Adapting to Reality

I am a creature of habit. My husband laughs at me because my favorite color to wear is black. I order the same thing off the menu when we go out to eat. I have a favorite pair of shoes I wear all too often. However, I do like change a lot. To me, change is the invitation for betterment. Does the "new change" always work? Heavens no! But to change it ultimately to take a chance.

I changed it up in class today. I used a new app called Spiral, based out of London, that fits for a 1:1 classroom. Spiral found me via Twitter and I thought I would give it a chance. In a nutshell: today I was able to get instant feedback from my students without anyone raising their hand.

 That looks like a very different classroom from the image I've created in my mind. I want to see the classroom of Mr. Keating's before my eyes (Dead Poet's Society is my favorite....Oh Captain my Captain?!) where students are actively participating with curiosity at the core.

But that isn't typically what I see. I have great kids.....wonderful kids......but no one is jumping off desks for a new perspective. So today I took the different perspective. I changed the format. I jumped off the desk to see things different. What to know what I saw? A dramatic change of student participation. Students gained confidence to attempt an answer because they didn't have to worry about getting the answer wrong in front of their peers. As a teacher, I want my kids to accept change and take chances because imagine life if they didn't? However, I can't expect my kids to educationally "jump off the desk" if I stay comfortable in my chair.
-enjoy your coffee-
Hannah