10 Minutes or Less: Six Simple Strategies for Engagement and Collaboration in Any Classroom

As educators we know that there are a myriad of strategies out there to help with engagement, active learning, critical thinking and problem-solving. There isn't a teacher out there who would not like to incorporate tools to enhance these skills into their classroom. Educators are willing to adapt and change with the times, yet with an often over-crowded curriculum and classroom, using them just falls to the wayside. Educators have one main constraint. One thing that prevents more mobility and student-interaction and collaboration to take place - Time. 

However, there is a cornucopia of tools and practices that are not time-consuming and very realistic approaches, to use in any sized classroom. They are easy to incorporate into any classroom design. They are universal and adaptable. They are also fast-paced and interactive allowing for students to not only feel the pressure to commit, to the time-frame, but also to collaborate to get things done. Here are six that I use frequently. I also had a #stucentclass chat about integrating these strategies into the classroom and teachers in other content areas added their ideas, in which to use them as well. Hopefully they are options you can use to help shape your student-centered classroom.

1. What's Missing- show students a list of content vocabulary, set of pictures, diagram, or a series of steps related to the course content, but omit a piece of information. Challenge students to predict what is missing from the list or picture.

ELA- Retrieval practice of vocabulary, looking for literary devices or elements in a text. The "what's missing" will encourage them to look deeper.

SCIENCE- Marine animal anatomy, leave steps out of processes such as generating electricity from a fuel source, formation of acid rain, etc.

MATH- steps of a problem, Math problem, scientific diagram, flow chart. Up challenge and opportunity as appropriate: students create these challenges for each other or have them ‘fill-in’ unexpected/provocative steps. Simple e.g. instead of 2+blank=6 being 4, its 3 + 1.

SOCIAL STUDIES- capitals and major land-forms, a See, Think, Wonder VT routine. Looking at a picture and only show a small par, to get them looking at details and then enlarge what the part they can see and have them explain the process.

2. "AHA" walls incorporated with a Graffiti wall- As students watch a video, participate in a lecture, or read an article, encourage them to pay attention to the 'a-ha' moments. Ask them to post their "a-ha" moments on the class 'graffiti wall.' Review the wall in class and integrate their ideas into the lecture or let students choose posts from the wall to start new discussions.

ELA- Use this strategy to help students with characterization. We can learn a lot about characters by what they say and by what other characters say about them or - as in a movie - how they respond with facial expressions or body language

SCIENCE- anchoring phenomena to introduce a new topic, I had a celebration or a success wall that students could write their successes and if they were struggling with a concept they could check the wall to see if there was anyone that could support them. I also have used a Wonder Wall for adults and students.

MATH- compare & contrast ideas/thoughts/questions! Student-generated questions (Wonder Wall) is the perfect stepping stone to a Genius Hour Project or Innovation Day. They also get students thinking and wondering, bringing back that inquisitive nature that is so important for the future.

SOCIAL STUDIES- I like the idea of doing this as a warm up! That way students can also incorporate any questions they have initially! Seems like the older students get the less they like to participate so openly. I think if we start doing it right off...this would be a pretty awesome way to learn. They do seem to enjoy when I do the graffiti during the 'ah ha's.'

3. Brainstorm Challenge-If you want students to brainstorm a list of ideas or possible solutions, challenge them to generate more ideas by giving them two six sided dice. Ask them to roll the two dice and then the total roll is how many more strategies and ideas they need to come up with for the activity. Then you can encourage them to analyze, sort, or prioritize their lists based on a set of criteria. Then adding the pressure of a ten-minute time clock adds pressure and engagement.

ELA-Having a closed time deadline fires them up to generate ideas quickly love the idea of random number of ideas required, Love debating. My students are currently studying Social Issues and Argumentative Essay Writing, so we have been doing ‘Speed Debating’ in class...

