E-motive Teaching

A Quantum Leap with Quantum Learning

This post is about Quantum Learning, a training I undertook in late January.

A+.  Invigorating! Wow! Career Changing! Life Affirming!  Fun!

These are not the usual descriptors for an educational professional development opportunity. I will definitely use the Quantum Learning strategies and techniques in my traditional classroom next year. Here is the website if you would like more information www.QLN.com 

Over the three-day workshop, I learned: Shift Happens, The Eight Keys, FADE, the five tenants of QL, the three Big Brain ideas, Living Above the Line, and numerous best practices that elicit joyful learning and teaching. If these ideas pique your interest, there are numerous ongoing training opportunities throughout the United States. For students, there are also Super Camps on college campuses scheduled during the summer.

“Shift happens.” This applies to the overall definition of Quantum Learning- “a body of knowledge, methods, and principles facilitating a shift in learning” (from the QL training manual 2007). There are four basic tenants of Quantum Learning- Moves (strategies), Orchestration, Learning and Life Skills, and the “Why behind the What”. Moves are as simple as standing in one spot to review so students become acclimated to a ritual. All moves are tied to VAK, or visual-audio-kinesthetic learning. Orchestration relates to the foundation, atmosphere, design, and environment (FADE) of the classroom. The eight keys reflect this. I will use the eight keys to develop classroom expectations because they are so clear, simple, and recursive. Learning and Life skills details taking your content and applying it to ethics, higher learning, and the world of work, and the world around you. Finally, the aspect that teens will find most attractive about a Quantum Learning trained instructor is that she or he provides frames and context for all learning moments.

Bobbi DePorter is the originator of Quantum Learning. Here, she gives some background on it:  http://tinyurl.com/2zx929

I will review some of the Eight Keys of Excellence because I was particularly impressed by them. Each has a corresponding hand or body movement. For more information, short videos about the eight keys can be accessed here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0p7AOl9XjOM 

INTEGRITY- Have students draw a letter A in the palm of one hand and a V in the other. These stand for Actions and Values.  Have students clap their hands together. This reflects when one’s actions and values are congruent. (Kinesthetic learning!) Throw out a scenario, for example, “You want to make the starting lineup of a team (value), so you watch your diet and work out every day (action). Hands should clap together because this is congruent.  Give another scenario; you want to make a lot of money so you steal your neighbor’s IPod when he is gone. Their hands should miss each other because the value and actions are incongruent. Students would laugh at this but it provides a great example they will remember. Have them clap their hands together and move their hands together to make the letter I. Appropriate Values + Corresponding Actions = Integrity which is the first key. 

Since I teach English, I can see this key being elicited throughout the year. Did Gatsby’s actions and values match up?  How about Hamlet’s?  Atticus Finch’s?  The tracing of the letters reminds me of how Montessori students learn to read- tracing letters on sand paper. Wonderful!

FAILURE LEADS TO SUCCESS

SPEAK WITH GOOD PURPOSE- This is one of my favorites.  The kinesthetic symbol is the hand making a puppet mouth. This key applies to how students address their classmates and their teacher. “Speaking in a manner that moves the group or us forward. Being responsible for honest and direct communication and focusing on truth-telling, stating assumptions, and maintaining integrity." (QL Handbook)

In English Language Arts, it would cover Tone, Audience, and Purpose.  I use Advanced Placement Strategies like DIDLS http://tinyurl.com/4h367r or SOAPSTone http://tinyurl.com/4vfby2 (this is a PDF). Modeling positive, appropriate oral, written, and even web etiquette can be covered here. When one considers that students’ clothing reflects their “voice”, even one’s dress and posture could be included. The trainer, Amy Smith, told us an anecdote about athletes showing up for a game. The way you show up for a game is how you show up in life. I think students could relate to this and see the value of speaking with good purpose.

THIS IS IT- Whatever we are doing right now is the most important thing. Focus and attention should be on it.

COMMITMENT

OWNERSHIP- The quality of accountability and responsibility.

FLEXIBILITY

BALANCE- When mind, body and emotions function in alignment. Balance comes from the ongoing adjustments we make to continue moving in a positive, healthy direction.

