Start with Why?

When I was developing this project for my class, I was really torn between confining my students to topics related to the human body versus giving them real freedom of choice.  Ultimately I settled on the latter after I thought about this project from the perspective of the "Golden Circle."  If you haven't seen it before, Simon Sinek's 2009 TEDx talk Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action is a fantastically simple way of focusing on your purpose before focusing on your product.  His drawing in the talk is pretty basic, here's his diagram that I elaborated on.

In teacher vernacular we sometimes call this "backwards planning," which was thoroughly articulated by Wiggins and McTighe in their Understanding by Design.  In short, you look at the end result you seek, what you would need to see that would show the student has learned that information, and then you would create a plan of activities and the like to help them learn that material.  Most teachers instinctively do this. Typically our standards drive this to a large extent.

Drawing from both of these, my circle for 20 Time looks something like this:

While I was going into this having already figured out my How, when I thought about what my Why really was, it became clear that narrowing the focus strictly on the human body might throttle my students' ability to find a topic they were passionate about, which could make them less interested and less likely to develop those skills and outcomes I'm seeking.  Context is everything, and while many in class have expressed an authentic interest in science, specifically related to the body, there also many who have not.  Several students are taking the class purely to learn more about the body, and will be pursuing degrees and professions totally outside of this discipline.  With that being the case, I want to give them more than just anatomy and physiology (which they're still getting that in the other 80% of class), I want to prepare them for life and develop skills that will make them better at whatever they choose to do.

An Update
Last week my school had a themed week that they've done for a couple years called "Speak Up for Change."  The theme of the week was Ignite Your Spark.  They brought in a motivational speaker, had mini lessons on the topic, and it all culminated in a big carnival party (I'm not really sure what bounce houses and games have to do with igniting your spark, but it sure was fun).  Honestly I don't think I could have picked a better topic, nor timed it more perfect with what they were doing in class Tuesday.

Fast forward to today, my classes have had about 2 class periods to explore ideas they have for their 20 Time.  They are making progress.  I'd say about 2/3 of them have already started to narrow it down to one or two ideas and are diving deeper into the details of how and what.   I'm really impressed by those who've naturally focused on some real issues that they are passionate about and are brainstorming solutions to address the problem they've identified.  Wouldn't you know it? Those who expressed interest in sciences are exploring related topics.  Some have really taken the Golden Circle to heart, and others I think naturally figured it out.  It's exciting.

There are certainly those who are struggling though.  The Golden Circle  has definitely helped some, but still there are those who can't help but think about their how and what first.  I think they're so used to producing things like poster boards, reports, papers, PowerPoints, etc. that the idea of working backwards seems foreign and frustrating.  As the role of facilitator, I'm trying to strike a balance between probing questions and giving bits of advice with giving them space and time to flounder a bit.  I told one of my students last week who said he was feeling lost, that sometimes you have to get lost before you can find your way.

They have two more weeks.  February 12 is their "Shark Tank" where they'll be pitching their ideas to their peers and refining their ideas further.  I'm looking forward to it.

From Intrinsic to Extrinsic, and Back to Intrinsic (hopefully).

It's half way through one of my classes. We've just finished having a discussion about tapping into one's interests and passions in order to drive what they learn.  Intrinsic motivation was at the heart of the discussion.  I'm feeling pretty good about it, and now we have to shift into, what feels like, an antiquated system of direct instruction. Me giving a powerpoint on Diabetes.  There's a problem.  I can't find my clicker.  I'm searching all over and after a few failed minutes I ask, "Does anyone see my clicker?"

"Can we get extra credit on our quiz if we find it?" blurts one of my students.

In desperation I say "Sure. Two points extra credit if you find my clicker."  Instantly half the class is up and moving around the room.  In a matter of minutes I find it next to the expo markers at the dry erase board.

"Do we get extra credit anyway?" says someone (I think the same student).

"No!"  Now I had to make a point.  "Don't you see, this is the exact problem.  Everyone thinks they should get rewarded for everything they do.  Not "'Oh Mr. Orre you lost your clicker, let me help you you find it' because that would be the right thing to do."  No, everyone is extrinsically motivated.  This is what we're trying to break free of.

It's amazing how much these students' motivation has changed since they were children.  My daughter is 2. Every day I watch her explore the world with such curiosity and excitement.  She loves learning. New words. New foods. New environments. Everything.   Nothing is unexciting to her.  As a teacher, I am fascinated by her intrinsic motivation to learn and I do everything I can to create an environment where that ember of excitement can grow into a full blown love for learning wildfire.

Every kid starts this way, but inevitably so many become molded to fit into a world in which extrinsic motivation rules.  Do task x and get reward y.  From chores (mow the lawn and get $) to grades (do this to get a good grade) to even Christmas (be good or Santa won't come), they're taught either implicitly or explicitly that anything worth doing should be rewarded.  The science on this is showing that extrinsic rewards really only reward the reward seeking behavior, not the the task being rewarded for.  Take away the reward, and they won't do it.  Now this isn't true 100% of the time for 100% of the kids, but as a teacher I see kids driven by extrinsic motivation, and very little intrinsic motivation.  Which is one of the many reasons I've decided to try 20 Time in my classroom.  I want my students to rekindle their intrinsic motivation and rediscover their love for learning.  I want their passions to DRIVE their learning.

