“I couldn’t wait to show you what I found out on the news.”

There was a problem with the water pipes in our school that necessitated early release.  The students were told that as soon as lunch was over, they’d be sent home.  The bell rang at 1:01 for the kids to go home.  I planned on using the extra time to get some work done, so I settled into my chair and got out my to-be-graded stack.  Just as I got comfortable, my door burst open and my Speech students, Heather*, an athlete, stood at the threshold.  She held out a printed out news article.  “I couldn’t wait to show you what I found out on the news.  Gaddafi is dead!  I’m so excited.  I knew you would be too, and I wanted to be the one to tell you.”  Anticipation and excitement shone in her eyes as she pushed the article toward me.  She said, “I was just surfing the internet, and I saw this headline, that Gaddafi was dead.  I thought, ‘That’s exactly what we’ve been talking about in Speech,’ and I had to know more.  So, I checked it out, and when I read it, I just knew I had to print it and show it to you right away.” 

In my Speech class, we are working on building students’ background knowledge to enable them to do extemporaneous speeches about world events.  So, each week, they are required to choose a big topic like environment, politics, or international issues.  Then, they find three reliable articles to share with the class.  We talk about the articles they bring in, and I try to fill in the gaps.  When one student brought in an article about Gaddafi being tracked in the desert a few weeks ago, I asked the class what they knew about what was happening in Libya.  They didn’t know anything about it.  The next day, I showed them a few articles from Time magazine about him and his opposition.  We went back to an article posted in February, at the beginning of the resistance, to find out what the complaints of the rebels were.  Then, we talked about how it would feel if we were asked to live in a regime like that.  Students were appalled by the accusations of the Arab Spring, and couldn’t understand how someone who treated his people so badly could continue to be in power for so long.  Of course, this led to discussions of the importance of being active citizens to make sure something like that doesn’t happen in the United States.

 Students are engaged in the current events collection and discussion, as is evidenced by Heather’s excitement.  When asked at the beginning of the year if she read the news, she told me she did not.  Now, she cares about finding out what is happening in the world.  The fact that she’s the one who brought me the news thrilled me.  Sometimes I’m not sure how much of an impact I’m making, and if they are going to take what they learn in class to apply it to their real lives.  Times like this give me hope. 

The two camps as I see it

There are two conflicting camps in education.  One camp believes that the route to success is by controlling and aligning as many factors as possible.  In this ideology, the problem in the current system is not the system itself, but lack of planning.  If teachers plan together so that one grade builds on the next, and all desired skills are gradually developed, then students will be able to achieve the performance goal.  In this model, the students are called on to prove what they’ve learned in a standardized test, administered at the end of the year.  Funding is then tied to the performance of the school, determined by a formula that also takes into consideration demographic information and attendance rates.  In this camp, the pervading belief is that if teachers were able to plan the perfect system, aligned both vertically and horizontally, then students will achieve the desired goals. 

Another camp believes that planning and assessing isn’t the crux of the problem.  Instead, we need a revolutionary change to take the current education system that was designed in the Industrial Age and update it.  This camp believes that, in order to have a healthy system, it must be adapted.  Changes are necessary at all levels of the organization, from the age-based system down to the standardized assessment.  In this viewpoint, human beings are at the center of the classroom, not just students.  This means that we have to look at them as individuals and make adjustments according to their needs.  Within this system, creativity is valued and divergent thinking encouraged.  People who fall in this ideological stance aren’t necessarily against standards, as they recognize the importance of having goals.  However, the usage of current standardized tests is what is questioned.  Instead of giving the tests at the end of the year when the teacher can’t take corrective action, this stance would rather have the tests earlier, so that results could be used to determine where the most attention should be given.

In both camps, teachers, administrators, and policy-makers believe they are making the best decisions for their students.  They use the information and experiences they have in order to shape their pedagogical beliefs.  Because everyone has a different set of experiences, in different contexts, with different people, and different goals, there is bound to be a different outcome. 

For myself, I believe that a mix of the two approaches is probably closer to the truth.  However, I do lean more toward the socio-cultural constructivist viewpoint.  As I’ve stated in a previous post, I don’t plan out every question I’m going to ask, although I have a good idea of where I want to go.  Instead, I listen to what the students already know, and adapt to them.  If they need more instruction in one area than another, and I’ve planned differently, then I’m not opposed to dropping my goal for the day and returning to it another day.  Sometimes, this means I’ll do it in the same unit.  Sometimes, it means it will be shifted to another unit.  I couldn’t do this in a scripted curriculum.  However, I value the importance of meeting with other teachers, across content areas.  If we could figure out a way to make sure the History teacher and the English teacher are discussing WWII at the same time, the students will note connections between the two subjects.  If the Biology teacher is discussing Ecosystems, the English teacher could provide an article to supplement this instruction in order to teach a reading skill.  They are all interrelated, so there should be a collaborative plan.  But it shouldn’t stop there.  Teachers in the middle school and teachers in the high school need to plan together.  High school teachers can tell middle school teachers what skills they’d like to see more fully developed.  Middle school teachers could tell high school teachers what skills and texts students had already learned.  In this way, students would have a cohesive, logical, relevant curriculum to give them maximum connections.

But until we sit down and reconcile these differences, this won’t happen.  We’ll continue to teach the way we think it should be done, following the rules, and getting it done.  Is it enough?  I don’t think so.  We should expect more of ourselves just as we should expect more from our students. 

What I learned about Deaf Education

I am not an expert on Deaf Education.  In fact, I do not teach any deaf children, nor do I know any adults who are deaf.  However, I was so blown away by Serena Johnson's presentation on deaf education tonight in class, that I felt it important to share a few nuggets of information that she shared.

1)  Deaf people are usually not COMPLETELY deaf.  That is, they can still hear sounds, but they can't differentiate the sounds.  Watch the video below to hear what hearing loss sounds like.





2.  Apparently, the average graduating high school deaf person only has a reading level of fourth or fifth grade.  More research is necessary in this field.  This is a gap in education, because there is a small community of people affected by this issue. 

3.  Deaf education has historically followed the trends of hearing people's view of education.  However, this group has different needs, so, perhaps there needs to be an entire field dedicated to the research and development of reading education for people with hearing loss.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos and TED Talks

Today, I asked students to watch a series of videos from TED to compare the presentation styles of four speakers.  I chose to include Adora Svitik, Jane McGonigal, Hasan Elahi, and Marcel Dicke because they were all different in content, but each used ethos, pathos, and logos brilliantly.  As models for understanding how a speaker builds a good speech using those three rhetorical elements, the speeches served to allow my students to apply their knowledge of the terms. 

