#OneWord 2019- "Learn"

I love the #oneword initiative, and one of the best parts of it is reflecting on your previous word.  So, before I talk about this year's word, a quick note on the last.  Looking back on 2018, when my #oneword was "In", I'm not sure if I met all of my goals for that word.  I selected "In" because I was frustrated with the lack of leadership within our country, with the respect (or lack thereof) social studies education was receiving, and with the test-driven culture being cultivated in our schools.  My stated goals were to remain active in the educational community by leading professional development, being active on Twitter, and forging links with other educators.  In addition I had hoped to push for more respect for social studies ed, and seek out alternative methods for assessment beyond tests.  For the first goal, Twitter has been a godsend.  There are so many teachers that I have learned from and built connections with, and I've met very few of them face to face.  I was actually offered a second teaching position from a connection I had made through Twitter, and am loving the opportunity that I have had to work with students from all over the country through this opportunity!  But, unfortunately, I haven't had the chances to lead as much professional development as I had hoped, but will strive to work towards more opportunities in 2019.  I am excited about how testing has become much less of a focus in our classroom.  As I've written about in previous posts, I have begun working with much more student choice and assessment based on what I call "justifiable dialogue", and have been pleased with the results.  I'm definitely looking forward to growing this in the next year!

Now on to 2019.  When I consider my #oneword each year, I generally begin the process by laying out goals for the upcoming year.  Once laid out, I study those goals to see if a pattern or connection emerges, and that is often where my word emerges.  After laying out my goals for this year, the connective word became abundantly clear.

My #oneword2019 is LEARN!

Teachers lose something when they believe they have nothing left to learn.  When I retire, I hope there are many things I have left to learn.  My stated goals for the year are

• to lead and/or attend at least 5 professional development opportunities
• to pursue the chance to take classes to expand my knowledge base
• to read at least 10 books in my field (my goal is 20 total counting books read just for pleasure; hats off to those of you who read 50 or more, I just don't have time)
• to continue using Twitter as a means of working with other teachers from around the world
• and to continue seeking out ways to grow student voice and to always be willing to listen, as I often learn a great deal from my kids.

Here we go!

The Power of "Why"

I had the great privilege recently of moderating a #sunchat that focused on the "Power of Why", drawing inspiration from the great principal, Baruti K. Kafele, who said "If you have lost your way, it is probably because you've lost your why."

A great discussion topic to be sure, as the "why" for every teacher is the root of what every teacher should constantly keep at the center of everything they do. Countless teachers emerge from colleges across the country every year, ready to tackle their first year of teaching, their first classroom, with an infectious optimism and an unfailing belief in their ability to make a truly positive impact in every student who will walk through their doors. That was me. The reality of education is harsh though. On a daily basis, teachers can expect to face a myriad of obstacles, ranging from inadequate facilities and/or resources, students who just won't engage, frustrating administrators, frustrating colleagues resistant to growth or change, angry parents, mounds of paperwork, mounds of grading....the list goes on and on. When one sees these frustrations it may seem clear why teachers burnout, why teachers leave the classroom in pursuit of something else. Teachers who have lost their spark.

I don't say that to judge in any way. Any teacher who claims that they haven't had those moments when they feel like they've reached the end of their educational rope are likely kidding themselves. I love teaching, it is one of the great passions of my life, I can't imagine doing anything else...but I have had my fair shares of ruts and low points, bad experiences that have found me questioning my way. One of the great realities of teaching, however, is that our "why" must always be our driving motivation. Any pursuit of passion has, at its center, that driving force, that one thing that makes all of the other realities worth it. Teaching isn't just a job, and all of the great teachers I have the good fortune of working with have understood that. Teachers won't find their "why" in paychecks, parents, grades, evaluations, or awards.

The "why" of teaching is, has always been, and will always be our students. 

