I've been getting over my fears as I approach my 50th year on this planet. We all have hang ups about how we look, sound, and feel on camera. I'm following the lead of Gary Vaynerchuk and not caring about what I look like, but the message I'm sharing. This pivot in thinking led to the Traveling Teacher. I'm excited to share my travel adventures with you while offering some teaching tips. So excited!
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I've had an interesting interactions with this word. In my childhood, it equaled pain, suffering, and punishment. I didn't want to be associated with this word, so I remained quiet and compliant. Yet, there is a flipped side to this word. Sometimes, we make choices and there is a positive reaction beyond our greatest imagination. This is also consequence. Let's make sure we use both the positive and negative sides, so we don't have another generation fearing this word. Something that has transformed my life has been sketching. It's become part of who I am and how I process the things happening in my world. We all have our happy days, moments we are frustrated, and others where we don't want to get out of bed. This has helped me along with exercise to balance out those melancholy days, because I express the immediacy of my needs. Below represents my feelings of the final day of the VeeCon community panel applications. In one week, I'll know if I am on a panel or if I buy a ticket. To be honest, I'm fine with either just so I can attend. My heart would love to speak about my passion about making education a safer place for entrepreneurship. But, I recognize that some dreams are delayed. It's okay. The main point is to put our dreams, fears, hurts, and life onto the page. As a society, we don't journal anymore. This is my way of capturing all of the feelings I have inside and chronicling my life. Isn't it great to find the way that works the best for you? I'm starting my sketch club to help others to find their voice too. There are five things that are most underused within the PYP, per my observation and working with thousands of educators:
As you look at this list, you are probably scratching your head and asking yourself, “Aren’t those majority of the elements of the PYP?” You’d be correct. The reason I made this controversial statement is that some schools, maybe not yours, are playing at being PYP. What do I mean by this? They put up nice poster sets, have a unit display, and create units on the planner or within Toddle. The IB logo is proudly displayed in the office, on the floors, and on school uniforms. But, the school does not live and breathe the philosophy, it’s only a thing they do. Something to PonderI remember Paul Campbell, who used to direct the IB Global Conference, asked a profound question while attending a coordinator meeting in Texas before the pandemic. There are many IB schools in my region of the world although we have a heavily scripted curriculum proposed by our local government. The dichotomy spurred this question by Paul, “Does Texas have IB schools or schools offering the IB?” Let’s apply this to our learning and identity spaces. Are we an IB school or are we a school that is offering the IB? If we are an IB school, then this philosophy spreads through everything we are planning and everything our learners are doing? This week, I was provoked by a question by Yuni Santosa, a Grade 1 Teacher and IBEN member at the International School of Ruhr in Essen, Germany. She inquired, ”Hmmm... is this the criteria based on the visible aspects (see and hear)?" Right now, we are basing what we see in a classroom, but let’s not forget that our learners should also be speaking about them in their daily practice. It’s about making all of the language of the PYP come alive as just another list of vocabulary that we use to make sense of our learning. It’s not a separate list, wall, or display. Your room as a whole should be PYP not a separate bulletin board. What you put up tells you, your learners, and the community what you are spending most of your time on. I know, many of my early years and specialist and supporting teachers, office staff, and leadership are shaking their heads and saying, “This does not apply to me.” This is the problem. It’s not just the homeroom teacher’ job to teach the vocabulary throughout the day. It belongs to the entire community. One possible way is to begin with an idea that was sparked by our old friend, Shailja Datt, the PYP Coordinator at Horizon Japan International School in Kanagawa. Shailja suggested that, “Key concepts begin with and & then whether they are relevant, challenging and significant or not.” Once again, Shailja made me stop and think based on her critical and creative thinking. This poses the question: How do we make key and related concepts engaging, challenging, relevant, and significant for our learners? This made me reflect back on the purpose of the inquiry, thinking strategies of engaging, challenging, relevant, and significant. How do we connect them to our key and related concepts? How is this reflected in the classroom environment? Challenge accepted! Using Inquiry Thinking Strategies with ConceptsI am going back to the inquiry thinking strategies found in Think About Inquiry. I will take one strategy and apply it to exploring the key and related concepts. Are you ready? EngagingTo engage is more than having fun, it's awakening the mind to think and connect. How can we make the process of using the key and related concepts more engaging for our learners? The Fishbowl First Round (related concepts): Split the class into two main groups: action and evaluation group. The action group separated into three smaller groups around a cluster of desks or a small table in different places in the room. The action group will be given a bag of random materials that connect to the unit content to sort using the 2-3 related