Because Adora Svitik is so young, she is an inspiration for my students.  If they doubt their ability to make an excellent speech because of their age, that fear is assuaged by this little girl.  At the same time, her content mirrors what they already know- that their knowledge matters every bit as their teachers.  They liked her argument in her TED talk, "What Adults Can Learn From Kids," about how learning should be reciprocal.  At the same time, students were easily able to see how, as a child, she was a credible source for speaking about children.  Additionally, she showed her audience her book cover, which only emphasized that she was worth listening to.  She's not "just a kid".  She's a kid who has achieved great things, despite, or perhaps, because of her youth.  This is a clear example of building ethos.  By giving examples of adults who have made disasterous decisions, and paralleling them with impactful youth, Svitik appealed to the logical side.  She used logos to show that her point was not just because she was too young to get it, but instead, that her argument made sense.  Finally, she jokes with the audience, relaxing them. This is a form of pathos.  As an even more clear example, she includes a photo of a youngster who raised large amounts of money for charity. 



I love Jane McGonigal.  The first time I saw her, it was through her TED talk "Gaming Can Make a Better World".  Her ideas were absolutely ridiculous and brilliant at the same time.  Like any good speaker, she left me with questions and an interest to learn more.  Already intrigued by the idea of gaming as a means to help students learn, her assertion that games could help make the world better, took my interest a step further.  Building on my knowledge of James Paul Gee's work, McGonigal brought a whole new dimension to my understanding of the impact of games.  But, her ideas are also interesting enough, that it sparked a wonderful conversation with my students, that may become the subject of a discourse analysis in a future work.  Students were able to identify her occupation as building her ethos, the historical story about Herodotus as logos, and the photo of a thoroughly engaged boy as pathos.  But, students went beyond making connections about the use of these two devices.  With this one, they wanted to discuss the virtues and shortcomings of her presentation style.  They were interested in the content, and were able to make personal connections.  What made the conversation even more worthwhile was the equal representation of different sides.  In a class of six students, one was completely on board with McGonigal, one completely opposed.  Three were in the middle, but thought her ideas had merit, if not completely on point, and one was silent on the issue.  The mix of viewpoints led to good discussion.  Students were engaged in both the form and function of the speech and the topic.



Next, I let students choose two more videos they were interested in seeing.  The students had a choice which one out of the list to watch.  So, there was enough choice that the students could feel like they had some control.  I've watched a number of TED talks, most of these talks are school-appropriate.  If anyone else wants to use this approach, I'd suggest considering the needs and views of your students and your school before opening it up.  The videos they selected were from Hasan Elahi, who spoke about his art/database/personal reporting system; and Marcel Dicke, who spoke about why people should eat insects.  Students discussed ethos, pathos, and logos in each video, and then also added a discussion about the attire speakers wore. 






Using TED talks, my students were able to analyze the form and function of a good speech across a variety of topics. I first made decisions about the videos they'd look at, finding videos that I knew were good examples of the use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Then, I released some control to the students. After all, if I was giving them a video about how kids and teachers should have a reciprocal learning relationship, this was really my only possible course of action. Otherwise, it would seem that I was not practicing what I preached. In this instance, this method worked well. Students were able to understand the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos. They were able to apply their knowledge across multiple presentations. They noticed other elements of effective speeches that we had discussed earlier in the semester. Overall, it was a successful lesson.

Football as a metaphor for reading research

Buried under research articles, it can sometimes feel like it is pointless to try and sort everything out.  One researcher says one thing, and another says the complete opposite.  It can positively leave the researcher light-headed trying to evaluate, judge, and analyze everything.  If nobody agrees, can anything truly be right?  Or is everyone wrong?

In truth, nobody has it completely right, but there’s an element of truth to much research.

Life isn’t black and white.  The right answer for one group of people won’t necessarily work for another.  People are ever-changing, constantly-evolving creatures.  We change when the world around us changes, which it does daily.  Every time we take in new information, we evaluate it, sort it, and store or apply it.  It changes us, and the system around us.  In Human Systems Dynamics, this idea of the constantly changing system is complex adaptive systems (Eoyang 1999).  Human beings are complex adaptive systems on many levels.

And because we are complex, ever-changing, continually adapting, there cannot be a single solution.  Yet, every time we research a strand, we come closer to understanding the whole.  We start to recognize patterns.  We begin to put the system together as a whole.

In a recent lecture at University of North Texas, Dr. Kathleen Mohr pointed out that reading research is like a football game.  We can all go to the same football game and see different things.  For example, some people go to see the quarterback, and they focus on how well he throws.  That is the most important thing in the game to them.  Perhaps a scout may be there to watch the defense, because he needs to fill a few positions on his college team.  A mother might go to the game to see her son play the trumpet in the band.  Another parent may attend to support their cheerleader daughter.  Others may say they don’t pay much attention to the game itself, they are there for the social aspect.  All these people are at the same football game, but they come up with different experiences.  Although the spectator’s focus varies, they don’t discount the importance of all the other things happening.  It just wouldn’t be a game without all those elements working together.  But, someone needs to focus on the individual part to make the experience as a whole enjoyable.  So it is with reading research.

My interest is primarily in adolescent motivation.  I suspect, based on experience and reading, that motivation is greatly impacted by student choice.  I believe in the necessity of giving students pieces of reading that apply toward real-life.  My research will center on some combination of current events, gaming, technology, popular culture, and reading motivation.  But, I don’t discount the work of others who are looking into code-based systems.  Nor do I ignore the work of those people investigating ethnicity and its impact on reading instruction.  Reading comprehension work is not my primary interest, but it is just as important.  All these pieces work together to create an individual’s reading experience.   

Eoyang, G., & Berkus, T. (1999). Evaluating performance in a CAS. Evaluating performance in a complex adaptive system in managing complexity in organizations. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.  Obtained online 24 Oct 2011 at http://www.hsdinstitute.org/learn-more/library/articles/Evaluating-Performance-in-a-CAS.pdf.

TAIR Conference- Connecting with Reading

TAIR Conference 2011- Guyer High School, Denton, TX. 

Each year, the University of North Texas Reading Department puts on conference in Denton, TX to connect teacher practitioners with pre-service teachers.  Hundreds of undergraduates show up to learn from seasoned professional teachers, and the practicing teachers hone their conference presentation skills.  This year, we were honored to have the author George Ella Lyon as our keynote speaker. 

