of teachers during school so they can ask my students questions about how our classroom runs - we do it while kids are working on something else collaboratively and students come up to speak one at a time when they have something to say to each question! So many great ways to connect with Skype! |
| Reading your book has inspired me to try to release control and create a student- led classroom. This will not be an easy task for me, as I, like many teachers, fear giving up control. I have a few questions. What inspired you to create a student-led classroom? What are some changes you suggest I make to begin the transition mid year? I teach in an inclusion classroom, and worry that some of my students are a bit emotionally immature for the responsibility of a student-led classroom. I deal with a lot of bossiness, bickering and tattling from these few students. Any suggestions on how to deal with these issues? | Great questions! - What inspired you to create a student-led classroom? I was raised by a mother who believed in a Montessori style of learning (especially between ages 2-5) which included exploration, making lots of mistakes, independence & freedom from adult interference, etc., but she secretly kept very close tabs on me at all times! She allowed me to make most mistakes (unless they were unsafe) and was quick to assist and provide supportive, immediate feedback after each experience. As a school-age child, I experienced traditional classrooms, but my curiosity and work ethic had already been instilled in me. When I became a teacher, everything screamed: "Do it the traditional way, like all your previous teachers!" but it never made sense to do it that way for me! I had to give my students authentic learning experiences in order for them to make real meaning and transfer their learning! I had to make it fun. I had to give them their independence. And I especially had to give my 5th graders all the attention and power that I could, because they were going to fight me for it otherwise! I found that the more I trusted them to do, the more they did (with feedback)! I never looked back! - What are some changes you suggest I make to begin the transition mid year? I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter did what you are asking last year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! - I teach in an inclusion classroom, and worry that some of my students are a bit emotionally immature for the responsibility of a student-led classroom. I deal with a lot of bossiness, bickering and tattling from these few students. Any suggestions on how to deal with these issues? We are an inclusion school and I often have clusters of students (or individuals) with severe needs. I have found my students with autism, ADHD, LD, Down's Syndrome, etc. to be extremely excited about this style (BD has been tougher). They just require many more individual conversations and feedback to help them fine-tune their leadership skills. If you can get the other adults who work in your classroom on board (I don't currently have any, but...) they can take on a lot of the individual conversations themselves. But the student HAS to respect the person giving them the feedback in order for them to care enough to make the effort to change. But it can be done and at the end of the year, their parents are the ones raving about your style of teaching and the impact it made on their child. |
| Do you have any advice on creating more of a student-led classroom for teachers that do not see their students for the whole day such as specialty teachers? Not having the time that I feel would be necessary to lead a completely student-led classroom seems to be a disadvantage for me. Any advice? | I guess I'd start by saying you might want to ask some others who are "in the trenches" trying this in their classroom! Here is a list of middle school and high school teachers who are doing some version of a student-led classroom despite only seeing their students for a few hours each week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OMH8xBEe_agfWvuxc4Al9pqqiEnmX0EGZRp4IcASxSE/edit?usp=sharing I would add that anything you can do as a team or department would go far in helping promote these philosophies across classes. I've spoken with dozens of teachers who are implementing one part of Learn Like a PIRATE at a time and slowly watching the impact it's having on their students. @JoyKirr has been doing a version of the whole-class goal setting and individual goal setting with her 7th graders this year and has been seeing some great progress (although she's needed to give lots of support and feedback along the way). Maybe start small like her!?!? |
| I have really enjoyed reading your books and have been eager to make a lot of changes- one step at a time. What/who inspired you to become a teacher? Have you taught in the upper grades? If so, have you had more, less, or equal success as your fifth grade class? | Thanks for the kind words! - What/who inspired you to become a teacher? I never really wanted to be a teacher until I spent a summer being a camp counselor. The kids were happy and the parents told me I was really good with their kids, so I decided to get my degree in elementary education (figuring I could always find a job at some business with that degree but I couldn't get a teaching job with a business degree). Turns out, I loved it and never looked back! - Have you taught in the upper grades? If so, have you had more, less, or equal success as your fifth grade class? I have spent my entire 17 year teaching career teaching 5th grade at Westgate School (by choice)! I love it! I did do my student teaching in 4th grade and 7th grade science, but found that I really wanted to keep my kids all day and teach all subjects! |
