SOLE Session

  This week, I tried something new.  I had my students participate in a SOLE session.  SOLE stands for student organized learning experience and is the creation of Sugata Mitra.  Mitra is a professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University.  In 1999 Mitra began conducting his "Hole in the Wall: experiments where groups of children were found to be able to learn anything by themselves if given the right tools and allowed to work in a community.  In 2013 Mitra presented his findings in a TED talk and as a result received TED prize grant to develop his ideas into an educational tool for all children.  He since created The School in the Cloud.  On this website are all the tools necessary to create SOLE sessions in the classroom.  I was a little nervous about the process, as my students are not used to be given that much independence with their own learning.  The computer situation in our classroom is not what I would like it to be in order to conduct one of these sessions, but I figured we could adapt with what we have.  I hoped for the best.
    When I explained to my students what we were going to do, they were very excited.  Their eyes lit up with excitement and trepidation when they realized that they were going to have to rely on their own instincts and get the work done.  I set the session up for an hour because I knew they would need time to figure out how the online program worked: cutting, pasting, using the scrapbook.  At first they were afraid to ask each other for help, but as soon as one started, they began to communicate across different groups.  We did have some computer issues that I need to intervene with, but for the most part, they were able to figure out how to search, cut, paste, and create a presentation on their own.  One student in particular became the go to person for advice in these matters.
   Although the SOLE  session is designed with student independence in mind, it does not mean that the teacher has no role at all.  As this was the first session and my students are young, I often had to remind them that they could think for themselves and be successful.
    As it turned out, several of the groups were very successful answering the question and creating their presentation, but others had some difficulty staying focused.  It was a great opportunity to discuss why some groups were more successful than others.  We analysed how people's behaviors during the session effected the outcome.  For me, the purpose of this first session was not only to come up with an answer to our question, but to gain independence in getting there.  After the session and discussion, I asked my students what they thought of the process and I received a resounding two thumbs up!  I am looking forward to the next session.

Sunday Sermon

The following post was not written with the intention of being posted on this blog. I was asked to fill in for our pastor this Sunday morning and deliver the message during worship.  After worship this morning I realize that my message was indeed a reflection on what is going on in my classroom.  For this reason, I have chosen to publish by thoughts here.  Feel free to pass it on.

Focus, Focus, Focus

By Kristine Houghtalen

     I was hoping to be here this morning with a sermon that was based on a critical analysis of a scripture that I had challenged myself to read and study.  I was planning on choosing a verse that I had never really considered before and try to breathe life into it.  The problem is it is September and I am a teacher and a mother.  As you can imagine my days and nights have been filled with lesson planning, bulletin boards to decorate, student’s summer homework, student assessments, figuring out how my students learn, who can sit next to each other and who can’t, back to school night with parents to impress and this year, learning how to use blogging and other technology to foster learning in the classroom.  We have only finished our 3^rd week of school and my son has already missed 5 days of school because he was ill!  So, now I am trying to keep on top of him and his teachers to make sure he is caught up on missed work.   The thing is though; I am really good at multitasking.  The busier I am, the more I seem to take on.  I thrive on the challenge of keeping those balls that I am juggling in the air.  On the other hand, I am exceptional at procrastinating!  And that is just what I did with preparing for this morning, I put it off.  Just let me get through the first week of school.  Then, just let me get through our meet the teacher night.  Then wait, I need to plan lessons too.  As the days went by, I began to panic.  I still had no idea what I was going to talk about.  And then those emails began to come.  The emails from Reverend Wolter asking for the scripture I had chosen and the title of my message.  I tried to ignore them, but he was persistent.  I thought I really don’t have time for this.  Why did I agree to this at this time of year?

