Pulling it All Together – Part 1

Sometimes units just work.

One of the hardest things to get in PYP is how all the bits fit together – how to make sense of all the words, ideas, pedagogy – what does it all look like??????

In future when i get asked that question i am going to show people the K2 unit my team wrapped up today.

But first a little background.

When we were deconstructing our Programme of Inquiry a few years ago my then EY coordinator, Heidi, looked me dead in the eye, and without an ounce of jest, told me she thought we needed a “dinosaur unit”. Naturally i laughed – scoffed is probably a better word. Surely this was her idea of a joke. Every PYP coordinator knows that dinosaur units exist in some bizarre, parallel, anti-PYP world!

Dinosaur = Thematic.

PYP = Inquiry

Thematic ≠ Inquiry

therefore

Dinosaur ≠ PYP

Now that’s simple enough for any fool to understand!

Of course i couldn’t say this – I was new to the school,  she was my EY coordinator and she was convinced that “kids love dinosaurs!”.

Being in administration i have learnt the importance of pretending that you will give an idea due consideration – even if it is blatantly ridiculous and below your (oh-so-sophisticated) level of understanding –  so i tried to wipe the look of shock and  loathing off my face and said i would go home and  think about it and see if we could find a place to fit in this “unit” and get back to her.

What i actually did was go home, pour myself a glass of wine, wonder how such a clever teacher could ask me to come up with such a stupid unit and try to formulate a diplomatic way to tell her that no way on this Earth was a dinosaur unit going to tarnish my POI.

Then i started thinking – and some clear facts began to emerge

• Heidi is not an idiot – she is bang-on with pedagogy, totally gets inquiry, knows PYP inside out, is a fabulously intuitive teacher and a mother of then 5 year old boys – so maybe i shouldn’t dismiss her ideas too quickly
• Most kids really do love animals in general, weird animals in particular and dinosaurs especially – so maybe we can harness that interest to teach them something beyond how to pronounce long names that end in ‘aurous’
• There are people who study dinosaurs for a living – and i must assume that they are intelligent, scientific, rational thinkers – so there must be an element to this dinosaur thing that i’m missing (although TV has also taught me that they are socially inept outcasts and unlikely to find a partner)
• We keep finding new skeletons and new species of  living and extinct animals – surely there is a process or a way of thinking that helps scientists make sense of these new finds. Maybe we could build a unit for our K2s around that kind of thinking – about how to make a logical inference between the known and the unknown – (also-  these kids are only 5 – so if TV is right and somehow they end up socially inept outcasts and unable to find partners, no-one will trace it back to us)

So we put together a unit of inquiry about how we use our understanding of the animals we can observe to make inferences about the ones we can’t  - how the known, the proven and the familiar can be used to help us draw conclusions about the unknown.

The kids (and teachers) love it – and they really engage with all elements of the PYP and they are actively inquiring.

In a few days i’ll write about the unit itself and how (and why) we think it’s successful and a good example of the PYP in practice.

But for now, here’s what this unit taught me.

1. Don’t be too quick to dismiss an idea because it seems silly, or even worse, beneath you. If someone is committed, engaged, interested or brave enough to offer an idea you owe it to them, and yourself, to process it, run it through a filter and try to see it from other points of view. I can’t say i do this always, maybe i don’t even do it often – but this is a good reminder for me to stop thinking “no” too quickly.

2. Kids interests are important and can and should drive curriculum – i’m not saying that we should only teach the things that students seem intrinsically interested in because we can’t. One of the joys of teaching is to capture your students interest in something that they hadn’t really thought or cared about before. But there are some things that kids just seem to love to learn about – and we should work with, not against these things.

3 .Listen to parents – they know what kids are interested in.

4.  Sometimes i just have to get over myself.

5. Being able to admit your wrong is important

Thanks Heidi.

Listening

Teachers talk a lot to kids about listening – they break down what it means to listen, they tell them how to sit, where to look, what to do with their hands to show they are listening – they know the importance of listening in learning (or maybe more in teaching) and they value it as a skill.