| I appreciated that you shared so many ideas throughout your book on how to shift to creating a more student-centered classroom. I know it will take a lot of practice and experience, but it seems like making simple changes can have a great impact on creating an active learning environment. As an overwhelmed first year teacher, do you have any advice for making these small changes in order to eventually strive for the type of classroom you have created? | Thanks Melanie! Honestly, I think you should trust your instincts this first year and teach in the way that feels natural to you. Get that baseline and decide what changes should be made next year. If you feel that some of the ideas in Learn Like a PIRATE match with your own beliefs, then implement those and give yourself the credit rather than the book. You are just being yourself! Then, next summer, set aside a lot of time to reflect on the year you had and see how some of the ideas from this book and any others that you read could be integrated into your plan for the following year. My first year of teaching was one of my best and it's because I was left to be myself. I had a mentor who gave me everything of hers and I took time to use that as my springboard for creating projects and authentic experiences that my students would enjoy and get a lot out of. I made a ton of mistakes along the way, but learned from them and grew! My second year was one of my worst, and it was because I started listening to EVERYONE'S advice. They said, don't try to make the kids your friends, don't make everything so fun, don't, don't, don't. And it cramped my style! My connection with each student isn't so that I have a new friend, but so that I have their respect and can ask them to work harder than they've ever worked before. I don't do fun activities just so my kids are happy, I do them because students make emotional connections with those experiences and can transfer their learning to new situations all their lives! All that said, I spent every waking hour my first two years working. You might want to balance it better than I did! (I still spend far too long on work stuff, as evidenced by this long response on a Saturday night!) Good luck! |
| I've spent a lot of time over break rethinking my classroom and the responsibilities that I'd like to encourage in my students. I came to realize that there are some student behaviors that I used to view as presumptuous or time wasters, that I need to change my view of. Maybe when a student jumps to help someone with a tech problem, it is because they are supportive of their classmates and not nosy. Maybe the student emptying the pencil sharpener is taking initiative and not just avoiding writing his essay. I'm ready to look at things in a new way. I started with a class meeting yesterday to set goals in support of this new way of working and the students and I are excited. I do wonder what the reaction will be when other adults, who may have the same reservations I did, visit my classroom. Did you ever have a negative reaction to your student-led classroom? What happened? | First of all, wow! I love the reflective comments above! You clearly have a growth mindset and are open to trying new things in the classroom! Thank you for that! Your students will always benefit from the risks you take, even when there are setbacks! Regardless of each students' purpose in the examples above, you have the power to spin it in a positive light! "Jimmy - Thanks so much for taking the initiative to empty that pencil sharpener! I never remember to do that. Do you think you could teach other kids to do that once in awhile (but not every day!)? Is there anything I can do to help you with your essay to say thanks? Let's look at it together. Other adults have had mixed reactions over the years. Some only heard the noise and decided not much learning was taking place (we are a LOUD class every year). Most, look past that and see the individual learning that is taking place. Administrators have always given me a long leash because they knew I was well-respected in the parent community. I would explain most everything to parents on "Back to School Night" and most would understand and just learn more about it from their child through dinner discussions. Every year though, I've had one or two parents who decided early on that they didn't like my style of teaching & they were going to let me know about it (most likely through email). It seems like all of my peers have 1-2 parents every year who don't like their style either, though, so I think that's just how it is at our school (maybe elsewhere as well?)! Any adult who has worked in my classroom (assistants, literacy teachers, special ed teachers, etc.) have always loved the style and watched the amazing growth over the year. Lots of support from them! |
| Regardless of the amount of time, it is always difficult to allow students responsibilities and/or control in the classroom. 1. How much time should students be allowed to handle being on their own in the classroom? 2. What one piece of advice can you offer teachers who are reluctant to granting students "control" within the classroom? | Good point! We have to learn to trust our students, but that can be hard at first! And that can be hard after we've been fooled! But we have to get back on the horse, work hard to prevent the same mistakes from happening by building teacher-student trust and respect through conversations and classroom meetings, and give them another chance to succeed! 