I got to hear Edward De Bono, spent two sessions and 1 day with Lane Clark, Mike Scadden and many others. It was so good hearing people whose books I have previously devoured.
I was inspired to join twitter and took part in an EDCHATNZ session. My virtual PLN started to build.
Stephanie (teaching the teacher) blogged about removing desks and using buckets for storing students stuff. I arrived back in my little patch of isolated paradise full of ways to transform the physical space of my class and the thinking of students.
With three days remaining before my first meeting of the year I got rid of the desks, brought in tables and made posters for the wall. My Cyber Safty unit was ready to go. It required lots of training in how to use thinking tools and group discussion. A perfect blended learning unit.
First day. Students come in. I discover that I grossly overestimated their listening, cooperative, and focusing skills. The existing motto of the group was "school is for fun". They only things that fitted the definition of fun were conducted outside. Sport, motorbikes and farm work all included. Writing, Reading, Maths, Science and Social Studies excluded. I persevered, used behaviour management strategies, nagged (opps) and moaned to my husband. The students moaned, giggled, made jokes, and asked what they needed to do as soon as I stopped telling them. They repeatedly asked for desks. I compromised by adapting Stephanie's idea of buckets and buying small containers. Thank you Warehouse for having online shopping and cheap freight.
Term continued with many changes to the program. The cyber safety unit was shelved. Each student started a blog. At the end of the week I overheard one of the students saying, "I thought we hadn't done any writing this week but look at all". The quality, quantity and ease of writing on the blogs made me rethink the writing program. By Week 5 I realised that very little numeracy, reading and writing learning had happened. Sure there had been some successes. The students had understood decimals when we used decimats. They loved the blogs. Writing was happening. I had completed running records and numeracy tests. The students had made excellent progress in their self management skills. It really had taken 5 weeks for them to learn to listen to me, solve some of their problems themselves and focus on their work. They could follow the Lane Clark Think it Great process. They worked out that Cross Classification charts required them to think on deeper levels and consequently declared that they hated them. I was determined they were not going to ruin my vision of a 21st learning class with self directed enthusiastic students.
I had two parents come and express their concerns to me and we had developed a plan for addressing these.
Onwards and upwards to camp! The breather of a camp that met the students definition of fun was perfect timing. One class of 17. 2 teachers. 7 parents (2 Mum's went home on Wed and sent Dad's back). My idea that Camp would teach independence flew out the window. Camp was a great success and the great thing about having all the parents was that I spent one evening sharing my vision and reasoning with them. Given that those parents are friends with most of the other parents of my students I was fairly sure that what I said would be round our teeny, tiny community before the weekend was over.
To end Term 1 I got the students to complete a PMI reflecting on TERM 1. We then discussed the minuses and ideas. I allowed them to bring desks back and put them around the edge of the room. I was still sure that desks were not the way to go but I was tired of fighting them. Incidentally no one ever used the desks unless I made them in Term 2. 4 weeks into term 2 the caretaker reluctantly put the desks back in the overflowing storage shed. Would anyone like 60 desks and chairs? The PMI was a fantastic way of getting some honest feedback, empowering the students and opening a dialogue on what we could change and allowing me a forum to explain my reasons for the things I wasn't going to change.
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