The highlight of the training was the following activity that demonstrated the Quantum Learning Design Frame:  EELDRC  It corresponds with how I have always planned lessons but now I have a framework for what I do and how I do it. Nice.

When we got back from lunch, we were asked to do some stretching activities by our seats.  We reached to the left and the right and shook out our shoulders. I thought we were just clearing our heads. No pressure. It felt good. Then we broke into triads. Each triad had a role- cheerleader, tosser, and coach. We were to use the same move we used when we stretched to toss a gauzy and colorful scarf from one hand to the other. Each person played each role.  We added two scarves, then three all the while, using the same stretching movement. The coach helped to keep us syncopated and the cheerleader complemented and motivated us, even saying we looked young, sexy, smart, and brilliant as we multitasked. Before you know it, each of us found some success … at juggling! Once we had mastered it in our small groups, we moved to larger groups of nine. Three at a time showed off their skills with three coaches and three cheerleaders. When we returned to our seats, everyone felt uplifted and successful. We had a few volunteers for a whole group juggle off. One woman was able to keep her scarves in the air for about three minutes. Yet, everyone felt success.  The metaphor of juggling is quite apt when reflecting on the typical teacher’s lesson planning responsibilities. Think of how students would have reacted (or we would have reacted) if Amy had started with, “today each student will juggle three scarves in front of a large group of students.” Yikes.

Here is how the design frame works.

*Enroll- Amy tapped into our prior learning by starting with a stretch, something we understood and could accomplish easily.

*Experience- We all could relate to the common sense of adding one scarf and had positive peer interaction while learning the hard parts.

*Label and Learn- We did not actually learn what we were doing until we experienced success. No one was bogged down with extraneous terms to memorize out of context.

*Demonstrate- Once we experienced success in our small group, we moved to the large group.  Teens need positive opportunities like this to show their accomplishments.

*Review and Reinforce- Amy put on her “RE” Cap (an actual hat with the word RE on it) and we reviewed each step after we returned to our seats.

*Celebration- Some of the better jugglers volunteered and we all cheered them on.

I can see the application of this frame to writing in small groups, acting out scenes, designing with technology … the implications are endless.

One more excellent result of this activity was classroom management with ease. We experienced individual, small group, larger group, and whole group tasks. This one activity reflected differentiated learning, multiple intelligences, cooperative learning, experiential learning, VAK, and a nurturing caring environment.  

A+.  Invigorating! Wow! Career Changing! Life Affirming!  Fun!

Dave Eggers TED Talk

Drop out to do what?

A new report about inner city graduation rates (.pdf) paints a pretty sobering picture, to put it mildly:

Our analysis finds that graduating from high school in the America’s largest cities amounts, essentially, to a coin toss. Only about one-half (52 percent) of students in the principal school systems of the 50 largest cities complete high school with a diploma.In Cleveland, Indianapolis and Detroit, the numbers are 35%, 31% and 25% respectively.

Amazing.

I worked for almost 22 years in a district that graduated over 90% of its students, sent over three-quarters to college, and by just about every measure was and is an amazing school by traditional standards. I’ve worked for the last two years going around the country speaking at over 200 schools and districts and conferences and I have come to realize very quickly just how much of an outlier my former career was. While I haven’t done a lot of work with inner city schools, I’ve done enough to see that without question, there remains an incredible degree of inequity between the haves and have nots in this country that has little to do with technology. This latest report is just one more indication: the system is broken.

We’re failing millions of kids.