            As I struggled with my frustration to focus on my plans for this morning, I realized that this was not a problem unique to me.  Looking at the lives of my friends and family and co-workers, it is obvious that their lives are just as crazy as mine.  The balls we are juggling may be of different shapes, sizes, and colors, but we are all part a great juggling act.  Maybe you’re a parent trying to keep up with your children’s many activities, or it is your job that is pulling you in different directions. Maybe you are caring for someone who needs your constant attention or maybe you volunteer your time in the community or are involved in various community organizations.  Perhaps it is even your church that is placing many demands on you.  It seems that life has taken on a speed that is somewhat out of control.

            This year in my school, I have fallen into the position of spearheading our initiative to incorporate using technology in innovative ways to enhance student learning.  I feel as though I have fallen off a cliff into the world of social media and blogging.  If you haven’t ventured into this world, you may not realize how fast information is moving around the planet and beyond.  And I mean beyond!  We have even been linking up with astronauts on the International Space Station.  It is absolutely fascinating the knowledge and connections that are at our fingertips.  Last Monday I had the opportunity to join something called a twitter chat.  I finally figured what those #s are for!   It was a group of Lutheran educators who were discussing different ways to develop a passion for professional development.  I spent an hour trying to keep up with the flurry of activity.  There were so many posts and conversations going on, my head was spinning.  But, at the end of it, I realized that I was able to “meet” many other teachers who had great ideas that allowed me to connect with even more people with more ideas.  The ball has begun rolling, and it’s getting bigger every day.  I’m still juggling, but as the balls get bigger, it is getting harder and harder to keep them in the air. 

    As I shared my experiences with a friend, he asked me if I thought that perhaps being that connected might lead me to burnout quickly. Even though I was feeling exhilarated about what I was learning about being connected to the world, I had to stop a minute and evaluate that question.  Is the fact that we can take this little phone from our pocket and reach out across the world opening up a world of possibilities or is it leading us to exhaustion?  If Jesus was alive in this day of social media, how would it affect his ministry?  Would it be a dynamic way to reach the masses, or would his voice have been lost in the chaos?  I think many of us right now are lost in the chaos.  We recognize the power we hold in our hand, but we are either too afraid of it, or we have not learned to follow the map through the vast land of social media.  We play, we tinker, and we get lost in it.

     Back to my friend’s question, does being constantly connected lead to burnout and exhaustion? I think it is definitely something we need to be aware of.

     By now, you might be asking yourself, what does all this have to do with this morning’s scripture from Colossians?  Well the answer is not much…and everything.  If our lives are moving at such a rapid pace, how do we stay focused on what is important?  How do we prevent ourselves from feeling burnt out and exhausted?  It is extremely difficult to do on our own.  We get caught up in the rip tide of life, and we need to reach out for help.   Well, think about it, there is no better life ring than the words of our holy scripture.

            I am very lucky to work where I do. Working for a Lutheran School, I am forced to stay focused. We pray every morning at the beginning of the school day and we pray every afternoon at the end of the school day.   Every Wednesday at 10am I bring my students to chapel.  With all the scheduling and have tos in school, this is the one thing that no one ever complains about.  Even though our chapel is designed for young children, it is a time to slow down and focus on what is important.  We also choose a scripture each year that is our theme or focus for the year.  It permeates everything we do.  We discuss it with our students; we use it with our disciple, and use it in devotions during faculty meetings.  Yes, we get to pray at faculty meetings. I told you, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!  Whether I like it or not, this scripture becomes the foundation for my school year.  As you might have guessed, this year’s scripture is from the book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 10. In this scripture, the Apostle Paul is praying for the people of Colosse, people he had never met.

            “ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

     What a great focus for our lives.  Wouldn’t it be comforting to know someone was praying this with you in mind?  Live a life worthy of the Lord, be fruitful in your good work, and gain knowledge of God.

