7 Things We Say Instead Of "What Were You Thinking?" #EdChat

One of the things I find myself asking middle school students is "What were you thinking?" That phrase seems innocuous, but it really about the context and the tone. For example, a student is designing a project for class and added and interesting aspect to the design. I sit next to them and ask "What were you thinking when you designed this?" and the student explains their thought process. The other end of the spectrum is a student who blurts out an off topic question and I respond, "What were you thinking?" and they stare blankly back without an explanation. In one instance, I am asking for more information on a thoughtful piece of student work and the other is an exasperated response to a student behavior. I have been teaching for over 20 years and I still expect the 2nd student to provide an answer even though I know they do not have one. Asking that question in that situation is a bad habit I have improved on, but will still continue to work on until it is eliminated from my frustrated teacher vocabulary. 

Instead of asking that question, in any situation because of how students might have interacted with it in the past, there are some other ones that I use in place that allow for more conversation with the student. 

1. "Can you tell me more about your decision?"
This open-ended question invites explanation without judgment. It allows students to articulate their thought process, offering insights into their reasoning. For neurodiverse students, who might process information or approach problems differently, this question acknowledges and respects their unique perspectives. This question works on a few levels. The behavior levels allows the teacher to engage the student in an non threatening way. Asking them to think about what they did and why they did it. Putting their decision in context of the classroom can help them see why their actions might not work for that moment. On the classwork level, it asks students to explain how they got to their choice and that can help them understand and explain their own thought process.

2. "How did you arrive at this conclusion?"
Focusing on the process rather than the outcome encourages students to reflect on their methods. It promotes critical thinking and self-analysis, which are crucial skills in both academic and personal growth. Reviewing the steps of a solution can help students catch any errors along the way and, ultimately, have a better understanding of how they worked out the problem.

3. "What were your goals in this situation?"
Understanding a student's objectives can provide clarity on their actions. This question also implicitly supports the idea that making mistakes while pursuing a goal is a natural and valuable part of learning. I have found this to be very helpful with students who can sometimes get lost in the process of finding a solution. Refocusing on the goal can sometimes help move a student forward that has been stuck.

4. "Is there another way you might approach this problem?"
Encouraging students to consider alternative methods fosters creativity and adaptability. Sometimes I have to let students approach a problem in a way that I know will lead to failure because they need to experience that failure to fully learn why it didn't work. Asking them this question helps point them in another direction without feeling bad about their first idea.

5. "How can I support you in this learning process?"
This question shifts the focus from what the student did wrong to how they can be assisted in their learning journey. It is important to remind students that teachers can be the ultimate learning resource and that we are learning partners in class. It emphasizes the teacher's role as a guide and ally, rather than a critic.

6. "What have you learned from this experience?"
Emphasizing learning over failure, this question helps students recognize the value in making mistakes. It's a powerful way to build resilience and a growth mindset. The act of reflecting on tasks is so important when we are emphasizing growth over time. Making this a normal part of the conversation is important if we want to normalize reflection for students.

7. "What resources or strategies might help you next time?"
This approach encourages students to think constructively about future challenges. It's particularly beneficial for neurodiverse students who might need different resources or strategies to succeed. This can be tougher for younger students because they don't know what they don't know. If they are not sure how to answer this question, this is a good chance to showcase some of those resources and/or strategies so they are better prepared to use them when needed.

Not all of these work in every situation, but they can be helpful for a teacher that really wants the student to stop and think about their choices in a way that doesn't bring them shame when they do not have an answer to "What were you thinking?"

Do you have phrases you use to help students that would be better? Share them in the comments and/or social media.

Hugs and High Fives,

The Nerdy Teacher

There's A Good Reason Some Of Your Students Are Tired At The End Of The Day #EdChat

 There's A Good Reason Your Students Are Tired At The End Of The Day And It's Not What You Think

Near the end of a long day, there are plenty of times I have looked at my classroom and seen some very tired eyes. I used to assume that these students were not eating well, stayed up too late, or other choice based behaviors that were leading to their tired appearance. It took some time for me to realize it, but some of these students are actually tired because they have been "masking" all day long. 

"Masking" is the word used to describe how neurodivergent people hide their neurodivergence from the world around them in order to fit in. Learning to mask is something that neurodivergent people learn to do at a very young age when they realize that their natural behavior does not match with with is considered "normal". It often shows itself in social situations and can lead to copying other social behaviors in an effort to fit in. Essentially, a neurodivergent spends most of their time in social situations pretending to be someone they are not to fit in and it is exhausting. 