SCIENCE-This would be a great approach to making predictions before a science experiment, video or classroom activity, use this when kids are gearing up for their coral bleaching essays. This would be really helpful for them to generate useful search terms.

MATH- That would help them decide which path to take when the calculations come around. If they can list all the possible "happenings" during each step, they'll likely pick up on which will happen and how they can minimize measurement error.

SOCIAL STUDIES- This would be fun for students to plan a group project. Or, once they've chosen a project, deciding what needs to be done and in what order.

4. Show not Tell- students are given envelopes (any size) they cut off the top and bottom to create a 4-sided cube that stands up like a tent. Then on each side, have students draw or create a diagram about one aspect of the concept being addressed. For instance, have each class period add a side:  why, how, when, who or what. OR they could draw the stages of ecological succession, 1 per side, catastrophic events etc. Then for 5 minutes they walk around from table to table and write feedback on sticky notes, to at least 5 different tents.

ELA-In Language - story events, characters or interesting words Love this one too, For ELA, this might work with a study on plot elements.

SCIENCE-The tents would be a great way for kids to explore processes such the formation of acid rain and photo-chemical smog. I love this idea!! I have students setting up their own designed soil’s ability to buffer acid rain labs, this would be an engaging way to have them give each other feedback

MATH- Have students on each side of the cube give a different way to solve the equation.

SOCIAL STUDIES-This would be would be great for inquiry-based projects or projects in which students are exploring slightly different topics! This allows for students to show what they are working on and also learn about what others are doing/learning!

5. "No, you Do it"- Students are each provided a note-card with a question about the content. They read their question and then decide to keep it to share the answer with the class or trade it, pass it along to someone else- with the statement "No, you do it." The card can be passed only once- this should take 1 minute and then you have students answer their questions aloud to the class. You could allow more passing time if you like, then have students answer in 1 minute or less.

ELA-This would be a great way to initiate some interesting class debate topics! The cards could have a topic and the student could be responsible for picking a side and defending it!

SCIENCE- A creative way to review. My marine biology students are currently studying mollusks. They could each write a review question and then we could do this activity with the deck they create.

MATH-This also seems like it would be extremely fun for the students! It would be interesting to see them strategize, deliberate, and make their trades!

SOCIAL STUDIES-I’ve used a similar strategy with retells or recaps. Keeps students focused, you never know when you have to continue the thought/process.

6. 30 seconds or less- students are given a simple content- weathering, erosion or deposition for example. Each student gets one of the three (W.E.D.) It needs to be a topic that can be demonstrated with action, no words. Then students group themselves 1 per topic (depending on the content) and they have 1 minute to plan a skit (no sound) to demonstrate the concept to the class. Then student’s present, rapid fire, to keep engagement up. This should take less than 5 minutes total for the entire activity.

ELA-This is such a great idea that can be applied in so many areas! What a great way to promote collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity! The added pressure of the time crunch could also prove to bring another element of excitement

SCIENCE-AP Environmental students could use this to review the causes of biodiversity loss.

MATH- geometry angles and shapes, properties and theories

SOCIAL STUDIES- battles of WWII, famous speeches (just the speaker stance and characteristics of speaker), events throughout history

All six of these activities can be implemented and completed within 10 minutes. But they can also be extended with a quick write, closure activity. They can be used as warm-ups, purposeful talk introduction and even exit-tickets. They are meant to be a brain break in the sense of breaking up a longer lecture or activity with some mobility and purposeful interaction. I hope they are something you will think about trying soon. Students really do like them because they break up the class routine a little bit, they are fast and furious and they are a great way to make connections and review content in a fun way.