To those of us who teach the “I Am From” poem, Lyon’s presence was a thrill.  She read aloud from a few of her books, sharing her prose with the passion of a performer.  It makes such a difference when the reader feels the intention behind the text, and it was good to see how her reading showcased that very important aspect of reading for entertainment.  At the end of her presentation, Lyon sang a song that she had written that could function just as easily as a poem as it did lyrics to a song.  I urged her to record the song and place it on her website, so I’m hopeful that this will happen.

After breaking from the keynote, we moved to session one.  My own presentation didn’t have any participants show up, so I abandoned my empty room in favor of taking advantage of learning from my peers.  Although it was disappointing to not present something I worked hard to compile, I was pleased to have the opportunity to learn something new.  So, I will hold on to my presentation in hopes of presenting it again another year.  Perhaps I need to work on the title to entice teacher educators to hear me.

I went to Dr. Carol Revelle’s presentation on using a gallery walk to tackle the tough issue of the Holocaust.  She and her partner, a National Writing Project TC from Arizona, began by doing a read-aloud of the book “Erika’s Story” by Ruth Vander Zee.  In this children’s book, a mother is on her way to a concentration camp, and she chooses to throw her infant child from the side of the train in hopes that the baby would be taken in by one of the townsfolk that were gathered, watching the death trap speed ahead.  We were asked to consider whether we’d be able to make that difficult choice.  After sharing our writing, we were directed to walk around and consider various poems and pictures that had been mounted on butcher paper on the walls. Each of us armed with a marker, we annotated our impressions, questions, and connections. Then, we came together to share our thoughts again.  Finally, we saw a wordle that had been constructed using the text of the poems that we’d just seen on the walls.  We wrote a response to the wordle as a way to close out our session.

Not only was this lesson powerful thematically, dealing with how children were impacted by the Holocaust, but it was also an excellent model for interactive learning.  An alternate suggestion for using this model to teach other topics would be to collect poems and pictures from a time period and invite students to consider what was going on in the Elizabethan period, as an introduction to Shakespeare; or perhaps to collect poems and paintings centered around a theme, like “The Blues”.  The activation of prior knowledge through using a picture book and writing prompt, followed by movement and consideration to allow students to create their own meaning, and closed by a final writing reflection of the whole allows students to get the most from a class period. 

Next, I went to a session about Slam Poetry by Kip Nettles.  Kip began by showcasing his passion for poetry through sharing his own composition.  His recitation clearly showed pre-service teacher how important it is to share a little bit about oneself in order to make connections with the students.  He’s right about that.  Believing what you are selling is a huge part of encouraging students to think about how important the content is.  If a teacher doesn’t see the value of what they are teaching, the students won’t either.  However, when the teacher allows entry into the soul, it connects with the children.  After sharing his own writing, Kip showed three You Tube videos about Slam poetry that he said he’d use with his students.  They were gritty and used language that a teacher should consider carefully before using.  However, that is part of what Slam poetry is about.  It’s not always pretty or appropriate.  But it is powerful.  He also showed a video from an elementary school that had incorporated slam poetry into a performance.  This type of poetry is flexible through the grade levels.

Leaving his session, I felt inspired to bring more poetry into my classroom.  I wished I had written personal poems that were as powerful as his were.  I also wished I could have recorded his reading of his final poem, about the loss of his guitar-playing after a stroke.  Emotions can bleed through poetry.

Pre-service and teacher practitioners should take advantage of opportunities to learn from each other.  It is amazing what peers can bring to the table, given the chance.  Going to local conferences like the TAIR conference give the lifelong learner a way to connect with others, both socially and ideologically. 

Shown below are two of the Slam Poetry videos shared by Kip:

What is Thought and Language About Anyway?

I decided to make a quick one minute video summary of what Vygotsky's book "Thought and Language" is all about.  Here's my interpretation.  Hope it is useful.

Think Before You Speak: Addressing Homosexuality and Hate Language

Invariably, at some point, a student comes up with the statement, “That’s so gay.”  That happened last week.  I cannot allow that sort of hateful language to happen in my class, so I immediately told the student that he shouldn’t say things like that, and that because I heard him say it, we’d be getting a lesson on why it isn’t appropriate.  However, as the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized I had no plan as to how to achieve that.  In past years, I pretended I didn’t hear it.  But, that’s irresponsible of me, and I am holding myself to a higher standard this year.  So, I did some research.

I found the think b4 you speak website( http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/) dedicated to providing educational materials to combat the spread of hate language. So, spending my afternoon planning time to print out the teachers guide, and the transcript for some PSA’s (that are also available in videos- show below), I planned my crusade on bullying.  I wrote “That’s so gay” in the planning space of the offending class as they left, and was pleasantly surprised by what happened as a result.  The next class that walked in commented, “Ms. B, what is that on your board?  That’s so mean, why would anyone write that?”  Needless to say, I was pleased.  I explained what happened, and the teens in that class got into an impromptu discussion about why people need to cut it out.  One jumped in and even referred to the PSA’s that I had bookmarked to show the offending class.  Other students hadn’t seen the PSA’s, I quickly put them up on my screen.  After the videos were over, the students agreed that I should definitely show those videos to the other class, because the point hits home.  Then, they assured me that they would never use language like that, and that they were glad I was going to teach that lesson.

As the next few periods came through and saw what was written on the board, I got many remarks about it.  By simply writing that phrase on the board, and answering the question about why it was there, I let all my students know that such language would not be tolerated.  I had to step in to watch another teacher’s class while he had to attend a meeting, and one of the students (who is not one of mine, but, as it is a small school, I had met before) asked me how the lesson on stopping bullying had gone.  I hadn’t taught the planned lesson yet, and already, the kids were interested and talking about it.  My conclusion:  by addressing the issue, the student body as a whole was supporting the need to tell offenders to cut it out.  It was important enough to them that it was the topic of conversation outside of the confines of my little classroom world.  I only hope that someone learned something positive in their lunchroom discussions.

I haven’t taught the planned lesson yet, because the boy who made the statement wasn’t present in class that day, but already it is making an impact.

A note: I have a family member who is homosexual that shared a link to an article (http://allthingsqueer.co.za/archives/religion/60.html)  that effectively slammed Christians who use a faith-based argument to put down the decision (or state of being, depending on who you ask) to be gay.  I have as big a problem with that as I do with my student saying something like “that’s so gay.”  In order for everyone to get along and be at peace, attacks need to stop.  Instead, both sides should be focusing on love and acceptance, or, at the very least, tolerance.  To his credit, after I told him the article offended me, he responded that he didn’t think of it as an indictment on Christian faith, but rather as a defense against an argument.  Truly, I believe he didn’t think before posting that article.  However, that’s really the problem with my student too.  I don’t think he was trying to be hateful.  I believe he just didn’t think.  The lesson today?  Think before you speak.  Think before you post.  And, think before you write.

