Find the Force #7 (Genius Hour #7): Wrap-Up!

It's amazing what happens when you give students a stake in their own education.  That's what our Force Projects are all about (you can read more about our journey at Find the Force #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, & #6).

It’s hard to believe that our Force Projects are over - but the end of the year always is a whirlwind!  I had students complete an evaluation at the end to gather their perspectives on the project to aid in planning for next year.  Here are some of the insights they provided:

*Disclaimer: I’m a bit of a statistics nerd, so the first part of this is very numbers-heavy, with the second part being more anecdotal comments

My thoughts: Overall, they liked it, but this wasn’t quite as strong as I would have liked.  I know that several students commented that they enjoyed the project, but missed the time playing.  Others shared that they felt like some people just used this time to mess around, so it was frustrating to them.

My thoughts: This proved to be an interesting bit of self-analysis, as the students had quite a bit of loosely structured work time.  I would agree that the majority used it pretty well, but there are a few groups I would definitely not rate as high as they rated themselves.  I wonder if they felt like they could be honest on this, or if they worried about it affecting their grade (despite my assurances that it wouldn’t)?

My thoughts: We put a lot of effort into choosing a topic, but as with any new project, there is a learning curve, both for students and me.  A lot of the comments were about wishing they knew exactly what their project would entail before they chose what they would work on.  While I fully understand the sentiment, part of the inquiry process is making a goal and then figuring out what steps you need to take to get there.  I know from talking to my students that they learned a lot about time management, sequencing, and how complicated different projects were!

My thoughts: This is another question I was curious to see the responses to.  This was a true #20time project, where students were given approximately 20% of class time to work on these projects (including their blogging, required reflections, etc).  The project stretched out over the whole year, which was a challenge for some of them in time management.  In the comments, many shared that it felt like they had longer than they actually did, but that the end of the year snuck up on them (can anyone else relate?!?).

We used blogging as a way to reflect on this project. How did that work for you? Do you think this was a good use of time?

• I liked being able to blog because it helped me stay on track and I liked being able to see what other people think about my project. 
• I liked the thought of blogging because it helped with sharing your ideas. When you just speak it to a person they may not remember it or not understand the full idea of what you did. 
• Blogging was so fun, it makes you feel famous even with a orchestra project. It was a way to bring in some of your personality into your reflection but still got us thinking about why we did the project and what we learned. This was a ok use of time because I would sometimes want to practice cello but have to look through blogs. I think if we did just a little less we could still use the blogs but get more time to play. 
• It helped me reflect on the project, but I don't like writing so I didn't care too much for it. It was fun reading other blog posts however. 
• No because I never really wrote anything and i change the project so much so i had to rewrite from the beginning to the end every time there was a new project so I would say not really. 
• Yes, it helped me plan everything I wanted to do and needed to do. Like adding more detail or needing more topics. 
• I did not really like blogging our project. I would have much rather written a paragraph of what we have done. 
• I didn't really like blogging that much, because I felt like we could of been working on our actually project rather than a blog that I didn't feel worked for me. 
• I think it was a good use of time but I would have liked to blog even more because I feel like we did it regularly but not enough. 
• It worked pretty good. At first I didn't like it that much but then I started to figure out more about how cool blogging actually is.

My thoughts: I tried to pull a representative sampling of the responses I got for this blog.  In general, the positives associated with blogging were that it helped them reflect and stay on track, they enjoyed sharing their ideas with the world (authentic audience!), and that they were able to get feedback on their projects.  The negatives were that it took some of their work time, they had trouble knowing what to write, and they got bogged down by technical difficulties.  Overall, one of my goals was to include more literacy in my classroom through these blogs, as well as engage a more authentic audience.  While this was probably the least popular part of the project overall, I still think it served its purpose, and I would do it again (with some tweaks). 

We connected with other students (in our class and in other classes) through blogs, comments, etc. Did you find this interesting? Do you think it was a good use of time?

