Learn Like A Pirate {Responsibility}

Wow, I certainly fell off the bandwagon with my LLAP posts.  But! I have a REEALLYY good excuse! TPT in VEGAS!!!! I was so focused on getting prepared and ready for my big trip that I ran out of time to write down my thoughts from this awesome chapter on giving classroom responsibilities to your students.  But before I get too far down that rabbit hole, I do need to give Paul Solarz a HUGE shout-out for answering my questions from my chapter 4 post. Thanks so much for adding some thoughts on how I could change from grade focus to improvement focus in a culture that places a large emphasis on the bottom line (alphabetic or numerical grades).  Ok, back to chapter 5...

I think chapter 5 starts off with a great quote "Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for  themselves-and be free." - Cesar Chavez That's a statement I can get behind!  I want my kiddos to be independent-thinkers and problem-solvers, not robots that require direction from me in every situation or scenario. There are times and places where those littles can step up and figure out what needs to be done and how to do it.  Here's the catch: I don't think they need to get a parade every time they take initiative to do something that needs to be done. Put away the ticker-tape and let's teach them that pitching-in is part of being a member of a larger community. A community that needs everyone to participate in order for the classroom to be successful.  And get this! Students WANT to feel like their role is important! They want to feel needed and relied upon...you know it's true!  I love how Paul lays out how he structures his classroom, so that students CAN have responsibility. Everything from cleaning up materials to time-keepers. He details what jobs are assigned and which are left to collaborative responsibilities - everyone has the opportunity to step-up to do what needs to be done and remind others to pitch-in. He helps them to see when those chances for participation are missed, how to share the responsibility (not hogging the duties), and when a better way would be appropriate. Paul doesn't leave his classroom up to chance, he teaches his students how to help ensure that the environment is fully functional, so he can be the best teacher and they can be the best students possible.  What I truly LOVE about this concept is that it transfers far beyond the classroom. Teaching students to be active participants in the daily running of classroom will only help them become better citizens in the greater community. I can't wait to catch up to chapter 6 on Active Learning.  I'll post soon! 

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Learn Like A Pirate {Improvement vs. Grade Focus}

Let me start by saying that I wasn't too intrigued by Chapter 4 of Learn Like A Pirate at first. The subtitle is Improvement Focus vs. Grade Focus. Yeah, I know about the difference, so let's just hurry on through this chapter so I can get to the next. 

BUT, boy am I glad that I didn't just thumb through these pages. 

Paul makes a bold statement "When students focus on grades rather than learning, extrinsic motivation drives their performance. In addition, their emotional well-being is often tied to those grades. Well-meaning parents then perpetuate the belief that grades matter above all else, because that was their school experience."

Friends! That just slapped us right in our faces!!! When we, as teachers and parents, praise or scold children for their letter/number grades, we are contributing to this HUGE problem of creating students who only care about the final result, not the journey or process! Students look to us for guidance and we're just reinforcing that A is better than C and 100 is the top of the tops. How in the world is Bobby or Katie going to feel when they get a D or 70???? The pits I tell ya, the pits!  

Week 4 of LLAP book study has left me with some looming questions. Questions, I wish I could just sit down and discuss with Paul, himself. 

He tells us to downplay grades (external motivation) and shift priority to personal improvement (internal motivation). His class DOES receive report cards, but Paul doesn't grade his students' work or projects and only gives a hand-full of tests/quizzes. 

Okay Mr. Solarz, how in the world do you manage to get around those pesky requirements of having a certain number of grades in our grade book each quarter? 

How do you "prove" to your administration that the grades on those report cards are truly indicative of your students' performance?

Let's move on: Paul offers us some great advice in how to provide A+ (disregard the grade association here) feedback to our students since giving numerical grades is going to drastically decrease. 

1) Praise them! Let them know how proud you are of them for all their successes AND those mistakes. Even when they make mistakes, they took a risk and that's awesome!

