You’ve
heard it before, there is no box in my classroom – actually, my teammates have
quite a great time reminding me that I have no clue there is a box that I’m “supposed”
to fit in! I’m not someone who thinks
inside boxes and boundaries (which made my own learning experience horrendously
unbearable), but I do respect people who work better within defined
parameters. It’s not that I want to
cause panic among “newbies” to my room (well, um, okay, there IS a certain
amount of pleasure I get from pushing people to think). I want
to provide a space that is comfortable for ALL learners and if that means it needs
to look and feel different, then it will be.
I suppose pillows on the floor around a coffee table doesn’t constitute
as a learning space for some!
We
recently planned to begin our simple machines unit. In the past I’ve used a “canned” program (do
this “experiment”, with an already determined/expected outcome, first, followed
by the second unrelated experiment, wait until the end to barely relate
concepts, etc....), but over the past few years I’ve slowly moved into inquiry/project
based units. The biggest challenge I’ve
discovered isn’t about budget cuts, or lack of support or supplies, but it’s
been kids having difficulty thinking. I
know that sounds crazy, but the way education is turning, kids are used to “just
doing worksheets” and not having to think, wonder, or connect learning. That’s really my biggest goal in my room –
kids HAVE TO think and take risks! It’s not easy, it takes time, it takes coaxing
and lots of encouraging. By 9 they
already believe that they’re supposed to give me the “right” answer and wait
for a number or an obnoxiously large C placed prominently on their paper, be
done with the task and move on to the next – factory style. Now, they see learning as continuous and
connected – we don’t do one thing without it somehow connecting to past or
future learning which doesn’t end with a topic......it’s seamless, it’s related.
I started
planning from the end – where I wanted them to get to and worked backward to the
beginning of the plan. Once I wrote the project
“must dos” I started my “teasers” – I planted pictures on our Twitter feed
asking the kids what they thought we were up to next.....first a picture of the
pegboard....then of the pegs, no explanations......at that point, many of my
kids started guessing and as they guessed I sent them a bonus picture clue of marbles
encouraging them to keep thinking or asking questions for them to think about –
no answers, no further hints. They were
SO excited that by the time I revealed the project I thought they’d come
unglued! By this point, they were so
hooked that the next day that started research, several kids came in armed with
things they had printed out or written down that they had already learned at
home (have I mentioned how I feel about teacher assigned homework versus a
genuine intrinsic motivation to learn outside of the classroom???)!
At the
end of the unit I need the kids to understand friction, force and motion, identify
simple machines and explain how each works.
The road we choose to get there is where I have the power to make a
difference. This year’s task appeared
simple – “The Great Marble Machine Race” (insert collective gasp – it was
amazing!) .... and then I introduced the “monkey wrenches”: the race is based on the slowest machine, your machine must include a minimum of three
machines, each team will be provided a peg board (2x4), 16 pegs, and each team
member will receive one marble. Mouths
dropped, eyebrows furrowed, sighs were heard.......and then.....like magic.... the
kids started turning to their shoulder buddies whispering ideas, asking
questions.
Once
they started working in their teams, they whole heartedly jumped into it. Kids scrambled to pull up links to begin to
generate ideas for the best machine they could.
They are required to keep notes, draw diagrams, and create &
continuously redesign their prototypes based on what they have learned. They quickly began their research and watched
what others were up to – which so many would deem as “cheating”......but me? I
think of it as being vested, in a genuine desire to improve themselves, as
being resourceful - they’re using each other as teachers (with me fulfilling my
role as “co-pilot” on this learning trip), and they’re being driven and pushed
by their peers.
As
they first worked to understand friction and why it was important to their
machines, I heard kids talking about using carpet on their run: “maybe I can ask my dad and use a piece from
our basement” or deciding to use something similar to carpet, “but not that
scratchy with a little less friction” and “ice would NOT be good because it
would be water before we could use it”.
It was pretty amazing to witness – in less than an hour these kids had a
pretty strong understanding of friction, some a little more than others, but all
without my help - simply relying on themselves, questioning what was read, and
apply & making connections to what
they knew in their own lives.
The hardest
part of a classroom working on project based/inquiry learning is giving up “teacher
control” and being “in charge”. Many times
I want so badly to jump in and guide the kids as to where they should look, but
I have to let them grapple with ideas and question each other and ideas in
order for them to learn and build confidence in themselves as thinkers. It’s easy to jump in, it’s easy to spew out
an answer, it’s easy to “fix it” for them.
I need to reassure myself that they have parameters, but the rest is up
to them to grab hold of and run with. As
we regrouped after that first day of research, the kids asked if they could go off
the sides of the board, if they could use tubes, if they could use toy cars,
could they bring in carpet pieces......I simply smiled and gave no answer
because they knew, they only needed me to encourage & support them. Some even asked if they could keep
researching at home and start gathering supplies......I’m getting good at just
smiling. They are the only ones that can
hold themselves back.....but their ingenuity has already been sparked.
And by
the way, if you find my box? Please don’t
bring it back – I love my world.
"If you
judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life
believing it is stupid." – Albert Einstein