• This was a good use of time because I could tell people what I thought and people could tell me what they thought. This was a good way to improve our projects because we knew what our peers thought.
• I liked the way it helped get more ideas on what you were doing. It was a good use of time because you can see what other people were doing even if you weren't in their class.
• It was really cool to give people feedback, and to get some in return. This was not a waste of time, as it helped us shape and change our projects and make sure they were in tip-top shape!
• I thought the idea was cool, but most of the comments and other things weren't that helpful, so I don't think it was the best use of our time. We could have used more work time.
• As I said before I did think it was very interesting to see what other kids were doing in other classes, because people can come up with such different ideas that I would have never even thought of before. So I thought it was definitely interesting and very cool. I don't think that this was a waste of time, I think you should definitely do this portion of the blogging for next year students because it was definitely very cool.
• No, I didnt really want to know what other people were doing.
• I did not find this interesting. I didn't really learn anything, and it was more of a chore to grade other people.
• I liked looking at comments on my blog and commenting on others but sometimes people that were supposed to comment on mine never did or were not thinking deep about my Force Project in their comments.

My thoughts: Again, I tried to pull a representative sample here - I always want to be honest about the successes and challenges on this blog!  Overall, students seemed to like the commenting and feel that it helped them reflect and improve.  Some of the most-mentioned positives were that they enjoyed the social component, they liked seeing what others were doing, and it helped them improve their own projects.  Negatives mostly revolved around the varying quality of comments and blogs, feeling like they did not learn much or get meaningful feedback from the commenting.  They did enjoy connecting with @msventurino’s class, and thought it was fun to hear from people in a different state!

Final Thoughts:

There are always things to improve on, but overall, I would say that this first go-around at a #geniushour was a success!  The students’ comments helped give me ideas for how to tweak it in the future, but the basis of the project will largely stay the same.  I will end with a few of my favorite student quotes from their final blogs:

• “Some final reflections I have on this project is that it was very fun and I enjoyed it. It was very challenging to learn a new instrument and it was fun to learn it it. I made a lot of mistakes on this project that will help me learn for in the future.”
• “I just want to say I had a lot of fun with this project and this blog is going to be difficult for me to let go.  But for me, our actual presentation was okay. To be honest I loved the process more than the our actual presentation.”
• “I thought the force project was awesome, I had a fun time making it. I really enjoyed this because I actually enjoyed doing homework.”
• “If we would've just done normal orchestra throughout the year I would have learned no where near the amount that I learned. I feel it is important to not just know how to play a note, but also know the music. These force projects taught me good music!”

Whew, this might win an award for my longest blog post ever!  I hope the reflections and student comments are helpful to anyone else looking at doing a similar project.  I’ll close by saying, “May the Force be with you!” and add this tidbit from one of my 7th graders…

FORCE FOR LIFE!

To see some of their projects (the ones that can be shared in this format), click here!

More Than My Content

I am a music teacher.

Our school recently had a read-a-thon, where we tracked our reading minutes.
"I knew Ms. Yeh would win the teacher contest, she loves to read!" said one of my 5th graders.

I'm glad my students have picked up on my love of reading!

For Teacher Appreciation Week, the PTA put up pictures of all of the teachers when they were younger.

"I knew that one was Ms. Yeh, she's always smiling!" said one of my 2nd graders.

I'm glad my students see me as positive!

I am a music teacher, but I am more than my content area.

How do your students see you?

Trimester Check-Ins

As we start our third and final trimester of the school year, I always like to check in with students to refocus our energy to finish the year strong!  It also gives me great feedback for future planning.  I've been really happy with the questions I've asked, so I wanted to share them here:

-What has your favorite part of (class name) been this year?
-What has your least favorite part of (class name) been this year?
-What has been the hardest thing about (class name) this year?
-What do you wish was different about (class name)?
-What is one SPECIFIC thing you want to get better at in 3rd trimester?
-What is your plan to get better at the thing you mentioned?
-What can (teacher name) do to help you have a better experience in (class name)?

The majority of the responses I get are very encouraging and thoughtful.  I find out how students are feeling, like the girl who told me that she feels like she learns music slower than everyone else.  That is not what I see in the classroom, but it is important for me to know that she is feeling that way.  I find out where they are struggling, like the boy who told me he was so confused about what a certain musical symbol meant.  That was an easy thing to address in class, but it may not have come up for a couple of weeks if I didn't know it was bugging him!  I also find out what they want/need from me, like the student who wanted more frequent feedback on her position in class.  I may not be able to do that every time, but I can file away the knowledge that this kid is craving more feedback!  I also find out what they like the most, and can try to implement more of that in my classes!

