It started out as a way to make Genius Hour part of my classroom, but it evolved into something even more powerful. If 21st Century Learning encompasses creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking, this may be the greatest refection of achievement in all of those arenas. TTime became TTalk, and we are all the better for it.
Image taken from http://nccscurriculum.org/tag/4cs/
Two summer ago, I was preparing to teach Grade 8 History /Geography (MYP 3 Individuals and Societies) for the first time. It was daunting in some ways, but it was so exciting in others. Being an avid Twitter-user, the concept of Genius Hour was everywhere, and I was curious. Thanks to some amazing collaborators- some with whom I actually spoke and some from whom I learned from a distance, I created TTime.
The idea of TTime was to use the to use the Ontario Curriculum expectations for Global Settlement: Patterns and Sustainability as a conduit for teaching a lot of learning skills. I began with lessons related to the content of the unit in order to build to a foundation for which students could build enough knowledge to make an informed choice. My statement of inquiry was: The global interaction of individuals and communities impact the sustainability of our planet. I called the unit: Take Only Pictures.
Under that umbrella, I wanted the students to find a topic for which they were or could become passionate. I did this in a few different ways, but it was first shared through a graffiti board and then envisioned through a pitch. The graffiti board was a creative and fun way the class could join together to express their focus for the talk ahead while isolating their topic for their pitch. You can read more about the pitches on my pervious posts:
These are the two grade 8 classes creating graffiti boards of their topics:
After the students pitched their topic ideas for their TTime Talk ( a TED-like talk that was their ultimate goal), I began conferencing with students. I filmed the pitches and had the students meet with me to communicate reflections and next steps. They had to share before I added my suggestions, and watching their content and delivery unfold in the footage was a helpful tool for their goal setting for growth. The pitches showed how passionate the students were about their topic and helped the students formulate a sense of what content and skills required development. They also helped me direct some students to other topics entirely.
The next step was to teach students about blogging. Reflection is essential for learning, and it is part of the Investigation criterion in the Middle Years Program of the International Baccalaureate (MYP) that is a required rubric for all summative tasks in Individuals and Societies. The rubric looks at how students reflect on the process and results of their learning, so I thought blogging would be a perfect format. While blogging is a great way to reflect, it adds audience beyond the teacher which makes it an even more authentic and engaging platform. Plus, blogging is an easier way to help students attain voice in their writing. Most students really enjoyed setting up and personalizing their blogs, although some really struggled. That was good for their learning and mine. I have added it as something I need to spend more time explicitly teaching next year. The blogs varied in terms of written communication skills, content and process, but they were very good overall.
Here are links to a few of their blogs:
The blogging requirement included one post after the pitch, one in between the TTime Talk and one after the Talk. Then, things got really interesting.
Like with all my Building Outside the Blocks projects, the students selected the dates for their presentations from the teacher-provided options. As the students were choosing dates, one respectfully requested a name change. He felt that TTime Talk was awkward and actually inhibited students from becoming excited about their objectives. I was surprised, but I was also open. I asked him to propose an alternative, and he suggested TTalk. He felt that it implied TED but also rolled off the tongue much more naturally. I wasn’t convinced, but I polled the class and made the change based on their agreement. When I told the other Grade 8 class about the new name, they were really excited. One of my students was so inspired by the change that he made the graphic (see above). When he explained it, I was even more moved. He showed me the two TT's and we went on to discuss how it was both representative of the umbrella of sustainability and the implication that we are looking at the protection of the world, like a shelter. I was deeply moved by the level of engagement that resulted in TTalk and this powerful logo, so I excitedly tweeted out the new icon (to share it with the world of educators and to make sure it was acceptable to the TED people).
I had always perceived action planning as teacher-owned and student followed. After a lot of thinking and reflecting on the previous year’s assignment, I really felt that I needed to teach the students to create their own action plans. Since the projects were individual, I knew that collaboration would be the only way that I could truly personalize the teaching. I began with a mini lesson on action planning for the whole class and spent the rest of the week meeting with students one-on-one to create action plans for their topics in view of their selected TTalk presentations. The unit would soon be done, but the presentations would transpire while the next unit of inquiry unfolded (#Canada150). That way, I had a concentrated week (4 periods) of action planning while the other students were researching or blogging. When each student had created an approved plan to be modified and checked off as they progressed, I taught a final lesson that went on for 2 classes: How to prepare and present a TED Talk. The students had to take their 1 minute pitches and evolve them to a 4-6 minute talk.
We watched a few TED Talks on sustainability and did a shared writing of the success criteria with a focus on verbal, non-verbal, content and media skills. We put it on chart paper and the students added it to their action plans. One student also found and shared this: http://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=ted-blog&utm_term=business.
After that, the students were on their own to self-direct in view of their deadlines. All of their homework time for my class was allotted for this.
When the TTalks were over and evaluated, the students shared their overall reflections with me so that I could record them on my planner. I was already so happy with how things had gone, but hearing how much they enjoyed the challenge and all they had learned from each other infused me with an even greater sense of purpose. This was a creative way to teach communication skills while also requiring a lot of critical thinking. While the projects were independent, the students collaborated with me to help their work and my practice evolve. They also taught each other and built a community of learners growing together. This was 21st Century Learning in action, and I loved walking the talk. TTalk was an incredible experience for all of us, and I can’t wait to see where the students will go with this next.