Tuesday, May 2, 2017
You are Formally Invited...
Please join us for our 20% Time Presentations next Thursday, May 11 - from 8:10 - 11:10 and from 2:00 - 3:20. We have lots of exciting projects to showcase!
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Mid-Way Update
Wow! We're about halfway through our 20% time projects. It always sneaks up on us. I'm sure a lot of my students feel the same way - I can tell by their surprised looks when I told them we were halfway this morning!
For some reason, we always seem to pull everything together in the last few weeks and it's hard as a teacher to not be disappointed by this or think this is somehow a 'bad' thing that students are getting more done early on in this project. It makes me feel like I need to re-evaluate the value of 20% time and spending so much class time on something that hasn't produced much yet.
But - and this is a big but -
I remind myself of the successes of years' past and have to realize that these early weeks are filled with so much other types of learning that are valuable in different ways. Teaching is about what students are learning, what's going on inside their brains, NOT a quick product that I can see and grade. I have to let student experience and feel the amount of time they've been given. How can they discover their work habits and experience the roadblocks and difficulties of long-term goals if I micro-manage this time? It's surprisingly hard to remember this sometimes - even though this is at the very heart of this project.
Anyway, I ran out of time to post today. Check out the updates to student blogs on the left - there are some really cool projects that people have started!
For some reason, we always seem to pull everything together in the last few weeks and it's hard as a teacher to not be disappointed by this or think this is somehow a 'bad' thing that students are getting more done early on in this project. It makes me feel like I need to re-evaluate the value of 20% time and spending so much class time on something that hasn't produced much yet.
But - and this is a big but -
I remind myself of the successes of years' past and have to realize that these early weeks are filled with so much other types of learning that are valuable in different ways. Teaching is about what students are learning, what's going on inside their brains, NOT a quick product that I can see and grade. I have to let student experience and feel the amount of time they've been given. How can they discover their work habits and experience the roadblocks and difficulties of long-term goals if I micro-manage this time? It's surprisingly hard to remember this sometimes - even though this is at the very heart of this project.
Anyway, I ran out of time to post today. Check out the updates to student blogs on the left - there are some really cool projects that people have started!
Friday, January 27, 2017
20% Time Kick-Off
Last week was our big 20% Time Kick-Off day. This year feels really different than the past 2 years because I was out on maternity leave last semester (I am now a mama to the cutest baby ever - Luke).
Being out presented a few challenges with starting 20% time. Usually, by this time in the year, I have a few things going for me that are really important in starting 20% time:
1. I've built up a level of trust with the students - this is really important in explaining an ungraded project. For the first time when I introduced it, I had students who really seemed not to be all that interested in pursuing it if there wasn't a grade involved (I think I won some of them over though after our Bad Ideas Brainstorm and showing them the news video from last year).
2. I know them well. I'm still getting to know my kiddos this year. That makes it harder for me to help lead them in the right direction. In the past, I've really been able to help students pick (or should I say get rid of bad ideas for) projects. I'm worried I won't be able to help as much with some of the students that it's taking longer to get to know.
3. They know it's okay to fail. This is a big one. I know last semester was rough with the substitute (not for lack of trying on her part). Due dates were slippery, they did a lot of book-work, they tried to do research papers and had a rough time with that... so it's been a transition to reset their expectations in our Language Arts class. I need to get them to the point where they are willing to try things (with the possibility of not reaching a goal) and learn how to set and re-evaluate their goals quickly. I think there is kind of a mind-set that takes some time to build that is optimal for 20% time projects.
All that said, I'm glad I'm aware of these challenges and I'll be working really hard to gain back some of that missed time together.
Definitely having so many great examples from the past and the news story to show my students helped inspire them big-time. I'm grateful for that. I'm also really excited about my students this year - they're reading more than ever (20 minutes each day of books they choose), they are one of the nicest bunch of students I've ever taught (someone is always holding the door open and people seem welcoming and friendly to everyone), and I feel like I have a diverse group of teens that will soon be showing off their diverse interests and skills.
