Chocolate, Pirates, and Planet Earth

Now that the Easter chocolate coma (Cadbury Creme and Mini Eggs are supreme) has come to an end, I suppose I should get back to posting.  It certainly wasn't my intention to take this much of a rest from blogging.  However, the combination of submitting report card marks, the much-needed arrival of Easter break, and a potent bout of stomach flu that made its way through half of my family provided more than a few distractions.

There are a few things that I want to touch base on.

Takeaways from 'Teach Like A Pirate'

This was one of those reads that I actually devoured pretty quickly.  I had seen the book before and was really hoping to come across some strategies that would help me to develop greater student engagement.  Every teacher knows that this is important, so just what exactly could Mr. Burgess offer?

I suppose that the biggest thing that I liked about this book was the reminder to let loose and have more fun in my classroom.  A lot of the teachers that I remember the most fondly are those that weren't afraid to be themselves and showcase their own personality and strengths for their students.  I've taken liberties to steal adapt a lot of favourite lessons and activities that I enjoyed with the hopes of being able to capture and recreate the sense of fun that I once had.

It's all too easy to get caught up in all the professional expectations that come with the job... report cards, meetings, grading, meetings, parent contact and outreach, and meetings all come to mind.  This can be a tremendous drain on my enthusiasm and if I'm being honest, I feel more 'tired' after nearly a decade of teaching and don't always feel like I want to put myself out there.  It's just too hard.  Reading TLAP, though, reminded me of why I got into the profession in the first place: I wanted to have a positive impact on the learning of my students.  I am way more likely to have those moments when I can bring my own unique brand of humour and excitement to what I do.  I may not do it exactly as Dave Burgess might do, or any other colleague for that matter.  But that's the whole point... there is a whole outlook on learning and fun that is totally unique to me.  I can focus on that a bit more.

When it comes to actual strategies that I can start using today, the most important thing that I took from the book has to do with using 'presentational hooks'... the key questions that I can ask myself when planning and coming up with lessons and activities.  Burgess provides a good sampling of the kinds of questions that I hadn't really been taking the time to think about in my own practice.  Examples are conveniently broken up into seven different sections that seek to address the different learning styles and interests of students.  Some favourite examples include:

• How can I incorporate movement into this lesson?
• Where would be the best place(s) on campus to deliver this content?
• How can I most effectively use music as they enter the room?
• What can my students make that relates to the material?
• And many, many more...

I have to focus quite a bit on what I'm expected to teach.  Like many others in the profession, there is always that feeling that I can't stray too far from stated outcomes and objectives.  However, taking a minute to think about some of these types of questions has already helped to make things a bit more meaningful in the limited time since I read the book.  I'm not just looking at content delivery, but taking a more active approach to consider student engagement.

I look forward to seeing more growth in this area.

Planet Earth II

I can still remember sitting with my parents and siblings in a crowded living room in Edmonton watching the first Planet Earth.  Even before the days of High-Definition and Blu-Ray, all of couldn't help but be amazed at the beauty and wonder of this tiny blue planet.  It was a series that had me uttering frequent wows and left a big impression on me.  It was only natural that I would grab the sequel as soon as I saw it in stores.  Only this time I would get to spoil myself just a little bit more with a larger HD television and improved sound system.

This was an impulse purchase in every possible way: I simply grabbed it as soon as I saw it and went on with my errands.  I had some nagging worries that it couldn't possibly be as good as the first but I can assure you that my fears were quickly put to rest.

The first segment we watched was on islands and there were more than a few moments that left us feeling pretty awestruck.

Like this clip.

I have one more segment to watch but I have once again been left very impressed by BBC to showcase our wonderful planet in such a way.  I highly recommend Planet Earth II for anyone who enjoyed the first series AND if you were one of were one of those who didn't get around to it.

Enjoy your weekend!

~Mr.T

"Teach[ing] Like a Pirate' and Student Haikus

When I made the decision to start blogging again, I figured I would look at a few things that just might give me the boost needed to counter the growing exhaustion that I really start to feel at this stage of the school year.  I made my way back to something I made a note to check out some years ago but never got around to.  I was still hesitant as I made my order... surely this book couldn't be that good, could it?

Well.  My new reads showed up yesterday and the experience has been refreshing and enlightening.  I've started to actually think that maybe I CAN actually teach like a pirate.

