Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

A recent post by Kevin J. Ruth, Answers Are So Yesterday , got me to think about the nature of questions and answers. Here are a few thoughts. 1.  We need answers, whether we want to admit it or not. Problem solving is a critical skill.  To be a problem solver, you certainly need to ask questions, but if you never offer an answer, you haven't really solved anything.  We need answers, even if to force us to ask more questions. 2.  Answers are not the problem.  The type of answer is the problem. Answers that make the audience think are valuable.  Answers that prompt additional questions are valuable.  Answers that silence the crowd are only useful in emergencies.  In schools, we need more answers that lead to better questions.  Answers that can be found with a simply Google search are losing value - quickly.  3.  Bad questions are worse than bad answers. If you ask a bad question, you will almost always get a bad answer, or at least an answer you were not expecting.  B

I have some experience with responding, as a school, to the aftermath of natural disasters.   Having worked through the results of Hurricane Katrina, I offer this advice. Ultimately, you will be remembered for how well you supported the needs of your students, families, and colleagues - NOT for how fast you caught up on your lesson plans or syllabi. Those needs may be physical, emotional, or psychological as much as intellectual or academic. Care for others and remember to take care of yourself.

C ontent is readily available.  There is no shortage of content.  The availability of content determines its face value, and for most people, content is too available to make paying a high price for it seem unreasonable.  This price may not necessarily be in hard currency, but in opportunity costs, time, labor, etc.  This is the reality of the connected/sharing economy that exists today. What is less readily available are enchanting, relevant, personal, and social experiences that enhance learning, understanding, and application of content.  The value of these experiences are high because they are in demand.  These experiences are often ignored (at the least severely undervalued) in the test score driven, standardization culture that exists in many schools. This is a significant part of why, I believe, many people are frustrated with the educational system as it currently exists.  They thirst for the connections we all desire, to share experiences, and find our place to contribute

I n a recent video of a TEDxYouth talk he gave (and in his book, Stop Stealing Dreams ), Seth Godin suggests the vital question facing our educational system is, "What is school for?"  In other words, "For what purpose do schools exist?" On the surface, this may seem like a somewhat easy question to answer.  On the other hand, if you really begin to think about the implications of your answer, a great deal of complexity may begin to seep in.  If there was one purpose, then there would only need to be one type of school.  So, I tend to fall more on the side of there being "purposes" of schools and the need to have different varieties to address those purposes.   Malcolm Gladwell gave a good TED talk about this concept . Having said that, I want to take a stab at answering Mr. Godin's question...or at least offer ONE possible answer. The purpose of school is to "create knowledge."   Creating knowledge, as I use the term,

I am a big fan of Seth Godin's work and enjoyed reading Stop Stealing Dreams .  However, the biggest reason I read Seth's blog and his books isn't because I agree with every point he makes.  I am a fan because he forces me to think deeper about the points of his with which I disagree.   This video is no exception.  I found it to be a very good use of 17 minutes not for the parts I nodded in agreement about, but for the moments I began shaking my head in doubt. After watching, feel free to share your favorite points of agreement or disagreement here.

H ow you choose to use factual content in your assignments can make a significant impact on the relevance and value of the work.  Below are two examples.  Read each and see if you notice a difference. Example A:  Write an essay describing the Harlem Renaissance. In this assignment, you are basically asking students to organize a number (3-5) factual items about the Harlem Renaissance and report them back to you in essay form.  The content is THE purpose of the assignment.  There is very little in the way of critical thinking involved with this assignment as the final product is probably no more valuable than what anyone can find with a quick Internet search of "Harlem Renaissance."  Content is abundant and available, so students doing this assignment are simply reporting what someone else has already found. Example B:  Write an essay demonstrating how the Harlem Renaissance is an example of diversity playing a role in the shaping of our national identity. Wit

I recently wrote a short post suggesting 6 questions that students should ask about each assignment .  That post prompted two comments.  One comment included the suggestion that teachers should encourage students to ask themselves something along the lines of,   "How is this connected to something I'm passionate about?" for each assignment. Thanks, Bill, for the comment.  It got me thinking, too! Here are my thoughts. I'm not sure there is any one thing with which each  assignment should connect.  And  while  I agree that making a connection to a student's passion is  desirable   I'm not sure it is possible given the fact that at any one moment a student can change their mind about which they are passionate.   Of course all of this leaves out the other fact that, in a room  filled  with  students,  designing  an assignment that  connects  to every person's passion seems virtually impossible.   I am all in favor of teachers wanting to make