All in all, I can't wait to see what this year's 20% Time Projects will bring. Here's to counting down the days to our May 12 presentation day (pencil it in!).
Being out presented a few challenges with starting 20% time. Usually, by this time in the year, I have a few things going for me that are really important in starting 20% time:
1. I've built up a level of trust with the students - this is really important in explaining an ungraded project. For the first time when I introduced it, I had students who really seemed not to be all that interested in pursuing it if there wasn't a grade involved (I think I won some of them over though after our Bad Ideas Brainstorm and showing them the news video from last year).
2. I know them well. I'm still getting to know my kiddos this year. That makes it harder for me to help lead them in the right direction. In the past, I've really been able to help students pick (or should I say get rid of bad ideas for) projects. I'm worried I won't be able to help as much with some of the students that it's taking longer to get to know.
3. They know it's okay to fail. This is a big one. I know last semester was rough with the substitute (not for lack of trying on her part). Due dates were slippery, they did a lot of book-work, they tried to do research papers and had a rough time with that... so it's been a transition to reset their expectations in our Language Arts class. I need to get them to the point where they are willing to try things (with the possibility of not reaching a goal) and learn how to set and re-evaluate their goals quickly. I think there is kind of a mind-set that takes some time to build that is optimal for 20% time projects.
All that said, I'm glad I'm aware of these challenges and I'll be working really hard to gain back some of that missed time together.
Definitely having so many great examples from the past and the news story to show my students helped inspire them big-time. I'm grateful for that. I'm also really excited about my students this year - they're reading more than ever (20 minutes each day of books they choose), they are one of the nicest bunch of students I've ever taught (someone is always holding the door open and people seem welcoming and friendly to everyone), and I feel like I have a diverse group of teens that will soon be showing off their diverse interests and skills.
All in all, I can't wait to see what this year's 20% Time Projects will bring. Here's to counting down the days to our May 12 presentation day (pencil it in!).
Friday, January 20, 2017
End of Year Review
Hey Guys,
I'm writing this actually at the beginning of our 2017 season of 20% Time projects. It got crazy at the end of the year and I forgot to post a final update after our presentation day - which went swimmingly of course!
I was blown away by the amazing student projects and the level of professionalism my students had on presentation day. We also had some guest visitors - WRBL and WLTZ came and interviewed students. The spot showed on the news that day!
Check out the articles: WRBL and WLTZ
Unfortunately, I can't find the video from WLTZ (really kicking myself here and wishing I'd posted this story last year!), but here is the WRBL video:
I'm writing this actually at the beginning of our 2017 season of 20% Time projects. It got crazy at the end of the year and I forgot to post a final update after our presentation day - which went swimmingly of course!
I was blown away by the amazing student projects and the level of professionalism my students had on presentation day. We also had some guest visitors - WRBL and WLTZ came and interviewed students. The spot showed on the news that day!
Check out the articles: WRBL and WLTZ
Unfortunately, I can't find the video from WLTZ (really kicking myself here and wishing I'd posted this story last year!), but here is the WRBL video:
I also want to share some pictures of the big day:
Friday, May 6, 2016
Presentation Prep
Today is crazy! Our final presentations will be next Thursday so students are madly working on speeches, posters, multi-media components and interactive presentations. We've sent out our invites and are super excited to see who shows up next week. Please come see what these students have prepared for you!
Friday, April 29, 2016
Speeches before Beaches!
It's almost the end of the year - 14 more days of school left. That means it's time for us to wrap up our 20% Time Projects before we hit the beaches this summer. What a great way to end the year!
Students are currently working on outlines for their speeches and thinking about how they will present their projects. I've given them outlining resources and pointed them in the direction of some of the top speeches last year (at least that were posted on the blogs) to get inspiration.
