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An Annotation by Laurie Walsh

“Followers cannot get the job done in the decades ahead when, in order to develop a more complex literacy for a more pluralistic clientele, teachers will have to be more flexible in their use of methods, and materials, more creatively responsive to kids, and less dependent on doing things according to recommended patterns” (340).  And that is why the author, professor emeritus at Michigan State University, has his literacy teacher students work on visioning activities and statements.  He says the best teachers are not followers. They “adjust, modify, adapt and invent; they do not emulate” (333).  Duffy encourages teachers to reach inside themselves and find their vision.  By doing this, he hopes his students will be able to adapt methods and reach students more fully.  Understandably, most of the students do not like this process at first because Duffy does not provide them with the right answer.  After two classes emphasizing vision, the students love it.  This article reminds me of the importance to do what’s right for my students and myself with my action research project.  I need to synthesize all of the information, theories and techniques into something that works in my classroom with my vision.  This is a perfect article to read at the height of the research phase.

Related posts:

1. Wikis and literacy development.
2. Inspiring active learning: a handbook for teachers. Harmin, M.
3. How Teachers Are Like Superheroes

An Annotation by Laurie Walsh

The title hooked me, the ideas made me think, the article applies to my professional reading for my action research and the M.Ed. program, and the article offers perspectives for me to consider when writing my own papers.  The author begins by stating the supposed divide between theorists and practitioners does not exist – we’re all both.  He provides a convincing case for why teachers should read theory: it helps us name our practice; it helps us break out of our cultural, historical and contextual generalizations; it can provide alternative viewpoints in the absence of colleagues; it forces homogeneous group think to the wayside; it places our practice in a social context.  The author encourages the reader to look at theoretical writing through four questioning strategies: epistemological (Is the writing skewed by the writer’s paradigm? What evidence does the writer use? Is the writing culturally skewed? Does it fuse descriptive and prescriptive writing?), experiential (Is it relevant to your experiences as a teacher?  Does it address ethical issues?), communicative (What is the voice of the writing?  Does it use specialized language in a justifiable manner?  What do the metaphors and analogies show about the writer?), political (Whose interests are served? Does it  offer a one-method-works-for-all- ideology? Are the images of teaching individualistic or collectivist?  Does it make us reflect on democratic forms and processes?).  I like this article because it challenges me to be a more critical thinker.  Imagine if I can help my students look at my classroom environment, the content, and our responses to literature and each other through these various lenses.  Powerful!

Related posts:

1. Reading, writing and gender: Instructional strategies and classroom activities that work for boys and girls. Goldberg, G., Roswell, B
2. Notes from the battlefield: toward a theory of why people write. Fox, M.
3. “Choice theory” and student success. Glasser, W.

The idea of this carnival is to share experiences of “edgy” teaching and learning. There are a lot of great things happening out there in the edusphere. More and more, we’re beginning to understand how to blend the art of teaching with the science of learning. It’s a balancing act, and this carnival is the place to share our triumphs and failures walking that tightrope.

It’s about the risks we take, and the new stuff we try, and the stories we bring back from the adventures of blazing new trails.

Knowing this, it makes sense that stories of personal experiences will always be get links before other kinds of submissions–like list posts, for example.

Frankly we were was shocked at the number of lists of 100 that we received. We ignored most of them. Indeed we were about to delete all of them, but when we looked closer, a select few were actually interesting. Upon further review, we came to the conclusion that some of these submissions actually delivered quite a bit of value. Especially to the teachers at the “edges” of technology and education innovation. So we kept four list posts–out of 57.

Understand that not all original posts were accepted either. We’re setting the bar pretty high. In order to be accepted, posts must be valuable, interesting and honest. Action research is held in the highest regard, but interesting best practices and insightful reflections on educational literature and/or personal experience also qualifies as “Edgy.”

Our guiding intent is to maintain the highest levels of quality, value and integrity here. Teacher’s should expect nothing less.

Okay, we’ve rambled on enough now. Let’s get to the good stuff.  In no particular order:

• Marjorie Morgan wrote an interesting piece about the challenge of making math relevant to students at Lindsay & Sharon – outdoor adventurers posted at GO! Girls Outdoors. Her premise: Marrying Mathematics and Outdoor Education – can it be done?