This book has been out for a few years and I'm sure that a number of my teacher friends have checked it out and implemented on some of the many recommendations shared by Dave Burgess.  I don't want to simply regurgitate what I've been reading but there are a few things that have caught my eye so far.

First is the meaning behind the word 'Pirate.'  Burgess has created a straightforward and powerful breakdown for each letter:

• P... Passion-there is an immense need to be passionate about what we teach, even if we don't like it (lookin' at you, poetry...)
• I... Immersion-teachers need to set aside the curriculum and really be with students in the moment
• R... Rapport-we need to be willing to get to know our students on a personal level
• A... Ask and Analyze-teachers need to ask the right questions, and seek and act on feedback, in order to design lessons that are more effective
• T... Transformation-we have to recognize when our approaches to teaching need to be changed and reframed
• E... Enthusiasm-teachers need to share our excitement freely throughout the day and with every class

I'm still working on the book but I want to circle back to the first section on passion.  At the risk of revealing far more than I should, Burgess divides passion into three separate areas, one of which involves our personal passion.  In a nutshell, he argues that we need to be far more willing to incorporate our own passions into our work.  I'll admit that there are lots of times during the year where I feel guilty for taking time for myself.  I could read that book, go airsofting, or play that game but I should really tackle that marking that's been building up or figure out how to teach my students about writing essays.  For that reason, I've maintained a degree of separation that has perhaps prevented me from allowing myself to get too excited about the stuff that I care about.  That isn't to say that I don't have fun during the school year but I have probably been denying myself the opportunities to grow and amplify that sense of fun and excitement in my own classroom.

While reading "Teach Like a Pirate," I started to think about the things that I am truly passionate about: quality time with family, games (board and video), technology, news and current events, planning big trips... some of which I might even go on, music, etc.  Burgess points out that listening to someone who is truly excited about something has a certain hypnotic quality to it: we just can't look away because they're so captivating.  I think there are some exceptions to that rule but they are admittedly few.  Surely there are some ways that I can bring my own passion a bit more regularly into my job.  Not many people, in teaching or otherwise, can probably claim that they get to do that as often as they would like.

More to come on this one, but in the meantime I'd challenge you to think about your own passions and start thinking about how you can bring that out a bit more.

Haikus

Somewhat related to the first section, I've been trying to give my Humanities classes some exposure to poetry.  Those who know me figure out pretty quickly that I'm pretty passionate about Social Studies and maybe less so about Language Arts.  I know it's incredibly important and I do my best to cover the required outcomes, but... I don't always feel that I have the enthusiasm that would convince most kids that what I say has that much relevance.

I hit a snag a few weeks back while looking at a few examples of poetry.  Suffice it to say that everyone... and I mean EVERYONE... was checked out.  I felt that in spite of my preparations and approach, I was failing and that I was wasting everyone's time.  So I returned to an old favourite that I had done when I first started teaching Humanities.  Truthfully, though, I stole the idea from my own Grade 8 LA teacher.  I liked doing it and figured my students could get behind it, too.

After introducing an activity that had them analyze and interpret a song of their choice, I introduced Haikus.  I introduced the structure as I had been taught and most would today approach it.  However, I also shared this video from perhaps one of the greatest cartoons ever made:

I gave my students their assignment: write three Haikus about any topic of their choosing as long as at least one of them had something to do with nature.  The results have been pretty impressive to say the least.

I emphasized that with the limited syllables, each and every word and sound mattered.  I saw students grabbing their thesauruses, and sharing their poems with one another.  There was even one student who was determined to create for me the ultimate sensory Haiku: he would write one about Dr Pepper and also provide one that I could drink while reading his poem.  

He wrote:

Cold Dr Pepper

Refreshing Mr. Thompson

Twenty Three Flavours

While I'm still waiting for that Dr Pepper, I saw what Dave Burgess was talking about: kids laughing and having fun being silly or reaching a little deeper and trying to capture the essence of the images that they chose.  Since putting up all the class poems that I've collected, 'The Wall' has been a popular hangout for students before and after class as they read what others have done.

I can do that more.

Video of the Week

I don't always watch Jimmy Fallon but I have loved most of the videos and snippets from his show.  This one was particularly enjoyable.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Mr.T