concepts from the unit of inquiry. Meanwhile, the evaluation group will take notes of the sorting process by using the PZ visible thinking routine, Think Puzzle Explore. This thinking routine asks learners what they see and their connections, in this case, it will be the materials sorted by related concept. Then, they will write down any questions that arise by the placement. Then, they will pose ideas that could be explored further when re-sorting the materials. Once the visible thinking routine is complete, the evaluation group will give their feedback to the action group. They will discuss if their ideas were on the same wavelength and differences. The whole group comes back together to share their findings to calibrate the similarities and differences through a quick gallery walk and reflect on one Think Puzzle Explore. Second Round (key concepts): It’s now time for the evaluation group to take action. They now take the materials and distribute them to show the key concepts in action. This time, they will be required to show the connection between the key concept and the lines of inquiry. The evaluation group will use Think Puzzle Explore to capture their thinking, each group will debrief, participate in a quick gallery walk, and share their findings. ChallengingTo challenge is confronting misconceptions and stretching ideas to a place of discomfort. Claim Evidence Reasoning (CER) My favorite challenging strategy is claim evidence reasoning. This is a strategy that is normally used in science to prove a theory but I’ve applied it to all the subjects. In table groups, provide 1-3 related or key concepts to choose from, be sure to not overlap between groups. Have each group make a statement about the key or related concept, which will be the claim. Example: Culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization Next, they must provide evidence of the concept in action that supports the claim. They can use books, magazines, videos, vlogs, blogs, etc. as evidence. Example: In the book, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear, we learn about a Chinese family that relocates to Seattle. The family is dedicated to many things within their culture and their love of music. The parents teach music within the community and expect all the children to participate, even Yang who doesn’t play very well. To save face, he asks his friend to pretend to play for him, since he is quite talented. Finally, describe how the evidence supports the claim. In my culture, we are expected to save face to our community so it doesn’t bring disgrace on the family. This can come in the form of behavior, grades, careers, and whom you marry. I connected with Yang, because he has a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders, even though he is quite young. He can either show what a terrible violinist he is to his parent’s clients or he can pretend and have his friend play for him. If I were in the same situation, it would be tough to make the right choice. RelevantTo find relevance is reflecting on prior and current experiences and delving into their implications Provide Utility Value Utility Value answers these questions, “Why am I learning this? What can it be used for?” It makes application of learning to real-life situations and potential careers. For example: we are learning about the needs of plants through the concept of conservation; a careful preservation and protection of something. To make this meaningful for your learners, invite a local florist, nursery operator, botanist, park ranger, etc. and have them share why plants are so important to our lives as humans. Have them show what conservation looks like in their roles and what we can do as everyday citizens to conserve as well. This shows real jobs in action supporting the related concept in action. SignificantTo find significance is bridging issues from our local experience and finding the commonality of the human experience around the world Projecting Across Distance This is one of my favorite PZ visible thinking routines, because it really goes deep about global issues. Pick an issue that might be looked at differently from around the world. How is the issue viewed in…
For example: we are learning about health; the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit First, look at the general health within your community. What are the healthy trends that are happening? What are the unhealthy habits that might need to be changed? Take a look at another city in your country. Since I live in the United States, I would examine the general health of people that live in New York City. Are they connected in body, mind, and spirit by living in such a hectic city? A country east or west of mine is Australia. How do they balance out their health? What does it look like in school, on personal time, and within cities versus country. A country north or south of mine is Peru. Does everyone have access to health care? Is mindfulness built into the school day? How do people deal with stressful situations? A country across the distance is the United Arab Emirates. With such a hot climate, how does everyone find balance between their body and soul? Are the people generally healthy? If not, what are the main reasons? As you can see, there are different ways to tease out the related and key concepts through the inquiry thinking strategies for different ages and subjects. The main factor for anything that we do well is consistency. We use the key and related concepts throughout the day and plan with them in mind. Evidencing the ConceptsThis leads to our next part, how do we evidence the learning? Something I have done is post the key and related concepts on a separate part of my classroom. As we see them in action, we post evidence and write a learning story of how it is connected to content and big ideas with the unit. It’s tangible and learners see the concepts in practice.
