Invigorating Student Learning

Want to get your students’ blood pumping and energize them while they learn?

Transform your cooperative learning activity into a reality TV cooking competition.

I was introduced to John Corippo’s take on cooperative learning at the Blended Learning Communities conference this past July.  He transformed the jigsaw method of cooperative learning by using Iron Chef as an inspiration.

Students are given a task to complete within a group using content - the ingredients.  They have a time limit.  They’re even given a mystery ingredient.  Then they get 30 seconds apiece to present as part of their group.

Creating the slide presentation.

I took Corippo’s resources (You can find them at his site.) and altered them to meet my students’ needs.  I put students into groups of three or four and gave them twelve minutes to produce with Google Slides.  Each student was responsible for one slide with the expectation to include appropriate information and one image.  They also needed to use the “ingredient” from the mystery box on all slides.  When time was up, they would stop working.  Ready or not, it would be time to present.  Each group would come before the class, and each student would present his/her slide in 30 seconds or less.

Comments from students about their experience.

After giving students the overview and the expectations and getting the timer ready, I announced, “Your twelve minutes starts….NOW!”  There was a slight pause as the class collectively took a breath, and, then, the students feverishly began their work.

The fast pace and feeling of competition ensnared the students. They were engaged, they were manipulating information, and they were interacting positively with their peers.  They handled the task well, even mustering the courage to present in front of their peers.  

The presentations were a bonus.  Not only did each student review information within the group, but every student in class had multiple exposures to information related to the topic when the different groups shared their understanding through the oral component.  To encourage listening - and because audiences always like to have their say in television competitions like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars - students were asked to rate each presentation on the following criteria via a Google Form:  content, presentation and creativity, and overall quality.  

Presenting to the class.

Although some students initially felt the pressure of time, I think that was worthwhile exposure for them as they often struggle to produce efficiently, taking far longer on tasks than I would expect.  They also realized that the time limit made it exciting. Overall, they gave positive feedback.

I recommend you check out Corippo's work. I certainly will be making the Iron Chef approach a permanent part of my lesson planning arsenal.

If you have highly engaging lessons or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

NOTE: Underlined portions indicate revisions made 11/20/15.

Gaining a Greater Appreciation for Our Veterans

Each November, I remind my students that Veterans Day is not just a day off from school. I remind them that it is a day to honor and remember those who have served in our armed forces, to reflect on the sacrifices others have made so that we may enjoy the freedoms and quality of life we have. 

This year I pointed out to students the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project as something they may want to do with their families to help honor veterans and preserve history. 

I also had an interesting conversation with a colleague. She noted that her father was a veteran and stressed to her students that he does NOT have today off from work. That made me pause and reflect after our conversation. 

I thought about how many other veterans must be working today without our knowing. They are still doing there job like today is just another day. Should our students get a day off from school in honor of veterans if they won't actually take the time to honor the veterans that day?  How can we make those veterans, including those plugging away at their jobs post military service, still feel our appreciation?

Though some questions came to my mind, I did come to one conclusion. I appreciate my father, my uncles, my grandfather, my father-in-law, and all other veterans and their efforts while they served that much more. 

If you have have a something to relay about Veterans Day or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

Getting Better Together

Being connected as an educator can take on multiple forms.  

A teacher can be on twitter, maintain a blog, join a Google hangout, or use other social media.  With students, a teacher can have a class twitter account, have students maintain blogs, engage in mystery Skype, or use back channels among other activities.

In addition, students can use their smartphones to do things such as to record and share.  QR codes and Google Docs give teachers easy avenues to share with students and give feedback.  There are countless ways to be connected.

But, at its core, being connected comes down to one thing: getting better together.  Having crossed my mind in the past, I was reminded while reading Julie Vincentsen’s (@jvincentsen) blog. Whether using technology or not, education is all about getting better together.

Technology can enhance collaboration and even make it easier.  But it is not necessary for collaboration.  When we work together, we can learn and achieve far more than in isolation.  Even one who works without others, cannot escape the influence of others through interaction, readings, or video.  Students can bounce ideas off of one another, can clarify their ideas with one another, and can teach one another.  Likewise, educators can receive the same benefits when engaged with their students.

Some activities may use technology while others may not.  Ultimately, however, the goal remains the same:  improvement.  And it is enhanced by others.

Just like educators encourage our students to interact with others to improve their learning, educators must also look for others to help them with their learning and improvement.  By being connected, we are getting better together.   As Julie notes in her post, “@AmyHeavin writes: Through our conversation, we share insights & ideas. When we act on those ourselves, we grow. When we share others grow too!”

If you have thoughts about what it means to be connected or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

---

This post is inspired by Share #YourEduStory. The prompt from @christyfenne was “What does being "connected" mean to you?”