    This scripture is an extension of last year’s scripture focus, Galatians 5:22-23,.  This scripture identifies the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self -control.    So when I hear the words from Colossians: be fruitful in your good work, to me that means that every choice I make, every interaction I have, I must do so through one of these 9 fruits.  It seems very `simple, and it really is.  I challenge you to familiarize yourself with 9 ideals listed as the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control.  You might have read them before. You might even have something at home that lists them, a coffee mug, plaque, a greeting card.  The challenge is not in reading them, but in living them.  If you ask any of our students about the fruits of the spirit, not only will they rattle them off to you without hesitation, but they will explain to you how they use them to reach their goals, interact with each other, or maybe how they forgot to use them on the playground.  They are our guide in praising our students and if need be disciplining them.  And just like by teaching my students to do mental math, my mental math skills have increased, by teaching my students how to focus on the fruits of the spirit, I to have become more focused.  As I said, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!

    Our lives are crazy, there is no doubt.  Information is flying around this planet at speeds we never could have imagined a few years ago.  We are all sometimes just trying to keep up without getting lost in a world of virtual reality, but it does not mean that there is no life line. 

     Find a piece of scripture that inspires you, and can guide you to a more purposeful life.  Colossians 1:10 is a great place to start, or maybe buy that coffee mug with the fruits of the spirit listed on it.  Claim it as your own and remember to visit with it often.  I have the fruits of the spirit listed in bold words both in the front and back of my class this way both my students and I can keep focused throughout the day and throughout the year.

     So, if you happen to be my friend on facebook or if you follow me on twitter, you will see me posting more often as I search for ways to globally connect with others. And if you see me on Sunday morning on my cell phone during worship, please don’t judge me. I am not lost in the world of social media.   I am focusing on the morning’s scripture reading because like everything else, there is an app for that!

Twitter Chat

   Tonight was a first!  I jumped in and participated in my first twitter chat.  If you are not the tweeting type, you may not know what I am talking about.  Basically, a group of people who have a particular interest in a subject join together for a "chat" on twitter by using a # (hashtag).  Before I jumped into the world of twitter, the idea of using a # was very confusing.  If you are using any type of social media, you have seen them used for sure.  I often wondered why.  Sometimes people list so many #s that the list is longer than the message being shared.  The reason for that still escapes me.  Tonight however, by using the #luthed,  I was able to follow a chat with fellow Lutheran educators regarding our passion and need for professional development.  The conversation was fast and furious and I have to admit a bit hard to follow.  Of course part of that was because of family demands. In their defense, I hadn't really explained to them what I was trying to do.  I tried to answer questions and respond to others, but I had a hard time remembering the proper way to answer and to use the #luthed.  I did have a good laugh at myself; there was no learning curve for me.  I made the same mistake every time I tried to respond.  I didn't give up.  I did get some positive feedback from my tweets; the ones that actually worked.  I did think many times that perhaps I am too old for all of this.  Will my mind and reflexes every be quick enough to follow this kind of chatter?

     I realized something important tonight.  If I want to be the creative innovative teacher I dream of being, it doesn't matter how old I am, I need to keep plugging along.  I need to keep reaching out in order to energize my desire to learn new things.   There are many others out there who indeed think as I do and I can learn from them.  In just one night I was able to connect with several other Lutheran educators who have already done so much of this work in their classrooms.  People who are as eager as I am to learn new ways to teach and who are willing to reach out and share what they have learned along the way.  And surprisingly, I connected with educators who listened to what I had to say.  This is empowering!

    I am not sure how long it will take me to get the hang of these twitter chats, but I'll be there next Monday, ready to share!

One Week Down

   Well, the first full week of school is almost complete.  What a week it has been!  My classroom has been filled with new faces and laughter.  We are jumping right into the world of technology and supporting each other as we do.  I have introduced the idea of blogging with my students and they are very excited about the idea of having a global voice.  Paired with a growing consciousnesses of what it means to create a digital footprint, my students are eager to get started.  We have begun "blogging" on our bulletin board as the students begin to choose their blog names and subjects.
      Last night was our school's meet the teacher night.  I have to admit I was a bit nervous to roll out my ideas about using technology in my classroom.  Most of my students have had no experience with any of the different social media platforms and their parents, rightly so, have been nervous to open that pandora's box.  My plans of teaching responsibility while giving them an authentic voice was received with enthusiasm by parents.  They were eager to read the paper blogs written by their children and gladly wrote comments to each of the students.  When the children arrived this morning in class, they immediately set to reading the comments written by the parents.  I had given each parent a different color sticky note to use for their comments and the children were very excited to see that the comments on their blog was not only from their own parents.  I am so eager to get them online, but I am keeping focused on fully equipping them with the tools and skills they need to be successful.  I must remember:  baby steps...baby steps.