To read some of last year's speeches, check out the following students' blogs:
Celeigh
Annes
Brooke
Donghan
Gabriel
Luke
Nate
Meredith
Kevia
Students are currently working on outlines for their speeches and thinking about how they will present their projects. I've given them outlining resources and pointed them in the direction of some of the top speeches last year (at least that were posted on the blogs) to get inspiration.
To read some of last year's speeches, check out the following students' blogs:
Celeigh
Annes
Brooke
Donghan
Gabriel
Luke
Nate
Meredith
Kevia
Friday, April 8, 2016
April 8th Update
Good Morning!
It's a beautiful Friday morning in Auburn, AL. This morning, I'm taking some time to peruse the student blogs. Some exciting things have been happening lately. First, I'm starting to notice students taking more control and independence in their projects.
Luke set up a personal tour with Officer Roberson of our local police station and got to go with him and see all sorts of behind the scenes stuff. This is really cool to me, because Luke really wants to be in law enforcement when he graduates. It is so awesome that he was able to get a hands-on experience like that! Many students this age have a general idea of what kind of job they want when they "grow up," but often, students at this age don't really realize what that job entails or what the day-to-day work in the job might be like.
Kekeli is working on composing and strengthening her drumming skills. I'm loving reading her blog and watching her videos. It seems like she's actually learning quite a bit about teaching music - much of her time has been spent working with other students with musical projects. I'm interested to see what her final learnings will be at the end of 20% time this year.
Shelton and Sarah have been working hard to find someone to help them learn to play guitar. I'm proud of them for expanding their horizons and tracking down teachers who are available during 3rd block to help them. I got an email yesterday from Mrs. Carson, our library aide, asking when our 20% time started so she could bring her guitar - which means Sarah and Shelton worked out a lesson arrangement with Mrs. Carson all on their own.
I know some of this might seem silly to some, but these are big steps for 8th graders. Sometimes talking to adults you don't know, teaching peers and experiencing new things can be scary and intimidating (let's be real, those things still scare and intimidate me too!). I'm so happy that they are pushing their comfort zones and learning to do this stuff before they get to high school and college.
I just highlighted a few today, but please take the time to look through more of the student blogs linked on this page. They are all in different phases of their learning, and each phase is valuable and important. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!
It's a beautiful Friday morning in Auburn, AL. This morning, I'm taking some time to peruse the student blogs. Some exciting things have been happening lately. First, I'm starting to notice students taking more control and independence in their projects.
Luke set up a personal tour with Officer Roberson of our local police station and got to go with him and see all sorts of behind the scenes stuff. This is really cool to me, because Luke really wants to be in law enforcement when he graduates. It is so awesome that he was able to get a hands-on experience like that! Many students this age have a general idea of what kind of job they want when they "grow up," but often, students at this age don't really realize what that job entails or what the day-to-day work in the job might be like.
Kekeli is working on composing and strengthening her drumming skills. I'm loving reading her blog and watching her videos. It seems like she's actually learning quite a bit about teaching music - much of her time has been spent working with other students with musical projects. I'm interested to see what her final learnings will be at the end of 20% time this year.
Shelton and Sarah have been working hard to find someone to help them learn to play guitar. I'm proud of them for expanding their horizons and tracking down teachers who are available during 3rd block to help them. I got an email yesterday from Mrs. Carson, our library aide, asking when our 20% time started so she could bring her guitar - which means Sarah and Shelton worked out a lesson arrangement with Mrs. Carson all on their own.
I know some of this might seem silly to some, but these are big steps for 8th graders. Sometimes talking to adults you don't know, teaching peers and experiencing new things can be scary and intimidating (let's be real, those things still scare and intimidate me too!). I'm so happy that they are pushing their comfort zones and learning to do this stuff before they get to high school and college.
I just highlighted a few today, but please take the time to look through more of the student blogs linked on this page. They are all in different phases of their learning, and each phase is valuable and important. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!
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