This timely post is by Will Richardson, “Learner in Chief” at Connective Learning http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/the-state-of-american-education-not-so-great/ 

I read the report in the newspaper and heard it discussed in several podcasts I listen to daily. My husband and I discussed this topic in the car on his way to work at his high school, one that graduates about half of its students.  My situation is not much better.  I have about a 71% completion rate of the online class I facilitate- a required class to graduate.  If one takes out the home school population, the statistics are mighty dismal. The typical profile of my public school students is a 16-year-old male from an urban or suburban public school. He is taking an average of 1-2 classes on the virtual school to make up lost credits. These classes are taken on top of a schedule of 6-8 classes in the regular day, chores,  a job, clubs, sports practice and competitions, church, and the regular things that 16 year-olds-do- MySpace, WOW, Guitar Hero, watch cable, and hang out. To complete an online class- even with a teacher a phone call away- it takes diligence and self-discipline. Of course, one must be able to read on grade level and process the material provided on the screen. Computer access and a basic understanding of the Internet and word processing are also required.  I do have wonderful success stories of kids who complete while using public library computers but this is rare.  The large urban district from where I taught before moving to the virtual school had a particularly dismal virtual school class completion success rate. 

What my husband and I kept going back to in our conversation is:  where do these kids end up?  What can one do today without a high school diploma?

If you have not already seen Dave Egger's TED Talk this year, you will be mightily inspired.  His idea of one to one mentoring primarily aimed at elementary and middle school students will help the next group of students moving up.  This could take off and a true movement of connectedness could transform our society.

Since we are high school teachers, my question is what about the students enrolled right now?  What will happen to my virtual students who cannot possibly make up all their credits before their age peers graduate and even if they could, they cannot pass the state graduation test?  We can be the most engaging teachers ever imagined -- my husband will juggle and do cartwheels if that is what it takes to keep his 4th period on task and tuned in.  I have taken 11 PM phone calls, calls on Sundays, and even kept a student in my online course for 40 weeks to complete a 16-week semester. Yet, my husband has lost three this semester. They withdraw auspiciously to transfer but they never check in elsewhere.  Where do they go? What do they do? What can they do? 

Virtual Harm

Do no harm.  Here is a drawback of virtual teaching- asynchronous communication.

I live in one state and my students live in another. Before I moved, I actually had met a few of my students. One even came over to my house. Since I moved, there is a huge disconnect between my students and me. It was never more glaringly obvious than yesterday. 

Student Jonathan* (We share an affinity for Jonathan Coulton, so I will use this name to protect his identity) called me. He was aggravated because we had been playing phone tag but also for a more serious issue.

Several weeks ago, he submitted a resume assignment with “funny” entries including one mild allusion to abuse. My feedback included a comment that I did not take abuse lightly and that I would have to report the submission. In the state I teach, there is a "zero tolerance" abuse-reporting requirement. He implored me in an Email not to report and that a report would cause even more problems at home. Nevertheless, I forwarded the assignment, my response, and Jonathan’s Email to my virtual school’s guidance counselor with a request for advisement.

The virtual school counselor called it in to the abuse hotline and forwarded the student’s work and our Emails to the traditional school site counselor. I received a report of all the actions that had been taken after the fact. I left several messages at the student’s house to follow up but we did not communicate for over a week. According to the student, he was called in to speak to the traditional school counselor about the issue. Thus, when we finally spoke on the phone he was angry that I had betrayed his confidence. I told him it was a requirement of my job to report. I do not really know him- just his voice on the phone and his work submissions- so I have to take his virtual communication seriously.

In a traditional school setting, I would like to think that I would have built a relationship with students so “funny” assignments would not be submitted. If a student did reveal something dicey, I have eye contact, context, non-verbal communication, peer triangulation, and active listening/clarification/validation at my disposal to verify if I need to proceed. If I felt that a situation was out of my league (most “abuse” reports are!) then I would physically go to a guidance counselor, speak with him or her and ask for guidance. Then, back to the student I would go for the next round of intervention. I would be a participant in the process assuring the student’s physical and emotional safety.

Because I was left out of the loop, I feel the student was violated. In a way, so was I.  My relationship with the student was discounted. And yet, I get it. The counselor processed the information of my Email and acted. Jonathan and his siblings, by his admission, could have been abused. I have reported abuse before when I felt, in my heart, it might be dubious. It is better to err on the safe side. Jonathan was heard (virtually) but was he listened to …

Can teachers establish and maintain relationships with students in a virtual environment in the same manner as the traditional classroom?