1. How much time should students be allowed to handle being on their own in the classroom? Although I separate myself from my students for periods of time, I'm never leaving them on their own. I am always listening in to their conversations (usually walking around, but sometimes not), because I want to give them a tremendous amount of feedback on their actions. I want to reinforce the proper behaviors and immediately address the improper behaviors so that the student has another chance to get it right. For example, my students work in groups of 2-4 while reading books of their choice aloud. They discuss and predict together and often disagree with each other. Since I've taught my students how to handle conflict in our class, I expect them to "politely disagree" with each other and use a strategy if their peer is not being respectful. Yesterday, there was conflict in one of the groups during this time, and I did not intervene. Instead, I watched the conversation take place (they saw me watching) and they made some mistakes with how they spoke to each other. When it was over, I walked over to the group, reminded them that disagreements are wonderful opportunities to learn from other people's points of view, and asked them what our conflict resolution strategies are. They recited them to me and I had them re-enact the conversation using one of those strategies. They did, I asked them to remember to use their strategies next time, and we moved on. It was a positive experience and the feedback focused on improving in the future, rather than on the mistake they made in the past (which cannot be fixed). 2. What one piece of advice can you offer teachers who are reluctant to granting students "control" within the classroom? The more control I give to my students, the more control they give me because they respect me more. |
| Hi, Mr. Paul Solarz!! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to join our book club. Reading your book has been very inspiring. I would have loved to be a student in your classroom. My question is in regards to mindset. My mindset is changing daily as I grow as a professional, however dealing with 7th grade Math students it is by far a difficult task. I see a lot of the students come into class and just want me to tell them what to do and the procedures to doing something. Do you have any ideas on how I can change (or improve) the mindset of these students? | Thanks so much for the kind words Melissa! You are right! It can be VERY hard to change the mindset of students when they've had years of experiences one way and you're asking them to do it a different way. It is further complicated if your team is not on the same page as you. But it can be done! The best way I can explain it involves my theory regarding grades (and if you're not considering minimizing/eliminating grades in the classroom, this might not be as helpful). You described a cause and effect situation where students have spent their school years being given directions that would lead to high grades that would make their parents happy (or they've struggled to do so). If they didn't follow directions, they often were told that they didn't do things right and got poor grades and their parents got upset. We've trained our students to do as they're told, rather than to think for themselves. Now, there's a tremendous value in teaching students to follow directions and accomplish tasks according to requirements given to them by others. Much of our adult life revolves around the same principle, but this process seems to be the only way students "do school." And it's not much better at home, most parents control their children's every move, telling them what to do and when, what to say and how to say it. Parents are just doing what they think they should do to prepare their children, but what they're doing is making their child completely dependent on them! I want to "do school" differently. I want my students to make decisions often and without permission. I want them to trust their gut (which will lead to MANY mistakes because their instincts are often poor) and receive feedback from me helping them refine their approach next time. When grades are removed from this environment, there is truly no negative consequence to bad decisions (which makes me happy because I will ensure that students behave and work hard - I don't need a grade to do that for me). In the end, I have to give a report card grade, and (in math) I do so using end of unit tests and math fact fluency. These are the only things graded - the other things are practice, including worksheets, attempts at leadership, collaborative effort, etc. But in order for this all to work (and be able to convince your students that it will work) is to believe that it will work yourself - that will be the ultimate test of your growth mindset! I did it (and not that long ago) and I'm SO glad I did - immense changes in the way my students learn! Good luck! |
| Hi Paul. Your book has made a huge impact on me as an educator. I’ve jumped head first into creating a student-led classroom. Since making this change the noise level in my room has definitely become louder. I find myself questioning if the noise is detrimental to students who need a quieter environment to learn. In your book you discuss asking students who are bothered by the noise to move to a quieter space to work rather than get rid of the louder discussions creating the noise. My students don't have the luxury of moving to another space as there are 29 of us in our square shaped classroom. My question for you is this, will my students get used to the noise of productive work? And if not, is it okay to create some kind of noise monitoring system without negatively affecting class productivity? I’m concerned about my students who may need the quieter type of learning environment they’ve been “groomed” to work in up until this point. | Thanks so much for the kind words! They mean a lot to me! You hit the nail on the head when you said, "my students who may need the quieter type of learning environment they’ve been “GROOMED” to work in up until this point." Some parents won't like it because at first their child will be coming home and saying that it can be hard to learn with the room as loud as it is, but within a short period of time (I'd say a month if it's every day all day), they will be able to completely block out those distractions 95% of the time (assuming you're addressing any unnecessary loud outbursts that are only intended to get people's attention - it may happen once, but if you address it politely, whole-class, students won't do that again). I had 7 students with ADHD last year and all of them were very successful in