Thank you to my #stucentclass family for all of your amazing ideas: @tomteachesphys  @LindaEdwardsi @ThirstyBeesNY  @miss_lsauser  @Mrs_Gilchrist  @dmvelliaris @MsNursery @CasaliScience @cathylw2 @levi_allison42

Magic to Make the Sanest Person Go Mad

Light and shadows

Light and shadows, trickery, mysticism. These words are rarely used to describe teaching, yet the image of a great educator is often shrouded in them. If time has been spent in a classroom, from either resident or visitor it is obvious, that with every combination of students, within every content area and above all visible in every relationship there are peaks and valleys. When we step upon the precipice, the views are spectacular but often terrifying. When we descend into the valleys, we are protected from the view of others, all the while being shadowed. It is when we walk on level ground that the long bright dark, becomes an expanse of momentary brilliance and ongoing growth. Where trickery becomes magic in the pure sense of the word. No longer is it silhouettes but well-lit, exposed learning for all to see.

Our classrooms verdant with layers of growth, are often pared down to estimations and expectations. Educators are truly saints, heroes and cavaliers. We are saints of imperfection, however, not because we do no challenge ourselves, push ourselves and climb the mountain of judgement every day, but because there are far too many obstacles for us to master with precision. We stumble, we rise. We listen and we take action. Every day a solid footing is not expected, motionless ground is not preferred. Because, with fluctuation comes an unfixed mindset. Education inhabits turbulent, agitated terrain. Every face a new situation, every outside tremor, filling the gaps with assumption, speculation and surmise.  But also, with enlightenment and awareness comes curiosity.

Extinguished

As educators we get frustrated, we dig in deep with our opinions of what makes a great educator. The powers that be often get to decide what scores and data define a successful classroom. All the while, never having set foot in their domain. Never taking the time to sit quietly and watch. Educators have a voice, a personality, a passion that is unique. There are controversial topics: homework, standardized testing, class sizes, teacher pay, just to name a few. These issues unite as much as they divide. They can bring out the wolf in us, despite ourselves. Whether a first year teacher or a veteran, we each have a stance, a position in which our values and goals hold firm. We see the war within, the war without, the war to come. We witness the spoils of war, as they trickle near us or just out of reach and we feel frustrated with our lack of power.

Form and void. This is where most educators live. Many have decided to fight injustice not with words alone, but with action. Many speak out, refuse to fake it till they make it. They choose not to be another hero, because superheroes often swoop in to save the day- they do not embed themselves in daily life and no matter the hour or day, stick around to make sure the best laid plans are coming to fruition. Unless you are Spiderman of course.There are many different types of educators, those who take the hero approach, or the daily-routine approach, and those that clock in and out with specific repetition or those that will stay dusk to dawn, if even one child knocks on the door. No matter the approach, every educator has the same mission: student growth and success. It is not our only job to guide and inspire our students, it is also our responsibility to guide and inspire one another.

Magic Illuminated

It is time to take down the fun-house mirrors that distract from our mission. It is time to silence judgement and stay open to all points of view, because there are far too many obstacles, for any of us to solve, with absolute precision. Every one of us sees the world through our own experiences. We do not just wake up in the morning and push play. We adjust the brightness and color, as we live our lives. We hear words, read expressions, see images and make our own decisions. This is what makes education a great thing. There are gaps. There are huge chasms where ignorance and ambition, hide dedication and passion. Where judgment of individuality stunts innovation. The only people who can curb lack of empathy, nudge the gap to closure is educators. Those of us literally in the trenches every day, experiencing the fluctuations, tremors and liquefaction of the field of education.

“The butchers knife cares not for the lambs cry,” the saying goes. But, in education this couldn’t be farther from the truth. What we read in the papers is often context for kings or rulers, of the way we are supposed to do things. However, it is the cavalry, the minutemen, the soldiers of advancement- educators that truly own the sounds of growth and evolution. Sometimes our voices are overpowered by bureaucracy, others they are muted by the day to day rituals of teaching, we simply do not have time to shout out in protest. So, we get on social media and we get on the defensive, we attack our fellow educators, because again we are frustrated, exhausted and need to vent.