But we don’t talk enough to each other about how we listen to kids.

I’ve been meaning to write a couple of posts for a while. One is about children as theorists – about how they have ideas about how the world works, is and should be and that as teachers we have the obligation, and the joy, of allowing them to develop, test and pursue those theories.

I’ve also had a thought brewing about the beauty of wonder – and how completely encased we can become in a wondering – ours or someone else’s. How it can envelop us, drive us, teach us, inspire us, frustrate us. Einstein started  his theory of relativity with a thought experiment –  as a 16 year old sitting in class wondering what it would be like to chase after a beam of light – i wonder what it might have been like to be in that class if he was asked to wonder aloud.

When i think about both of these ideas it’s the need to listen that stands out.

So often as teachers we listen for – we listen for the key words, we listen for the correct answer, we listen for the comments that show kids got what  we were trying to teach. We’re trained to do it – good teachers hear these things, they make notes, the keep track, they know what the students understand. Listening FOR is important.

But i’m wondering how often we listen to.

Listening to is about hearing the person, their thoughts, ideas, feelings, wonderings, theories, their unique interpretation of the world . It’s about trying to understand where someone is coming from. Listening to doesn’t allow us the luxury of skipping over comments, thoughts and questions that don’t fit in with our agendas, lesson plans and outcomes. It opens up dialogue which might take you somewhere you hadn’t plan to go.  Listening to takes time.

Inquiry must involve listening to children, taking what you hear seriously and sometimes, acting on it.

I’m wondering today about how many utterances, questions, comments, thoughts are spoken by children each day but aren’t actively listened to. I wondering how many un-listened to comments students will make before they stop offering and choose to only answer instead.  I’m wondering what school would be like for kids (and teachers) if we listened to them more and if what they said helped drive our delivery of the curriculum.

I wonder how much i listen to my teachers and how much of what they say helps drive policies, systems, PD, planning……….

I’m full of wonder, and like many of us i need to work on listening to……

Connecting

Today my daughter asked me to read her school blog. I do look at  it frequently but haven’t for a while. She was eager to tell me that she wrote a post (unprompted) about stress and couldn’t hide her excitement that “heaps of teachers” commented on it.

You can read the post and comments here.

Reading it prompted many thoughts. Here are a few.

1. What happens to the joy of learning??

When did the dictates of content start to override what we know about good practice and how kids learn?? I want my child to study all subjects, I want her to be given tasters so she knows what’s out there, what interests her and what she might want to pursue. I want her to learn the value of hard work and commitment to learning. But really, how much does she need to know at 16?

2. I am filled with gratitude for the teachers who take the time to connect with her and help her through it.

We all suffered in High School – pretty much everyone i know has the same mixed feelings – to paraphrase Dickens – it was great and it sucked. What keeps kids hanging in there is not just friends but the teachers they connect with. The teachers who want to hear what they have to say, the teachers who believe in them, the teachers who, with respect and caring, call them on their crap and push them to do the best they can.  For the most part, my daughter is extremely lucky to have the kinds of teachers she does – they  take the time to listen to her, they help her after hours, they give her feedback, they are creative and encourage her to be, they tell her she is capable of achieving and she knows they believe it.

3.  Communication is key.

I knew parenting a teenager would be wrought with stress, tears and difficulties. My resolve was simple – as long as we’re communicating we’re doing ok. She walked downstairs and asked me to read her post – so for now, we’re doing ok.

4. I’ve got to find the balance.

A least once a month my daughter makes reference to the amount of work i do at home and how stressed i seem generally . It’s something i need to work on.

5. My daughter is just like me.

I’m sure parents know that strange feeling when you watch, listen to or hear about your children and that familiarity sweeps over you. It’s a bizarre feeling to see yourself in them.  It’s hard to know what to feel – guilt that you’ve burdened them with your curses, stresses and ticks or pride that they have taken after you.

6. I’m thankful she has a medium to express how she feels.

We’ve been talking about blogs all year at school and we get bogged down in the details but, in the end, i’m glad my daughter has been given another medium to express herself and is choosing to use it.