This avenue also helps me to address trends I see in the class.  Many students say that their least favorite part of the class is practicing.  Based on this, I am planning on having a whole-class discussion about practicing - why we do it, why it is important, and what it might look like if we didn't practice.  Getting a pulse on where the class is as a whole helps me tailor instruction to them as well.

Unlike certain other assignments, I always look forward to grading these reflections.  They give me so much useful information to help me feel like I can really reach each student!  I also have found that students are usually positive in these reflections and share what they like and appreciate about the class, which cheers me up through the long days of conferences and grades!

One note: Usually, I am all about collaboration, but I have found that I get much more individual, thoughtful responses when students do this on their own.

Do you have students reflect and/or set goals in your class? How do you incorporate their feedback into your teaching? How do you find out about their individual goals, thoughts, & needs?

Will you accept me to your world?

In my non-teaching life, I spend time weekly with a group of students who have moved to this country as refugees.  One of them wrote the following poem for a school assignment.  I found it incredibly moving and wanted to amplify her voice!  This is shared without any edits, with her permission.

I am a girl without a past or without country. Will you accept  me to your world ? 

I wonder what will happen to my future and to world, will there be peace? Will I be able to to have my own country? 

I hear a crying from my people asking for help. Why is it silence? Maybe they were suppose to cry like that?

I see a hope that’s coming through or maybe there really is no hope for  them. 

I want to be a helper to my people. Someone who they can look up to, someone who they admire a lot. 

I pretended like everything was ok, but really I want be like any other kids who belong to their own world. 

I feel scared because people might laugh at me the way my culture is. 

I worry that someday I might not be able to have my own country back and I might be lost in world that I don’t call home.

I cry for my people because they are being chased from their home.

I dream that someday I will be able to have my own country and help my people.

I am a girl without a past or without country. Will you accept me to your world? 

In Their Words #3: What I'm Working On

As a part of my reflection and growth as a teacher, I regularly ask students for feedback.  This series documents some of the more profound statements that students have made and my reflections on their thoughts.

It's powerful to ask for students' feedback, but if nothing ever happens after that, is it really worth it?  As a part of this exercise, my students wrote a bit about what would make class even better.  I was pleased to see that I got very few responses like, "Let us do our homework in class so we never have to take anything home," and many more that were things that were actually feasible.  As a result, I wanted to choose a few things to focus on improving in my teaching this semester.

There were three overarching themes that became my action points for improvement:

"I think it would be better if she played string instruments with each individual instrument."

I enjoy playing with and modeling for my students, but usually I end up playing on piano (because I can play more than one part at once) or singing (because I can move around the room and have my hands free).  This made me realize, though, that some learning is lost when students aren't seeing and hearing an exact model of what they are playing.  I have been much more conscious of pulling out a violin or cello to play with them lately.  I even got some nice reinforcement when a student wrote to me, saying that she has understood the parts much better since I've been playing on string instruments!

"Spend equal time with all instruments. She spends most time on Violins and some time on cello/bass/viola."

Okay, true story, I tend to spend more time in rehearsal with sections that either 1) have more tricky parts or 2) are struggling more with their music.  Often, that ends up being my violins.  This comment made me reflect on how I am paying attention to each section in rehearsal and giving them something to work on, even if it is basic notes for my violins and dynamics or bow distribution for my other sections.  I have also tried to be more explicit with my students about my thinking during rehearsal - saying something like, "Cellos, you have whole notes here, so do we need to go over this?  No?  Okay, I'm going to work with violins for a minute."  Even if it does not change the fact that I am working with one section more, hopefully it will help my other groups feel less neglected if I check in with them.

"I think that it would be great if she had something some of the class could do while she's working on specific parts with a different section."

Many of the comments along these lines suggested having a computer program or activity that students could work on while I am working with another section.  Music teachers - if you have ever used anything like this, I would love to hear about it!  My struggle is that, often, I am only working with a specific section for 1-2 minutes at a time, and the transition between different activities would take too long.  What I can do, however, is make sure I give students something to do such as pizz, finger, air-bow, or look ahead to a different section.  I have tried to be more conscious of this in our first few weeks back!