Above my computer sits a simple phrase- "Remember why you are here." I keep it there because I end up near it at some point during the day. It is near where I grade, where I answer emails, where I answer the phone, where I fill out paperwork. It is near the sources of my usual frustrations, and when they begin to mount I often find myself looking at that phrase. And when I do I inevitably end up looking out at the classroom, and in each chair I see a student who has inspired me, either that day or at some point in the past. I'm still surprised at how often that simple exercise shakes me, grounds me in my "why."

The shocking reality of teaching is that there are countless reasons not to do it, but that the one reason to do it so trumps all the negative that, when we remember that "why", we often find ourselves realizing that there is really no other place we'd rather be, no other work we would rather be doing. Be grateful for colleagues, either in your school or outside of it, who are willing to engage in growth, to challenge both themselves and you. Be that colleague for others. Remember that we often can't control the realities outside of our classrooms, but we can choose every day to be a positive impact on a child in our classroom. When things get toughest, take a second and look over your classroom, and remember why you are here.

Bracketeering- A Deliberation Strategy

Over the past year I have taken several steps to encourage greater deliberation in my classes.  In a country increasingly plagued by a general lacking in the ability to engage in reasoned dialogue, our classrooms are the ideal place to promote this crucial skill in our students.  In past posts (2/2018 & 1/2018)  I've detailed a few of my favorite strategies for deliberation; in this post I will discuss one more, a new spin on an often used classroom activity- bracketeering.

Brackets have been in use for ages, and have been used as a classroom strategy for almost as long.  Particularly, it seems, in social studies classes, brackets can be an effective method to encourage students in valuing anything from battles to individuals to movements.  Brackets have become used so much that, to be honest, I've strayed away from them in the past.  But, when used effectively, a bracket type of lesson can work well, especially when trying to encourage deliberation.

In this lesson, which was focused on a senior-level government course studying civil rights and civil liberties, students were asked to research a landmark court case.  We have always done something similar in the past on this topic, but in the past it has generally been a research paper followed by a presentation.  And while there is nothing wrong with a research paper, I wanted to bring a more deliberative element into the lesson.

Students picked from a list of landmark cases, and had a few days to complete background research.  While researching, students were asked to complete a brief information sheet, which guided their study through the use of "essential questions".  These questions focused on the background, finding, rationale, and overall importance of the case.  Students were also asked to prepare a short presentation on their chosen case.  In this presentation, students were challenged to approach the effort as a sales pitch, to stress the importance of the case to the other students in class.  While their classmates presented, students were asked to keep a note sheet on the cases, for accountability, but more so that each student would have a guide to help in filling out their bracket.

After presentations came the brackets.  Building the bracket itself, and then obtaining a "winning" bracket, was the source of the biggest legwork on the teacher side of preparation.  Done beforehand, cases were separated into "regions", and then seeded.  Seeding the cases proved difficult, and I'll admit, likely reflect personal bias in my own definition of impact.  Once the bracket was built, I sent it to five trusted professionals throughout the country (most of which I have gotten to know through Twitter), who's personal brackets were collated into a master bracket.

Students were encouraged, as they filled in their own brackets, to converse with their classmates, and it was a joy to see the disagreements that rose from certain selections.  Students often were forced to justify a decision made within a matchup, and it was in that effort that my students really shined.  The act of discussing an opinion with someone else, and backing up that opinion with reasoned evidence, is the goal, and I was truly excited to see this lesson lend to that kind of deliberation.  Later in the semester several of these cases showed up on a final exam, and the class average on that section was an 87%, suggesting that this strategy not only advanced deliberation but also retention!

As we finished the lesson, students were asked to write a short position paper to justify their "Final Four" and the case they picked to win.  After reading these it was clearly evident that the level of understanding, both of particulars of the case but also the impact of the case, was significantly higher than it had been using the old method.  For more on this lesson plan, and other great lesson ideas for social studies teachers, make use of the "Social Studies Collaborative Drive"!

An Open Letter to My Seniors

It's tough when you have so many things that you would like to say, but you know that trying to say them in class would leave you a blubbering mess.  And so, as a way to express my gratitude for the past four years, an open letter...

