Agenda Interuptus- time to think.

Stop everything it is time to really think.

Welcome!

It is time to get concrete again and give some really stunning examples of how thinking has occurred in my classroom over the years.  Three examples come to mind.  The first about 15 years ago, I had to stop in my tracks to address a homophobic comment.  The next, 4 years ago, another slur this time, racist.  And thirdly a couple years ago, a more planned thinking attack, my forced appeal to all my students to think through how the basics of composition are the same across all media (and that media could include snowboarding and teeth brushing- not just writing, music, painting, architecture, software but even “how I will spend my weekend”- design.)

Why these classroom moments are seared in my brain is probably a function of how memory works- emotionally laden- CHECK, novel (not the everyday routine)- CHECK, full attention (rest of stimuli filtered out- full attention on discussion)- CHECK.  These were present in all three “incidents.”

It’s not that thinking doesn’t occur regularly throughout school classrooms, it does, the question is how deep and how long.  When a student used a homophobic term, I could have sent him out, done nothing or used it as a teaching moment.  The fact that I made the call to stop in our tracks and discuss I credit to my personal belief in the beauty and responsibility of the teacher’s role.  Teachers are powerful.  And we need to realize all eyes are on us for leadership.

By the end of our chat students were deciding what it meant to be empathic, they were questioning sexuality, whether fixed or a choice, they were having lively debate about the Kinsey Scale. There were smiles and we all left feeling happy.  The student whose comment spurred the discussion was not criminalized.

A similar thing occurred when we went off topic after a racist slur.  This was years later and we discussed the invisibility of mixed race students who may be seen as one ethnicity or another. Students questioned what was ok to say in what company and how we decide.  Again, I’m pretty sure addressing the situation head on was the relevant thing to do.  A parent thanked me two years later.  Apparently her daughter had felt supported (as a mixed race student.)  What are the invisibles?  Is a purpose of thinking and conversation, in a safe place, to bring the invisible to view?  So, these are two examples of when the classroom can be an unexpected place for “real” life “lessons.” 

Third. 

Obviously this next example is about planned deep thinking.

I admit I became obsessed with a “common language” from the arts.  I had been posing that there could be a basic language and way that we address the creative and design process (not a unique idea but practiced less than one would imagine.) My definite agenda was to have all my students think through how the process of composing was at its essence the same across any discipline and medium. 

First move, we would NOT DO anything today.  We would only CONSIDER.  I think that got my students’ attention, because we are always doing and reflecting after doing.  Handouts covered commonly used definitions of principles and elements of art, composition etc.  Without boring or going into too much detail I forced every student to come up with a unique “composition story” about the medium of their choice.  Two stood out- a snowboarders choices as they carve their way down a mountain- what goes through their heads- why they do what they do- the interaction between boarder and terrain.  And a how I get dressed in the morning story about, mood, interactions of clothing pieces, weather, availability of favorites.  I added my own about brushing teeth, just because I wanted students to realize even our mundane daily exercises are “considered” and “composed.”

I also use ongoing thinking devices like this one for example: “PRACTICALITY” “AESTHETICS” & “ENGINEERING” students are divided into three teams and must debate what “matters” most in architecture.  This is fun because student teams have to argue why their consideration out weighs the other two.  This year perhaps I’ll let them choose their own teams, rather than randomly assigning their consideration.  That would require some thought.  Not my thought, but students.  Done. 

I’m also planning on ritualizing thinking in the classroom, maybe not just on Thursdays.  If it takes about every 2-15 years to have an amazingly stunning memory where students rocked their own minds and mine, well that’s just not often enough. 

Thanks for reading!- L

More of what I promised soon..  The beginnings of a working definition of Variables Thinking (as a practice), & the WWW, subjectivity and the need to share…..

John Dewey said it all!

Welcome!