The Spark of Transformation

We are torchbearers of the labyrinth. We need to light the dungeon path so that every educator can climb up from its depths. We must take the magic to make even the sanest person go mad and turn it into a prologue. What’s past is a prologue. What’s future is based on unity and mindfulness. Let’s begin today- let’s lift each other up, because that is what makes education the greatest profession on Earth. We know its faults, but let’s focus on the fortitude and tenacity of its residents. Every local has a purpose, every inhabitant a cause. Whether a native or expat, immigrant or citizen – every educator needs to be heard. Growth comes with challenge so let’s continue to challenge with respect and honor. Let’s make education the envy of those everywhere who doubt our dedication and determination. Let’s become the model for camaraderie and collaboration. Let’s be not superheroes but super-residents, inhabiting the beauty of the educational landscape every day.

Left, Right, Atria, Ventricle: Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub

The heart is resilient. Its about the size of one's fist. Its compact and durable. It beats about 115,000 times a day. Each lub-Dub, lub-Dub pumping our oxygen rich blood out into our bodies and simultaneously ridding us of excess carbon-dioxide. This organ, both electrical and muscular, empowers us, with life giving blood, but can also continue to beat outside of our bodies. It is literally, a self-sufficient part of us. It generates both life and love.

We celebrate it on a day of love and friendship and the other 364 days of the year, we take it for granted. While ours is small in comparison to a whales, which is the biggest of them all, a giraffe's is lopsided. This muscle we call a heart, deep inside our chest cavity, weighs about a pound, barely adding to our mass. But without it, we would not function. 

A woman's heart beats slightly faster than a man's- interesting, but insignificant in the scheme of things. Of the billions of cells in our bodies, heart cells are the ones that stop dividing, therefore heart cancer is rare. Another way it protects us. This vital organ can be damaged if we do not take care of it. We need to exercise and eat right.

Laughing is good for our heart, it relieves stress and calms our spirit. 

                      

                                            

Left, Right, Atria, ventricle, lub-Dub, lub-Dub. When the body is at rest it only takes six seconds for the blood to travel from the heart to the lungs and back, only eight seconds for it to go to the brain and back, and only sixteen seconds for it to reach the toes and travel all the way back to the heart. What a marvelous feat of engineering.

This same minute amount of time, this fraction of a thought, an action, an emotion is unnoticable. It is automatic, active, anonymous in our daily activities. We tend to focus on the feelings, the reactions, the joy. The love, friendship and beauty of relationships both romantic and platonic. But, beneath the sentiment, the over-priced chocolates and flowers of February 14th, lies a beating, electrical charge of life. 

The power output of a heart ranges from 1-5 watts. While the quadriceps can produce 100 watts for a few minutes, an output of one watt for 80 years, such as the heart provides, is equal to to 2.5 giga-joules. Our hearts are full of energy and this energy comes forth in circulation, respiration, digestion and every other function of our bodies. It is our life force. This tenuous, tissue, is not just an organ, it has come to represent emotion as well. It is the personification of kindness and generosity.

 Today on this Valentine's Day- I just wanted to send out a Valentine for the heart, my heart. A force of nature, that every day with 115,000 lub-Dub's,  allows me to go about my day with little fuss and fanfare. Thank you heart. If I pause and listen, I can hear it, feel it, and this for me is the best Valentine's gift ever- because it happens 365 days of the year, no card necessary.

An Overdose on Good Ideas: The Climb and Dissent

Good Intentions, Rising Altitude

Educators are consistently being bombarded with the next great strategy. About technology, behavior management, student-centered classrooms, just to name a few. Then just when they feel like they are well-read and up-to-date with the latest planning, procedures and policies, these implementations change. It is exhausting keeping up. They literally can overdose on good ideas. They are surrounded by 400 ways to improve education, long lists of tactics and approaches. They are given double the volume of content to teach, in the same amount of time. They are overwhelmed, out of balance and often frustrated and discouraged. Yet, they have very few options, in which to yell from the mountain top their disappointment.