Dear Seniors,

I distinctly remember, 4 years ago, when I was "warned" about the incoming freshmen class.  And while I do my best to tune out those "warnings", I'll admit that I walked into freshman World History with some trepidation.  4 years later I can see that most of those warnings were bunk.  For many of you, it's been four years of work together.  Others three, some just a semester.  I'm not sure it matters, because after 13 years of teaching (and 36 years of life) it is clear that it's rarely the length of time in which you've known someone that matters, it's the impact made in the time you've had.  

You'd think, after 13 years, that I would stop being surprised at the impact that my students have on me.  But even now I remain shocked at how much I owe to so many of you.  You have challenged me to think outside of the box with how I plan my lessons and my classes.  You have forced me to toss "tried and true" lessons in favor of what will work best for the students, which should always be my mission.  You have brought up so many great points in conversation that have forced me to reevaluate my own point of view.  On countless occasions I have worried for you, I have shared tears with you, I have listened to incredible accomplishments with you...and each of these have made me a better father to my own children.

When I think of this class, those warnings from four years ago seem empty, replaced with thoughts of great potential.  When I think of this class, I think of loyalty, a great capacity for love, an eagerness to be respected, and, when given the chance, a tremendous potential for leadership and constructive dialogue, two things which this country needs now more than ever.

With all this said, as you begin the next chapter of your life, understand that some big decisions await you.  Some of these decisions are going to work out; some won’t.  Regrets are sure to come along the next path to follow, and I hope that you will see that regrets can simply be the result of risks taken and battles lost, which are not always bad experiences.  We often don’t learn from winning, but we can always learn from losing.  And since life is about learning, take advantage of every opportunity to experience it to the fullest, whatever the results.  Look back at your time here fondly, but move forward with boldness.  "What" and "If" are two of the least threatening words in the English language...but when put together, they represent opportunities lost, and that is dangerous.

It has been an honor, a true honor, to have worked with you, and as you approach the next mile on the journey I hope that you will remember that my help and advice is but an email, DM, or call away.  I would say good luck on the next step, but that implies that you will need to count on luck to succeed in your dreams.  Instead I will say...good living!

Gratefully Your Teacher,

Mr. Cline

"Demonstrated Mastery"- Allowing Student Choice in Assessment

It seems fitting that this quote from George Couros came across my Twitter feed this morning

It's no secret that I hate testing.  I've written previously about my views on the damage that our incessant obsession with testing can wreak, and its effects on social studies education.  I hate testing.  But as I railed on about my issues with tests, I found myself asking if I was practicing what I'm preaching.  Can I hate standardized tests, and then be ok with giving test after test in my own croom?

In the end, I felt like I was being hypocritical, and set my mind to exploring an alternative path to assessment.  I still believe in assessing student knowledge, and I still think that mastery of content must be a goal.  But does a test need to be the go-to option for that assessment?  After exploring several approaches offered by my awesome PLN, and after talking extensively with a colleague of mine, I became intrigued with the idea of student choice for assessment.  This is by no means a new idea, but I was excited to see how it might work in our croom.

In the end I developed something I call "demonstrated mastery." I like this term because I think it reflects the two purposes behind the effort.  Student choice is reflected in the student choosing a method by which to "demonstrate" their "mastery" of the subjects we have covered in a unit.  As I began to consider how this would work, I thought about a few key questions:

• Do I allow the students to simply come up with their own method, or do I offer them choices that I've developed?
• How do I ensure equity in the assessment?  In other words, how do I assure that there isn't an "easy" option?
• Do I include a test as one of the options?

We just finished our first foray into this new approach, and here is how I set it up.  I decided, in the end, to develop the choices myself.  I began developing this effort a few weeks before we started through a conversation with the kids, and I could clearly see that they had never done this kind of thing before, thus I thought it might be easier to develop a set of choices and then present them to the kids.  I decided to offer three choices- a written option, a creative option, and a test option.  In the end I thought about the students in my classes, what they might want, and even thought about myself as a student.  Ultimately I decided that there were, undoubtedly, at least some students who didn't mind a test, and felt like it had to be included as an option.  The written option was connected to the "essential questions" around which our class is built.  Nearly everything we do in class is connected to one of these questions; I tell the students that our goal is to be able to answer that question when we are done with our focus study.  It made sense that we incorporate these into an assessment option in the form of a free-response.  Finally, I have several students who are artistically-inclined and extremely creative and felt that there needed to be an option that would, perhaps, better serve them.  For this round, the creative option was the creation of a newspaper.