Yes, it is true, I’m old news:  John Dewey addressed the tenets behind the classroom practice I am advocating for here.  Emotional security, the idea of teaching and learning as communication, the idea of exchange between teacher and learner rather than the “sage” to “sponge” pattern.  In Dewey’s mind this associative reflecting and communicating were the underpinnings of Democracy.   It is uncanny as I discover (or rediscover?) this great thinker how many of his ideas are 100% aligned with my own.  He seems to be pro discussion and debate, pro rigorous thought and allowing all thought to be valued, he seems to be a true problem solver and considered problem solving itself a life purpose.  Later he dismisses much philosophical thought as being built on a false premise that separated “mind” from “reality”...they are inseparable to his thinking.  Reminds me of the time a physics teacher told me “color exists in the brain”… I thought to myself…. And what doesn’t exist in the brain?  Dewey discusses relevance - “the problems of men” versus “the problems of philosophers.”  In the end, social progress and Democracy seem to be the true concerns of John Dewey.  His educational philosophy, particularly his positing the importance of deep reflection, was an essential part of that larger view.

But hardly anyone I’ve asked of late can say with any certainty that they know of or understand his work.  Is my job to become a Dewey scholar and lecture?  Or is my job to do my own rigorous thinking and allow my students to do theirs… and to work at communicating - what is relevant and important in a two-way or ten-way or however many minds are in the room-way fashion?

 

Would John Dewey be proud of the classroom tone found in “Race to Nowhere” or would he be horrified, probably seeing the collapse of our Democracy unfold before his eyes.

The trick of the teacher is to keep the agile young minds developing their own points of view, curiosities and inquiries, while keeping roughly on task.  (Whole post on TASK later.)

There is a term I heard recently in education circles- “working knowledge.”  It is a tricky one because it requires the ability to apply knowledge to new and unique situations.  Rigorous reflection is an undeniable part of this process.  Rigorous reflection is also essential to developing communication skills.  “Say it in your own words.”  This could be a John Dewey mantra.  Is there time in the classroom for each student?  This depends on whether “saying it in your own words” is valued.  It depends on the comfort level of the teacher to be a “guide on the side.”

Rigorous thought, which requires freedom, emotional safety (respect) and tolerance, is the underpinning of meaning making. Without it we may as well be in a different kind of society all together.

Bless you John Dewey!  And bless the teachers who create opportunities in their classrooms that would make you proud.

Thanks for reading. -L 

More soon on carving out a more succinct definition of “Variables Thinking.”  And more soon on how reflective thought can actually look in a classroom....& why it is not only practical but also pragmatic.  ( I'm simmering too some posts on the radical subjectivity created by the info age and the www  which also speak to a need for more sharing especially amongst adolescents.)

Race To Nowhere

Welcome!

Today’s Blog is about Race To Nowhere (http://www.racetonowhere.com/.)  If you haven’t seen the film – a quick synopsis:  A one size fits all approach to education focused on testing and over achievement is a recipe for depression, stress and burnout.  The student who best sums up his experience states he feels like he is in a “race to nowhere.”  It is a powerful and very sad movie, yet the fact that it was made and is a springboard for so many conversations around the country is incredibly hopeful.

Rather than recapping the critique of testing/rote learning/over achieving/more, faster, better, I’ll stay focused on my small part of the solution.   By doing my grappling, thinking and rethinking, alchemizing many related ideas about what I have come to believe is important in schooling, I am in a small way living out what is missing from the school factory- time to ponder.

How do classroom teachers make time for thinking?  Is this homework?  Or can it be an active ritualized, accepted part of every school week?  How about THINKING THURSDAYS!

On Thursdays every student in every subject area across every grade level would be invited to take a deeper look at the material.  This would be a “safe” day.  There would be no wrong answers, no wrong ideas, and no censorship.  The teacher would truly be the “guide on the side.”

Teachers need to be comfortable with NOT being the experts.  They need to be comfortable with the imaginations and tangents of students.  They need to be learners and listeners, not just correctors.  What are the boundaries of the conversation?  How much time is useful? 