If the powers that be, continue to raise the ceiling and the floor, all educators will have left is a diminished tolerance for error. No room for maneuvering to insure best practice for our students. Educators are devoted practitioners, dedicated mentors, whom every day, do not just reach the mountain top, to say they did, they arrive at its precipice, because they fought a storm of criticism and an avalanche of judgment. They enter the summit every morning: snow shoes buckled and nap sacks full of emergency rations. They never look down the slope in doubt, they hear the voices of their students and they step by step, climb against the gust. All the while keeping an eye on the peak, knowing unequivocally, that they reach it.

Suiting Up for the Climb

As adults, most of us try to avoid personal conflict with other adults. This doesn't ring more true than in the field of education. In our buildings the majority of us try to calm the waters, rather than raise sea level. We mingle out and talk to a few teachers, but for the most part our classroom is our Shangri-La and we like to immerse ourselves in its comfortable surroundings. 

Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia – a permanently happy land, isolated from the world. This encapsulates our interpretation of our classrooms, we suit up every morning for the climb and when we reach our rooms, we pinch a tent and wait for the other climbers to make their way to camp. Our gear, we accumulate, through experience and a growth mindset. We listen and observe, learn from our mistakes and seek expansion and cultivation. But, we retreat from conflict, because this wreaks havoc on our Zen, our contentment. 

What we need to do as educators is to see past the personal aspect of teaching and welcome a bit of the business aspect. We need to be more tolerant of constructive criticism, be more candid with ours, and above all look for ways to better communicate, with those around us. The infamous saying “It’s not personal, its business,” may not be possible entirely, but if we recognize and accept the permanent vocational aspect of education, we will be able to find more of a balance. Prevent the avalanche.

Non-Discussable Issues

A strength of most educators is our capacity to disagree respectfully and professionally. Now, this is not to say every educator does this. But I feel the majority of us do. Even when we get really frustrated, we use restraint. However, this restraint in many cases, becomes talking about someone, rather than to someone, regarding a disagreement or conflict. This leads to naysaying and a vibe of gossip, rather than respect. This unfortunate toxic environment is like a million thought bubbles bursting to life, the pop, pop, pop, coating the conversations with dubiousness and suspicion.

Faculty and student relationships are structured around nurture, structure, foster and outreach. This facet is evident and plentiful in a positive and mindful school. These relationships parallel faculty to faculty interactions. When one is negative it definitely affects the other. But, we as educators, often treat our students with more respect than we do one another. Why do we forget to extend the same kindness and understanding to each other every day, as we do with our students? Do we feel like we are a cog at an institution, rather than a villager amongst the homestead? Every school is part industrial revolution and part agrarian, nomadic township. Each member specialized and contributing to the community.   

We like to be our Own Author

“Watch your air time.” Is a phrase I repeat to myself often, when I attend team and grade level meetings? I tend to not say anything at all, but when I do, I like to keep my ideas to nice crisp pocket sentences. Everyone wants to be the author of their personal narratives. So when you put a group of highly passionate, highly intelligent people together in a room, it is like an avalanche is rumbling. The conversation vibrates and before you know it, you are stuck under a pile of freshly, tumbled snow. The weight of it feels like a crushing force. So we often just start digging, oblivious to those around us that seem to be piling the snow back up on top of us. We simply shut down, out of exhaustion. So we sit, idle, distracted, waiting for our personal St. Bernard, to exhume us from our crevasse.

As authors, we need to experience, interact and at times lure in action that spawns creativity. If we assume good intentions are coming, ask questions if we disagree and be specific and direct, we may just be able to have open, meaningful discourse, even if the result is discordance. If we stay positive, not fudge what we want to say in response, but frame it in mindfulness and purpose, maybe we can lull any disunity or friction. There is a candor we are lacking as educators. We often stay positive without constructive change or we talk about one another, rather than to one another leading to rifts and rumbles and eventually avalanches.