Getting There with Google

I’m a little reluctant to write this – because i am always acutely aware that my techno a-ha moments comprise of what many people just get intuitively. Technology’s not easy for me – it’s not natural and i really need to work at understanding the what and how of it all.

I guess that’s one of the reasons i’ve thrown myself into it this year. Because it’s important to position yourself as a learner in an area where you aren’t confident – it’s important to know what it feels like to baffled, overwhelmed, confused with the language and generally feeling like an idiot when all of those around you are nodding knowingly.  It’s a feeling i need to draw on when i start to get frustrated at explaining things to others that are entirely logical to me (and presumably, therefore, should be logical to everyone).  And it’s important to see your successes in the areas that challenge you.

Photo by graciepoo

So yesterday i had my a-ha moment.

I often have to lead our Monday staff meetings – and while i try to practice what i preach when it comes to pedagogy  there is only so much you can do with 50 teachers for 50 minutes on a Monday afternoon. Time and energy are not my friends.

Add to this the fact that there is always a significant difference in experience among the groups – it’s hard to challenge some without losing others, explain to some without boring the rest – it’s the juggling act that every teacher faces.

Perhaps it’s uninspired – but i almost always use a keynote/powerpoint so people can read and re-visit instructions or key points. And i almost always find myself in the position, once people are working on tasks, of being asked to go back a few slides, forward a few slides, back again, forward again – so i end up flicking between slides most of the afternoon.

Today our session was on the PYP planner – something that is second nature to some staff and totally foreign and confusing to others – so it occurred to me to move the control of the presentation out of my hands and into the teachers.

The result – a published google-presentation that was designed to take teachers through the planner and the planning process at their own pace – complete with links to key documents, page references and samples.  I sent all teachers the link to the presentation, set them up in their teams and told them to move through at whatever pace suited them – stopping on one section, skipping forward then back, taking time to look through reference material. I was there to answer questions and help when needed – but i wasn’t controlling the focus or pace of the group.

It wasn’t perfect – but it was much better than me standing up the front moving through a presentation at my pace and  it’s now there for staff to refer to if and when needed – it’s not uselessly abiding on my desktop.

Maybe it’s not the most innovated use of technology to date – but it’s a step forward for me.

 

Unbalanced

I’m totally swamped.

I haven’t written in a long time, not because i have nothing to say – but because i have no time to say it.

I have mentally constructed about 8 posts in the last month and i want to get it all down. But between work, home, parenting, girlfriend-ing, 30 day vegan challenge-ing and, occasionally sleeping, i just can’t find the time.

I’m wondering how people do it. Is anyone good at fitting it all in? Does anyone actually feel like they are hitting every target? Has anyone worked out how to make time?

Photo by shadfan66

So……i may not have had/made/found time to write all my posts – and in the interest of not letting my blog die of neglect – here is the essence of the posts that, although well formed in my head, never quite made it to the page in time.

1. No matter how hard i try not to, i can never look away from the US presidential primaries. I find the whole concept bizarre. After much analysis i think my intrigue lies in the fact that they highlight THE fundamental difference between America and most of the rest of the western world – the absolute sovereignty and promotion of the individual about all else. Man over Party – it’s a strange concept for an Australian. Would love to explain further – but might have to wait another 4 years.

2. Blogging can be a bit like bouncing a ball against a wall, Twitter seems more like a game you play with others – but it’s harder to join the team!

3. Working with adults is hard – but it can be great. I need to respond to my previous post on teaching teachers - because there is an upside to working with adults.

4. Being burgled isn’t all that bad – once you know everyone’s safe the stuff that’s gone doesn’t seem all that important. It’s nice not having a TV. It’s even nicer that my daughter comes downstairs now just to talk.

5.  Time needs to be made in school for professional inquiry and collaboration.

6. Music is important – i need to bring it back into my life.

I hope to elaborate on these soon – but for now that’s all i have time for……..