2) Speak to students in a present or future tense. This allows them to see the feedback as constructive and they're able to change it next time. 

Additionally, there are great tips on improving student behavior through Paul's 3-step management system (Warning, Behavior Point, Work-It-Out). I love how each step involves some sort of conferring with students, not just a dolling out of infractions and flipping of cards. I love the Work-It-Out think sheet idea!

How could I implement a Work-It-Out think sheet in Kindergarten? What might one look like?

It's so important to remember that "no mistake in class should cause tears" (thanks for that reminder, Paul). 

As I continued reading, I found that even the statements about improving results and retention, independent thinking, and critical peer feedback were completely appropriate and applicable to younger learners. Tweak and adjust to fit their developmental levels and watch them become self-driven learners who know that the task is never truly finished and opportunities for improvement are just around the corner. 

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Learn Like A Pirate {Peer Collaboration}

Here we are in Week 3 of the Learn Like A Pirate (by Paul Solarz) book study and he’s wasted no time cutting to the chase…which seems to be his approach in most things - read the book and you’ll understand why Paul wrote this book…by laying out the P.I.R.A.T.E acronym in Section 2 of the book. 

This week, we’re looking specifically at Chapter 3: Peer Collaboration. I must say, I LOVE (in all caps) the quote Paul uses to introduce the idea of collaboration to his students: “Two brains are better than one!”. I certainly intend on using this exact quote in my Kindergarten classroom next year. Even the youngest learners can grasp and value the concept of working together: thinking about other people’s ideas/thoughts and incorporating them into their own understanding. I can’t wait to set my “littles” up in collaborative exercises where they can bounce ideas off of each other and share their thinking to enhance everyone's understanding! 

Obviously, I’m ready for the bumps, thumps, and straight-up potholes in the road! We’ll need a good bit of trial and error in order for these sweet kiddos to learn the art of working together without getting their feelings hurt, practicing patience, and working independently. But you know what? I’d much rather my students feel like their classmates are their “school family” than a bunch of other warm bodies breathing the same air. I want my students to feel comfortable and confident with their classmates; I want them to know that I have BIG plans for them, but they must rise to the challenge by taking part each and every day - minus puke days, they can stay home for those. 

I love how Paul details his willingness to let his students interrupt him…yep, I said that. He LET’S them INTERRUPT the class…ON PURPOSE! I know this sounds completely cray-cray for so many of us, but if you give his book a once over, you’ll see that the ability to interrupt the class is very empowering for students. HOWEVER, Paul’s classroom isn’t a stinkin’ free-for-all. He sets expectations for how interruptions may be made (“Give Me 5”) and when to make them (share new learning, inform other groups of available assistance, ask questions, etc.). When students don’t utilize the power to interrupt in an appropriate manner or others don’t pay attention to the person making the claim, Paul provides immediate feedback to help students understand that “with great power comes great responsibility!” (all you Spidey fans may know this phrase). If they don’t respect the act, they ultimately aren’t respecting their peers or him. 

And while it may be a tough pill to swallow with such young students, I do believe that in certain scenarios, I, too, could empower my kindergartners by transitioning the power over to them in collaborative activities. I mean, just think about it, there we are, working all independent-like in our literacy/phonics centers, and little Lucy Learner shouts “Give Me 5” and all 25 faces turn to her as she proudly announces that she and 2 classmates figured out a way to remember 5 sight words by coming up with a silly saying! Come on’, it COULD happen, people! She could totally scream out that she picked the biggest boogie ever too, but then I would just have to have a little chitty-chat-chat with her about using the “Give Me 5” appropriately (and for learning purposes). Or maybe my “teacher stare” would be more than enough, since I’ll be giving her my undivided attention as well. 