The following paragraph from her entry hits the nail on the head:

While I was tutoring the other day, my student asked whether I’d ever used Calculus in my ‘real life’ (which I assume meant away from the classroom – he’s a bright student who has realized that teachers sometimes have a life away from school). I had to answer no, I never had – after all, if you chuck a rock off a cliff, it’s easier to just estimate where it will reach its highest point and where it will hit the ground than it is to pull out a pencil and paper and work out the equations.

• Jeremy Burman presents Update: Baby Einstein DVDs to be refunded posted at Advances in the History of Psychology. Jeremy writes about the recent offer from Disney to refund the money of those who purchased Baby Einstein DVDs, saying that this begs the question: what do parents and teachers have to do to encourage giftedness in their children? He then offers a brief annotated bibliography of sources related to this topic.

• We all know how important novelty is to stimulate attention and motivation. Rachel Lynette has supplied a great list of ideas we can use to provide that spark of surprise to engage students again. Get out of that Rut! posted at Minds in Bloom. We couldn’t agree more with this, from her post,

Yes, routines have their place, and you need them to keep your class in order and to get things done. But they are also so very boring and they don’t do a thing to stimulate creative thought. So, every so often (at least once a day!) shake your kids up and do something different.

TIC writes,

You’ve experienced it before: you teach the same lesson to two different classes. In one class it’s the best lesson you’ve ever taught. In the next class the lesson bombs. Have you ever sought to discover the reason behind this mystery?

• Be sure not to miss this insightful article about the nuances of teaching that aren’t often addressed about Classroom Dynamics posted at Technology In Class.

• Twitter has taken social media by storm, and individuals as well as corporate America are scrambling to understand how to capitalize. Shelly Terrell presents a great article explaining how educators can utilize this new tool to ramp up their professional development. PRESTO: How to Build A PLN Using Twitter posted at Teacher Reboot Camp is a great introduction on how to build a Personal Learning Network.

By way of introduction to this fabulous article, Shelly writes, “I hope educators will be able to learn about the usefulness of Twitter in this very short presentation.”

• Jim McGuire has created a simple assignment that rewards students for reading. The problem is that, based on the documentation he’s getting back, some students are lying about how much they’ve read. Jim thinks it’s a motivational issue and shares a great video he plans to use to help motivate his students. Fake Reading, Will Smith, and Being Successful posted at The Reading Workshop.

• And last but not least, Hall Monitor presents a great example of the spirit of ingenuity alive and well in today’s students DetentionSlip.org: MIT Students Explain How to Photograph Space for $150 posted at DetentionSlip.org.

And now for the list posts. These posts aren’t original, but collections of original ideas. If you’re looking for inspiration, browsing these links is great way to find some

• Kaitlyn Cole presents 100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School posted at Online Colleges.net.

• Fredric Cernick presents 25 Free Web Tools Every Student Should Use posted at How To E-D-U.

• Angela Martin presents 100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom posted at Online Colleges.org.

• Stacie Young presents 100 Blogs Every New Teacher Should Read posted at Online Schools.

That concludes our first edition of The Edge of Education Carnival. Want to submit to the next one?  We’d love to hear about your “Edgy” teaching.  Just use this handy submission form.

Image credits:

Front Page: Woman on cliff

In article: Climbing man

Thank You!

Related posts:

1. The Edge of Education Carnival. Issue 2
2. The Edge of Education Carnival. Issue 3
3. The Edge of Education Carnival. Issue 4

I just finished my first two years of teaching. They were spent in a very challenging urban district that I soon learned was, in short, not a good fit . The challenges were many and rewards were few. And, although I have grown in leaps and bounds as a teacher from my first to second year (which I’m sure my students would attest to), by the end I was left feeling frazzled, destabilized and unsure whether I even wanted to teach.

Enter courage and renewal work.

I’d first heard of educational activist Parker Palmer while still completing a practicum as part of my teacher certification course. My supervising teacher lent me a copy of The Courage to Teach-which I admittedly did not even look through amidst the hustle and bustle of the first year of teaching. Still, I’d find quotes from Palmer here and there which always left me thirsting for more… such as this one:

“Teacher-bashing has become a popular sport. . . . Teachers make an easy target, for they are such a common species and so powerless to strike back. We blame teachers for being unable to cure social ills that no one knows how to treat; we insist that they instantly adopt whatever ‘solution’ has most recently been concocted by our national panacea machine; and in the process, we demoralize, even paralyze, the very teachers who could help us find our way.”

