What's happening in 6th grade?
Last summer, I dove into Blended Learning by taking part in a book study while reading "Blended Learning In Action" and transformed my classroom from being the "sage on stage" to the "guide on the side" much more often. At the same time, I was intrigued by gamification, but was a overwhelmed in taking on the project in the same year, and was set on diving in the next (this) summer! Over the past year, I have lurked in #xplap's Tuesday night Twitter chat, met Jennifer Ledford (another gamifier), and have been inspired by Mike Matera and his amazing work and products he puts out there for all to use and learn from! I'll admit, I've definitely been a lurker in #xplap, but this is only because I didn't speak the language of gamifiers and felt a bit intimidated by the whole conversation. Nevertheless, I love the chat and the community surrounding Mike Matera's book, Explore Like a Pirate. They are both supportive to those new to gamification and innovative in their crafting of exciting engaging games in their classrooms for their students. Jennifer Ledford, from #4ocfpln, has been nothing but kind and supportive me as I have slowly waded the mysterious waters of gamification. While talking to her, I can hear the excitement and engagement in her own voice, and am excited to jump into this on my own. Lastly, #DitchSummit was one of the best experiences of personal professional development I have had this year. Among many other presenters, listening to Mike Matera's story and experiences of gamification "gave me the itch" to start gamifying this past year on a small scale, but, regretfully, never got the ball rolling. I'll be jumping in full-fledged after navigating the engrossing pages of Explore Like a Pirate this summer. This summer, before binging Explore Like a Pirate, I had the privilege of hearing Tisha Richmond share her story of gamification in her culinary arts classroom. Again, stories of amazing student engagement! Perhaps the most touching part of Tisha's story is when she talked about creating memories in the classroom. If we aren't mindful of memory-making, students will go an entire year without making one worthwhile memory. How sad would this be? The beauty of gamification is that, not only is it an experience in and of itself, it lends to so many memorable experiences throughout the year along the journey. After getting home from ISTE, I dove into Explore Like a Pirate as part of a book study led by Katelyn Callahan and several other educators including Mr. Matera himself. It's been the perfect group of companions as we all embark on this gamification journey together! The book has been the perfect field guide to aid in creating the game I plan to use in my classroom this year! I plan to go back many times throughout the year looking for ideas for game mechanics and mini-games! I won't bore you with every detail of the mechanics behind the game, but share some my takeaways and details about the game I have started to craft for this coming year. First of all, gamification is not simply the use of games in the classroom. I learned this very early in my lurking days of #xplap: Gamification is the overlay of game mechanics (from video games, board games, card games, etc) on top of already existing classroom curriculum and procedures. I'm not a super gamer, but have played my fair share of video games ranging from Mario Kart 64 to Pokemon Go and MLB the Show 18. I'm so excited that I can finally cash in on the many hours of experience using these games. Alright, maybe it won't entirely make up for these hours spent lost in games, but it has definitely made this gamification journey easier. I'll be including game mechanics such as XP, leveling up, badges, and Easter Eggs. This is an ambitious beginning, but with a slow roll out, I hope it will come together. Next, I keep hearing two very valuable pieces of advice when it comes to gamification: "Start Small" & "Start with a theme" you are passionate about. I guess starting small doesn't work for everyone. I've had a blast creating the game world thus far because the theme has been so easy to connect with: Marvel. The story has been writing itself! Again, hours of Netflix movie and series binging is bearing its fruit! Here is the story of the game in a nutshell:
I will surely be sharing updates about my journey into a gamified classroom throughout the year, but this is where it all begins. I am having so much fun putting it all together! "Little by little, one travels far." Tolkien Very excited for the journey my students and I will be embarking on! Hoping this journey is memorable and an experience my students will one day look back on fondly. One step at a time. Book NotesMarvel Gamification Homebase
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First of all, thanks to the #4ocfpln for establishing the "Blogging Challenge!" In an effort to record and reflect on our own learning and practices, the goal is to blog at least once ever two weeks. I'm going to try to keep up my end of the bargain, but life is about to get pretty crazy as I move to Philly in about three weeks! Perhaps this is actually the best time to reflect? Nevertheless, thanks to the #4ocfpln for encouraging my continued stretching and learning beyond what I thought was possible. This year, my #OneWord2018 has been "adventure" and this summer has been no exception. (1) I just returned less than two weeks ago from a cross-country road trip to Chicago for the ISTE Conference (I still intend to blog about these experiences!). (2) I'm moving to a new city for a new job in the leg leg of my career. (3) Finally, my intellectual adventure this summer has comprised of much reading! 