Teachers will use trial and error to figure this out.  Is once a month enough? Or is every Thursday a THINKING THURSDAY. 

Set the tone.  Give permission.  Leave the judge at the door.  Let the students explore their own minds. 

Thanks for reading (more soon) -L

Mystery & Delight

Welcome!

“Life is a mystery, but people want to reduce it to a problem.” – Osho

A few days ago I awoke to read this as an “update” from an Astrologer who I am linked to on LINKEDIN.   Trusting only my excitement -no clue who Osho is- turns out a somewhat controversial Indian Guru –Rajneesh- I decided to book my second ever astrology appointment.

Ran into two Medical Doctors this week too, a pulmonary specialist and an ob gyn.  I verbally explained this Blog project three times (good practice) and learned about “Variable Analysis” – a thing doctors do to try to understand causation.  Is there a direct link between smoking and lung disease?  I don’t know let’s look at other confounding variables to be sure the link is real….  How do we precede at a birth?  How are decisions made at this most intense moment?  These are the conversations I was lucky to have this week.  In fact the Ob Gyn is remarkably brilliant, has passed the FLEX exam for foreign doctors who want to work in the US, and will need to redo years of residency here.   Now that shows commitment!

So where is this going… Mystery, Delight, Doctors & Astrologers?  What’s the connection? 

Maybe doctors and astrologists both share a great passion for mystery and the complexities of their work.  Maybe both delight in their detective work.  The deeper they go the more complexity they find.  One cause being intrinsically interconnected with many others….  

Teasing out variables, trying to solve the mysteries of disease or how to best proceed at a birth.  If, then, if not, then… Astrologers, weighing moving parts in a giant archetypal playground called the universe, trying to connect the individual with the archetypal meanings and forces of the planets. A predictive system in its own right….

Are medical doctors and astrologists really so different when it comes to their relationship to thinking? 

And is school a place where mystery is celebrated?  Do teachers allow students to see that the mystery of life requires simplification for the classroom, but the deeper you go the more you see, hear, feel, sense, observe, know?  Can we inspire curiosity?  A delight in mystery?

Definite intention decided July 14^th 2011 8:25pm: As an educational tool, a K-12 Throughline of Variables Thinking intends to inspire curiosity.  It will do so by teaching as self-evident the continuum of the simple to the complex and the potential of solving mysteries as a root of happy life long work. 

A simple concrete example:  7th graders study metabolism. “Change diet & exercise, in order to see changes in metabolism. Gain or lose weight.  Isolate diet for one week by controlling exercise, then isolate exercise the next week, while controlling diet.”  Chart it.  Explain findings.  Easily take this up a notch in complexity by introducing the idea of additional “confounding variables” and revealing how totally imprecise this experiment would be without exact measurement etc..

A complex concrete example: 12^th graders study “the self.”  “Write a 1-3 page outline response to the question: Who am I?  Consider what makes you you.”  Optional: cite previous readings, conversations or experiences that helped you form your outline.

We talk about helping kids problem solve.  Good!  Inspiring delight in mystery could be a part of that long term equation.

Thanks for reading (more soon.)-L

P.S. Apparently Saturn (how we experience “reality”) has been lining up with my progressed Mercury (reason, common sense).  Terrific news for this thinking project!

Why "Variables" instead of Critical/Creative/Design Thinking?

Welcome!

So why “Variables Thinking” and not critical thinking or creative thinking or design thinking?

I want to zoom out in today’s BLOG.  So many topics, it is easy to get side tracked into major asides on teaching styles and all the great things in education that are already being done, like the move toward “guide on the side” teaching.  But I need to paint with a bigger brush for a moment to begin to reason through my goal to create a curriculum throughline about Variables.

These 3 established kinds of thinking would make great throughlines:

Critical Thinking

Creative Thinking

Design Thinking

Any school that holistically embraced any of these would be a better school for it.  That is to say any school that picked one of these and taught it throughout grade levels and disciplines would graduate students with a toolbox for life.