our classroom, despite the noise level. This year, I have 26 students in our class and we don't really have many places to "hide" from the noise. When they record videos, some go into the hallway, some go behind some file cabinets. Otherwise, they don't seem to mind the noise anymore. I've never used a noise monitoring system because some of my most shy students are shy because their voice is booming or attract attention and I want them to speak freely without judgment from me or others (although I might still give private feedback to help them adjust). All that being said, if you feel it's necessary, please do what you think is best. You are the expert in your classroom and my experiences might not match up with your current reality! We need to be given the autonomy to trust our gut and do what we think is best for our students. Hopefully, your administration encourages a "teacher-led school" where you make decisions based on your needs and abilities! Good luck! |
| Thank you for joining us in our group discussion. I have been having such a wonderful time reading your book. I envy the children that got to be your students! My question for you is, what is your favorite go-to graded assignment? What I mean by this is; you look for improvement rather than grading, although you know you need grades. So what do you think is the most engaging assessment you use time and time again. I imagine I’d never walk into your room and see the kids all completing one worksheet, so what do you love to use for graded assignments? Your eportfolio? Anything else? | Good point! Although I don't give grades to students (but I give lots of feedback & ask for improvement), I have to determine grades for our report card. Depending on the subject, I do have some go to's: 1. In reading, I rely on my students' video discussions of the books they are reading in their book clubs (I call them Literature Circles, but that's a bit of an outdated term): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DeddbaMybPOm66T9TS8wQ/videos 2. In writing, I rely on a few "core" assignments/projects: The Human Body Research Paper (Informational Writing), State of Nature Story (Fictional Narrative), and Reading Summaries (from Lit Circles). 3. In math, I rely on end-of-unit tests (the only tests I give in any subject other than spelling - which they can take over and over until they like their score). 4. In science, I rely on ePortfolio blog posts that show evidence of process, product, and a formal reflection. 5. In social studies, I rely on the reflections my students write that go with our simulations (colonizing Mars for our Constitution unit and heading west on the Oregon trail for our Westward Expansion unit). |
| I am inspired by your fresh outlook on education! It is clear to me that each of your classroom strategies aim to achieve the same overall goal: allowing students to learn how THEY do best, while instilling personal responsibility and a sense of urgency to become something significant in this world. I share many of your philosophies, and reading your book helped me feel more confident in giving my fifth graders more freedom. My question is, how do you take back rules or routines that you want to change once they are set? I am a perfectionist, and am always trying to tweak the flow of the class to ensure that students are as productive as possible. Sometimes, I gather the kids and we discuss what is going "well" and what needs to be improved. Then, we create a new plan together to make sure that everyone is working up to their best potential. It is a totally democratic and open forum, but it takes time! How frequently do you feel comfortable changing the way that things are done in your class? | We change things up often! It's that darned Growth Mindset in each of us! It's not usually a huge change, but sometimes is. Small tweaks, I do a Give Me Five and announce my thinking and how the ritual or routine is changing. I ask for questions and then ask them to remind each other and monitor our progress towards making the change. Most groups do well with this, but occasionally they need a follow-up discussion and I sneak it into a Classroom Meeting when we're all sitting down together so I get a little more focus. Big changes usually require me to demonstrate or have students demonstrate. We might break it up into steps over a couple days. We might try the announcement style I described above but I might scaffold it more and help them ease into the new routine/ritual. Ultimately, I tell my students that I trust them to ensure that everyone is responsible for making the change and that I am only one person who will help. And there's a VERY good chance that I will forget and mess it up more often than they will, so that's even more reason why I need them to help each other along the way! On a separate note, if I know what I want done, I don't make discussions democratic (I imagine that you probably don't either, but just for clarity...). For example, I don't let my kids write the classroom rules each year, because I think it's deceiving if you're leading them to the same point each year. I really don't like it when district committees are like that - we come to 15 meetings on our own time and then they adopt the curriculum they wanted despite our opinions! If I want my students' opinions, though, that's when we go democratic - and it happens a lot! We do a silent, heads-down vote, where I swear to be honest with counting and I only vote if there's a tie. If it's not a voting situation, we have a solid discussion where students are heard (but it does take time and occasionally we'll break up into "committees" to make quicker decisions!) Regardless of my blabbering, I wish you luck and appreciate you reading the book! Have a great 2016! |