Feedback is important, and I want to be continually improving on my craft.  None of these suggestions were brand new ideas to me - rather, they were reminders of strategies that I can use during class.  Hearing what the students want has helped focus my planning and thinking during class.  And as I have been making changes, I have been explicit with the students about hearing what they said in their surveys and trying to put some of that into action.  I want them to see that they have a voice in our class!  This process has been fantastic with my evaluator, as well - our conversation is so much richer when the voices of the students help drive the improvement process!  I am not advocating for students completely driving the class, but as the main consumers of our teaching, don't they deserve the chance to express their thoughts and have them heard?

I am not perfect, and am always looking for areas to improve in my teaching.  My students helped me see how to better meet their needs, and their requests have become my goals for this semester.  Do your students get the opportunity to express what would help them be more successful in class?  Do you act on their feedback?

In Their Words #2: Smile!

As a part of my reflection and growth as a teacher, I regularly ask students for feedback.  This series documents some of the more profound statements that students have made and my reflections on their thoughts.

This week brought the end of winter break, and the start of a new semester of school.  And can I be honest?  It's hard to return from break!  I love my students, but I also love sleeping in, spending time with friends and family, and having time to pursue other creative pursuits.  This year, I had the opportunity to exercise my #OneWord2017 - LEAD - right away as I helped facilitate two staff meetings about some controversial and tension-filled subjects.  I was still feeling pretty unsettled from these meetings when the bell rang and students began filing in.  At that moment, my mind flashed back to a couple of the comments students had written in their feedback:

"I really like that she is very energetic, and always in a good mood."

"I don't know how I would make it every morning without your contagious smile and energy.  Your enthusiasm makes any day into a good day."

Now, let me be clear.  I am not always in a good mood.  I don't always have tons of energy.  A lot of the time, I'm employing the "fake it till you make it" strategy.

But yesterday morning, like so many other mornings, I had to make a choice.  I had to put all of the other stuff behind me (at least for a time) so I could focus on my students.  And, especially for my 1st period kids, I knew that the way I started this class could really set the tone for the rest of their day.  So I took a deep breath, smiled, and welcomed all of my students back.  I told them how happy I was to see them, and how I missed them over break.  And then, as they came up to get tuned, I tried to ask each and every one of them something about their break.

It was exhausting.

But it was worth it.

You never know how your attitude will impact everyone else in the room.  You never know who might be relying on your smile.  It's such a simple thing.  Don't underestimate the power you have to change a kid's day!

*I hesitated in sharing these students' comments, because I don't want this to be about me.  Rather, it's about the important role teachers play in students' lives and how the smallest things can make a huge impact!  This reminder has given me strength when I'm not feeling ready for the day to begin, and I hope it can do the same for you.  Kids are watching - we can lead by smiling and setting the tone for a great day in our classes!

In Their Words #1: Ownership

How often do we ask students for feedback?  Not often enough, I'd guess!  A few days ago, I asked students for feedback on my class and teaching.  It was pretty simple - the two questions I asked were:

1. What is something you really like about _____'s teaching?
2. What is one thing you think _____ could do to be a better teacher or help you more?

Every time I do something like this, I know it's good, but it also is scary.  It's a vulnerable place to be in, asking students for feedback on your practice!  And the kids are honest.  They tell you what they are thinking.  I did this anonymously, because I wanted to really get to their thoughts.  They had some amazing responses that sparked a lot of thinking about teaching and education in general.  This sparked the idea for a series of blog posts about what I learned from their responses!

"I really love how _____ lets us be our own teachers at times and is not always trying to control every aspect of our learning."

"I really like how _____ lets us pick out own seats, and trusts us on our own"

These two statements struck me as profound because they point out just how often students do not feel like they are in control of their own learning.  I know that I, as a teacher, am guilty of trying to make everything in the classroom go exactly as I planned it, without accounting for the 30 other people in the room who might have different needs.

Now, I'm not arguing for chaos or freedom without responsibility - boundaries need to be set and students need to be taught how to take ownership appropriately.  But what if we gave students a bigger stake in their learning?  What if we trusted them more?  What if we let them learn and discover instead of just "getting through" our lessons?

Students, especially as they get older, value independence.  They value feeling trusted by the adults in their lives.  They value the chance to have a say in their own learning.  So let's honor and acknowledge that in the work we do in the classroom!