Hilary Duff - Think Before You Speak ("That's So Gay") Official (HQ) - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Think Before You Speak-Pizza Shop - Click here for the most popular videos

Think Before You Speak-Cashiers - The funniest videos are a click away

Assessment Doesn't Have to Be a Dirty Word

The word “assessment” makes me cringe.  Perhaps my dislike of the term is because of the association with testing.  Assessment should be more than that, but, unfortunately, according to our government, that is not the case.  So, teachers across America are forced to have a negative experience with assessment, aka testing.  If the concept were more about evaluation of what students know versus what they do not know in one moment in time and under pressure, perhaps students’ needs would be better served.

What state assessment is: a picture of what a set of students do not know at a specified point in time about a subject whose required standards may or may not be represented.  Students come in to a bare room, cleaned and stripped to reduce the chance of cheating, and sit in rows spaced to prevent wandering eyes.  Of course, the implication is that we do not trust the students, so they are already uncomfortable.  If they look up and accidently allow their gaze to linger too long on another student, they may be subject to severe punishment.  Since the room has all posters ripped down, and any writing on the walls removed, it looks lifeless and dull, as intellectually unstimulating as possible.  Absolute silence is the rule, and no movement of any kind is allowed. They must fill out the test in standard number two pencil, not allowing any stray smudge marks to give inaccurate results.  Essays should be completed only within the lines of a box, and absolutely must follow a standard format for ease of grading in a rubric.  No creativity allowed.

But creativity is what drives our American economy.  People make their living on innovation, ideas, and implementation.  So the assessment, in my opinion, doesn’t match what the desired skill is.  Instead, we are preparing students for an industrial society then throwing them into a pool of creativity that they just don’t know how to handle.  It is unfair to our students. 

Some states, like Washington and Tennessee, offer alternate portfolio evaluations to those students who have significant disabilities and it is specified on their IEP (Individualized Education Plan).  Why can’t it work to give all students the option to elect a portfolio evaluation?  All year, students could work on fulfilling a specified list of objectives, and be required to turn them in.  Teachers could receive specialized training (like we do for TELPAS) to evaluate these portfolios according to a state-provided rubric.  That way, students still have the ability to be in lower-pressure situations, have the time they need to do well, and even give them some room to be a bit more creative.  At the same time, states can keep students on a plan that fulfills state mandated standards, guaranteeing an attempt at continuity across campuses. 

There are already some schools that operate with this portfolio system.  When I was a pre-service teacher in New York in 2003, I took a field trip to observe at an alternative school in Rochester, NY.  It is called The School Without Walls.  At the School Without Walls, students take classes that are about a topic rather than a subject.  For instance, there is one class called Crime Scene Investigation.  The class reads novels about crime scene investigation, practices forensic science, meets with local law enforcement agents, and writes up a case.  The topic goes beyond what is able to be studied in a traditional classroom setting, and the kids are excited about it.  The students who sign up for this course have some interest in pursuing a career related to Crime Scene Investigation, so it is real and worthwhile to them. 

School Without Walls doesn’t just explore topics within the confines of the classroom.  They also meet as a whole school to read a shared text about a broader topic.  For instance, they may read a novel about Self-Discovery, as it is one of their broader topics.  As a school, they meet to discuss problems that may arise in the school, and relate it back to the reading that they do. 

To complete the year, students must turn in a portfolio that shows their growth throughout the year. It includes writing samples, lab reports, mathematical projects, etc.  A committee of teachers, administrators, and board members meets to evaluate the portfolios.  Additionally, to graduate, the student must complete a senior project.  For instance, one girl designed a building using computer software.  She worked with an engineer to complete her plan, getting real world experience.  Real world experience is what our current system is lacking, and this school is brilliant at integrating it into the curriculum.

New York isn’t the only state with a school like this.  Washington D.C. has its own School Without Walls that is Presidential Blue Ribbon Award Recipient.  They have a 99.5% graduation rate and a 100% placement rate of graduates into college (SWW 2011).  Compare that to the national average of only 70.1% graduating and only 36.2% of 18-24 year olds being enrolled in college (NCHEMS 2009), and it is clear that the normal system just doesn’t work as well as the alternative.  So, why is it the standard? 

Internationally, we are suffering too.  According to the NCHEMS organization, out of a surveyed 11 countries, the United States has the lowest amount of 25-34 year olds (39.2%) with college degrees.  The world is leaving us behind.  Perhaps part of the reason that we haven’t changed is because the older generation knows that they used to be the leader in the education scene.  But, what worked for them will not continue to work.  Times have changed, more technology has been introduced, and the children are growing up in an entirely different world.  It’s time to wake up and make an adaptive change.

Assessment should be about a combination of informal and formal data collected over time.  It should be about using the data collected as a means to help students achieve better.  It should be about preparing students for their next step in life, whether that means college or the work force.  What it should NOT be about is funding, which is currently the unfortunate truth.  My hope is that policy-makers will consult teachers who live in the trenches, and students who deal with the pressure of evaluations, in order to make a positive change to help our country get back on track to being number one.

Works Cited

NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymakers and Analysis.  (2009). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.higheredinfo.org/

School Without Walls. (2011). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.swwhs.org/

School Without Walls. (2009). Obtained on September 4, 2011 at http://www.schoolwithoutwalls.org/

Symbolism Described By Elmer

I don't normally get teaching ideas from listening to my pastor, but this morning he inspired me.  Reviving a segment of the service he calls Pastors Pals, Brother Elmer called all the little ones down to the altar to hear a child specific lesson on what the Lord's Supper was all about.  For anyone who doesn't know, the Lord's Supper is a symbolic ceremony where church members eat bread and drink wine (or grape juice)  to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ. We do it to remember the sacrifice of our Savior.

Most adults know what the ceremony is all about, but children don't understand until they first comprehend what symbolism is.  Brother Elmer had the children crowded around him, and he explained that he wanted to help them understand what the Lord's Supper was all about. He pulled out a set of flashcards.  The first was the McDonald's arch.  He asked the children to tell him what the picture on the card meant. Young hands went up and shouted answers,"That's McDonalds!" "Cheeseburgers!  Fries!" "Playing!" "Toys!" The congregation laughed. Elmer explained that when they see that picture, they think of all sorts of things. The picture helps them remember stuff about McDonald's. Then, he moved on to his next card- a Nike swoosh. They knew all about that one too. Kids yelled out various things about the company, sportswear, and athletics in general. Next he pulled out the Xbox symbol. Kids were practically jumping out of their seats in excitement. They knew all about Xbox, and they were thrilled to share their knowledge. He closed with the Lexus symbol, which a couple kids knew, and most did not.