Student Blog Bulletin Board

An Inspiration

 
    The one thing that I love about teaching is the constant learning I do as I interact with my students.  I learn from their explorations and their interests.  By listening to them and watching how they learn, I learn to be a better teacher.  As teachers, we need to spend more time listening to our students and allow them to lead, it just might take us to unexpected places.  I came across this TED talk by 13 year old Logan LaPlante.  This is a remarkable talk by a remarkable young man who has been allowed to have his own voice in the world, and we as educators need to take a moment to listen.   I would love to know what you think about his thoughts on education.  Do you, as an educator, intentionally teach your students how to be happy?.  TED talk by Logan LaPlante

...And We Are Off!

     It has been a while since my last post, and I apologize.  Getting ready for the first day of school can seem like a monumental task.  It has always been my theory that why should I do things the way I did last year when there are so many new things to try.  This doesn't mean I don't repeat lessons or procedures that have worked in the past, I just try to make things better each year.  This year I have moved absolutely everything in my classroom.  I was able to paint the room this summer, so the room was empty, a clean slate, when I began placing my furniture.  There is nothing like that blank canvas to stimulate ones creativity.  This year I am over the moon excited about how my classroom came out.  A fresh start, endless possibilities.
     Today was the first day of class!  My students came in with smiling faces and left school that way also; a great start to the new year.  I explained  to them some of the changes I have made in my classroom as well as the changes in how I plan to teach and the way the class was going to be run.  I talked with them a bit about the idea of blogging.  Some were familiar with the word, some were not.  We talked about what the purpose of a blog was and I explained how I plan on using them, each having his/her own blog.  One student I have, I know to be a great writer (This information comes from the previous year's teacher).  When I explained that her writing could have a global audience, a smile broadened across her face; part out of nervousness and part out of excitement. That one smile is all I need to keep plugging along.
    Before coming to school this morning, I enjoyed my morning cup of tea and a hearty breakfast while catching up on my social media.  I came across the article  Why Academic Teaching Does Not Help Kids Excel in Life by Shelly Wright.  It was exactly what I needed this morning to reaffirm that my idea about how to teach this year is on the right track.  There are a few things that I need to keep in focus.  I do believe that it is not the academic content that is of foremost importance for my students to learn.  Fueling their curiosity and teaching them how to learn are key, but I can't ignore the importance of knowing things.  Knowing facts is important.  To quote Ken Jennings, of Jeopardy fame: " Everyday, we should be striving to learn something new. We should have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of the world around us."  Knowledge is good. What we know, though, is as important as knowing.  I want to put as much of that decision in the hands of my students as possible.  Having been trained in the tradition of the teacher or school making that decision, finding my way may not be easy.  But here is something I have learned.  If I am asking my students to take responsibility for deciding what they should know, I too must take responsibility for learning what I feel I need to know.  It is time for me to take my learning into my own hands.  I have always waited for professional development opportunities to come across my path.  Then I would evaluate whether I want to take the time away from my class to participate.  This is what we have been doing in classrooms for a very long time know.  The teacher would set up the opportunity for the student to learn, and the student would either engage or not.  That's it, there was no other choice.
    I do have a choice, and I will continue to seek out opportunities to learn what I need in order to do my job better in a way that will stimulate learning in my classroom.  I work with amazing teachers who are willing to step out with me and define what kind of teachers we want to be. Together, we have the support and tools we need.  All I need to keep going is to remember the face of an 9 year old girl who realized she too has a voice and that someone might actually listen!