Looking for Home

I’ve missed blogging – kind of.

I spent 3 weeks away with extremely limited internet access. It was refreshing. I didn’t miss emails. I didn’t miss reading the news. But when things got on my mind, i missed blogging – then the fear started to return. The fear of putting it out there. I was angry with my sister, frustrated at being back where i grew up.   It’s all a little personal – but it’s what’s on my mind.

I went home for christmas – and i use the term uselessly. I’m in a constant battle with some of my family about what home is and am increasingly baffled by the unquestioning notion that somehow you belong where you were born.

I grew up in the outer suburbs of Sydney, and for as long as i can remember i wanted to get out of there. I was desperate to live in the city and couldn’t understand how my parents could choose to live where they did. I used to daydream about us selling the house and moving away. I must’ve been about 6 when i started bugging them to move.

When i finally got to the city i had a couple of years of contentment before i was ready to move countries.

I imagine all ex-pats have that unsettling feeling when they go “home” and they just don’t feel it. The pressure to feel at home in the place you come from is immense.

As appalling cliche as it sounds, when i started traveling i felt like i was home. When i got to China, i knew i was home.

But my family’s putting the pressure’s on and it’s increasing. They’re telling me it’s time to come home and they assume we’re working with the same definitions. They’re telling me i need to stop “doing this” to my daughter – stop keeping her from her home. They think it’s juvenile, selfish, indulgent, to be somewhere else.

I think they’re going to continue to be disappointed with my choices……..

Teaching Teachers

Sometimes, often lately, i miss teaching. I miss working directly with students.

Mainly because i love teaching –  i miss the interaction with students, i miss having a class and  really knowing and understanding who they are – as people and as learners – i miss the opportunity to reach students in the ways that i used to when i had a class of my own.

But more than that – i miss the relationship that an elementary teacher has with their students. Young students, for the most part, adore their teachers. There is a genuine affection between teachers and students. They care about you. They fill you up. And on a bad day, my kids have always made me feel better. I can’t remember ever walking away from a day on class and feeling like i achieved nothing. When things go right in a class,  you know you were a key part of that success.

Elementary kids are great ego-boosters. They tell you you’re beautiful and smart and funny and that you’re the best teacher ever – and you don’t have to believe it for it to make you feel good. They give you unconditional love. They let you make mistakes.

Working with adults is harder.

 

Adults are different. They are cynical, they notice when you stuff up and sometimes they choose not to forgive you,  they don’t look up at you with wide-eyed enthusiasm, they can be reluctant to go with you on the journey you want to take them on, you can’t keep them all happy.

My first year out of class i struggled – for the first time ever  i really didn’t enjoy going to school. It was hard to redefine my role and see a direct connection to school’s core purpose. I was frustrated when i saw bad practice that i couldn’t change. I found it hard to manage my time. I found it hard to see the big picture. I was relieved when after a year off class i was put back in the classroom part time.

I probably should say that now i really do love my job. And i have the opportunity to work with amazingly dedicated and talented teachers. It’s a great position to have and i’m challenged by it everyday.

It’s starting to feel more natural, being in the position i am – but i still struggle at times.

When i see great stuff happening around the school i wonder if i had anything to do with it. When i see stuff that’s not working i automatically blame myself.

I wonder what people think when i don’t have the answers. I hope they forgive me when i get it wrong.

 

 

 

21st Century without the Tech????

I had a bad afternoon. But before that i had a moment.

Today we stopped, just for a little while, to talk about what best practice in a “21st century” school might look like. We talk about it a lot. But have never defined it.

It was a relief. I don’t know much about the tech stuff that we are trying to implement. But i do know good practice.

I find myself constantly torn between the excitement of the potential of technology to bring people together and frustration with the unquestioning slave-mentality to the machine.

I can’t shake the thought that there is a misguided notion that “IT = 21st century” –  the idea that if you do it on a computer somehow you are cutting edge, leading the pack, reaching the kids.

