One important theme to the conference is that technology is a tool that students and teachers use to either help their learning or to display their learning. We often say that students can use technology to:
- help them remember,
- help them understand information,
- help them apply their learning,
- help them analyze and make connections and
- help them create new ideas!
I am a big fan of learning and using new technologies to make our lives more productive and interesting.
Despite the conference being about technology, my "a-ha" moment during the conference came during a presentation by Chris Lehmann. Chris Lehmann is an educator that I have followed on Twitter for several years, and I respect him immensely. He is also the principal of the Science Learning Academy in Philadelphia. It's a pretty cool school, and you should look it up! Mr. Lehmann did a presentation titled "Where Does it Live?" and challenged us to build "systems and structures around what you believe". He asked us a lot of questions about what our schools and classrooms looked like and how they felt. He asked us if our classrooms and routines matched what we believed about learning. This really made me think. I was also really surprised to hear many other people in the room question their routines too.
I came back from the conference energized and excited to try a few new things. The students had a great discussion about the rules and routines we follow in our classroom at Beaumont School. We then spent a lot of time determining which ones we couldn't change because of circumstances beyond our control (sorry kids- we have to have Math class).
So today we started with a trial run of an "Un-Seating Plan". Most in-class work time, students have the choice to sit where they choose. They can stand, perch, kneel, sit or even lie down. Why? We determined that everyone learns differently, that it is important to have choice, and that it is important to learn to make good choices to support our learning. That being said, sometimes students need help making good choices, so if someone is having difficulty learning because of their (or someone else's) seating choice, I will direct students to a different location where they can experience success.
To make this work best, and to respect guest teachers and the need to take attendance, students do have an assigned "check in" spot where they are required to sit on occasion. Students are also encouraged to bring in different chairs, seats or stools from home to try out what works best for their learning. Meanwhile, tomorrow we are going to start practicing moving from our check-in positions to our choice spots efficiently with minimal disruptions.
I'm looking forward to an interesting few days as we transition!