Enough about Lucy’s boogies though, I think the biggest take-away from Paul’s chapter on Peer Collaboration is that giving students that opportunity to work together, stretch their individual thinking, and equip them with the power to share is ultimately transferring the responsibility of learning from YOU (the teacher) back to the student. Even kindergartners need to begin their educational careers with the mindset that it is THEIR job to learn, soak up all the knowledge they can, and use that learning to take them to the next level. You will only be their teacher for 180 days…you can’t be solely responsible for their learning every day of their educational journey. Give them the wheel to steer their own ship! 

Side note: Due to traveling abroad, I kept this post relatively short (trust me, this is short for me). But, Paul provides some great insight to types of student leadership (let them figure out how to work together and when to throttle up/back their opinions), thoughts on learning spaces (you actually don’t NEED that perfectly designed classroom, you can still lust though), assigning specific partnerships for collaboration vs. the random popsicle method (hahaha, Paul!!! It’s an oldie, but a goodie.), teaching simple conflict-resolution strategies, and class meetings. Whew! That was a bit much. Read it! You won’t regret it. 

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Learn Like a Pirate {Common Concerns about Student-Led Classrooms}

After reading the first chapter of Learn Like a Pirate, I was revved up for transforming my classroom into an environment where students dare to take risks, challenge the parameters of traditional learning techniques, and invigorate my students to become independent learners and thinkers!!! To put it briefly, I was PUMPED! 

BUT….just how in the world I am going to do this? Aren’t there a boat-load of obstacles to letting your students lead the classroom? Um, hello??? What about the standards and teaching targets? What if they miss something? What if we run out of time? Good golly, I could loose complete control over those 25+ students!!! 

This may not work. For me, at least. 

Thankfully, Paul Solarz does a great job of dispelling many of the common concerns we have as teachers of letting go of the absolute control and learning to trust in the process. He confirms that “Worries about managing a chaotic classroom, adding more work to an already busy schedule, or watching students’ grades slip can make the shift (to a student-led classroom) seem risky”. But isn’t that worth it compared to having students who just don’t give a hoot and could potentially start demonstrating poor behavior?! 

I say, YES! Let’s get transforming!

Some of my biggest take-aways from this chapter are:

Controlling Cathies: Allow students to travel down a path of a wrong decision, let them learn from the mistake! Unless time prevents it, try not to interfere too much. 

Mistake Molly: Highlight your mistakes and use them as learning opportunities. Failure & mistakes are not embarrassing, they are an important part of the learning process. 

Too Much Tracy: Transformation and teaching/practicing expectations take time! Remind yourself and your students that new skills take time to develop…don’t give up!

Where to Begin Wendy: Not sure where to start? Me neither! Paul says to just start with expectations, discuss them with your class. Give tons of feedback and reflect on progress. Paul even tells us to allow our students to INTERRUPT….wheels screeching…WHAT??? Yep, give them the power to interrupt - obviously in a respectful way and you’ll need to talk about HOW to interrupt. 

Ain’t No Time for That Annie: How in the heck are you going to work this in to your day? You probably already maximize time-on-task, efficient transitions, and integrate subjects. But are you giving your students the right activities to let them work independently? Are they completely dependent on you to be at the front of the class in order to learn? If so, you’re gonna need to plan carefully, merge subject matter to maximize learning opportunities, step aside, and then monitor learning. When kiddos are continuously engaged and looking forward to the next activity, they don’t have the chance to act up when you have to talk to Ms. So & So when she walks in your class.

Pessimistic Patty: I’m sorry, but MY students aren't suited for this type of learning environment. Woah, woah, woah. Back up, you might be super surprised, even those younger kiddos (think K-2) can start taking control of their learning. Give them a simple task to do without the need of your help. Then build up responsibilities as they grow in independence. 

Only Extroverts Olivia: Some people may think that only extroverted learners can benefit from this type of setting. WRONG! With the right expectations and gentle guidance, even the shyest and wall-flowerish kids can learn how to take the helm of the ship and become strong leaders and risk-takers. ***Disclaimer: Please don’t try to change a child’s personality, just support them as they become more comfortable with the setting and thus will take chances at their own pace. 