 O ne of the least used, yet most powerful, tools you can use to help your future planning is to ask your students for feedback.  I am not talking about an end of the course evaluation (though that is also useful).  I am referring to a post-assignment conversation about what the students just finished.  This is an easy conversation but does require some artfulness on your part in order to get good/useful feedback. 1.  Introduce the conversation by telling the students how important it is for you to give them relevant assignments.  Demonstrate that you care about how to better help them and hearing their feedback is an essential part of that.  If you are discussing a recent test or quiz, tell the students that their feedback will help you design better questions for future tests, which will help you evaluate how much they are learning. 2.  Ask open ended questions.  Avoid, "Yes or no" questions, such as "Did you like this assignment?"  Instead, us something like,

F or anyone who has followed this blog, it comes at no surprise to hear that I am a big follower of Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson's work.  Two of her publications are among my most highly recommended pieces: Nine Things Successful People Do Differently and Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals . She even has a new book coming out soon that is available for pre-ordering, Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence . Here is a video I found where she explains that everyone can be more successful at reaching his or her goals.  Enjoy.   Heidi Grant Halvorson: What Successful People Do Differently from BrightSightGroup on Vimeo .

  O ne of the challenges with which many teachers struggle is to assist their students in developing a better appreciation for a growth mindset.  There has been much written about the value of having a growth mindset, including the outstanding  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success  by Carol Dweck.  However, like many teachers  I was struggling to come up with a simple "go to" exercise to help me work with students gain this growth mindset appreciation.  I needed something that was easy to use, easy to remember, and could be done fairly quickly (I rarely have more than 20 minutes at a time that I can spend with any one student during the day) that had the potential for a significant redirection in the way students think. So, in working with some students over the last few months, I have begun to use a simple rating exercise that seems to work every time.  I have been so impressed with how this simple reflection exercise has worked, I want to share it with you. Here is

K nowing the content is a given.  It is a bare minimum expectation.  It impresses few people who can easily look up content online. Having a prepared lesson plan is a given.  Being prepared to teach is also a minimal requirement.  Preparing a class is not impressive. Knowing content and being able to plan a lesson are the minimal basic skills/requirements to even deserve to stand in front of a class and be called, "teacher."  However, neither of them are nearly enough to make anyone care about what you are doing. In a world where sharing and transparency is the new norm (and a most valuable asset), the walls of your class no longer protect your class.  Teachers cannot hide behind content and planning for evidence of success.  The world desires more and is expecting our schools to model these values.  Like it or not, that is becoming more of a reality.  This adjusted reality can make some of us uncomfortable, but it shouldn't. After all, the expectations of value b

T here are times when school moves along quite comfortably.  Lessons and assignments come and go with relative ease.  Pacing seems appropriate.  Sailing is smooth. On the other hand, there are times when the pace quickens, assignments become more time consuming, deadlines approach, etc.  In other words, students can get overwhelmed with the demands of school and trying to balance those demands with all the other aspects of life. During these moments, it helps to have some tools at your disposal to help students fell less overwhelmed. 1.  Listen for the item that "tipped" the student from being busy to feeling overwhelmed. Have the student try to identify which item on their agenda was the one that made the change.  Two things may happen.  One, the student, by reflecting on this, may come to realize that his situation isn't nearly as complex as he thought.  Two, by actively listening, you allow the student to vent about the situation, which in many cases, could b

I nspired by a very good article I saw at MindShift, How Important is Grit in Student Achievement? , I offer this reminder. Having grit isn't the same as "going it alone." Students (and adults for that matter) are much more likely to "stick it out" if they are being supported by an group.  Everyone benefits from knowing help is available and easy to get. This is arguably one of the most important roles of a teacher - being a "help broker" for students. The art of executing that role is balancing your desire to help with your need to support independence. Students with more grit are, generally, more successful.  However, it is rare that such success resulted from working alone.

S tudents love choices. The ability to chart one's own course is very enticing, especially to a student longing to spread her wings and be more independent.  As schools recognize the potential benefits of student choice, the desire to choose on the part of the student can sometimes outrun the school's willingness to offer more choices. We see this, for example, in middle grades when students have been given "bite sized" chunks of independence and choice.  After 6th or 7th grade, these students will beam with joy when asked about the "freedom" they get in middle school.  Fast forward 2 years.  Now, these same students are 9th graders.  When asked about choice and freedom, these same students who praised the middle school will often talk about how few choices they had in 6th-8th grade, only to announce that they are finally being given a chance to be independent. As I wrote at the beginning of this post, students love choices.  Speaking from the perspe