A collaborative challenge, such as communication, makes us see our flaws, face our fears and it leads us past complacency. We are educators and we have a shared commitment, to better the lives of our students, we have a professional persona that keeps us on the path of service and growth. But what we need to improve upon is our candor, our honesty, our forgiveness and trust. If we as educators, professionals and human beings, understand that progress comes from collaboration, conversation and choice- we can choose to collaborate and converse more meaningfully. This in turn, will lower anxiety levels, make schools a more positive setting, and above all- it will allow educators to do their jobs without the weight of an avalanche upon their shoulders.

The Friday Settles: The Shape of a Weekend

Like the suns energy, our personal energy brings color to the Earth. It steers the seasons of our moods. When we are angry, tumultuous typhoons can wipe out any hope of a blossoming spring. This storm hinders the warmth of the sun and weighs us down, like a deluge of heavy rain. Every movement is slowed due to poor vision and tiresome winds. Even if our week was fruitful, by its end we are exhausted and ready for a respite.

The Friday settles kick in mid-day. They are the light creeping over the horizon, slowly reminding us of the shape of things, that something lies just beyond our moment. At times we get lost in the hustle and bustle, bogged down with the pressure, of completion and fulfillment. We often drain our energy by doing too much, too often, trying to keep up with those around us. Yet, everyone of us has a different beat, a unique inner clock. When we finally get a chance to settle, ease into the slower stride and welcome a tread less indented- it takes us a measure or two to finally wind down.

Our tempo may fluctuate between lento, slow and steady and presto, quicker and punctuated, throughout our week at school, but every Friday, most educators, merge the two into a distinct gait- resetting our metronome. The flow of class periods, bell schedules and traffic quiet and a more docile, pliable progression emerges. We feel the weight being lifted, the upward momentum of excitement, as time is given back to us. An exchange of profession to personal. A rapidity transforms into languidity.

These Friday settles, occur only when we can reflect upon our weeks journey and accept its completion. When we can let go of the vibration and reverberation of a constant, continual stride. When we finally do, its like an escape, a turning of the key, a slow creaking of a heavy wooden door- behind it past and before it future. Either energetic seas, with open sails or calm shores at the dock. The weekend surfaces, a smooth, stark transition from week to end. 

So settle in my friends. Welcome the Friday settles quickly, don't hesitate and lose the precious hours of your respite- the Sunday Scaries are right around the corner and they are inevitable, its just a matter of degree.


Part Two: The Sunday Scaries

https://iteacherimother.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-sunday-scaries.html?spref=bl

Learning Souvenirs: Turning Ordinary into an Event: SCICON

Numbers and Letters

We all have to assign grades. Those milestone markers that measure a students progress. Unfortunately, these numbers or letters become fixed after a certain point. They become a permanent notch, once the final reports are released. Very rarely do students have the opportunity to change them, once they are printed and sent out to parents. They become souvenirs of a sort. Little trinkets of understanding and demonstration that are often placed in a catch-all drawer or the bottom of a closet, once the trip or adventure has ended. How can we make these tokens, of knowledge acquirement, more meaningful, to where they remain in view, long after the expedition? How can we update the ordinary, the expected into an event? How can we make this learning, flashy enough, to let students feel like their hard work is worth remembering, so they place it on their night stands or dresser tops to remember the experience fondly?

These souvenirs we collect through our school years are pins, we wear proudly on our lanyards. They remain with us as a bridge, a loop to new ideas and strategies. They need to be shiny like a trophy, a mindful memento, that like a LEGO brick snaps into place with future pieces. This is what builds our towers of success. Every single "a-ha" moment, every light bulb that creates luminescence, as we see the connections. This band is stretched and expanded with every new experience we have in our classroom, every project, assessment and activity. Projects as assessments are necessary events in every classroom. Either independent or collaborative. They are long-term collections and cohesion's that allow students to work through stages of learning and draw conclusions. Sometimes they turn  their work in on paper and share with a partner, while sometimes they present them in front of the class. Either way, having them share is extremely important, because it reinforces the purpose of their work and the need to share their knowledge with their peers.