I know dichotomies are dangerous and i do try to avoid them – but i am increasingly drawn to the notion that there are 2 types of teachers who push technology in schools. Those that see it as a powerful tool for learning and those that love, more than anything else, the cool stuff it can do.

In PYP we talk a lot about how it’s possible to be international in a mono-cultural school (although i could write a whole post on the impossibility of having a mono-cultural school).

I wonder if it’s possible to be  ”21st century” without computers……..i think it might be. Not ideal. But possible.

I probably should have known about ISTE standards before today – but i didn’t. Looking through them was a huge relief, an affirmation – i saw words that mean something to me and that are fundamental to my pedagogical stance. Words like collaborate, communicate, innovate, creative, problem solve, think critically.

And it got me wondering.

Are we using technology to this end?

As a school are we clear that this is why, how and when we should use it?

Or are we just plugging away?

From Blimpboy

Are we a “21st century school” or are we a school with a lot of cool stuff?

So here’s my question – if we have a school, a teacher, a learner – who is communicating, connecting, collaborating, creating, problem solving, thinking critically, making connections, questioning assumptions and directing their own learning – and doing it all offline – can we label them “21st century”?

I know i’ve raised this before. I don’t think it will be the last time.

I think we have to stop assuming that using the gadgets = 21st century.

 

 

Time to Play

Feeling inspired today.

Though i’ve not moved on at all from my confusion over the blogging rules and what i should/could/will write about on this blog, i have decided for the moment that i just don’t care – because i’m feeling the pull to get it out there and worrying less about who might see it. I’m enjoying the catharsis of writing it all down.

And i’m loving be a learner in such an unpressured context. Which brings me to my point.

In elementary and early years we spend so much time trying to defend play. We pull out the research, we show we are targeting outcomes, we document how children grow, develop, explore and make sense of their world when engaged in purposeful play. We mourn the loss of play as the students move up grade levels.

But rarely do we talk about the role of play in adult learning.

Today i got to play. An hour just to sit there and experiment and mess around with i-movie.

Here’s what i learnt.

1. Play takes the stress away – i started my project 3 times. On each false start there was zero sense of failure – because there was no pressure to produce anything

2. Play drew in all my attention – I was fully absorbed in my task. I wanted to experiment, i wanted finish, i wanted to explore and fiddle and fix until i was satisfied – i stayed behind for a while when everyone was walking out the door (and if i hadn’t finished i would have stayed longer)

3. Play made me feel creative (and i very rarely do!) – when told we were going to “play around” with i-movie, my instinct was to produce something for an upcoming workshop – an idea i quickly dismissed. Instead i chose to work with 2 images of my daughter, Freya – it made me think about where she is in her life, where we are in our relationship and how i could represent that. It’s no masterpiece – but i learnt more about i-movie than i would have if i focused on work – i even felt a little like artist (and i never feel like that!)

So here it is…..

Identity Crises as a Middle Class Luxury

So i think i am starting to get blogging in a personal way. I have been thinking all week about what i want to write, sentences are coming to me (like most of my best ideas do) as i’m standing in the shower trying to solve the myriad of problems and wonderings that have sprung up through the day.

I really do know what i want to write most the time and i am starting to get comfortable with the notion of putting it out there.  Time is a problem – but it’s not the biggest one. Something is holding me back.

I’m confused.

I haven’t named this blog for a reason.

I don’t know where to put it all, how to structure it.

When i started writing here i thought it would be about education – and a lot of it will be. But this week i am sick of working, sick of trying to work it all out.

I’m thinking of Wittgenstien, trying to find a common theme in my favourite books, getting back in touch with Nashville Skyline, waiting to see old friends – my mind is everywhere BUT work.

But there is a part of me that stresses out at the thought of writing about that here – because this is a work space. There is a definite OCDness to my need to define things, label it, box it, know it – only then can I play with it.

I don’t know the rules of blogging – do i need a separate blog for all the compartments of my life that i want to write about? Can i write here anything i want and it still hold some ongoing meaning? Should i even care?

So the good news is that i am wanting to write

The better news is that this confusion is my biggest problem today…….