And so I was thrilled to learn that there would be an introductory Courage to Teach retreat right here in Tucson, Arizona. Time spent in retreat–full of self-reflection and solitude (as well as conversations amidst like-minded people) seemed like just what the doctor ordered…and I thought would help me transition form the last two years of teaching and clean the slate a little before starting a new position next August.

We met at a retreat center at Picture Rocks. The desert is stunning, and it was impossible to forget when being thrust in the center of it–beautiful saguaros dotting the landscape, nestled in the mountains. A labyrinth and various petroglyphs are some of the other features at the retreat center. But there really is something inescapable about being out somewhere–away from home, away from the buzz of cell phones and constant internet chatter–where all of your needs (including tasty buffet lunches) are provided.

The retreat began with us gathered in a circle, discussing some touchstones to really create a circle of trust for the retreat.The hardest part for many, myself included, involved responding to others with open, honest questions–to really hear another person instead of immediately rushing to fix their problem. Being comfortable with their own uncertainty is a deeper level of intimacy than the panacea of solutions we often offer as teachers–and not being expected to fix things offered us a deep and unexpected sense of relief. Presenting a problem and really being heard provides the speaker the chance to listen to their own inner teacher, so that they can make decisions based on their own inner guidance. It seems so wise in its simplicity but is easier said than done! (This was taken to another extreme when we practiced a retreat version of an old Quaker custom–a “clearness committee”–in which one participant details a problem or dilemma they are facing and the rest of the small group of participants spend several hours asking open, honest questions…without curiosity, problem-solving or their own agenda. It was an amazing experience for the participants.)

Much of the weekend involved reading poetry and stories. We would then write in our journals–not a critique, but a response reflecting on what we had experienced in our own lives or work that relates to a line or two in the poem. We would have up to a half hour to write and 40 minutes to discuss our answers in small groups.

It is difficult to describe the transformation that occurred within me during the three day conference… yet somehow the process of reflection filled me with startling clarity about the two years that have just commenced leading to the year that is about to begin. Reflecting and writing about a variety of topics, such as my own joys and sorrows, the idea of living a whole, authentic life, people who have helped me along my own path, and finding a deep sense of center amidst the chaos… is what called me to teaching in the first place. I left feeling a deeper sense of purpose and better sense of understanding of what brought me to teaching and how to continue my own practice in a way that is sustainable and productive. Getting away from the everyday bustle and to a quiet space was incredibly helpful for creating fertile ground where insights can grow. We ended with our own reflection on what we’ve seen of ourselves during the retreat and our own list of small ways we can continue to attend to ourselves and insights we identified during the retreat.

Any inner work must be sustained over time to truly be effective, but it is Parker Palmer’s theory that we must tend to the “who” that is teaching–fill ourselves up as teachers so that we may have a lot to give to our students without burning our candle at both ends. I suspect he may be right.

Yael Grauer just finished two years of teaching 8th grade Language Arts, Reading and Lifeskills in Tucson’s South Side, and is about to embark on a new journey teaching Humanities in a charter school. She is a graduate of Shimer College, the Great Books College of the Midwest. In addition to teaching, reading and writing, she enjoys desert gardening, lifting heavy things and training in Brazilian jiu jitsu. She also runs her own very successful blog at www.dirttime.org.

If you’re interested in learning more about Parker Palmer, you might enjoy downloading and reading this free article by Palmer entitled The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching

or view it here:

The Heart of a Teacher –

Image credit

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“How’s it going guys?” I asked as I approached, kneeling down to their level.

Travis spoke for the group. “Mr. Wondra. We don’t get it.”

“What don’t you get, Travis.”

“We don’t know what to do,” said Travis, frustration wrinkling his brow. I could tell the rest of the group was getting a little stressed as well. The class had been working on this assignment for ten minutes, and many other groups were by now well on their way.

The activity I had assigned that day was a creative expansion of a reflection I had done with some colleagues during one of my St. Mary’s weekends. The activity we had done called for us to look back at a semester’s worth of learning and then visually represent that learning by creating a large poster or mural using a road and traveling metaphor. I thought the activity was great because it gave us a chance as learners to come together, each remembering and relating to the instruction in a different way, and create a product that helped us to cement this new information by attaching it to a metaphor.