Paul wraps up the chapter by highlighting the BENEFITS of a Student-Led Classroom that far outweigh any concerns I would have.

Increased Retention - because they are leading their own learning, they are remembering FAR more than if they just sat and listened. Plus, they learn important life skills (collaboration, leadership, self-discipline, problem-solving, etc.) on top of that!

Feedback Frenzy - when you aren’t wrapped up with teaching every moment of the day, you can provide valuable feedback as you walk around and observe student learning. And even if you’re working 1:1 with a kiddo, the class won’t fall apart because you’re not right on top of them. 

Teacher Evaluations - Do you worry that students may not perform perfectly when that highly-anticipated evaluation occurs? Honestly, I have! I’ve begged, bribed, and threatened! Not my finest hour! But really though, think about it, if your students are always actively engaged in collaborative learning groups, then it won’t matter that Principal Pete walks in with his clipboard/laptop. They won’t stop to stare at him, they won’t even notice him. And since you’re not the figure head at the front, they can’t give you wrong answers, they can only explore/investigate/challenge their and other’s thoughts. They’re taking charge of their own learning by actively participating, assuming responsibility of their own understanding, aware of the learning targets, and reflective on whether or not they are reaching said targets. All the while, you’re walking and talking around the room, giving feedback, helping those who might be struggling (pairing up kiddos to teach each other), and possibly targeting specific student needs. And let’s be really REAL, no principal is going to HATE that. 

Go read Chapter 2 if you haven’t already! This book is AH-mazing, y’all. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Learn Like a Pirate {What is a Student-Led Classroom?}

A few weeks back, I came across an IG post by the Primary Gal that caught my attention. She was gearing up for her summer book study; the book title was catchy and intrigued me enough to go straight to Amazon to look into it. 

After reading the brief summary, I was all in! I want my classroom to be a bunch of pirates!  

I'm linking up with Amanda (The Primary Gal) and several other teacher bloggers for this summer read. Each week, we'll share our thoughts, inspirations, and resources for transforming our classrooms into environments where students can led!

Chapter 1: What is a Student-Led Classroom?

That's a good question! My first response would be something along the lines of a room where students are in charge of what is being taught/learned, possibly slightly chaotic, and monitored by a teacher just for the sake of adult supervision. 

That's a bit pessimistic, don't you think? 

I love how Paul Solarz (author) describes what a student-led classroom is: "A student-led classroom is one in which students make decisions and choices throughout the day without consulting the teacher. These decisions impact their own actions, the actions of others, and even the actions of the teacher. Everyone in the classroom appears to have equal power and equal say in what happens, although everyone understands that the teacher's word is final."

He continues by describing how learning targets don't change, just the method of instruction. Less focus on the teacher talking (whaa-whaa-whaa in my best Charlie Brown teacher voice) and more on students becoming engaged and active learners. Say what you need to and let them explore the objective through teaching each other. 

I love this concept. Obviously, it would be easier to implement in the later elementary grades, but I'm really looking forward to tweaking it for my upcoming Kindergartners. Given the proper preparation and procedures, those little learners definitely can start taking charge of their own learning in certain areas of content. Now, just how can I accomplish this with 5 year olds? Ah, that's a great question!

Start early and practice often! Pick a short segment of time each day to give students the opportunity to teach each other a skill that you've covered. Teach, practice, let them re-teach it back to others in the way they best understand the skill. That could be just one way to lay the foundation for students who take charge of their learning. 

I think Paul's statement of being patient, praising every attempt, and practicing to make permeant are so important! It won't happen overnight, it might be more difficult for some than others, and require lots of practice, but oh won't it be it worth it when your students could essentially run the classroom on those dreaded days you have to be out?! 

Check out what others are saying about Chapter 1 by clicking on the links below and come back next week to see what we thought about Chapter 2: Common Concerns about Student-Led Classrooms. 

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