if there was a contest to find the least competitive person in the world, i would do anything to win...
it's going to be hard for me to keep this post short.
i spent a great deal of time over Christmas Break thinking about how i can improve as a teacher. the night before school started up again, Jon Gregg gave me a suggestion that trumped everything else i had thought up. i am starting the section on Greece, and he mentioned that his mother (a teacher in MN) breaks her classes up into competing city-states.
i loved the idea. it's perfect to learn about Greece, and it fits into my belief that competition improves quality. so, i put together a point system, and divided each of my seventh grade sections into four teams. twelve total, and each team has its own name: Corinth, Ilion, Thebes, etc.
basically, teams get five free points per day. there's a few ways they can lose points, and a few ways they can gain extra points. negative points for late/missing homework, forgetting class materials, using a bathroom pass...positive points for the team with the best quiz average, the winner of the speed-drawing contest, and so on. one special trick is that i don't just give two points to the team with the best average, i take away a point from the team with the lowest average. there's motivation to be first AND to not be last. i add up the points each weekend, and the winning team in the section gets special privileges throughout the week. at the end of the quarter, the one team with the most points will get a bigger reward (to be decided). i even made a big poster to put on the wall to keep track of the points.
each team has 6 students. i spend a long time making each team balanced in every possible category (not just GPA and gender, but also competitiveness and leadership, and so on).
think about the effects this system might have. any predictions?
first of all, it adds a self-policing element to doing homework. if one of the team members doesn't have their notes, he or she gets yelled at by the other teammates. some kids who aren't motivated by grades are certainly motivated by peers.
it makes the class more interesting for those who aren't interested in history. they can get into the competition and learn Greek history almost by accident.
it allows a consistent small-group aspect to the classroom. whereas some students might not feel comfortable speaking up and taking charge in front of everyone, those same students can start talking in their own group and gain confidence there.
i was having trouble with my restroom pass policy towards the end of last semester. i had a two passes per class rule, and some sections were maxing out daily. this semester? i've given maybe two passes in two weeks.
any negative effects you can imagine?
none? think harder.
well, for starters, i did have one 7th-grade boy start crying after forgetting his homework. i glossed over the situation nicely though, and he hasn't missed an assignment since.
the downside of competition? well. it took them over two weeks, but i finally had one student start trying to give incorrect information to a classmate on a different team. he was doing it to show everyone how clever he was, not to actually mislead them, thankfully.
and, going back to my last post, you can't really blame him for arriving at that conclusion. in fact, i was rather proud. you form your strategy based on the rules of the game. thinking outside the box (e.g. bringing the other team down in addition to your own team up) is how you gain an advantage.
i need to come up with a rule to discourage deception. No. 9?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
classroom economics
one of my favorite words is "incentive."
it is true that everyone is rationally self-interested, so it is true that people respond to incentives. the only problem is providing the correct (good) incentives.
if you think about it, putting me in charge of a classroom of kids has a lot of similarities to making me the dictator of a small country inhabited solely by people with an undeveloped cognizance. i can do whatever i want. all they can do is respond.
the beauty is, they don't always respond like they "should". i can try to micromanage, but i can never fully understand or predict how they will respond. it's a great example of how central planning can never be THE solution. the classroom as a microcosm of economic systems — didn't see that one coming, eh?
though it's been frustrating at times, i always love observing unintended consequences (even at my expense). and i love seeing them reason through the rules of the "game", and come to conclusions. it's really important to realize that if my students aren't acting the way i want, i can only blame myself. earlier this week we watched a movie in class, and i gave my first section a handout of questions to answer throughout the movie (to keep their attention). sounds good, right?
nope. it was a disaster. some of them answered some of the questions, then they would distract everyone else by whispering across the room trying to find the answers they missed while they were doodling/zoning out. no one took any additional notes.
i wanted to be mad at them. but, how can i be mad when they were just doing what i set them up to do?
