Teacherscribe's Teaching Thoughts

Super teaching.

Kawasaki, who used to be a software evangelist in the early days of apple, and who now is a venture capitalist, has some excellent advice on how to "enchant" your audience and customers.

I borrowed this from Mr. Zutz a number of years ago and took so much away from it. How can't you try to enchant your students? Those teachers who did win. It's that simple. From having great culture, to having students come to class early, to making an impact . . . it starts with enchanting them.

Week 34 (May 6-10)

Teaching Thought #151

“Nine Elephants in the (Class)Room that Should Unsettle Us” by Will Richardson.

Elephant #8 – We know (I think) that the system of education as currently constructed is not adequately preparing kids for what follows if and when they graduate.

What is actually going right for education in America? By any measurement you want (test scores – reading, math, and science. The Pisa test scores aren’t any better either. There does seem to be some good news, MN is the highest ranked state that requires 100% of their students to take the ACT, but is that really good news?) we aren’t succeeding. Now, you could talk about the folly of high stakes testing. I mean just because you get a 36 on your ACT doesn’t guarantee success in life. But we sure give that impression in school don’t we?

What if we drastically changed how school looks for kids? Night classes? Independent learning classes? Classes that weren’t limited by age? Independent study classes?

Individualized curriculum? Team-taught classes? What can it hurt?

Teaching Thought #152

“Nine Elephants in the (Class)Room that Should Unsettle Us” by Will Richardson.

Elephant #9 – We know that learning that sticks is usually learned informally, that explicit knowledge accounts for very little of our success in most professions.

A thought - Instead, tacit knowledge and the ability to learn from others, in the moment, both face to face and in networks is vastly more important and effective. Most of what we teach kids we teach them “just in case” they may need it someday, primarily because the system is still operating on the belief that explicit knowledge is scarce. With the Web, it’s not. Those that will flourish in the modern world will be those who can learn what they need to learn “just in time” from a variety of networks and sources and experiences.

Students today learn not in a ‘just in case’ style (as everyone did up through Gen X). Instead, the learn in a ‘just in time’ style. And truth be told, don’t most of us learn that way now?

If I have to change the headlight in my car, I follow along to a Youtube tutorial as I’m doing it. If I have to set up my Google classroom, I follow along with Kelly’s or Lisa’s tutorials. I don’t suddenly look up the notes I took on it three years ago during an inservice day.

How can we build more ‘just in time’ learning events into our classrooms?

Teaching Thought #153

The growth mindset. Here is Carol Dweck’s TED Talk on the concept. I often have students read her book, Mindset, and they really enjoy it and learn a lot from it.

Expose students to this every chance you get. Why? It’s how people truly learn. Diane Ravitch, education professor at Stanford, notes how she finds the biggest different between how American parents raise their kids and how Chinese parents raise their kids is their mindset.

Americans tend to have the ‘fixed’ mindset, where we tend to believe that you have a fixed set of talents. Hard work is great, but the onus depends on your talent or ability. Thus, we have students who just aren’t ‘good’ at math or English or science. Parents encourage students to excel in the areas that they have the most talent for.

Chinese parents, however, have a ‘growth’ mindset, where they believe talent doesn’t really matter. What matters is your willingness to work and grow and learn.

Amy Chua’s classic, “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”, illustrates this difference.

Students are always shocked at this when they read it. How could a parent do this to their kids? That’s abuse. The sad fact is that it’s not abuse. It’s tough love. In fact, I’d argue that is how every single one of their great grandparents were raised.

We have lost our growth mindset.

Teaching Thought #154

Don’t just prepare kids for more school. What experiences and skills can you leave them with that they’ll never forget?

Teaching Thought #155

One of my all time favorite books is Austin Kleon’s short but excellent Steal Like an Artist. Kleon offers ten ways to unleash your creativity.

Too often, beyond elementary school anyway, teachers never get a chance to display their creativity. Or, worse yet, they lament that they just aren’t creative. Which is total BS.

Follow these thoughts to boost your creativity in your class. Your students don’t just deserve it, they’ll appreciate it.

1. Steal Like an Artist

This one is simple. Steal great ideas. Teachers are both the best at this and the worst. We are the best because we know how important it is to take great ideas from our colleagues. I have done this too many times to even count. And this is one thing that makes Twitter and Pinterest so excellent. But we are the worst because we rarely take time to sit in and watch our colleagues teach. Therefore, we don’t get the chance to steal enough great ideas.

Looking for some help (or, at least, new ideas) concerning formative assessment. This podcast is for you.

This video displays the power of culture and a teacher brave enough to seize the moment.

I have a love and hate relationship with them in my room. Ever since Snapchat came into being, I've had to fight hard for my students' attention. So I hate it in that regard.

However, there is no better way to stay in contact and build culture with students than through cell phones.

I've included three examples why below.

Obviously, it made an impact. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?

And I came through. Isn't that what we'er supposed to do?

And mentioned that she is excited for CC 2 - and it's still summer!!!

This link offers some interesting ways to turn phones into devices for learning rather than distraction. And this is just Part 1!!

Below is another bonus piece of content. It is a PDF of 33 interesting ways (and tips) to use cell phones in class. Gold.

I am married to the most amazing person in the world, Kristie. It was love at first sight. At least for me. And it still is.

We have four wonderful children, Casey, Koko, Kenzie, and Cash. I also happen to have the greatest job in the world: teaching English to high school students.

I am about to begin my 21st year of teaching at Lincoln High School. I graduated from Lafayette High School in 1992. I decided to enter the field of education because of two amazing teachers, Mr. Mueller, my fourth and sixth grade elementary school teacher and assistant baseball coach, and Mrs. Christianson, my 9th grade English teacher.

I attended Northland Community College, and had my life changed by the amazing Dr. Diane Drake. Then I transferred to Bemidji State University in 1995. There I had amazing professors who further inspired me to teach English (Dr. Helen Bonner, Dr. Mark Christensen, Susan Hauser, and Gerry Schnabel). I graduated with my BS in English Education in 1997.

I student taught with the wonderful Lisa Semanko and then began teaching full-time at LHS in 1998.

I took a year's leave of absence in 2001-02 to return to BSU for my MA in English. There I had the privilege to teach and work closely with my greatest mentor, Dr. Mark Chirstensen. I earned my MA in English in 2006 and was honored with "Thesis of the Year" for my creative non-fiction, braided, multi-genre memoir, "Meeting Myrtle: A Biography."

In 2013, thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Jodi Holen, I was offered an adjunct teaching position fall semester at the University of North Dakota. Tuesday nights I teach Intro to Education: Teaching and Learning 250 from 5-8. Those three hours fly by in about ten minutes.

Then in 2016 I was blessed to win a WEM award (thanks to a nomination from a former student (and now an elementary school teacher), Ciera Mooney.

In 2017 I became part of the #pineconepd podcast club along with Brian Loe, Jeff Mumm, Kelsey Johnson, Kelly Weets, Josh Watne, Tevia Strand, Megan Vigen, Mariah Hruby, and Laura Brickson. This has been one of the best forms of PD I've ever been a part of. They make me a better teacher every time we meet. Please think about joining us in the summer at the Pine Cone Pub from 6:30 - until we've solved all the world's problems. For that evening anyway.

Thanks to the inspiration of Shane Zutz (our former principal) I devised this as a way to distribute my Teaching Thoughts and add more content to, hopefully, help out and inspire others.

Email: kurt.reynolds@myprowler.org
Website: http://teacherscribe.blogspot.com
Location: 101 South Knight Aver Thief River Falls MN 56701
Phone: 218-686-7395
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kurt.reynolds.5?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @teacherscribe