What I really liked about his lesson this morning was that it was easy to understand and appropriate for all levels of learners in the sanctuary. He pulled in various symbols that would stimulate connections from both youth and adults alike. It gave credence to the cultural background of the children, and made them feel intelligent by giving them something they already knew something about. It was a brilliant lesson that I felt was worth sharing. I may just steal it for my tenth graders.

But this lesson can teach educators something too. The world is filled with learning opportunities and learning lessons. Education doesn't just happen within the confines of the school system. It is everywhere. Pay attention to the world and you may just find some brilliant ideas.

Why Read? Like, I Just Don’t Get It.

On the first day of school, a student asked me the question, “Why read? Like, I just don’t get it.” She was serious.  My answer was, “There are so many reasons to read, I just don’t think we can tackle that question today.  Let’s talk about it next class.”  So, today, on the second day I saw this student, I decided to begin with a book talk about Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.  I chose that book because I thought my students might be able to connect to the main character, a teenager who died just before she got her driver’s license.  After the talk, several students jotted the name of the book down in their composition book (unprompted) as something they might be interested in reading.  Then, I told them it was time to write. 

My instructions for writing were simple.  I set a timer for ten minutes, and students had to keep the pen in their hand and write for the full ten minutes.  I told them they could write about the book talk I had just given them, or they could write about something else it made them think of.  They could even choose to write about something personal in their life that wasn’t related.  It was their choice.  Pulling out my own composition book, I sat in the middle of the room and wrote with them. 

When I saw a student put their pencil down 5 minutes in, I cleared my throat and looked straight in his eyes.  He picked their pencil up and continued writing without a word.  I filled my page with an explanation about why reading is so important to me.  After ten minutes, I stopped the students.  I told them that I’d share first, then I’d take two volunteers who wanted to read.  My instructions were:  when a person reads aloud, they can ask for feedback before they read.  If they do, the class can respond.  If they don’t ask for feedback, the class isn’t allowed to do anything but say “thank you.”  Then I read my piece about how writing is inspiration, imagination,dreaming, and escape. It was a very good piece of prose, one I was proud to use as a model.  After reading, I got up and sat in a student desk.  I gestured to the teacher chair and said, “Who would like to sit in the author’s chair and share?”  A volunteer stood.

The student was nervous, but she told us about her van that she can’t wait to drive.  It is old, but it is hers, and she is proud of it.  I asked her why she chose that topic, and she said it was because of the book talk about Elsewhere.  I smiled and thanked her.  Then, another student stood up.  I was shocked by which student stood.

He was a kid who was actually repeating the grade.  He’d been my student the year before.  It killed me, because he’s smart.  Yet, sometimes smart isn’t enough.  Effort has to be there too.  So, when he volunteered to read, I was on the edge of my seat.  What would he share?  His piece was personal.  He wrote a story, of which the contents are so personal, I daren’t place in this post.  The other students in the room were blown away by the level of emotion that came through in his writing.  They didn’t know what to say or do.  I thanked him, not just with my words but with my actions too.  As I moved on to the question of the day, I made sure to pat him on the shoulder.  He deserved it.

Drawing a concept map on the whiteboard, I told the students to copy it into their notebooks.  They had to be told that notebooks did not mean composition books.  Composition books are reserved for personal writing.  Their notebook is for notes.  Students drew the circle and labeled it “Reading” as I had done.  Then, I asked them what Reading is.  At first, nobody wanted to speak.  Then, they started throwing out ideas.  As they said different things that reading is, they realized that reading and writing were connected.  They also noted that reading was personal, and that it varied depending on purpose.  They figured out that reading makes you smarter, both at a word level, and also at a concept level.  I didn’t have to tell them any of this.  They came up with it on their own. So, I repeated the question.  “Why read?”  The same girl who had asked that enormous question piped up and said, “Well, there’s lots of reasons to read.  I didn’t really think about all that stuff, but I totally get it.  Reading makes us smarter, but its fun too, right?” Score!  Lesson understood.  Now comes the hard part.  The follow through.  Will she and others in the class follow through and internalize the lesson?  That remains to be seen.

Books Can Be Dangerous.

Before setting up students on goodreads.com and figuring out reading rates, this is the journal prompt I'm going to give them.  Considering the power of books to change oneself gives importance to the act of reading.  Today, my students asked me, "Why do people read?"  They meant it too.  They thought that people read just because it was fun for some (but not for them, of course).  They didn't realize that books have meaning, that they can make you better.  They didn't realize that books can bring about change.  They didn't think about the fact that books build vocabulary.  Books can be dangerous because they are powerful.  And they are important.  And they should be a priority.  Give your students ten minutes per class period to read independent reading books.  It is worth your while.

An Example From a Sales Environment

Today I had a revelation about my personal work history. I've often thought that that the time I spent working for Citicards was a waste of four years of my time, other than meeting my husband there, of course. Yet, when I reflect on my experiences in customer service, I realize that it contributed to my teaching pedagogy. 

As a customer service/sales agent, I was consistently one of the site leaders in sales numbers, so I was constantly pulled off the phones to assist in motivating others.  My duties included coaching struggling agents in ways to interact with customers more efficiently, but I was also expected to motivate my crew to pull up their sales numbers.  After all, in a business it is all about sales.  Sales driven performance was the center of CitiCards Customer Service. 

In order to increase motivation, management had instituted a sales incentive bonus called R2S (Route 2 Success).  Sales agents earned R2S points by doing something special, meeting a goal, or winning a contest.  Points could then be traded in for various prizes.  For instance, I got a camcorder and a digital camera after winning top site salesperson for the quarter.  It was a good program, and motivating for most agents.  We all wanted points.  I even wanted them, and I was the one giving them away.

When I got pulled off the phone to assist other team-members, I would set up sales contests.  I'd challenge my team to make 25 sales total in an hour, and if the team completed the goal, then everyone would get 100 R2S points.  Or, I'd challenge them to sell a dozen of a single product in a shift, and they'd get 250 R2S points.  While they progressed toward the goal, I'd keep track of their progress on an anchor chart.  Everyone on the team could see as the tally marks got them closer to the reward.  At the same time, the goal was an appropriate challenge.  It was doable, but difficult to achieve.  It was just outside of the normal performance rates.  That was essential in designing an effective sales game, so it continued to be motivating. 