in my afternoon sections, i had a completely different approach. i told them to take notes in two columns: old information, and new information. obviously, if something we've covered in class is also in the movie, it's important. then, i told them what to look for in the new information (we were learning about the development of democracy in Athens). also, i told them their next test (two days later) would include information from both columns.
both of my afternoon sections had a completely different experience. they were at rapt attention for the entire hour, and i had several students in both sections take over THREE PAGES of notes. afterward, they were all abuzz at how great the movie had been. success.
the moral of the story? well, one lesson is it might be good to mix up the schedule of classes between semesters so one section isn't the victim of failed experiments for the entire year...
and hey, stop accusing me of turning people into experiments. i spent most of my lunch just hanging with 7th graders, i held a school-wide spelling bee after school, i went running with the "run club" after that, then i played basketball with more 7th graders after that.
all for absolutely no reason. :-P
it is true that everyone is rationally self-interested, so it is true that people respond to incentives. the only problem is providing the correct (good) incentives.
if you think about it, putting me in charge of a classroom of kids has a lot of similarities to making me the dictator of a small country inhabited solely by people with an undeveloped cognizance. i can do whatever i want. all they can do is respond.
the beauty is, they don't always respond like they "should". i can try to micromanage, but i can never fully understand or predict how they will respond. it's a great example of how central planning can never be THE solution. the classroom as a microcosm of economic systems — didn't see that one coming, eh?
though it's been frustrating at times, i always love observing unintended consequences (even at my expense). and i love seeing them reason through the rules of the "game", and come to conclusions. it's really important to realize that if my students aren't acting the way i want, i can only blame myself. earlier this week we watched a movie in class, and i gave my first section a handout of questions to answer throughout the movie (to keep their attention). sounds good, right?
nope. it was a disaster. some of them answered some of the questions, then they would distract everyone else by whispering across the room trying to find the answers they missed while they were doodling/zoning out. no one took any additional notes.
i wanted to be mad at them. but, how can i be mad when they were just doing what i set them up to do?
in my afternoon sections, i had a completely different approach. i told them to take notes in two columns: old information, and new information. obviously, if something we've covered in class is also in the movie, it's important. then, i told them what to look for in the new information (we were learning about the development of democracy in Athens). also, i told them their next test (two days later) would include information from both columns.
both of my afternoon sections had a completely different experience. they were at rapt attention for the entire hour, and i had several students in both sections take over THREE PAGES of notes. afterward, they were all abuzz at how great the movie had been. success.
the moral of the story? well, one lesson is it might be good to mix up the schedule of classes between semesters so one section isn't the victim of failed experiments for the entire year...
and hey, stop accusing me of turning people into experiments. i spent most of my lunch just hanging with 7th graders, i held a school-wide spelling bee after school, i went running with the "run club" after that, then i played basketball with more 7th graders after that.
all for absolutely no reason. :-P
Sunday, January 22, 2012
coaching assessment
my JH boys soccer team is 9-1.
i can't take credit for our record though — we just have a good team. the Great Hearts tournament starts on Saturday, and we're on a collision course with Chandler Prep in the championship game (Feb 4th).
we're better, but, they beat us once. our two matches have resulted in 6 goals for us, 5 for them, 4 yellow cards, and 1 parent banned from the sidelines for the rest of the season. it's going to be an intense game.
to this point in the season, i haven't done very much actual coaching. more than half of my players are also on club teams, and are playing for us on the side. some of them probably know more about soccer than i do. it's hard to come up with practice activities that find that middle ground where the good players will be challenged and the inexperienced players can keep up. on the one side, i have an 8th-grader who has tried out with the U.S. under-17 national team, and on the other, a few 6th-graders who are not even half his size/speed/ability. combine that difficulty with only three total hours of practice a week, and no assistant coach, and my solution is to scrimmage as much as possible (we practice with the girls as well). the goal is chemistry.