As a neurodivergent adult, I have found myself masking often in social situations. When I tell people that I am an introvert, people think I am joking. They wonder how an introvert can present in front of large crowds of people or engage in tons of 1:1 conversations with educators, and showcase, what appear to be, very extrovert behaviors. The short answer is I was masking. My friends would see the end result of a day's worth of masking. I'm spent. Physically and emotionally. As an adult, I have learned of different ways to cope with these feelings and how not to feel pressured by society to mask who I am. Imagine a student in your class that is still learning to understand how their neurodivergence reveals itself to other students who might not understand and/or have empathy to what they are experiencing. 

Students that mask in class are very difficult to identify. The older they are, the harder it is to see behind the mask because they have gotten very good at it. There are a couple of things you can do as a teacher to help those students who are masking feel more comfortable taking off that mask in class and feeling like their true selves. 

1. Explore and Discuss SEL

It is important that teachers take the time, as a school or as an individual, to understand SEL and how it can support our students. CASEL is one of the best resources out there to get a better understanding of SEL. Just knowing that their teachers are working on different ways to support students and their mental health can make a masked student start to feel more comfortable being who they are in the open. Like many things, it starts with educating ourselves to better understand who we are an who people are that surround us. If you really want to support students who struggle in your class because they are neurodivergent, start exploring SEL and see how it can change the culture of your classroom. 

2. Share your Neurodivergent Story (If You Are Comfortable)

I have found that sharing my neurodivergent traits (Anxiety and dyslexia to name just two) leads to students being more open with their traits. There is at least one student in every class that will say "Me too!" when I mention I am dyslexic. It is important to normalize neurodivergence in the classroom. I spent too much time growing up feeling I was just stupid because I could not read like everyone else. If you are not a neurodivergent teacher or do not feel comfortable sharing your neurodivergence with your class, that is fine. We are all on our own journey of understanding and I do not want to pressure you into sharing your experience until you are ready. 

Sharing with students that there are lots of different types of learners in class at the start of the year and that you are going to work to make sure that everyone feels supportive is a nice way to open the door for those neurodivergent students who might need an invite to share who they are and how they learn. 

3. Embrace Differentiation 

Yes, it will take more time and that is the most pressure resource of all educators, but a little more time to differentiate for those students who are masking to hide their neurodivergence is so important if we want them to succeed. The best way to have students take off their mask is to create an environment where they feel comfortable and are able to succeed while utilizing their strengths. Traditional assessments and class structures tend not to support neurodivergent students and that is why they mask.

I could never read all of the pages assigned in a night for most of my high school classes. I would do my best, but I could not get through it. So, I would often listen to the first 10-15 minutes of class, understand what the topic of discussion was, and just through in my two cents by just rephrasing what other students said. It appeared like I had read and that I knew what was going on in the story. That helped me get through high school in many of my classes. As long as I was never cold called (Don't do it! It's one of the worst teaching practices!), I could mask all day in class. 

Offering students different ways to access the curriculum of the class and different ways to assess their understanding are great ways to make masking students feel more comfortable in class. They will not have to wear their mask if they know they are can explore who they are with the material covered in class. 

Masking takes so much energy from a person. A student who has to mask all day does not want to go home and do homework. They do not want to engage with their family. The often want to zone out playing video games, watching videos they have seen over and over again, and just be left alone. They just don't have it in them to put the mask back on at home and that sometimes leads to angry outbursts and lots of resistance to being asked to do anything. They were just "forced" to were a mask all day and now they just want to be themselves. Alone. 

Making small changes in the classroom to support neurodivergent students can go a long way in helping them be successful as they work through understanding their neurodivergence and how best to navigate society. I don't think we can expect to get to a point where these students will never wear a mask, but would should strive to create a space where they can take it off and breathe a little easier once in a while. 

Hugs and High Fives, 

N Provenzano

 

Note: Images created using Generative AI from Adobe Firefly

Beyond an Hour of Code #Coding #Education

There is feeling by teachers that teaching coding is not a valuable use of time in the classroom. As standardized tests ramp up in schools across the country, many teachers find it hard to fit coding into their curriculum beyond one houri n December. The biggest misunderstanding that seems to take place around coding is the belief that EdTech is trying to turn all students into coders. This could not be further from the truth. Here are some of the real reasons why teaching coding to students is valuable. 

1. Coding supports problem-solving skills - One of the biggest things I have encountered as I learned to code as an adult was how much I depended on my problem solving skills to figure out why something was not working in my code. Coding systems will spit out errors when your type the wrong thing in the wrong place. The coder needs to find out where the problem is, why it is a problem, and how to fix it. Working through a problem toward a solution is an important skill and students need help developing it. Watching students work through their code is always interesting because you can see the wheel turn as they go line by line. This takes me to the next good reason. 