| I enjoyed reading your book. I learned a lot of great tools that I plan on implementing in my classroom. My question is similar to a few other peoples' questions. What is the easiest way to start utilizing some of these strategies once the year has begun and rules, regulations and routines are set in place? Being that I am a cooking teacher, by nature my classroom has a student led environment. I love the idea of doing a demonstration on how to cook something on a Monday and then having a silent day the next day to see if my students were paying attention to the demo as well as reading the recipes that I put in front of them. The classroom is frequently loud with students busy in their various kitchens so I'm not sure how to implement the "Give Me Fives" strategy; however, it is something that I am willing to give a try. I think all your strategies are beneficial to all subject areas and I appreciate you writing this book. Thank you. | Thank you very much for the kind words Andrea! - What is the easiest way to start utilizing some of these strategies once the year has begun and rules, regulations and routines are set in place? I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter did what you are asking last year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! - "I love the idea of doing a demonstration on how to cook something on a Monday and then having a silent day the next day to see if my students were paying attention to the demo as well as reading the recipes that I put in front of them." The only thing I might suggest is that you allow your students to work up to the Silent Day so that it's not an opportunity for failure, but an opportunity to show their confidence, skills, and willingness to collaborate with their peers. Each day leading up to the Silent Day, you can give feedback with regard to those aspects of the classroom and say, "When you are cooking on our Silent Day, I'd like to see you doing..." and since your students are a little older than mine, you might want to focus on the part where you CAN'T talk all day (or communicate in any way) and the students might enjoy running the show without your help. Students LOVE that I have to "suffer" all day long and not talk! That's their real prize in their minds ahead of time, but on the actual day, they forget about that and focus only on the fact that everything is up to them and no adult can help them! I can envision your students doing "Give me Five's" and asking, "Which drawer do we keep the whisk in?" and "What did we have to do to the flour before measuring it?" which might frustrate you because they don't know it and should, but in reality, they're using their resources to solve their problem and that's what our world is all about! Good luck and thanks again! |
| Hi Paul! I have a few questions for you, if that’s okay! First of which, I started doing “Gimmie Fives” with my students. I like to think I fostered a classroom where students feel comfortable and respected, but I’m noticing students are still asking me questions and when I suggested to them to use a “Gimmie Five,” they were shy and hesitant. How do you overcome that? Additionally, I reached out to some of my international contacts to do one of those mystery Skype’s, but some of them are in Russia and Thailand, and we’re having difficulty coordinating because of the time change. What do you suggest so my students can still partake ideally during the school day? Thank you! | Thanks for the questions Morgan! - I’m noticing students are still asking me questions and when I suggested to them to use a “Gimmie Five,” they were shy and hesitant. How do you overcome that? ---- The best way for students to get their individual questions answered is to have the freedom to ask any of their peers around them whenever they want (with some exceptions, I suppose!). If the first few don't know the answer, calling out a Give Me Five is a great next step. If students are just plain shy to ask for help from their peers, you might want to do more work establishing a collaborative classroom community. Teach them the importance of accepting & embracing each others' differences. Do the Marble Theory lesson (or your version of it) to show them that we're all talented and that academics shouldn't be the only judge of our intelligence and ability in life. Get them working together more often than they work individually (or whole-group). Use random partnerships so they don't just work with friends - they need to get to know each other well - familiarity breeds respect. When they spend more time together, they will become more comfortable going to each other for help. At this point in the year, only one student ever comes to me with a question these days without trying their peers first! - Additionally, I reached out to some of my international contacts to do one of those mystery Skype’s, but some of them are in Russia and Thailand, and we’re having difficulty coordinating because of the time change. What do you suggest so my students can still partake ideally during the school day? If you can stay within time zones that work in school hours, that's the best plan (we've come in an hour early to Skype with Germany - they stayed after school an hour late). If you want to try to have a recorded conversation with those outside of your time zone, try it through YouTube videos! You might not be able to Mystery Skype, but you can still connect and share projects, etc.! There are so many countries and states within the Americas that Mystery Skype can be very impactful still. Connect with more educators via Twitter and see if they're willing to Mystery Skype! Good luck!!! |