On Tuesday this week I had my students choose to watch 2-3 of a variety videos (see inspiration videos page) that I hoped would inspire them a little bit more for their project.  They tended to focus on themes of time, curiosity, creativity, and really tapping into one's own intrinsic motivation to go and do great things.  I asked them to post on an online discussion board in our learning management system what video really resonated with them, how it ties with what we do in school (or don't), and any questions they had.  For homework, I required them to go and respond to two posts or replies.  This was, by the way, my first dive into online discussions as a teacher.  I could do a whole other post on online discussions.

This morning I checked out the posts briefly before school, printed and made copies of the thread, and in class gave them copies to skim over for 5-10 minutes before continuing the discussion in their groups.  In the group discussion I asked them to discuss any themes that came up, what they thought of the videos, and where they go next.  Here's a worldle of the thread:

Clearly they picked up on the themes.  What I was really pleased to read was how many said they like the idea of 20 time, and wished it (or something like it) was more common in school.  We're at a pretty academically acclaimed school and many discussed how the culture of our school and the expectations put on them (by themselves, teachers, parents, peers, climate, etc) actually stymie their creativity and make it harder to learn.  Many kind of pushed back at the status quo and expressed a desire to be allowed more autonomy.  Others realized that it was upon themselves to focus on what was important to them, and to make the most of the time they have.

I broadened it to a larger discussion and enjoyed hearing what they had to say.  One group discussed the possibility of having a 20 Time class (which would be close to 20% of their course load).  Structured properly, I think this could be a really cool idea.  In both of my classes everyone really kind of acknowledged that it's a bit of a paradigm shift to go from top down extrinsic motivated school to a more level, and intrinsically motivated, learning environment.

So here I am trying to shift a mindset back to a mindset they were born with.  Today I felt my students reconnect a little with that old mindset.  It's still in everyone one of them.  They just have to rekindle that ember and I'll fan the flames.

Day 1 in the Books

Today I introduced 20 time to my students, as planned.  After reading some of the top hits on Google, many of which were those that inspired me, they seemed to understand what it was and the benefits of it.  I had them share what they found on TodaysMeet for us all to see. Once I gave them the "rules," that's when the questions start to come out.  "You mean we can do anything?" To which I replied, "Well, yeah."  I don't know which of us was more surprised by that.

I thought the funniest part was when I asked them to come up with "bad ideas," which I hoped would help them pivot and see how a bad idea isn't necessarily always a bad idea.  One class sat there kind of frozen.  Being able to do anything was paralyzing them from coming up with even bad ideas.  I had them post their comments on padlet. Below are their posts.

One class I wrote a bad idea: "Does urine kill grass?"

Thankfully a student states, "that's not such a bad idea," which allowed me to explain how brainstorming bad ideas can help us clarify our question and purpose and potentially help us come up with a better idea.  Of course this also served as a lesson on my influence on their ideas.  The next few ideas were related to urine or feces.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow after they'll have had a night to process all of this.  I'm hoping I can spark some ideas, and get the ball rolling.

Preparing to introduce 20% time to my students

I have spent the last several months bouncing around the idea of implementing genius hour in my 11th and 12th grade anatomy and physiology class.  I've been reading blogs, websites, and books about 20% time, and watching videos about creativity, what motivates us, and advice on how to implement a successful 20 time project.  I get the idea. I understand it enough to implement it, and I'm ready to get started.   I feel an interesting mix of excitement and trepidation.  My greatest fear?  My students will be paralyzed by the broadness and ambiguity of the project.  I worry that they're so used to focusing on the product (like the grade) rather than the process (like their learning), that they will flounder.  With that being said, I'm really optimistic.  I teach some really great kids, with more potential than they realize.  Last semester when they were asked to teach a lesson on a topic of their choice related to Anatomy and Physiology and/or health and wellness, I saw some real glimpses of passion and love for learning and teaching.  I'm hoping that they can build from that experience and really excel.

So here's my plan:

• I'm going to start off asking them to just write a list of things that interest them, what they've always wondered about, or questions they have about life in general.  Hoping this isn't too vague.
• Using the iPads I checked out, I'll have them Google 20% project, genius hour, and/or passion project. Telling them only that we'll be doing something like this.
• Next I'll show them the rules and go over them briefly.
• They'll have 5-10 minutes after that to search online some more about possible topics.
• Since generating good ideas can feel hard at times, I'm borrowing the idea I saw in a TED talk talk to come up with a list of bad ideas as a class.  Hopefully this will help them think more about what could be some good ideas.

The next day I'll give them more time to investigate ideas.  We'll also set up their blogs, and I'll show them this one.