Finally, I needed to consider equity in rigor; I didn't want the students to pick an option because it seemed like the "easy" option.  Fortunately, these options presented a series of trade-offs; each requires work and preparation, but in different forms, and certainly with different payoffs.  The test requires less in the way of production but requires actual studying and the hope that the information sticks when the test sits in front of you.  The written option allows the student to explain their answer, but again requires preparation for an "in the moment" assessment.  The creative option asks for more in the way of production, but students don't have to stress about producing the knowledge in a test environment.  With a group of students who had not worked with this type of setup, the right choice was really hard, and we talked at length about the trade-offs for each option, and several of the students, surprisingly, initially chose the multiple choice option, but changed the following day to one of the other options.  The division between the test and the written option was pretty even, with a spattering of students who chose the newspaper.

Following our trial run at this new assessment paradigm, I surveyed the students to gauge their feedback.  Overall the feedback has been positive, with my favorite response being, "Not everyone learns and comprehends things the same; some people may not be as good at certain types of tests as others and I believe their perspective should also be valued. You shouldn't feed every zoo animal the same food."  Moving forward I plan to use this strategy in the attempt to accommodate each student as much as possible, and I look forward to adding different choices.

Think, Talk, Justify- Encouraging Student Conversation

December had hit, and I was generally dissatisfied.  The end of the semester is always a time for general reflection, and to begin thinking of the new year ahead.  And I was dissatisfied.  I teach seniors in government, and I have long felt it my mission to help my students emerge from our time together prepared to engage as active citizens.  A key element of citizenship that I believe is severely lacking in all generations right now is the ability to engage in a productive conversation with someone, and not have both parties focus on trying to prove the other wrong.  Was I doing enough to encourage this kind of productive conversation in our croom?

Over winter break I rewrote nearly my entire government curriculum, with an emphasis on students engaging in reasoned and productive conversation, and thinking with a solution-oriented mind rather than one solely focused on the argument.  The areas of most significant change have come in the presence of more cultivated opportunities for discussion and in assessments.

Discussion has always been a presence in our class, but I wanted something more substantial, that not only allowed for the students to have a voice, but also encouraged the students to see the importance of having a substantiated opinion, as well as the importance of valuing multiple perspectives on an issue.  To this end, the SAC, or "Structured Academic Controversy", has been a valuable tool.  A SAC is generally defined as "a discussion that moves students beyond either/or debates to a more nuanced historical synthesis."  A fantastic, full explanation of a SAC is found here, but in essence the teacher should pick a topic that has current or historical pertinence, and then ask students to adopt a point of view that is substantiated with evidence.  As a teacher, the best part is the freedom that this format affords.

For our government class, I have used the following format to structure our discussion:

1. Start with an essential question tied both to what we are covering at the time, but that also connect to current events.  The first SAC we worked through, as we began talking about the foundations for the Constitution, asked students to respond to the following statement- “Freedom/Privacy is more important than Order/Security.”  Most recently students worked with the following- “What are appropriate regulations on guns? Some, none, all?  If some, which ones?  Whatever your small group’s answer, be ready to defend it.”
2. Determine how the students will work.  Since my classes are so large, and I want to make sure that every student has a chance to speak up, I generally start with small groups.  For the first prompt, I assigned each small group with a POV to research, and to prepare to discuss that view when we came together into a larger group.  They, of course, had ample time to discuss their own point of view as well.  For our discussion on gun regulation, students worked in small groups again, but this time I tasked the students with achieving a group consensus, which they then presented to the class.
3. Stress the three keys- Think, Talk, Justify!  I want the students to think deeply about these questions, and that includes consideration of perspectives different than their own.  I want the students to voice.  Our students have a remarkable voice, and they need to know that adults value their thoughts.  Finally, I want the students to back up their views with reasonable evidence beyond social media and family.