The other big thing was that the game's rules had to be simple, and easy to understand.  Sometimes it would be just a straightforward fulfillment goal.  Other times, we'd assign a certain number of points to each product, and they would be set up on a bullseye.  Games were varied, but they were always goal-based, and creative.  It was fun.  Fun was the key to motivating the team.

The gaming principles set up in video games were being enacted in our business sales environment.  We achieved higher sales percentages when a game was in order.  If teachers would set up goals, just like I did with my sales team, it would be motivating to students.  If creative games-based learning principles would be put into effect in schools, am certain that learning would increase, just as sales increased at CitiCards.

North Star of Texas Writing Project

This summer, I was privilaged to become part of an amazing community of people.  The experience was absolutely transformative, giving me access to a network of dedicated teaching professionals spanning from early childhood to university level.  While there, we followed a model consistent with National Writing Project's (http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/nwpsites/what_sites_do.csp) goals and guidelines.  National Writing Project is a a network of sites anchored at universities to support pre-service teachers and current educators to improve the level of writing instruction across the United States.  Participating teachers attend a month long summer training session, immersing themselves in professional reading and writing of all genres.  After attending the summer institute, graduating teachers are given the title of teaching consultants, and are invited to join any number of special interest groups for continuity of the group.  It is not over when the summer session is over.  Instead, participants are invited to come back and speak to new groups, present at conferences, and conduct professional development to home schools.  Funding has been traditionally been from the federal government, but has recently been cut from the budget.  This is a concern for all sites involved, and we need teachers, administrators, and parents to petition for the reinstatement of budget for this cause. 

Personally, I will be using lessons and activities that we did in the institute, starting with the ice breaker activities.  I will have students decorate composition books and present them to the class as a way to have students take ownership of their writing vessal from day one.  Then, we will use a collection of childrens books, novel selections, videos, music, and more to show students that writing inspiration can come from anywhere.  We will take a few minutes each day to write, and share what we've wrote with others.  This is essential to creating a literacy-rich environment.  As much as I cringe to admit where I've left gaps in the past, I did not model as much as I should have before.  The institute reinforced the reason why modeling is so important.  I also did not put as much emphasis on sharing writing.  Students would share a sentence, then I'd move on.  That simply isn't enough.  As the school year revs up to begin, I am excited to see how the changes in my instruction will transform my student's writing, and more importantly, their attitude toward literacy.

More than that, North Star of Texas Writing Project (http://www.northstaroftexaswritingproject.org/?page_id=33) has also convinced me that I must do a doctorate.  I was not certain if that was the path for me, if I had it in me to do another four to five years of higher education.  After feeling the love of learning re-blossom inside me, and watching it happen for other practicing and pre-service teachers, I knew that there was no other option for me.  I must do it, because I want to help inspire others as my Writing Project mentors have done for me.  If I could teach educators the principles of NSTWP, then I'd feel like I did my job advancing reading and writing in an obtainable, enjoyable, and critical way.  Furthermore, as I shared my research interest with my peers, I found that what I have to say bears interest, but needs more investigation.  I didn't know if I was going to hit a brick wall with sharing my out-of-the-box idea that video games can be used to help reading and writing.  Instead, I felt supported and encouraged.  At the same time, I felt personally challenged to do more and talk less.  Thus, I've set up this blog, begun another blog that catalogs virtual book talks (http://virtualbooktalk.blogspot.com/), curated a pearltree (a shareable matrix where I've set up a listing of favored tech tools-http://www.pearltrees.com/t/techtools-teaching/id3072350), and created groups on facebook for my NSTWP peers and Human Systems Dynamics (http://www.hsdinstitute.org/)  fellow participants.  I've transitioned from being a consumer of research to an active participant.

What has National Writing Project done for me?  In short, it changed my life.

Lyrical Assertion for the Importance of Writing

As I was driving today, I heard this song on the radio.  Of course, as I heard the reference to Shakespeare, I had to jot down the lyrics and look it up when I got home.  Why?  Because it was beautiful, it was poetry.  It was a clear assertion that writing is an amazing thing to do.  Yes, its about love of a woman (or a child, as pictured in the music video).  But, it is also about how important writing is.  What a great message to give our students!  Doug Stone is absolutely right that stories need to be written down before they are lost.

Too Busy Being in Love- Performed by Doug Stone, Written by Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr.

If I had taken the time
To write down a few lines
Every time that you crossed this heart of mine
I’d put them all in a book
How much time would that have took
The words ‘n years have a way of slipping back

Oh no! Too bad, there goes the chance that I had
I could have written a play so sweet and so funny
Given old Mr. Shakespeare a run for his money
Written the words to the prettiest tune
That would never leave a dry eye in the room
My only excuse for not doing enough
well I was too busy being in love
Yes I was too busy being in love

Brand new phrases appear every time you are near
All these words you inspire after all these years
But I never reached for a pen
Break the mood that I’m in
Before I knew it the words were gone again

Oh no! Too bad, there goes the chance that I had
I could have written a play so sweet and so funny
Given old Mr. Shakespeare a run for his money
Written the words to the prettiest tune
That would never leave a dry eye in the room
My only excuse for not doing enough
I was too busy being in love
Yes I was too busy being in love

I could have written the part to make young lovers crazy
I could have written the movie for Hepburn and Tracey
The beautiful song and it starts with your name
Written my way into fortune and fame
But I have no regrets for not doing enough
well I was too busy being in love
Yes I was too busy being in love

Video Games: A Disruptive Container

Using the Human Systems Dynamic Institute's CDE Model (developed by Glenda Eoyang) as a way to understand one of the central problems for why it is so difficult for teachers to accept video games as a viable tool for instruction can be helpful.  First, lets consider what the model looks like:

C- Container: holds agents together until system-wide patterns can form.

A student is a container.  That students identity is their container.  They choose to affiliate themselves with others based on what containers they view themselves to be connected with. 

D- Difference: provides the potential for change and enagagement among agents. A variable to watch that is divergent from the status quo. It is the action we want. 

We want the student to succeed.  We want them to become engaged with the material, but that simply isn't always the case.  Every person is different, with divergent interests and abilities.  To get students motivated to succeed, we must determine what difference makes the difference and focus on that.

E- Exchange: establishes the connections among agents and between individuals and the whole.  It is a two-way transfer.

In a traditional classroom, the teacher gives information to the student.  The student is then expected to accept that information and internalize it.  This doesn't always happen, thus creating an unmotivated student.  Another exchange may be in the work the student does (or doesn't) turn in to the teacher.  It may be in the questions the student asks, or the comments the students make.