2. Attention to detail - The answer to your coding problem is always in the details. I have seen students spend many minutes trying to debug their code, but will refuse to proofread their essay before submitting it to their teacher. Teaching students the value of taking their time, checking their code for errors, and making notes on anything that needs to be fixed are skills that translate to writing. ELA classroom teachers, which I was for over 15 years, have tried to get students to make proofreading a part of their writing process. It wasn't until after I left the ELA classroom that I found that coding is how I could encourage students to proofread. Proofreading skills improve with practice and proofreading code is a must if you want your code to work. 

3. They might become a coder - The goal of using coding is not to make every student into a professional coder for the rest of their life. However, there are some students who might never have considered coding as a career if they had not had a taste of what it is like in the classroom. Women and women of color and not represented across the coding world and if there is going to be a move toward more equity in this world, more opportunities need to be given to students to explore coding in fun and engaging ways. Bringing coding into the classroom can start the move to bring balance to the coding workforce. 

4. Basic Understanding of the world - Students will take biology, chemistry, physics, etc. and families and teachers generally do not think twice about this. We are not expecting all students to become biologist, chemists, or physicists. We want students to have a basic understanding of their world. Technology has become engrained into just about every facet of our lives. It is near impossible to go about your day without needing something that has been coded. Being able to look around and understand how things work and why they work the way they do can be helpful as you navigate your world. Asking students to explore coding to obtain this understanding is something that should no longer seem like a wild idea. 

These are just a few of the reasons why bringing coding into the classroom more than just an hour a year. Building in coding as part of the curriculum will bring positive results beyond just coding knowledge. Take the time to explore coding yourself and you will see how you use your own skillset to solve problems and create code. 

Hugs and High Fives, 

Nick

Connections #EdChat

It has been a couple of weeks of first for me this month. I went to my first in person conference in two years. For the first time in a couple of years I got on a plane to visit a school to support their work with PBL and MakerEd. It has been a very weird experience. As I reflect on what stands out most to me about these experiences it is pretty simple, Connections. 

I was excited to see so many friends at MACUL last week. These are people I hold dear to my heart and we have not been able to connect in person for so long. Sessions were great, but the connections with my friends are what really stood out. Connecting virtually is nice when you have to, but connecting face to face, that is something that is so very special. It didn't take very long for a group of us to be sitting around a table sharing the new tools we are using or the lessons we are trying out for the first time. We are friends, but we are educators always looking to share and learn as well. Those connections were so invigorating for me. I left the conference full of energy and new ideas that I was excited to share with as many people as possible. 

I am in Jacksonville, FL this week working with Assumption Catholic School on their move to a PBL focused pedagogy with an infusion of MakerEd. I've been working with them this school year virtually and this is the first time I've been able to come to the school and check things out. I have been able to visit classrooms and see teachers in action. I held an after school session for staff and talked about PBL and what it can look like for teachers and for the students. I was able to hear their stories and be inspired by the work that they are doing every day. Again, at the end of the day, it was all about the connections. Talking to these great educators has been nice and it has helped them get started on their great work, but connecting in person is boost for everyone. Deep down, we all want to connect in some way. Seeing the students have so much learning about headline writing in social studies or exploring poetry in ELA makes me so happy because the kids were so excited. 

I loved be able to present in person and see the reaction of the staff as I told stories. As a presenter, I have missed being able to "read the room" to see if I should spend more time on a topic or move a long. That connection that happens in the room if you are doing it right is so amazing and I didn't realize how much I missed it until I did for the first time after a two year break. 

There are many great benefits to learning virtually and connecting online for PD, but nothing can ever replace the value of connecting face to face with friends and friends you haven't met yet to support your learning. I look forward to a busy Summer presenting in person across the country. Please take a moment and stop and say hi if I come to your event or you see me at ISTE. I'd love to connect and learn with you. 

If you are looking for PD and support as your school explores PBL and/or MakerEd, reach out to me and we can see how we can connect to make that happen. 

Hugs and High Fives, 

Nick

Reflection as Assessment #MakerEd #EdChat

One of the things that I am often asked is how I assess MakerEd work from students. The traditional education system is still grade focused. Students are taught from a very young age to chase the grade because that is what matters in the end. 

Getting students to understand that there is more to school than grades requires serious retraining on the teacher's part. It is not impossible, but it is not easy. One of the ways I have helped my students explore learning and MakerEd in my Mechanical Engineering class is the emphasis we place on reflection.

