Learning is Recharging
Prelude to Season 3 - #3
Greetings Friends of WOL!
We hope you have been able to take a breath and get recharged as you embark on your preparations for the 2023 - 24 school year.
Check out this short video of some of what we learned about our awesome teachers from our students! I bet you hear some great stories about your teachers, too!
Share a favorite here.
Much like you we have started our summer learning - we kicked off with our own 1st Annual Design Space with Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Allison Zmuda - as we explored the idea of streamlining and storyboarding our curriculum. The energy in the room was contagious - and for us to be in the same room, physically, was inspiring. Watching the collaboration around the room, people joined by the idea that we CAN do better at being relevant and engaging. Exploring with our new friends and colleagues recharged our own work. The excitement of Chemistry teachers sharing stories of life on earth, superhero-inspired Physical Education, stories of identities in French and travel in Spanish, Elementary ELA as the little engine that could, and math in an amusement park.
At IU8 the learning really doesn’t stop. Following our storyboarding experience I was able to attend the IU8 Principals forum. Hearing from School Leaders is always humbling. The care and concern for students is so front and center. Janel Vancas and Jennifer Anderson found ways to connect and inspire with activities and speakers that were thoughtful and relevant. A big thanks to Kristen Gabrielson and Bobby Rairigh, too. The event went off without a hitch. Dr. Tom Butler asked us to imagine the future of education and Dr. Chuck Herring inspired us to think broadly about what diversity and belonging mean. We ended our time with Dr. Nicholas Caminiti, who shared so many of the possibilities of AI in the education space.
And, we have our own little learning experience happening, too. Our team is reading The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul. Instead of sitting at our desks in from of a Zoom screen, as we so often do, I asked everyone to begin our discussion by grabbing their phones to log into the conversation. Those of us who had cell phone service walked our neighborhoods as we discussed our first impressions of the book, while others sat outside away from their regular screens.
The discussion of how we use our bodies to extend our thinking was rich. Just being outside seemed to change some of the discussion. So for 30 minutes, we chatted about these impressions and how they brought us self-awareness about our own creativity. As we talked we thought about two questions: first, how we might use what we are learning and reading to apply to our own lives, and second, to think about the experiences we are creating for our students.
We returned to our desks to record our thoughts.
Here are a few of the takeaways from our team about Part 1 on Extending the Body:
The brain is not a solo act! It has limits - it is important for us to recognize the many ways we can use movement, gestures, and getting outdoors to expand our thinking and ability to learn.
Movement is more important than we give it credit for in our own work and in the lives of our students.
Gesturing is an important part of of learning and communicating our ideas.
The research and stories validated many of the strategies we have used in the classroom and with our own children to help them learn, ie.. sitting on a yoga ball to do homework.
As we read this book as a team we are hoping to explore ideas that help us to be better teachers and leaders, and to improve learning experiences and environments for our students.
Some of the initial ideas we are considering to support students include:
What do our current ‘brain breaks’ look like, do they encourage movement?
Can we think about the ‘stage actors’ approach to remembering by using space and physical cues to prompt memory?
Can we have some of our language teachers model TPR for teachers in other disciplines to maximize the use of movement and gesture?
Can we remind students that anxiety is not always a bad feeling - that it can be a feeling we can harness to improve our performance?
Can we help students be able to recognize how their bodies give them clues to make decisions or choices?
In just the prologue and the introduction, there were so many examples of strategies that can help us all to recognize the power of our WHOLE self and the power of the COMMUNITY around us as we solve problems and expand our thinking. I look forward to continuing this read and to thinking about the ways that our WOL team can improve their own working environments and the learning environments of our students.
As always, if you need support for your students or school - get in touch. We are expanding our offerings with Extended Campus (a full-time model), and we continue to support your World Language needs.
Cheers to a great week!
Pat