One thing that I do differently is that I keep the key concepts all year long. Since some repeat, I build on prior connections, so they can see a bigger picture of what they look like in different subjects and different contexts. To me, the biggest indicator that concepts are being used is that I am intentionally planning with the each week, I use them regularly to build connections between different content, and my learners are referring to them as they reflect. I have been having so much fun with the current podcast series, because it makes me think so much deeper than when I do it on my own. A big thanks to my PYP friends who have been contributing. Here is a brief video about more ways to contribute. I can't believe the thinkchat sketch club is about to launch! We are going to have so much fun together reflecting on the past, sitting happily in the present, and dreaming about the future. Be sure to get yourself a drawing pad, pen (my prefer is the dark blue from Paper Mate), and some colored pencils. Let's be kind to our hearts and release some of the pressure that builds when we don't let things go. I have let go of so many old wounds. This may be a way for you to do the same. Our first meeting is on April 15! We all have those days where we feel like hiding under the covers and eating an entire tub of Bluebell Ice Cream. If you haven't tried it, you need to visit Texas right away! There are other days where we wake up on the weekend full of positive vibes and we want to share it with the world. This is how I felt this morning. After a long battle with a project, I was finally able to crack through it on Friday, which made me feeling positively alive. What moments have made you feel the same way? Everything we create is in response to who we are, how we are feeling at that moment, and what we hope to become. I've always believed in my capability in the workplace, even when surrounded by naysayers. It's something I had instilled in me as a child growing up in an LDS household. Unlike popular myths, I grew up loving myself and continuously reaching for my potential. I've always been slightly overweight and conscious of my physical presence. This can be something that makes us wonder: Am I good enough? Am I pretty or handsome enough? Should I just stay home? Do I have value? In re-reading The Four Agreements, I was reminded that the dream we have in our own minds is not true, so don't take them personally. Be mindful of the reel that is replaying in your mind. Is it helping or hurting you? If it's hurting you, can you find a new tune to replace it? As we venture into our week, remember that you have value just as you are. You don't need to change to attract people that are going to love you. It will happen. You just have to love yourself first so it can happen. To ensure that I live to make this quote come true, I have decreased the people I engage with on a regular basis, the types of films that I watch, and music I listen to on Spotify. All of these messages can attack our sense of value. The greatest addition to my life has been sketching everyday. This has helped me to regulate my feelings, fears, and shortcomings in a positive way, so they don't fester. This is part of growing up. If I were to hang out with any group all day, it would be my fellow Hot Chocolate Design collectors. I'm obsessed with my shoes and they make me feel beautiful. What makes you feel sensational? I wanted to start off the "Read Aloud with Older Kids" with a book that has spoken to my heart, since the beginning of my teaching career. We all have that book that if it were lost or damaged, we would cry alligator tears. This is mine. At the beginning of my teaching career, I was quite poor. Thankfully, I grew up in a community that had an outlet mall, which meant the prices were considerably cheaper. In their bargain big, I found this book. I was moving to Dubai, so the cover intrigued me. Little did I know that it would become one of my valued treasures that I would read each year to my fifth grade class. in fifth grade, personal identity is everything. Learners are beginning to hormonally adapt and their emotions are everywhere. Every time I read this book, I see grown boys cry and girls that feel like a character knows them. I hope you will join me on this journey with Buran, daughter of Malik. Greetings friends! Welcome to another week of our PYP Classroom Success Criteria podcast series! We are going to have a lot of fun exploring interactive walls that are transdisciplinary. More talk about the walls? Yep. They are the most underutilized teaching tool that we have at our disposal, so let’s talk about ways that we can use them better. This episode was sparked by a question by our old friend, Shailja Datt, the PYP Coordinator at the Horizon Japan International School in Kanagawa. Shailja asked: Are the walls interactive? A couple episodes ago, we talked about interactive bulletin boards as a teaching tool. But this time, we are going to examine how we can use them to build deeper connections. Meanwhile, our friend Nirali Parikh, a transitional kindergarten teacher, at the Creation Village World School in Celebration, Florida posed a simple question. Nirali asked: Is it transdisciplinary? The bigger question should be, how do we create walls that are interactive and transdisciplinary? The simple answer: the lines of inquiry. The Purpose of the Lines of Inquiry vs the Central Idea After a busy week, we often reflect on different events that have occurred and try to identify