So why do I have my mind set on navigating uncharted waters and trying to “popularize” Variables Thinking?  It’s a meta thing.  And a changy thing.  (whole BLOGS on META & CHANGY later)

When one approaches a piece of History from a “critical” perspective one asks questions: what is the context of this report or document or diary entry?  Whose point of view?  Did the interpretation of this piece of history change over time?  Is this true or false?

When one approaches a problem from a “creative” perspective one might think: brainstorm, try things out, think outside the box, play, embellish.

When one approaches anything from a “design” perspective one immediately thinks of needs, uses, how can we build a solution, let’s follow a process. 

When we indoctrinate students into any methodology we provide a profound opportunity for learning.

Here’s how Variables differs.  Understanding all the variables in any given problem or person or action or thing is literally impossible and indescribably mind-boggling.  That’s why it may be the kind of thinking that is going to rock kids' worlds!  Identifying parts, aspects, factors and their relationships is like meta critical thinking.  Ouch that hurt my brain... how about we keep it simple.....

Curriculum:  9^th Grade Science - Play doh for PHD students. 

Pretend you are a group of Phd students.  Identify all the factors when considering the “nature”  of Play Doh.  The nature of this product can include but is not limited to: ingredients, their origins, chemical make up and pathways to the factory, marketing and design, intended uses, unintended uses… that should be enough prompts.

The winning team lists 254 factors/aspects…..  Can you name them all?  Do they affect each other? Are they "constants"?

Thanks for reading (more soon) – L

Lecture & The Learner

Welcome to BLOG #4!

So many topics & so much time. 

Today’s Blog is about the notion of teacher as “sage on the stage.” And what better represents this teaching style than the lecture.

I love a lecture.  Spoon feed me your digested, assimilated knowledge anytime and I will gladly listen!  A great lecture is truly a joy.  But I have an idea- let’s use the lecture not just to teach….but also as a chance to invite students into learning about learning.

Lecturing quietly expresses: “I am the expert, I am all knowing, you are the sponge, you are all seeking.” It is the dark side (glazed over students passively sitting, sneaking a peek at the phone, day dreaming, God forbid falling asleep) that needs to be addressed.

Brain research finds that 10 minutes straight of lecturing without an aside in the form of a joke or emotionally laden story is all an audience can take.  See John Medina’s book “brain rules” for much more http://www.brainrules.net/.  Lecturers must “buy” time from an audience.  Teachers can use 2 minute breaks for discussion between 8 minute lectures.  But what can be done to address the divide between the “sage” and the “sponge”?

Let’s bring students in on the secret: a good lecture is a piece of brilliant composition.

Variables:

Pace

Clarity

Humor

Repetition of ideas

Emphasis on what is really important

Connections to other material/ideas previously covered

Suspense

Hints at future material/plant seeds

To name a few…

Creating a great lecture requires VARIABLES THINKING.  Since this iconic form of teaching is here to stay, I propose a piece of curriculum that is flexible and adaptable.  The goal is to allow students to pay attention to their attention (a form of metacognition) while getting acquainted with key elements of lecture.

Curriculum:  11^th grade any discipline (this could be assigned in Science, History, etc.) 

Locate 1 lecture on the Internet.   As you listen/watch pay attention to 3 things. 1-Your engagement (tuning out versus riveted.)  2- Your connection to prior knowledge (meaning does the content of the talk “hook up” with anything you know already.) 3- Pace (your ability to keep up/follow.)  Take notes and report back to the class on these 3.

Not “science” just “subjective self-observation” designed to address where the rubber meets the road (where attention drifts and why.)  Curriculum rarely addresses this.  This basic understanding should not be reserved for the learning specialist to discover, it should be part of a holistic approach to learning.  After all, knowing something about one’s attention is a life skill.

Thanks for reading (more soon.) –L