| Mr. Solarz, Thanks for taking time out to join us. Being a Physical Education teacher I started empowering the students to become leaders by first having them lead the warm-ups instead of myself. So that each student gets a turn, I mark it down when they go. I usually get about half the class to raise their hands to lead but once that crew had their turn the others are shy or non leaders and are more difficult to get them to lead. I also have them form groups for discussion before, during, and after games or activities to let them come up with strategies they could or could've used, but its the same students that run the discussions. My question to you is what are some other suggestions or strategies I could use in a Physical Education environment that would enable the non leaders or shy students to step-up and become a leader? Thanks for your time. | Hey Michael - great questions! Thanks! First off, you might want to check with @SchleiderJustin on Twitter - he and I have had several conversations about Learn Like a PIRATE in the P.E. classroom. - Suggestions: For students who are old enough, have them coordinate who leads warm-ups, but set some guidelines (e.g. it must be written so we can all see the plan/schedule, everyone who wants to lead gets to do so before anyone goes a second time (I'm not sure I would force any students to lead warm-ups as it might cause a power struggle and do little to increase leadership skills), maybe have a few types of stretches/activities for kids to choose from but require a certain amount or a time limit, etc.). Whenever I have a "Jimmy-led Classroom" I ask Jimmy privately to refrain from active leadership and take on a more passive role which should include asking others to do the things they were inclined to do - give them the chance to lead! If they don't make the change on their own, I tell them I'm temporarily taking away their privilege of leading, but that I'm in no way upset about it - I just want to share the wealth! If they still can't help themselves, I politely call them out on it and tell them to stop and let others lead. I also go in and encourage others in their group to step up. - The gym might be an intimidating place for some students to lead, so I would stick with individual conversations where you spoon-feed what you'd like them to do and have them do it right then and there. If they say they can't, accept that and tell them that you will try again soon. Give them another chance in a couple weeks. Try hard not to make leadership into an uncomfortable thing for those shy students. In our class, it's simply a way of life. In order to go from Step 1 to Step 2, it requires collaboration. Step 2 to Step 3 might involve leadership. Step 3 to Step 4 might involve following someone else's lead. I have some students who rarely are active leaders, but model great behavior, encourage others to re-focus when they're working together, etc. These types of leaders are also very valuable in our world! Let them know you appreciate their leadership style, and are proud of them! |
| Thank you for joining us. I thoroughly enjoyed your book and feel as though I can naturally apply some of the idea into my classroom. My biggest concern is that I did not do this at the beginning of the year when setting the routines is so very important. I often think about the strategies and wonder about particular students and how reluctant they are. I am thinking mostly about my highest level students and how they feel like their work is perfect and they could never improve because you can't fix perfection. We all know everyone has room for improvement. However, certain kids feel as though they are perfect or have been told for so long that they are the best. How do I get these kids to change try some of the different ideas you presented? Moreover, how do I change their mindsets and show them that it is ok to make changes, ask for help, etc.? I need them to buy into the ideas and changes. Thanks for your time. | Thank you for the kind words! - My biggest concern is that I did not do this at the beginning of the year when setting the routines is so very important. --- I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Tell them they've earned the opportunity to try out this new style of learning. Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter started this process mid-year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! - I often think about the strategies and wonder about particular students and how reluctant they are. I am thinking mostly about my highest level students and how they feel like their work is perfect and they could never improve because you can't fix perfection. We all know everyone has room for improvement. However, certain kids feel as though they are perfect or have been told for so long that they are the best. How do I get these kids to change try some of the different ideas you presented? --- Marble Theory is the way I solve that problem. It levels the playing field and gets everyone to see everyone as an equal if you are able to believe in the idea yourself. Academics shouldn't be the only thing that makes a person smart. Lots of academically smart kids drop out of school because they lack other skills or abilities. Lots of academically disadvantaged students graduate college and become successful due to their work ethic or ability to adapt to change. The quicker students learn that they're not destined for success just because they did well on their report cards, the sooner they make changes in their attitude and effort. They start seeing learning differently. My gifted students are constantly asking my students with learning disabilities how to do things on the computer or what the rule was for ___. They don't seek out other students who get straight A's - they ask whoever is closest! This comes from Marble Theory and daily opportunities to work with each student in the classroom - I ALWAYS randomly (or occasionally purposefully) select their partners because I want them to develop relationships with everyone in class. As a result, my students work well together with everyone 99% of the time. We have occasional conflicts, but they know how to handle them with respect and rarely need me to intervene. I hope you give it a try! Thanks for the questions! |