Each unit is a challenge that students need to complete. They can design their own solutions based on their research and there are goals they are trying to reach, but they are not assessed, or graded, on if they reach those goals. Their assessment is how they reflect on their work in the challenge. Here is one example, 

Students are tasked with building a bride using glue and no more than 200 craft sticks. Their bridge needs to be able to support at least 100 pounds. They will do the research and design a bridge they think will best accomplish this goal. When the bridges are done, we take the total sticks used and subtract that number from the total weight it held. The group with the highest number at the end won the challenge. 

When they have completed the testing and reviewed all of their work and the work of other groups, they are given a reflection sheet. The reflection asks students to explore why they were or were not successful. Their ability to be critical of the work, or lack there of, they put in is important. The first reflections are often the toughest for students because they are hesitant to be critical of their own work thinking it will lead to bad grades. In reality, the students that dive deeper and are critical of their decisions get the most out of class.

My job during the project time is to be engaged with the students, advise them on their choices as they work, provide feedback on their process, and support their overall needs while working. After the reflection is submitted, my job is to provide my thoughts on their thoughts. It starts a conversation about their learning process. As we move through the semester, I have found that some students are too hard on themselves and sometimes do not recognize the successes they had in the project. Students are still very new to the reflection process so I need to support them as they learn to highlight the wins and understand the loses. 

At the end of the day, I have to place a grade in the grade book. The students earn their grade through reflection and dialogue. These reflections are saved and explored at the end of the semester where they are asked to show the growth points in the class. If we truly want growth for our students, you can't have it without reflection. It is a shame that reflections tends to be the first things skipped when we run out time. 

How do you use reflection in your classes?

First Impressions #EdChat

I always think about this at the start of the school year. What is the first impression I want students to have of me that sets the tone of the whole year? I remember an old teacher adage about never letting students see you smile for the first few weeks of school. It easier to go from stern to kind than it is too kind to stern. These have always bugged me because it makes it seem like there are only two ways to interact with students.

Here are some things I have done that have helped me set the tone for the school year that have nothing to do with curriculum, but everything to do with relationships.

1. The First Five Minutes (Extended Version)

I've written about the First Five Minutes before and feel it is an amazing strategy for student engagement and community building in the classroom. The extended version of the First Five Minutes is just a longer chunk of time where the teacher just walks around and interacts with students and joins the conversations they are having. Sometimes, it is starting a conversation and seeing what students think of a particular topic. The one rule for the First Five Minutes is to avoid any content or curricular stuff unless the students bring it up. If they have questions about homework or something, save that for class time. If they want to talk about connections they made with the content on a personal level or they want to discuss how the content relates to the world around, that is awesome. Give students the freedom to discuss what matters to them and be engaged in their conversations. You want them to be engaged in your class, so engage them in their thoughts.

2. Ask Students What They Want To Learn

One of the things about a syllabus that has always bothered me is that it dictates to the students exactly what they are going to learn and how they are going to learn it. However, not every students is going to walk away with the same knowledge and others might feel overwhelmed seeing everything for an entire year planned out for them. How about asking the students to think about what they want to learn this year? Have them right it on the first page of their notebook, in their planner, or pass out notecards to write down their goals. Students need to feel some sense of ownership to their learning if they ware to truly engage. While the teacher will still cover the various aspects of the curriculum, the student can still have a focus of their own that can drive them to grow as a learner.

3. Start with Collaboration

If you want a classroom where students feel comfortable collaborating and making projects, it is smart to start off the year with a collaboration project. One of the first things I did in the Google Certified Innovator Academy a few years back was to try and build the tallest tower using marshmallows and pasta. It was a fun, silly, and challenging way to bring people together to solve a problem. People got to know one another and engage in conversations while building a tower of marshmallows. Another fun project is to use a BreakoutEDU kit to start the year. Have the students work together to solve puzzles and kick off the school year. Anything that brings the students together to let them know that the year will focus on relationships and collaboration is a great thing to have for the first day.

4. Greet Them and Send Them Off

Greet students at the start of class and send them off to their next class. Simple things like shaking hands, fist bumps, high fives, etc are a great way to make a connection with students. While some students will not think twice about the high five or hand shake, for some students, it might be the only positive physical contact they have had since the last time your greeted them or sent them on their way. Saying goodbye to students at the doorway is also a great way to recognize students in class that really stood out and participated or did something amazing. It's easy to forget to recognize students at the end of the class because teachers are so busy getting ready for the next thing, but these moments are perfect for making lasting connections and impressions on students.

These are just a few ways to engage students on the first day and throughout the school year. We need students to feel safe and welcomed in the classroom if we truly want them to engage. It the job of every teacher to make sure the students know they have someone in front of them that cares more about them than the work they are going to do. If a teacher can accomplish this, the are going to have an amazing year filled with fun and learning.

Please share any ways that you engage with students on the first day to make a great impression in the comments section below.

Hugs and High Fives,

NP