My students designed and conducted 10-week experimental design projects this semester. The only parameters they were given were that they had to be based either on the human body or Genetics. Generally speaking classes do projects together, within the class period. But, for our event- SCICON, I allowed all of my five gifted classes to intermingle. So some of my 3rd partnered with my 8th period etc. It was awesome to see how they crossed over and found one another. The main way they did this was by using our Community Board and the calling cards they created the first week of school. They are up on the wall and they perused them to find other students with similar interests to work with. Some teams worked great together the whole 10-weeks, while some struggled. But, in the end every project was completed on time and presented at our SCICON event, December 17th 6-8pm. It was outside of school hours and all 135 students attended with their parents, siblings and even many grandparents. Over 250 people attended.

SCICON

The project topics ranged from the effects of Alzheimer's on the brain, reaction time variances between adults and children, to levels of dehydration after different sports activities. All of them were unique. Some were based around survey's and hands-on activities, while others were extended lab experiments. They created tri-fold display posters, models and research papers. Their data was discussed in a podcast and delivered to me and then the night of, they had 1-minute to give me the highlights. Each student also had to walk around and listen to the presentations of four different groups, ask them questions about their research and complete a peer project report. Finally, they completed group and individual evaluations of their progress and completion of the project.

They were so excited to be able to get dressed up and present to their peers and families. The night was a complete success. Parents were very excited to see their child present and to be able to walk around, science-fair style and listen to all 65 of the amazing projects. It was a very busy 10-weeks with after-school days provided for guidance, rehearsal opportunities and consistent progress check-in times. There were some parents who got frustrated at the end because their child put off their part of the project and were stressed. I responded "We had constant reminders, opportunities for meetings and 10-weeks to complete." This calmed any apprehensions and put a flame under their child to get it done. They did. Every student participated, as with all collaborative projects, some students took the lead and completed more work. The peer evaluations were used to make sure the final grades were fair and accurate.

The souvenir of projects was taken from the ordinary, presenting in class, working with classmates to mingling and being able to work with friends in other classes. It went from presenting in class to a night of science and peer interaction. Having the opportunity to share their experimental design projects with parents was even better. Parents are often left out of the presentation stage and having them there was amazing. I got to meet them again and talk to them about challenging their children and keeping them on their toes. I did not hear one negative comment, they were exhausted, as all of us were, but they appreciated the struggle and success their child felt over these past 10-weeks.

It is so important to include parents as much as possible and this night, SCICON was a great way to do that. This type of event is a perfect way to bring parents, students and learning together. My event was SCICON but imagine what you could do with ELA, Social Studies and Math. The possibilities are endless and the reward: a souvenir we will all hold dear and keep front and center for the rest of the year and beyond.

Gratitude Shapes, Recognition Amplifies: Softening the Sharp Curves to Smooth Turns

One Track Mind

We often live in parallel. We look forward, travel ahead, rarely taking the time, to turn our heads and check our peripheral. The edges crisp, the limitations defined. The slope steady, the angles measurable. We see what we want to see. Choose our grid, limit our exposure, document our interactions and experiences. Our outlook is shaped by this personal testimony. It is the instrumentation, credentials, and evidence, we use to make decisions, balance our emotions and interact with people. Often these sharp curves, cause skidding. We have to remember to turn into the skid.

Ultimately, this perspective makes us who we are. At times it becomes rigid, inflexible- these are the times we need to be more open-minded. This is when our mindsets become fixed and we need to aerate the soil, let the water and nutrients trickle down, in order for a growth mindset to emerge. A seedling to push through the ground. The more tensile, adaptable, extensible we are, the more forgiving the world will be to us. The faster the breaks will slow our spin.

