Getting Through the Valleys of 20 Time in the Classroom

Last week I gave my students a survey about how they thought the first 9 weeks had gone (I just use Surveymonkey.com). I've given anonymous surveys like this since I began teaching. It helps me to get a pulse on how effective the lessons have been, and on how the students are feeling about the atmosphere of the classroom. I have always found this helpful in making decisions, and in improving my practice. When you ask kids to be honest, and there is no fear of any sort of repercussions, they will be honest - very honest.

I always ask the students to rank units and activities based on enjoyment, and then based on how much they learned. 20% Time ranked first in enjoyment and learning. There is also space to write anonymous comments in each of these sections.

 

Honestly, I was surprised. It had seemed to me over the past few weeks that enthusiasm had been waning a bit. Don't get me wrong, they were still clearly enjoying their time, but most of the kids just appeared to be moving a little slower. I wasn't quite seeing the leaps forward I was hoping to see.

The day after the survey, I brought this up to my classes. I asked them to help me to understand how my perception of the time was off from their perception of the time. I had quite a few interesting answers, and I have compiled them to create a list of 20 Time Valley Truths - because, I realized we had left the mountaintop of "shiny new idea land" and had entered the valley of "wait I might hit some snags land."

 

20 Time Valley Truths

 

 

1) The excitement of a new idea will wear off. That is ok. The calm focus that appears afterward is what moves the project forward. Rest comfortably in this atmosphere.

 

2) Students have a hard time recognizing their own progress and learning. You have to help them.

 

3) Many students have never had to plan out steps and goals to achieve a larger vision. This can't be taught in one lesson in one day. You will have to constantly help in this area.

 

4) Some kids will realize that their project is not feasible. They will feel like a failure. You have to refocus their energies on the learning aspect of the project, and the importance of failure as it relates to growth.

 

5) There will be students who come across a step towards reaching their goal that requires a skill they do not have. Be available to fill in this gap, so that the project moves forward.

 

6) Even when students are intrinsically motivated, they will still desire your praise and feedback.

 

7) Upbeat music and snacks are always a good idea when trying to up the energy in any situation.

 

In response to these truths I created a 20 Time Update Sheet. I had been informally meeting with all of the students about their projects, but I had not been formally recording their progress or goals. Now, I sit down and have a formal conference with the students. We discuss any progress, learning, or difficulties from the last week. We then set a feasible, but still challenging, goal for the next week. The students responded well to this new set-up. Many had expressed feelings of being overwhelmed and "stuck," but felt much better after setting a weekly goal. Also, the students were incredibly surprised by just how much they had accomplished - it just hadn't occurred to them before. Finally, my rule has always been that when I am conferencing with a student, you better not interrupt me unless someone is bleeding from the head. I had quite a few students comment that they were glad to have focused attention from me for a few minutes as they talked their ideas out loud.

 

So, I have made myself comfortable with the valley we are in. The work is moving forwards, the kids are learning, and while they are not "excited" like before they are engaged and learning. Make sure to check out their blogs - some of their topics hurt my brain a little, but that is fine by me!