Using the CDE model, I can identify patterns, or differences and similiarities shared amongst interactions with a student.  If I have a student (c) who is disengaged (d) and refuses to interact with the rest of the class (e), I have identified WHAT the problem is.  Then, I must think, SO WHAT can I do with this information?  In my view, I need to connect with the disengaged student and figure out what matters to them.  What will make a difference to them?  In interactions with some of my disengaged students, I've noticed that discussing popular culture, specifically video games, helps create a common text for us to complete goals.  NOW WHAT do I do to take action and help this student and future like-minded students?  My adaptive action, or action taken as a result of noted patterns, is to try and incorporate gaming culture into my normal classroom instruction.  This is the human systems dynamics model in action.

One difficulty with getting other teachers to buy-in to this method is that they see video games as a container and school as a container.  In this view, they are separate containers that don't mix.  They are disruptive.  But, in my view, the student is the container, and these two parts of their life work together to create learning.  When the student goes home and plays the video game, they (the player) (c) levels up (d) by completing quests (e), they are consistently moving forward to harder and harder cycles of learning.  In school, when the student (c) plays the game of school, they are tested (d) to determine their levels of learning and expected to verbalize (e) in class.  We need to shift our boundaries to include both parts of the students life in to the whole picture of the student's learning experience.  Instead of trying to set up fences to separate the two learning engagements, teachers should be trying to use games as a way to create an affiliation, or to attract the student to learning the content.  Students want to recognize that their learning outside of school is relevant in school.  They want to see a consistent pattern.  However, when we devalue their gaming culture, we are interfering with the pattern, causing students to have to choose which identity they would rather have: a good student, or a good gamer.  Unfortunately, some students will choose to identify as a gamer and will then give up on school.  Its not worth it to try in school because it isn't important to them. 

Here lies my sticky issue.  How can I convince others that this sort of thinking isn't helping our youth?  With the help of HSD to frame the problem, perhaps others will be able to see that it is, in fact a problem.  The devaluation of gaming as a learning system is creating an identity crisis in adolescents, leading to disengagment.

Why Change IS Necessary

Today’s learners are not the same as yesteryear’s.  When the current education system was founded during the Industrial Revolution, it was exactly what the country needed.  Giving a set of clear structure to a system that was desperate for guidelines gave schools and teachers common goals, a major improvement over the previous schoolhouse Lone-Ranger approach.  The education system took the best part of the rise of industry and implemented it into action so that American citizens could rise above the rest of the world, educating the masses.  That system was effective for decades.  But, just as the automobile factory has adjusted over time to accommodate newer models of vehicle, so should education move forward to create a new system that utilizes the technology we’ve worked so hard to develop.

Whether we like it or not, our world has undergone a massive revolutionary change.  The introduction of the internet to public use transformed the way we research.  Instead of traveling to physical libraries, many students choose to conduct research through online catalogue systems.  Using web browsers, people can also easily find articles relevant to their question.  Today’s students have never had the experience of trying to research with only hard copy books at their disposal.  In fact, readers don’t ever have to hold a hard copy of a book in their hands anymore, because they can access resources within seconds by downloading the text onto their tablet or e-reader. 

Technology has not just affected the way we communicate, but it has also affected the job market.  The fact is, most jobs are not based in manual, factory labor anymore.  Most careers are founded on intellect.  Even a modern car mechanic has to undergo specialized training to handle the computer systems built into cars.  Farmers don’t milk their cows by hand anymore, they attach machines to do the milking, allowing farms to produce more.  Our world is different, the jobs are different.  Yet, eduction remains stalwartly unchanged.

Human systems dynamics recognizes that changes in context causes the need for change to a system.  In this case, a change has occurred in our culture- the introduction of computer technology, and its integration into our real world communication.  Learning can and should be interative.  As we learn new thing, as we identify and develop new technology, it should be used to modify our current practices.  We are in a new cycle of education, one that needs to be change to fit the current context.  In order to advance beyond the problem that is our broken education system, we must acknowledge that the world has change.  Once we do that, we can take action to improve it. (To learn more about human systems dynamics, visit http://www.hsdinstitute.org/). 

note: This blog was written after the first day of the Human Systems Dynamic Institute: Transforming Lives Workshop.  HSD was founded by Dr. Glenda Eoyang, and the workshop was taught by her sisters, Dr. Royce Holladay and Dr. Leslie Patterson.

The Problem with AR

At one school I worked at, there was an established Accelerated Reader system in place.  Students were required to read books that were assigned a point value, and then pass a test to show their comprehension.  Points were awarded if the student passed the test.  If the student was unable to pass the test, they didn't get any points.  This was a problem because some students could pass the tests without having read the novel.  Other students couldn't pass the test, even if they did read it.  In my professional opinion, it's a terrible system. 
As a result of the Accelerated Reader program, students viewed reading as a punishment.  Parents were upset when their child didn't receive credit for this portion of the grade, as it was weighed at 30% of the grade.  If the student didn't do their independent reading, they didn't pass. 

I remember one student in particular that would be reading every time I saw her.  She didn't move fast, and she didn't always understand what she read.  When we did whole class reading, she hated reading aloud.  Although she was able to decode the words, her errors made it clear that she wasn't self-monitoring as she was going.  Still, she made the effort to try.

 This particular girl also liked to journal.  If I assigned a half a page journal entry, she'd turn in two pages.  I would find haiku poetry in the margins of her papers.  She was a model student in English class.  Yet, according to the rules of the school, because she was unable to pass AR tests, she should have failed each semester.

I couldn't let this happen, so I had her do an oral book report with me after each failed test.  In her oral book report, she would tell me who the characters were, where the setting was, and what the basic storyline was.  Then, she'd tell me her favorite parts.  She'd ask me questions about events that happened, and wanting to know more information.  This oral report became a conversation.

So, instead of putting kids in front of a computer and letting a computer decide if they really read the book, I believe teachers need to take the responsibility.  Teachers need to step back and talk to their students who fail a test, and understand what their level of understanding really is.

I made a mistake during my time at that school.  I went along with the established system, and even when I saw the flaws I didn't make any changes until the second semester.  Relying on a test score for 30% of the grade didn't work for me, and it didn't work for my student either.  I'm so glad that my current school doesn't require Accelerated Reader.

Students volunteering to edit a novel

When I was pregnant with my son two years ago, I decided I was finally going to write a novel.  I did it.  It took me three months to write the bulk of the story, but the end just wasn't coming to me.  For a year, I'd write a chapter here, delete a chapter there, and edit my grammar mistakes.  I still wasn't ready to write the end.  Finally, this year I felt inspired to finish my novel.  Publishing still feels like an impossibility, as I have zero experience with the publishing world, but I finished writing it.  Of course, when I say I finished, I mean it has a beginning, middle, and end.  I don't know if I'll ever feel like it is ready to send off to the professionals. 