| Mr. Solarz, Thank you for taking the time to be a part of our discussion. This forum was a wonderful way to hear about all of our "best practices" and how we are utilizing the strategies provided in your book as we move toward a student centered classroom. As a Math Interventionist, I am a push in to many different classrooms and grades. When we have teacher-led instruction, the "give me five" strategy has helped to keep students actively engaged so that they can contribute and enhance the lesson. I have used Google Forms in connection with responsibility partners so that students can assess the work being done by group members and hold everyone accountable. In many ways, the middle school classrooms are moving toward a more student-centered mindset. However, grades and test scores are still very important parts of the middle school mindset because they are the factors used in placement. How can we change the mindset of students who are so focused on their scores? How do we convey the importance of the process of learning to these students? | Thanks so much for reading Learn Like a PIRATE! In our math classroom, students do take end-of-unit tests and math fact fluency checks, so we do have some grades but that's all. Every other thing students do only results in feedback, rather than a grade. It is my belief that when you remove the pressure of grades on all the other "stuff" and focus in on taking everyone from the Personal Point A to the Personal Point B, students become more willing to take risks and willing to help each other rather than focus on completion. I need my students to help each other out, because I'm alone in my classroom of 24 math kids. I can't help everyone efficiently or effectively in the 70 minutes we have together without their support. My students never ask about grades and they appreciate when I focus on areas where they can improve because of the culture we have created in our classroom. Every day, my students check in individually with me and look forward to me helping them clarify their misunderstandings of the previous day's work, re-teach some skills, and get their questions answered. I do this within a minute or two per student, but because it's everyday and because I re-teach the skill & have them practice while I work with another student before ultimately checking that first students' work again, I can get through a lot of students in a short amount of time. Having taught both a traditional "grades-focused classroom" and a "grades-free classroom," I can't tell you how different my students' work ethic and attitude about learning is! And it's not starting in the earlier years - it starts in 5th grade with me! I'm not asking teachers to completely get rid of grades, but stop giving grades for daily work and formative assessments - only give them on summatives. Give feedback on all the other stuff with no consequences for students who struggle (but encourage high effort & responsibility), and help them fix their mistakes. Re-teach often so they don't often go too long being confused about a skill (I do have some kids who don't pick up a skill before I'm forced to move on, but they are an extreme exception to the rule). This will help change students' mindset about learning. Good luck! |
| Mr. Solarz, I have enjoyed reading your book and am very excited to implement many of your ideas. I have already started using responsibility partners with my students and it seems to be going well. Like many of my colleagues, I am concerned about the effectiveness of implementing the changes in my classroom at this point in the school year. One of my biggest concerns is about changing the mindset about grades and focus more on the process of learning. My question is how do you explain this growth mindset to parents and have them understand it and importantly support it? | Thank you for the kind words! - I am concerned about the effectiveness of implementing the changes in my classroom at this point in the school year. --- I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Tell them they've earned the opportunity to try out this new style of learning. Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter started this process mid-year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! - One of my biggest concerns is about changing the mindset about grades and focus more on the process of learning. --- Only do this if you believe in the philosophy. What is your goal as their teacher? Mine is to help my students transfer their skills from our classroom to future classrooms and the real world and to learn how to learn on their own. Do you believe that grades are what teach students how to improve or how to learn, or do you feel something else might do that better (maybe immediate, specific feedback with support)? Your beliefs should guide your decisions. - How do you explain this growth mindset to parents and have them understand it and importantly support it? --- I spend "Back to School Night" sharing my philosophy with my group of parents. This year, I bought them all a copy of my book and gave it to them, encouraging them to read more if they'd like to understand my beliefs in greater detail. Most have read it cover to cover! All of my students' parents over the years have supported this style of classroom - not all of them have loved ME, however! (Can't please everyone all the time, right?) Many express their initial concerns or confusions, but long before the end of the year, they see the impact it's had on their child and wish it could continue in middle school. Most of their initial worries are appeased with one conversation. If you agree with the philosophy, it's not hard to defend! If you don't have a Back to School Night, I recommend putting together a handout that details most of your ideas because there will be at least one parent who will really want to read that! If you can get your team on board, even better! It's harder to disagree with everyone! I wish you luck and thank you for taking risks in the classroom! |
