The Second Day of School

I teach Geometry and according to the curriculum and textbook, I am supposed to begin the course by discussing undefined terms.

Let's look at this from the student perspective. They have been out of school for two months and at some point during that time they were bored. Most arrive for a new school year with excitement and hope. The excitement is to see old friends and meet new ones. The hope is they will learn and it will be fun.

So back to Geometry. Excited and hopeful student arrives for Geometry. The teacher begins the course by telling 'excited and hopeful' the basis for everything they will study during the year is undefined. The student is probably thinking, well at least I was excited and hopeful yesterday.

Stop the madness! Look at your curriculum, choose an activity to begin the course which will actively engage the students. Renew their hope!

Here's what I do. We begin the Geometry course with transformations (also found in the first chapter). We graph a picture on the coordinate plane then move or change the picture mathematically. We use translations, reflections, rotations and dilations. After transformations, we do Geometric constructions with a straight-edge and compass. So after two months of limited learning experiences, students come to Geometry and draw for three weeks (and develop skills we will use the rest of the year).

Let me hear what you do to make the start of your course exciting for the students.

The First Day of School

On the first day of school your priority should be to learn the name of each student. In order to have the time to do this you need to organize the agenda for the day so this can happen.

Here is my agenda for the first day. I provide students with a copy of the class policies and give them an "open notebook" quiz on the policies. Students work alone for 10 minutes, then are allowed to work with their neighbors. At this point, I find even the most reluctant learner is willing to discuss the class policies. The last question on the quiz is an essay question asking students to choose a policy and explain whether they agree or disagree with the policy. While all of this is happening I work on learning names by using a class list and the names at the top of the quizzes. Before the class ends I make eye contact with each student as I practice their name.

Let's review. At the end of the first day of school, I have learned all of my students' names, they have demonstrated an understanding of the class policies, they have earned an "A" in the class and I have a writing sample for each student. Not bad for 35 minutes. Note: At my school we use a rotating block schedule with four classes meeting each day. On the first day of school, we use a modified schedule so we see all of our classes.

What do you do to get the most of out of the first day of school?

What's in a name?

On the first day of school structure the agenda for the class to allow you time to memorize every student's name. Practice saying their names before they leave the class. Ask students to help you with pronunciation. Make eye contact with each student when you say their name.

Learning your students' names the first day of class is more important than any policy, routine, or assignment you have for them.

How do you handle learning student names?

The Night Before the First Day of School

Actually, well before the night before the first day of school consider how you want your classroom to run. What will it look like? What will it sound like? What will it feel like? What will it smell like? What will it 'taste' like? Feel, smell, and 'taste' are used here to focus on the experience of the students. After being in your classroom for 50 to 80 minutes, how will they remember the experience?

What happens when the students enter the room? How will you check attendance? What are your expectations for the day, the week, and the year? How will homework, quizzes, and tests be handled? What will be your routine for class discussions? How will you handle student needs (e.g. going to the bathroom)? How will you handle unexpected interruptions? How will the class end?

Develop policies and routines which will support how you want your classroom to run. Teach and reteach these policies and routines until the students know what to do. Ask for student feedback and be flexible enough to make changes. For example, recently my students asked me to change where I write the day's agenda and to spend more time discussing homework assignments. Done!

Describe the look, sound, feel, smell, and 'taste' of the perfect classroom. What will you teach your students in order to achieve what want your classroom to be like?

The Millennials Are Here!

The "millennials" (people born late 1970's to early 2000's) "are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding." (Keeter and Taylor 2009) Do they Google "learning" as they need it? Are notebooks and textbooks obsolete? How should education adapt to meet their needs?

The infographic from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Youth Entrepreneur Council points out "this generation prefers on-the-spot recognition to traditional performances reviews." I see the residual effect of this in my classroom. The online assignments I use provide instant feedback as well as multiple tries. In the classroom, though, I am unable to provide continuous individual feedback. Students work for 80 minutes in the computer lab whereas in the classroom their effort level is less intense. The infographic goes on to say, "millennials are natural collaborators, particularly when the group's purpose and goals are understood." [I pause here for effect.]

Technically savvy, desire instant feedback, prefer collaboration, and need a clear purpose, hmmmm, this is not rocket science. The students of this generation are telling us how to help them succeed. With our eyes open and creativity in place, we must produce quality assessments which remain reliable and valid to a clear purpose. We must provide efficient feedback which strikes at the teachable moment. We must involve technology and support collaboration within our assesments. The tools are available to support these things. "Millennial" education must now be real in our classrooms (face-to-face and virtual).

As for cheating (the elephant in the room few wish to talk about), I can only offer an opinion based on a Keeter and Taylor observation, "They (the millennials) are the least religiously observant youths since survey research began charting religious behavior." Yes, I assume a lack of sincere 'religious' behavior can negatively impact ethical behavior. I am open to hear other views on this, but I find it difficult to avoid that connection when I hear of students who do not think cheating is wrong.

Keeter J. and Taylor P. (December 11, 2009). The Millennials.

Retrieved June 30, 2012, from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1437/millennials-profile.

Buck, S. (June 28, 2012). Managing Millennials: Why Gen Y Will Be Running the Country by 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2012, from http://mashable.com/2012/06/28/millennials-work-jobs/.

Instructional Design

Consider the enthusiasm demonstrated on the first day of school (any first day of school regardless of age). There is a mixture of excitement and hope. In the individual child there lies a burning question, "What will I learn today?" Buried under the social layers of seeing old friends and making new ones, children truly want to learn. "The real motivation to learn," says David Merrill, "comes when students are able to do something they were not able to do before." 

I say, then, instructional design is the process of sustaining positive learning memories directly related to the learner being able to do something they were not able to do before. I conjecture the accumulation of such memories will support learner growth and development as well as encourage them to want to learn for a long time.

As for the disposition of instructional design, I say it is the combination of the art of teaching and the science of design with measures of common sense, compassion and care. Why? Simple, the perfect lesson plan does not guarantee success as does not an overdose of sensible love. There must be an orchestration of events, interactions, and results which move the learner along. Instructional design is this orchestration.

Merrill, D. (2008, August 11) Merrill on Instructional Design. Retrieved June 11, 2008, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_TKaO2-jXA& 

The End Of The School Year

The end is near.

Most teachers are tired and have classrooms full of students who are ready for vacation. Yet in this moment we have an incredible opportunity to determine if mastery has been achieved. All of the work up until now has been pointing to a meaningful understanding of the subject matter. The students should be producing their best work of the year. Teachers should be tying together the loose ends of the current course and encouraging initial interest in the next course. 

This is also the time to evaluate the effectiveness of your classroom management routines. If your routines are working under these conditions, then they can be deemed effective. If not, fix them. 

Challenge yourself and your students to exhibit excellence and finish the school year strong. 

Even though the end is near, there is always one more thing to do. Help students to see the end can easily represent the next beginning.

Resource: See also Lifelong Learning, Teacher Health, and Tips For Success In School.