I was talking to one of my students on Friday about his plans after graduation.  He's a big-time reader.  In one semester I've seen him go through Donita Paul's Dragon Quest Series, Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, Cassandra Clare's City of Ember books, and various other stand alone novels.  Every moment he gets, he's reading.  I know his plans are to go into the Marines, which is certainly a worthy calling.  Still, I want him to inspire future boys to enjoy reading just for the love of it.  A male English teacher can be so inspiring to young boys.  I want him for the literacy field. I decided to plead my case.

When I asked this student if he'd consider going to college after his time in the military, he said he hadn't even thought about it.  Of course, I encouraged him to enroll and told him I thought he'd make an excellent English teacher.  He told me he hated school, and could never see himself telling someone their grammar sucked or they didn't answer correctly on a multiple-choice test.  I told him the literacy field is changing, and he can help make it what it should be- a celebration of reading and writing.  This teenager told me he had thought about writing a novel one day, but he didn't have confidence in himself.  He didn't do a good job with essays, so he probably wouldn't be any good at it.  I told him I know how he feels. 

I told him about my struggles with my novel, and how I just wasn't sure it was good enough- I wasn't sure I was good enough.  I felt extremely uncomfortable baring my soul, and admiting my weakness.  But, during the last National Writing Project meeting, I promised myself I'd be open about my own writing with my students.  As I waited for his reply, he looked at me very seriously and asked what my book was about.  At this point the other two students in the class were keyed into our conversation.  I described my tale of a half-angel boy and his struggle with making meaning out of his life.  I was greeted with a resounding chorus of "We want to read it!", "Wait!  Stop!  Don't tell us so much!", "If we get done with our projects really quickly, could we see the advanced copy?"

I hadn't intended for them to REALLY read it.  My intention was to encourage this young man to write.  But, when I looked at the excitement in their eyes, I knew this was a unique opportunity.  Here were student volunteering to read and edit a 300 page unrefined novel.  They were begging to help, wanting to do something that they perceived as important.  Imagine that.  Without my even meaning to, I got three teenagers excited about doing extra work.  Because they think it is important, I feel myself rededicated toward my novel.  But, I also feel like I can't miss an opportunity to encourage students to enjoy reading and writing. 

Letting students read my unpolished, unpublished fantasy world is scary.  What if they don't like it?  What if writing it was a waste of time?  On the other side of the coin, what if they love it?  Then, I have no choice but to put it out there for the pros.  I'm not sure how to feel about others readiny my novel, but I'm happy to give students motivation to finish their projects and ask for something other than a movie to close out the year.  I'm interested to see how this goes.

Game Design Software

Members of the National Writing Project have begun working on integrating gaming design tools in their classrooms.  Game-making software like 3D Adventure Studio, Scratch, Game Maker, and RPG Maker XP all give the average person the ability to make simple video games.  Just as we assign students papers where they must take on the role of a character, we could also have students design a game.  For example, if a student is reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, they could be assigned the task of designing a game about the book. 

Currently, I am trying to figure out how to use this software in my classroom.  Today, I downloaded Game Editor onto one of the classroom computers.  It was the only program I could find that wasn't blocked by our filter.  That in and of itself was frustrating.  Then, I assigned a student who I know to be a gamer the task of figuring out the tool, and I am anxiously awaiting what he comes up with.  He is excited about the task, and asked if he could work on it at home too.  That was music to my ears, of course. While he works through the program, I'm left to daydream the possiblities.
In my imaginary text-based video game, the student designer would first create an avatar for Montag.  Then, they would set up the landscape to be appropriate to the text.  For Fahrenheit 451, this would mean most of the action would happen indoors, as it was next to illegal to be outdoors in this world.  The student designer could set up a task where the firemen were trying to burn all the books, and Montag had to retrieve them.  The virtual Montag could need to defeat his wife, Mildred, by turning off all the televisions in the house, just to get her character to stop and talk to him.  There could be a scene in which he has to dodge a speeding car, just as happened in the book.  Each of these scenes described above happened in the book, and could be prefaced with the full text quotes, or a student made summary.

To complete this task, students would be demonstrating understanding of the book.  More than that, they would be applying their knowledge to design something entirely new.  Good teachers know that students are proud when they truly get control of their work.  Furthermore, today's students like being on the computer.   By utilizing this software, teachers give the students a chance to show what they know about the novel in an exciting new way. I'm excited about the possibilites, once I can get past the stumbling blocks.
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Osama bin Laden and Call of Duty

In an effort to connect real world with the content in Speech class, I make a habit of showing students any major Presidential addresses immediately after they are made.  At the beginning of the semester, students always complain, saying the speech is boring.  Before watching, we discuss the pertinent events and information they need to understand what the President is talking about.  I create these informational scaffolds for them so they can see political speeches aren't useless and yawn-worthy if you know what is happening in the world.  This time, they came in asking to see the address. 

After watching the President's announcement that Osama bin Laden was dead, the students began to discuss what they heard from their parents and teachers.  Among the information discussed was the way Osama bin Laden used a woman as a shield to protect himself from gunfire.  What intrigued me was the following conversation:

T- Hey did you hear how bin Laden was only 100 yards from us?  That's crazy!  How could we not know he was there?
Me- Well, we did know.  The military confirmed his location and then planned how to take him down.  They didn't want to rush the operation and lose him again.
T- Yeah that makes sense.
S- That's how we'd do it in our game!
Me- What game?
C-Call of Duty. 
S- Yeah, that's smart, planning it out and stuff.
T- Did you hear how he used a lady as a shield?
Me- No, I didn't hear that.  What happened?
T- Well, I don't really know.  Ms. H said he used the woman as a human shield.
C- Coward.
S- Didn't something like that happen in Call of Duty?
T- Yeah, yeah... I can't remember.
C- That Caster guy from Cuba.
S- Fidel Castro!  That's right.  He does the same thing.
Co-It's awesome.

After listening to their conversation, it made me think gaming can help in more ways than we have intially thought.  Often, we put down war games as too violent to make an impact.  We think they aren't learning anything when playing these ultra-violent shooter games.  In fact, in this instance, students were able to remember who Fidel Castro was, and make a comparison between him and Osama bin Laden.  Allowing my students the freedom to discuss their game revealed pockets of information I didn't even know they had.  I wonder what else we'd hear if we gave them an avenue to discuss the games that are so dear to them?

Mazetti, M, Cooper, H, & Baker, P. (2011) Behind the hunt for bin laden.  New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/asia/03intel.html