5 books! I've literally never read so much in my life. Not even hyperbole here. I've finished Bold School and Explore Like a Pirate! I'm currently working on Genius Hour, Shake Up Learning, and Mathematical Mindsets, the subject of this blog. A couple years ago, my first-year mentor had mentioned reading the book, Mathematical Mindsets, and it really challenging her thinking. I love when inherently bright people are always pushing their thinking! First of all, I am so fortunate to have had the mentor I had because she is always willing to push the envelope in doing what is right for students, even when others don't quite understand the why. She understands the why. She is always ahead of the curve when it comes to best practices. She had read Mathematical Mindsets long before I knew of its status of being a contemporary must-read. Recently, my #PLF also studied the book on Voxer as well and shared glowing reviews. I'm not going to lie. I wish I had joined and experienced #FOMO, but there was just too much happening in my life at the time! Nevertheless, I have jumped in this summer and it has already changed my mindset when it comes to math instruction which is perfect because I am gearing up to teach 5th grade inclusively this year, including Math. I'm going to reflect on the two biggest "Aha!" moments for me thusfar in the reading. First of all, there is no such truth to there being "math brains" and "non-math brains." People are not inherently good or bad at math. Also, the delivery methods for math must be shifted from the spoon-feeding variety to a more inquiry based model. I had been led to believe that some students were just never going to "get math." I definitely never gave up on students and their ability to conquer a skill as I would continue to work beyond class hours, oftentimes, but I don't think I truly believed all students have the innate capacity to conquer math. Thankfully, I have only taught math three of my first five years, but at the same time I have taught math three years!! Oh boy! This means there is much room to change my approach going forward. How can students succeed in a difficult subject if they do not believe they can "do" math, let alone believe the teacher believes that they can "do" math? Going forward, it is my goal to start with mindsets at the beginning of the year. We need to shift from believing that struggles and mistakes are a barrier to "doing math" and realize that they are actually the threshold to understanding. When students do not make mistakes, they are not learning, nor making new synapse connections. It is my hope that students frame the year as a process oriented toward learning and struggling(!). Too often, we, as a society, want to shield students from hardship or tough times, but it is through "fire" that we are refined. Students must struggle in order to learn! While reading Mathematical Mindsets, there have been many moments where I have had to take a hard swallow and recognize the error in my ways. While this is not entirely my fault, math instruction had been modeled in only one way throughout my life as a student, and then teacher. The teacher gave examples, the students copied, then the students would complete sample problems exactly like the problems done by the teacher. While this works for some including myself (until Calculus), it does exactly THAT! Works for some. This oft-done teaching strategy results in many students passively sitting in class while not understanding the math at hand because they are not given a chance to grapple with the concept. In Mathematical Mindsets, Jo Boaler talks about an open approach to math where students are not given the answers to all problems and there is not even always one clearly defined answer. Students need to wrestle and reason through tough processes in math. If is given to them, there are very few mistakes made, synapses are not being fired, and learning is not happening. One simple (but massive) paradigm shift struck me. Let's toss out examples and practice problems... Before introducing a concept, give the students a problem that they can reason through... to the point they need the new mathematical principle. Once they get to the part of the problem that requires the new skill or mathematical principle, this is the teacher's opportunity to strike gold. Teach the missing concept or principle! Students are much more engaged and are looking for this lesson from the teacher without it being spoon-fed without context. I can't say I have mastered this or even tried it, but it has definitely changed my mindset in teaching math. In the end, they can do it and let them wrestle it. I am so excited to finish reading this book. Not going to lie, when I have other things going on, I experience major #FOMO because I am not diving deeper, but alas, I have some time to dive a little more in today. p.s. No idea why I included cat memes. I am not a cat person, but they seemed to fit. ;)
Sharing a quick series of blog updates here! Moving to Philadelphia where I will be teaching 5th grade! I am so excited for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside my new students. Not naive in my new adventure, but ready for anything. Here are some pictures of move in day from early June! More to come. There is much potential and I'm excited to see where this goes! Can't wait to get in there to start organizing and making it home for the students and I! I'm sure there will be more updates to come! :) This was a year of many wonderful times, and many challenges. If you didn't know, I have decided to switch schools and have taken a position with the School District of Philadelphia as a 5th grade teacher. I am so excited for this new opportunity, and am a bit nostalgic as I look back on the past 4 years. I have been so blessed to have earned my first full time teaching position at this school. So thankful for the wonderful families and their support over the years. I will miss the students the most. It's always been about the students. In retrospect, a dropped Chromebook or a few instances of plagiarism is really frustrating, but it does not affect the relationships formed which matter most in the end. I pray, that through the grace of God, I was able to make a difference and encourage my students to be the best that they can be using their God-given gifts. These guys were special. I taught the seventh graders in 4th, 6th, and 7th grades. I taught the 6th graders in 4th and 6th grades. In a sense, they were my firsts. The seventh graders were my first 4th grade as a long-term sub. The 6th graders were my first class as a full-time teacher. I will miss these guys tremendously! I am grateful that I am moving less than two hours away, and hope to be back for their respective 8th grade graduations! I am so excited to move forward, but know that it is important to count my blessings. There have been countless. Thank you St. Leo's. |
About MeLouie here! 5th Grade Teacher. Level 2 Google Educator. Love all things Google. 1:1 Chromebooks. Archives
June 2020
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