if there is a common thread. When we discover the thread, we examine if there are any other possible actions we could have taken and then make a plan to work towards it. This is the natural way that we process the events in our lives and how we feel about it. In teaching, we try to replicate the process for our learners. For every unit of inquiry that we teach, we have a big idea of what it’s all about. This is the central idea. The primary objective is to build learner understanding, so they can take personal action, based on the content they have learned. This makes sense, because we only truly understand something after we have acted upon it. To help us get to this understanding, we have three or four statements called lines of inquiry that outline what we must KNOW and DO to get to the big understanding. Their job is to break down the content we teach and give it meaning…our thread to the big understanding. This sounds so simple, but it’s amazing how many schools do not recognize this important fact. They aren’t statements that we laminate on the walls and never engage with during our unit. They are the heart and soul of our teaching. ***For the lines of inquiry to reach their true potential, they must be written conceptually. This means that they are written with concepts and not topics. How to do this is a conversation for another day, but my process takes time, which I don’t have for this episode. How to use the lines of inquiry as a teaching toolThe first step in using the lines of inquiry as a teaching tool is unpacking the statements. I do this process similarly with the central idea, so my learners have a word bank to draw upon. For each concept (a big overarching idea that is universal, timeless, and abstract) and verbs, I break them down into everyday language for learners to understand. We do this together through pictures and words. For older learners, I will have a large word bank of 6-8 words per each concept and verb. This allows for different access points of application to their personal experiences. I provide one picture for each term, so it’s clear what it is. For younger learners, I mainly use pictures to guide the process with a few words. This helps them to break down the concepts into their language while not getting overwhelmed by the choices. Too many pictures and words will drown out your message and they will be very confused. How to use the lines of inquiry to guide the teachingThe next part is the most crucial. When planning for the unit, you need to look at each line of inquiry and determine which content can be taught. Usually, I have the content organized first before creating the lines of inquiry, so this process is easier. It’s up to you. The job of the line of inquiry to give purpose to the content you are teaching. Imagine you have a line of inquiry that states, “The connection between values and balance.” Now, you are looking at your content as a whole and deciding which parts can be taught through this lens. For this to happen in a transdisciplinary approach, your lines of inquiry need to be written using concepts and not topics from your content. Many units that I encounter look like this, which is not transdisciplinary. It’s disciplinary, because only one subject can be taught through it. Central Idea: Migration can lead to change Lines of inquiry: An inquiry into…
This is a very superficial approach to learning and this becomes labeled the “migration unit” instead of the unit about “where we are in place and time.” Here’s a possible alternative. Central Idea: Movement can bring about opportunities and consequences Lines of inquiry: An inquiry into…
As you can see, there is a big difference in the possibilities and it’s very transdisciplinary. How to collect evidence under each line of inquiryAs you are teaching your content under each line of inquiry, how are you documenting the process? One way I do it is by posting work samples under each line of inquiry along with a learning story, so I know how they are connected. You and your learners will forget why you posted work, so this helps to keep the connection active in your mind.
As you teach the content through the unit, you will add more and more samples under the line of inquiry. Soon, you will see transdisciplinary examples of the learning under each line of inquiry, including the Arts, PSPE, ICT/Computers, Library, Additional language, etc. This is what it means to be transdisciplinary…across the subjects and not just the ones that the homeroom teacher explores. It’s truly beautiful when the work is unpacked and evidenced on the walls. I ask my learners, “Which work is worthy of going up on our unit wall?” We don’t just want any work up on display. It has to speak to the heart of the line of inquiry. Since we are adding ideas, pictures, work samples throughout the unit, it becomes an interactive tool that guides the learning and teaching. Something you can do is ask your learners what is the connection between two assignments. This gets them thinking critically and creatively, which is activating those meta-cognitive skills. I hope I answered the two questions with fidelity. I could talk about this all day! Final note: I’m starting an online sketch club to help me continue with a deeper reflection process. It will begin on April 15 and we’ll meet every couple of weeks. Be sure to check out my Twitter page @thinkchat2020, LinkedIn @lugerlach, or on the Confessions of a PYP Teacher Facebook group. |
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