Catalyst 2016 - Tuning Protocol

Click the link below to access the PowerPoint presentation and other files from the workshop.

Catalyst 2016 - Tuning Protocol

Giants and Mermaids and Fairies! Oh My!

I have been following the hashtag #tmwyk and browsing Christopher Danielson's amazing blog and website Talking Math With Your Kids. It's got me looking for opportunities to talk math with my own 6 year old and 3 year old daughters.

At dinner a few nights ago, my oldest daughter offers this bit of wisdom:

S (6 years old):  Daddy, if there was a giant here, his little finger would be as big as you. 

Me:  Wow, that's big! How big do you think his foot would be? 

S:  As big as the table! 

Me:  Can I ask you another question? 

S:  (with big wide eyes in anticipation... or suspicion) OK.

Me:  If there was a fairy here, how big would her little finger be? 

S:  (after some thought) As big as my finger nail. 

L (3 years old):  Ask me one, Daddy! 

Me:  OK, How long is a mermaid's tale? 

L:  (thinking, thinking... grabs a fork) This long! 

At this point I'm a little confused. L loves mermaids and has a good idea what they look like and how big they are. I'm not sure why she has chosen a small fork to represent her tail.

Then some magic happens! She pulls her milk cup over and explains:

L:  If this (cup) is the mermaid, then this (fork) would be her tail.

She has created her own scale model using her place setting. And S (never to be outdone) has her own frame of reference:

S:  If the mermaid was 6 years old, her tail would be as long as my legs.

I thought that was a good place to stop. I was wrong.

L (my wife, ___ years old):  How come I don't get a question? 

Me:  If there was a dragon...

Don't Ever, Ever, Ever Take the Pen Out of the Student's Hand!

One of my favourite things to do when students are whiteboarding problems (or designing labs, or playing with manipulatives) is to point at something that is correct and ask "Can you please explain this to me?"

The students' instinct to immediately grab an eraser under the assumption that something must be wrong because the teacher asked about it is incredibly strong and must be squashed.

I want my students to be able to talk to me about physics (or math) even when their answers are correct. Correct mathematical answers do not necessarily correlate to deep conceptual understanding. I want to know what they know. And I want them to be able to explain it to me with confidence.

Of course, I then point out something that is incorrect and ask again "Can you please explain this to me?"

The teachers' instinct to immediately grab the pen (or pencil, marker, crayon, manipulative, mouse, iPad - hereafter all referred to as the "pen") out of the students' hand to "show" them the correct way is incredibly strong and must be squashed.

Don't ever, ever, ever, EVER take the pen out of a student's hand.

Why? These are some of my thoughts:

• It turns a problem or inquiry activity into a lecture.
• It makes the teacher an integral part of the conversation (not a good thing).
• It makes the student a spectator rather than a participant or leader in their learning.
• It makes the student a listener rather than an explainer.
• It removes responsibility from the student to explain their thinking and reason through the problem.
• It negates any opportunity for a student to self-correct by discovering the flaw in their reasoning.

So, I resist the urge to grab the pen. Instead, I continue the conversation something like this:

Me: Can you please explain this to me?

Student 1: We are calculating the coefficient of friction. We know that the force of friction is equal to the applied force.

Me:  How do you know?

Student 1: Because the forces are balanced.

Me: How do you know?

Student 1: Because of Newton's 1st Law.

Me: How do you know 1st Law applies here?

Student 1: Because it is moving at a constant speed.

Student 2: Wait. It's not moving at a constant speed, it's accelerating.

Student 1: What?

Student 3: Ya, see the position graph is curved so there is a change in velocity.

Student 2:  So there must be an unbalanced net force.

Student 1: Oh, I see. So the friction force is not equal to the applied force.

Student 3: But how do we figure out the friction force then?

The entire conversation is student driven. They supply all the arguments and reasoning. The only thing I say is "How do you know?" This forces them to get to their fundamental assumption, the bedrock of their reasoning which is Newton's 1st Law. Once there, the error in their assumption becomes obvious. They self-correct and move on to the next problem, determining the friction force.

Notice how the teacher becomes unnecessary at some point. In fact, I probably walked away around the time that Student 2 jumps in. And I am no where to be found when they start asking what to do next. I am not needed.

And the pen is where it belongs, in the hands of the students.

Collaboration from #ConnectEdCa

You don't get to opt out of standing in front of your colleagues and talking about your practice.

Deirdre Bailey - Calgary Science School

Although this statement was uttered in the context of the philosophy and culture of Calgary Science School, I see it as a call to teachers everywhere to stop hiding behind closed doors.

Our profession allows (and even encourages) practicing our craft on an island alone. New teachers are thrown into a classroom and no one looks in on them again. I tell my students and parents that my colleagues are excellent teachers, but how would I ever know? I have never sat in on any of their classrooms. I have never seen them teach.

Aside from a cursory first year review, no administrator or colleague has been in my classroom for 6 years except by special invitation from me. Of course, I plan these invitations when it is most convenient and flattering to me, when I have some great activity planned or some new technology to trot out.

How can this be?

In politically charged British Columbia, true collaboration has been crushed by the rush for accountability. My school once had planned collaboration time like CSS. It was scheduled every second Friday, teacher-driven and supported by administration. And it died after 2 years because of a government push to control it by making the process accountable to arbitrary goals of student success (read higher test scores). Now, new legislation imposes a punitive teacher accountability process that can only make more teacher's doors close.

But there is still hope.

Hope for challenging dialogue, meaningful constructive criticism, true collaboration.

My colleague across the hall, Blair Miller, has been my collaboration partner for almost 2 years. This despite the fact that we do not teach any of the same courses. Our collaboration has focused on assessment practices and broad pedagogical philosophy (including inquiry and problem-based learning), but always rooted in everyday lesson planning. Through our collaboration, he holds me accountable to the highest possible standards (best teaching practice, student engagement and inquiry, authentic assessment through meaningful feedback) in short, what's best for kids. I can confidently say I would not be the teacher I am today without Blair's constant challenge, encouragement and correction.

It may be daunting. It may make you feel vulnerable. And a little scared. But, collaboration is too powerful for us to continue to hide behind closed doors.

So, open your door, stand in front of a colleague and start talking about your teaching practice.


UPDATE: September 2016

I was thrilled to see the #ObserveMe campaign promoted by Robert Kaplinsky and others. This is exactly what I was talking about back in 2012. Encouraging others to observe your practice and offer feedback is amazing.

I believe it is even more valuable to connect with another teacher you trust for ongoing feedback and collaboration. Blair and I continue to connect and challenge each other despite the fact we are no longer even at the same school.

Trust me. It is worth the risk.

Planning Inquiry for Energy Unit

Messy and chaotic planning means messy and chaotic activity. Let the learning begin!