If Howard Gardner were to talk about this activity he might say that it encourages deep learning or understanding by revisiting the information through the interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, and visual intelligence lenses. Daniel Pink, Thomas Friedman and Yong Zhao might call this a perfect example of “mashing” by using new information to create a novel story of our semester of learning—blending logical, analytical and creative thinking

Anyway, I thought the activity would be a great way for my students to reflect on their first quarter of eighth grade—particularly the experiences and learning that took place in language arts. Our St. Mary’s facilitators asked us to relate to our learning using a “journey” metaphor. While I could have done this, some of my pre-assessments, indicated that most of these students didn’t yet fully understand what a metaphor was—to say nothing about how to use one.

This presented me with the unique opportunity to combine new learning (metaphor), with recent instruction (what we learned in the first quarter). So after some additional instruction on metaphors and how they can be used to create understanding, I asked students to come up with their own metaphors to represent their experiences of the first quarter—linking important language arts concepts to it.

Also realizing, however, that as eighth graders, my students were also having countless meaningful experiences outside of my classroom, I invited them to include/attach other important events, milestones, and learning that they experienced in other areas of their lives as well, be they family, extracurricular, or social. In this way I hoped to honor, validate, and link their lives holistically to my language arts curriculum.

But Travis and his group were struggling, so I chunked it up for them.

“Well, what do you remember learning in here so far this year? What do we do in here every day? What does language arts in the eighth grade look like?”

“Um. Well, we do planning pages every day,” said Travis.

“Great! What else?”

“We have vocabulary,” said Sarah.

“Now you’re getting the hang of it. Alex, start a list.”

“Ok. What about mind-maps. Does that count? And the multiple intelligence stuff? And the important pattern? And chapter club?”

“Awesome. Now, I want you to keep brainstorming. Then once you get your list, see if you can come up with an image that all of these ideas can be a part of.” I then gave them another example and let them have at it.

About a week later, each group having had the opportunity to share and explain their metaphors, all the posters hung around the room. It was quite a sight and a fun way for the parents, who where coming and going during parent-teacher conferences, to see what we had been up to during the first quarter. But I didn’t fully realize the impact that this simple activity had had until I met Travis’s mom, and she asked if she could have the poster when it was done hanging in the room.

It turns out that Travis was so excited and had taken so much pride in their creation that he had talked about it at home and wanted to keep it and hang it in his bedroom.

It’s possible, but I’m not sure this level of excitement would have manifested through my teaching before I started the program. While my curriculum remains the same, the instructional tools I now have at my disposal have been greatly enhanced. In addition, a deeper understanding of both theory and practice has given me a confidence in myself as a professional that I’ve never experienced before.

Among other things, this new-found clarity stems from an understanding that:

• Backward design works and that I can (and should) shape my units around essential concepts and understandings. Allowing the content of my instruction to flow from a limited number of core concepts has helped me to stay much more “on message” or focused throughout the course of a unit of study.

• Reflection will slow the pace of instruction but allow for deeper understanding. I am now allowing more time and space in class for reflection of various forms—products (as in the above example), surveys, exit slips, critical incident forms as well as written and discussion.

• Formative assessment creates a valuable ongoing loop of feedback, decreasing time between an event and the feedback and increasing feedback opportunities, which, in turn, increases student engagement and motivation. I am now developing and using many more rubrics, checklists, and peer assessments and activities than ever before in an effort to make assessment more useful.

• Written instructions and “half-sheets” are valuable instructional tools for clarity. Instead of only verbally explaining what I may feel is a fairly simple assignment or activity, I now also find myself typing up a simple explanation in much the same way that my St. Mary’s facilitators do. These simple adjustments to my instruction have greatly increased students’ confidence in that they understand exactly what is expected. This is another example of a practice that also makes sense on so many theoretical levels.

• It is more important than ever to meet students where they are. Allowing opportunities for students to succeed using such theory as Multiple Intelligence, Meyers-Briggs personality, Brain Gym, Essential Understandings, Brain Based, Gender Based and Emotional Intelligence has become a major part of almost every lesson for me. Maybe one of the most valuable parts of the St. Mary’s experience for me is how it has helped me to better see my teaching through the critical lens of my students. Allowing students to access learning through their own aptitudes as well as encouraging them (by allowing play and failure) to experiment with abilities with which they are not as proficient greatly enhances their engagement levels in my classes. To this end, I now search for ways to include movement and technology as much as I can in my lessons. Skits, Web 2.0 technology, graphic organizers, and storyboards and varied reading topics as well as other environmental parts of my physical classroom have greatly enhanced my instruction.

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1. Key words in instruction: literature circles.
2. Listen up! Boys and girls hear, read, learn differently
3. The Edge of Education Carnival. Issue 3