the way i see it, being a championship-quality team requires several things. you need talent, you need chemistry, and you need a mental edge. possibly luck, in some cases. still, each player has to believe in the team.
the mental edge is the only thing we lack. we can get intimidated by Chandler. my emphasis this week is taking care of that. i'm going to give lectures, inspirational speeches, whatever it takes.
the hardest part of coaching JH boys is getting them to focus. though, one reason why they don't focus well is because i'm not exactly a disciplinarian. my primary objective is to win while having fun and not taking it too seriously, but that approach can backfire when i actually want to be serious.
my weaknesses as a coach are many, but primarily are discipline and skill-building. that sounds like a solid chunk of the job description, right? it's true though. i hate yelling at my players, and i find repetitive drills to be incredibly boring. my strengths are definitely strategy and making in-game adjustments. i'm good at discerning each player's strengths and weaknesses, and i believe that i can put each player in the best position for the team to succeed. i see it as much more than just X's and O's — it's a matter of KNOWING your players, and understanding how they fit into the big picture.
my big picture includes a championship trophy. then, the next season.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
kids
you don't know what they don't know.
this has been a constant theme that is slowly sinking in for me. i, quite often, have the thought "shouldn't someone have taught you that?" then, i realize. that "teacher" could be, should be, me. everything i know i learned from someone else — why assume anyone else is different? over time, you start to take what you know for granted. as you continue learning, more and more knowledge forms the basis of your worldview. because i KNOW this and this and this, then i can conclude THIS, and venture to theorize THAT. progress is building blocks. you have to have a solid base to build higher.
the knowledge problem. how do you get around it?
i want to teach my students what they need to know, but i am never sure what that entails. at times, they impress me so much that i'm tempted to think of them as adults. i've had discussions where my 12-14 year-old students have made connections and drawn conclusions that i overlooked entirely. that's one side of my students (and that, by the way, is the benefit of Socratic discussion). the other side? the other side is asking me how to spell "obvious" (that really happened today), or never taking notes in class, or failing to follow instructions i've repeated 10 times, and so on.
another great in-class example. in Medieval History, we were talking about Abelard and his forbidden romance with Heloise, and the word "castrate" came up. i had to briefly summarize the implications, and the dialogue ended something like this:
me: "i'm a little surprised that you haven't encountered that before.."
8th grade girl: "well, we didn't know that, but we know LOTS of other stuff" (implying that they were knowledgeable on the subject on which we were speaking. sex.).
me: "...please never say that again."
in those situations, its hard not to treat them like kids. so, it's this constant switching back and forth, and re-evaluating.
as a result of this, i'm starting to figure out some things about myself. i think i'm better suited to teach high school students, for one thing. i do enjoy the 7th and 8th grade classes, especially as a first-year teacher who needs students that will believe everything i say, and i certainly have no complaints. finding success is about matching your ability and passion to the correct setting, and, for me, the perfect setting would be high school economics. that's what i want to be doing next year.
this has been a constant theme that is slowly sinking in for me. i, quite often, have the thought "shouldn't someone have taught you that?" then, i realize. that "teacher" could be, should be, me. everything i know i learned from someone else — why assume anyone else is different? over time, you start to take what you know for granted. as you continue learning, more and more knowledge forms the basis of your worldview. because i KNOW this and this and this, then i can conclude THIS, and venture to theorize THAT. progress is building blocks. you have to have a solid base to build higher.
the knowledge problem. how do you get around it?
i want to teach my students what they need to know, but i am never sure what that entails. at times, they impress me so much that i'm tempted to think of them as adults. i've had discussions where my 12-14 year-old students have made connections and drawn conclusions that i overlooked entirely. that's one side of my students (and that, by the way, is the benefit of Socratic discussion). the other side? the other side is asking me how to spell "obvious" (that really happened today), or never taking notes in class, or failing to follow instructions i've repeated 10 times, and so on.
another great in-class example. in Medieval History, we were talking about Abelard and his forbidden romance with Heloise, and the word "castrate" came up. i had to briefly summarize the implications, and the dialogue ended something like this:
me: "i'm a little surprised that you haven't encountered that before.."