We discussed the gun regulation prompt the week immediately following the Parkland shooting, and to be honest, I was a little nervous about how it would go.  I knew going in that I had students who had strong feelings about guns, but I trusted them to be able to engage in reasonable discussion and consensus building.  And, as usual, they knocked it out of the park.  There is undeniable effort in structuring the discussion, providing possible sources, facilitating the conversation, etc. on the part of the teacher.  But the payoff is so worth it.  To see a group of 17 and 18-year-olds reach a consensus on the topic of gun regulation at a time when passions are high, and compromise seems far-fetched was truly inspiring to me.  

Our students have a voice, and that voice has value.  The real question will be- do we have ears to listen?

Yes I'm Angry

I'll try to keep this one short.  Many of the posts I've written here have been written in reaction to something that has weighed on me, something I've found troubling.  And I've always told myself to wait a few days before I wrote, to get my thoughts straight, to cool down before I post something.  Not this time.

I've purposely written this right now, when I'm angry.  When I'm not cool.  And I offer no apologies for it.

I am sick and tired of watching the news and seeing children run for their lives from a school building.  I am a father, and my son is in elementary school.  I love him with everything I am.  And every child I see running from school has his face.  I am a teacher, and I have over a hundred students who I love deeply.  And every child I see running from school has their face.  I am tired of thinking of parents who have lost their most precious thing.  And although I am inspired, I am tired of reading about teachers who have lost their lives shielding their students.  I am tired of being overcome with emotion.  I am angry.

Parkland was the 18th time since January that I have seen children in this situation.  18.  Since January.  And 18 times I have seen our "leaders" make speeches and tweet about how sorry they are.  And I no doubt that this will the 18th time that nothing will change, no action will be taken.  (And yes, I put "leaders" in quotation marks, because leadership is not found in the title, it's found in the action.) 

And, since the Parkland tragedy, it is the 18th time this year where I've seen social media filled with excuses for why something is not part of the problem.  It's not a gun problem, it's not a people problem, it's the school's fault, it's the parent's fault, heck I even saw the President seemingly blame it on the students for not reporting this student.  Here's the deal- I'm not here to tell you that I know who is to blame.  All I know is that it is EVERYONE'S problem.

I'm also not here to pretend like I know the perfect answer to these senseless tragedies.  All I know is that I stand with those who want everyone to save their sorry's and tears, and focus on the tough conversations that need to come next, and the actions that need to be taken.  These conversations need to include everything.  We need to be able to say the word "gun", and not automatically assume that every gun is going to be taken from every American.  We ought to be able to have real conversations about guns.  We need to talk about mental health.  We need to talk about what schools can do to better protect students.  We need to realize that not every possible answer is the right one, but that we have throw everything on the table and talk about it.  And more than that, we have got to act on it.  We need to understand that it's not just DC that should be talking about this; these conversations need to be happening in our schools.  Every teacher should be angry when they see schoolchildren fleeing for their lives.  What has made me, perhaps, the angriest has been to see fellow teachers focus their feelings on something other than the students in their charge.  If you are a teacher, and your first and foremost concern is not the safety of your students, I don't get you.  If you are a teacher, and you're not angry about this, I don't get you.

I had lesson plans yesterday, and for the most part I followed them.  But before we worried about that, I told my students that I love them.  I don't do that enough.  My thoughts are consumed with the thought of "What is that was my son?", "What if those were my students?", "What if I lost even just one?"

In our croom, my love for my students is real. 
Their safety is my priority. 
My anger is real. 
And my motivation for action is real as well.

Please, call your legislators.  Annoy them with pleas to make the conversations and action a reality and a priority!  If you live near me, here is the info for Congresswoman Susan Brooks- 1030 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2276
Fax: 202-225-0016