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!