8th grade girl: "well, we didn't know that, but we know LOTS of other stuff" (implying that they were knowledgeable on the subject on which we were speaking. sex.).
me: "...please never say that again."
in those situations, its hard not to treat them like kids. so, it's this constant switching back and forth, and re-evaluating.
as a result of this, i'm starting to figure out some things about myself. i think i'm better suited to teach high school students, for one thing. i do enjoy the 7th and 8th grade classes, especially as a first-year teacher who needs students that will believe everything i say, and i certainly have no complaints. finding success is about matching your ability and passion to the correct setting, and, for me, the perfect setting would be high school economics. that's what i want to be doing next year.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
school before friends
that last month of school was nuts, huh? i wish there was some way to tell you how crazy it got...damn.
i hate being normal. normal people start a blog and slowly fade away. although my obli-blog-ations are over, i want to finish what i started.
here's the deal: there will be a post AT LEAST twice a week — Wednesday and Saturday — throughout the second semester. every week, without fail. they will be shorter than last semester, and more focused on my actual teaching experience. also, i want to work in more visual appeal. i can't exactly take and post pictures of my kids, but i'll figure something out.
"the unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates said that, and i believe it. i'm good at examining and making adjustments, when i find time. i'm bad at finding time. it's directly connected to my tendency to (purposely?) overload my schedule. perhaps the purpose is to avoid thinking. point being, once i had time to reflect over Christmas break, i found about a billion ways that i could become a better teacher. which led me to this conclusion.
for the first time in my life as a rational self-interested human being, i'm purposely and intentionally choosing to put "school (work) before friends". it sounds more dramatic than it really is, because it's not going to be an enormous change. it is a shift, though. shift happens.
the biggest news on my mind right now is the recent announcement that Great Hearts is expanding. they are chartering schools in Nashville, and possibly somewhere in the Midwest. watch the news clip here. i can't convey how huge this information is to me. first, it confirms my belief that i am where God wants me (and "us") to be, and that i'm a part of something bigger. second, it means that classical liberal arts charter schools can be a successful business model. what i consider to be "the answer" to the education problem in America is not just an idealistic answer, but a practical answer. hope. change. ...i hate politics.
i hate being normal. normal people start a blog and slowly fade away. although my obli-blog-ations are over, i want to finish what i started.
here's the deal: there will be a post AT LEAST twice a week — Wednesday and Saturday — throughout the second semester. every week, without fail. they will be shorter than last semester, and more focused on my actual teaching experience. also, i want to work in more visual appeal. i can't exactly take and post pictures of my kids, but i'll figure something out.
"the unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates said that, and i believe it. i'm good at examining and making adjustments, when i find time. i'm bad at finding time. it's directly connected to my tendency to (purposely?) overload my schedule. perhaps the purpose is to avoid thinking. point being, once i had time to reflect over Christmas break, i found about a billion ways that i could become a better teacher. which led me to this conclusion.
for the first time in my life as a rational self-interested human being, i'm purposely and intentionally choosing to put "school (work) before friends". it sounds more dramatic than it really is, because it's not going to be an enormous change. it is a shift, though. shift happens.
the biggest news on my mind right now is the recent announcement that Great Hearts is expanding. they are chartering schools in Nashville, and possibly somewhere in the Midwest. watch the news clip here. i can't convey how huge this information is to me. first, it confirms my belief that i am where God wants me (and "us") to be, and that i'm a part of something bigger. second, it means that classical liberal arts charter schools can be a successful business model. what i consider to be "the answer" to the education problem in America is not just an idealistic answer, but a practical answer. hope. change. ...i hate politics.
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