My virtual school has wrestled with the integrity problem lately. As students sign up for classes and input personal information, they read a pledge (like a EULA) that establishes they will not plagiarize in all its manifestations. Should this pledge include a section on harm- harming oneself, being harmed, the intent to harm others, cyber bullying, harming the course (hacking)?

When I resume traditional teaching, what should I establish in regards to these issues?

Back to the Brick and Mortar

For the last two years, I have been a stay-at-home teacher. 

I am a full time high school English teacher for one of the largest and most esteemed virtual schools in the United States. Published school statistics include more than 90 National Board Certified teachers (myself included) and this year, I believe, we will issue 80,000 credits.  It is a bit daunting. Most students are from one particular state but many other students enroll through the global services division for profit. I was an adjunct for two years before going full time. It is a public school but with a corporate structure, for example no union and one year contracts. I will blog some on my association with this entity but mostly stick to my return to a tradition school setting.

It is rare that one has an opportunity to return to a previous version of a vocation (Classroom 1.0). The next few months I will be actively, intentionally, and thoughtfully selecting curriculum, technology, policies, strategies, best practices, and instructional design to best fit the culture, students, and standards of my new school. Too often public school teaching is done on the fly. I have already been hired so I will not be blogging about the job search. For the most part, I would like to reflect about contemporary teaching. What engages learners? How might I build communities? What killer aps should I introduce to my students to prepare them for the world of work or higher learning?   

I leave my virtual teaching job with some remorse because it is truly a vanguard establishment. Some people may think I am crazy to leave a teaching job with the flexibility to work from my living room with a cat on my lap, to go to the bathroom when I please, and to take a nap if I need a break. Yes, I work in pajamas!  However, the reasons I return to the Brick and Mortar are threefold. 

The loneliness is crippling. My husband returns each day from his challenging public high school job exhausted but purposeful and connected to his peers and his students. My children return from their highly functioning public schools after a full day of excellent teaching, interaction, community, and face-to-face communication. About 60% of my job is over the phone so I speak to, speak at, and leave messages a good part of my day. I miss standing in the hallway with my students asking about haircuts, dates, sports, music, and fashion. I miss teacher mailboxes, lunch tables, the parking lot, and even faculty meetings where I could sit by a friend and pass notes. I miss acting out stories, reading aloud, and creating my own curriculum. I miss teachable moments and spontaneous opportunities to connect with teenagers. I know I am an effective virtual school teacher because my survey results are high, my statistics good, and my VS students tell me so.  As I complete most students, they or their parents ask, "Do you teach any more classes?" I like what I do.  I have opportunities to connect with peers and students by IM, Elluminate (a synchronous presentation tool), tri-annual face-to-face meetings, and daily chats with co-teachers. It is just not the same, for me, as real live people.

The salary is too low. I recently moved to a different state and the local salaries and benefits are much more generous here. With two kids heading to college in the next ten years and a nationwide recession looming, I would be crazy not to take an opportunity to bring a huge pay raise into the family coffers. The state from which I moved is in serious recession and even the cost-saving virtual school is seeing hits. Two fewer months in which to make the yearly credit goal, cutbacks on bonuses, more reconfigurations of staff and fewer face-to-face meetings are on the horizon. Many of my peer VS teachers have young families. When you factor childcare into the mix, teaching for the VS is a wonderful way to have it all- career and quality time with your kids. Paying for daycare when my kids were young was cost prohibitive.

The workday does not stop. When a student calls, I have learned to answer that phone especially if it is a student I have been haranguing to submit work. He or she needs me right then and my family, my meal, and my activity must be delayed, put off, or rescheduled. The job does not stop. Vacation time follows the corporate model so traditional-school teachers have more time to rejuvenate themselves away from the workplace with their families.  

Thus, I invite comments and advice as I research, think, and blog about building a hybrid virtual/traditional classroom of the 21^st century. My first step was to post a comment to the teachers on the Teacher 2.0 blog a query about blogs. I followed several respondent bloggers’ helpful advice and started this one on Typepad, the blog hosting site that my new district uses. I also joined Twitter to see if I could find a use for it. I would appreciate some comments regarding its functionality.