| Mr. Solarz, your book is filled with so many wonderful ideas and I am quite certain they would have been successful had I begun them in the beginning of the year. However, because four months have already passed in the school year, I'm conerned they won't have the same effectiveness. I'm very intrigued by the "Give Me Five" concept and would like to incorporate it in my class now. In the Peer Collaboration portion of the book, you discussed the importance of students showing respect for the child who interrupts the class for a "Give Me Five" moment. My class this year has a very high level of respect for each other, which I have not always had the luxury of enjoying. Today I enthusiastically introduced the concept of "GIve Me Five" and received very questionable responses. I was wondering if you feel it would be beneficial to begin it a different way or make subtle changes with it being that it is not the beginning of the year? | Give me Five typically works best during times where students are not whole-group or working individually. (Eventually, students are comfortable doing it then, but rarely at first.) Ask your students to use it when they are working collaboratively around the classroom. This is when it's most needed. "Give me Five - It's time to transition!" "Give me five - I've asked my neighbors, but none of us remember the website address we need." etc. You might also consider calling it something different if it sounds too primary (my 5th graders have never complained, but other teacher have different callouts). I would encourage planning as many lessons that involve partner work and small group work while students are first trying to use this privilege and do whole-group reminders and plant some individual suggestions to get things going. Whenever anyone asks you a question, direct them to their peers and say do a Give Me Five if no one can answer your question (with exceptions if you're the only one who can answer it). Additionally, I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Tell them they've earned the opportunity to try out this new style of learning. Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter started this process mid-year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! Good luck! |
| I actually had a very similar question as Breanne. I was so excited and inspired by parts of your book that I couldn't resist implementing some of the strategies over the past few weeks. Just opening up a dialogue with my students about how I WANT them to lead has been empowering for all of us. For a teacher who is jumping into this mid-year, do you have recommendations for which of your methods are the most important to implement early on? And, in contrast, do you think there could be any negative effects of starting this way? | I'm thrilled to hear that you just jumped in and talked with your students about it! That's exactly my style (deal with e consequences later - this looks fun!). I definitely recommend doing the Give Me Five, Marble Theory, and Responsibility Partners right away. Get your kids working together and they will become more collaborative (with feedback) and better leaders over time. Teach them to respect each other and go to each other when they need support. Teach them not to be ashamed of asking for help, but that using resources is an excellent 21st Century Skill (and it was important in other centuries as well)! I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Tell them they've earned the opportunity to try out this new style of learning. Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter started this process mid-year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! I don't think there is any reason not to introduce it, even though we're mid-year! Good luck! |
| Mr. Solarz, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and feel very inspired to implement your ideas in my classroom! In the beginning of your “Empowerment” chapter, you mention that we should make our goals clear from Day one. I’m wondering if you feel that changes toward creating a more student-led classroom can start at any time. I’ve been trying to make small changes along the way as we have been reading LLAP. I’m hoping it’s not too late for this year to make a completely student-led classroom! | Not at all! "Day One" begins when you decide to implement a student-led classroom! I suggest having a class discussion about what you've read in the book and asking the kids if they are up for trying out various parts of it! Tell them they've earned the opportunity to try out this new style of learning. Start with one idea and grow it. Expand to another when you're ready. Don't do anything you disagree with, because your kids will see right through you and decide that it's not worth the effort. If you show & tell them all the benefits you think can come from this style of teaching, they'll most likely buy in and support you. I just make sure that I earn EACH student's respect before expecting them to be on board! Also, @ARutschke on Twitter started this process mid-year and had SO MUCH success. Please ask her for some more suggestions!!! |
| As a Gifted and Talented teacher, I only see my students once a week for an hour and a half. I do my best to instill strategies/responsibilities like cleaning up the classroom and making the space their own. I find it difficult sometimes because of the time that lapses in between classes. Any advice to help implement your strategies for a non-homeroom teacher? | Great question! It sounds like you are already embedding the philosophy into your classroom. I would say it comes down to the types of activities you are having your students complete. Are they mostly teacher-directed with lots of directions and guidelines, or do they allow for loose guidelines & student input up front and collaborative exploration (allowing mistakes to happen) throughout the process? Students who are gifted & talented sometimes struggle with making mistakes and loose guidelines as they've learned to "play the game" of school much earlier than many of their peers, therefore they need these opportunities early in their schooling in order to become a flexible thinker and believe in a growth mindset. |
RSS Feed