There is a lot of forgiveness, empathy, generosity and love in the world- yet sometimes all we see is the anger, bitterness and hate. We must choose to see beyond the negative and seek out opportunities where we can spread positivity. When we embody the spirit of joy and mindfulness- it emanates out like a wave of optimism- tearing down the walls of simple-mindedness, even when they have been refortified.

Multiple Influences

When we look for the billboards and seek their advice, we often are led astray. But, when we look at our own map, our own destination and focus on our speed limit and our travel, we are much more likely to stick with our core values. If we find others on the same path, we form caravans of curiosity and strength that can push through even the heaviest of sandstorms. If we set our own course, look for detours and alternative routes, we will be able to find those hidden gems that make our lives more exciting and fruitful.

Participating in a large conference is always a great way to witness the blooms rising above the weeds, hearing the trumpets of innovation over the din of complacency. It is also a fantastic place to just listen. To observe and absorb new ideas, techniques and strategies. To see where you can make changes. To share your knowledge with others, who want to hear you speak. Who care about what you have to say. Educators see truth, we live it every day. We see through facades and trends. We are amazing onlookers of inspiration, because we long for it. We are watchers of wisdom and beholders of bravery. We do not want to just learn from books, we want to learn from experiences and from one another. A conference lets us do just that. It forges a platform for those who may not have support in their districts. It also, brings together a collective of teachers otherwise dispersed- it helps fortify the field.

Twitter is a multi-verse, formed, forged and fortified with quick bursts of insight, ebbing and flowing like warming lava in a lava lamp. When we unplug ourselves, it continues to bubble and shape- each voice a granule, of the stretching and pulling of knowledge, point of view and inspiration. A place where even the quietest of voices finds its megaphone. Where some may vent, others lead with integrity. But, in the Educator Universe, there is such a gratitude and generosity that overflows. It literally lures new members in, on a moment to moment basis.

Networking Amplified

Everyone is longing for camaraderie and Twitter provides an opportunity for kindred spirits across the globe to align and for the energy of education to cause a ripple effect that changes mindset. Together Twitter, conferences and a willingness to step outside the zone of comfort unites us. Changes the face of education. There is no room for compliance because community has taken hold and knowledge is contagious. Innovation is infectious. Collaboration is an epidemic not even the most negative of people can resist.

Facts are feelings and feelings are full of facts. If we pause and listen the blurry lines become more distinct- this is Twitter, this is communication, this is softening sharp curves to smooth turns. We all need a reminder now and then to watch the road, avoid the potholes and slow down as we make those awkward turns. It is our connections that whisper weather information, road conditions and traffic reports. It is our PLN who see the puzzle from a different angle. It is our willingness to let our guard down and set our opinions free, in order to make room for new ideas, that creates this network.

A network is both sharp curves and smooth turns- a switch in energy and a focus of potential. It is spreading the current out that helps stabilize the flow. This is education. One giant system of efficiency and vitality. Voltage of creativity, ingenuity and passion. Together these keep the circuits dynamic and the switches potent. Endurance, stamina, fortitude- this is an educators tool box. Include a gauge to measure effectiveness and this is quite a tool box. All we need to do, is share our instruments and guide one another in re-purposing and redefining things that need improving. This is what truly reshapes education one day at a time.

Gratitude shapes, it inspires and it needs to be amplified. When it is, we all feel its power. The power of appreciation, might be spotty at times, or it might surge at the holidays and weaken during times of stress. But, it is the fuel for any school, for any relationship. For when it is present, people step up and help others, they look out for one another, they pay attention to what is happening around them. Because, this feeling, this vibration of good- it resonates. Like any circuit it capacitates and invests the energy to empower the whole and this heightens the supply. The supply of good will and love that spreads joy even in the toughest of times. So let's keep the circuit charged and the energy streaming. Let's keep everyone in the loop and every spark ignited. I say thank you to everyone in my PLN because you truly light my way every day and this is priceless.