Experiment 2: Learning (Skills) Labs

All this mind blowing reading I am doing this summer has me willing to walk the plank and jump into a new ocean of opportunity. Flexible seating was an opportunity that came my way with a new classroom filled with broken furniture. The idea of the skills labs came to me from either a FB or Twitter post.

Of course I cannot find the original post but it went a little something like this...

It had a picture of a button with needle and thread (or at least that is how I picture it). The headline was something about how students no longer have everyday life skills like simply sewing a button. I would like to think I could, but I have no idea if I could sew a button. I do remember my mom sewing my soccer patches right through my jacket and onto her comforter. Hehe! 

My intention is to teach students how to learn skills and to actually pick up a few good skills along the way. 

What is a Skills Lab?

I plan on running 1 skill lab a week. The lab will entail the students learning a skill. I will have a webpage or #HyperDoc filled with resources such as videos, articles, links...that the students can access at their skill levels. At the beginning of the week each student can set a goal based on where they are at with that particular skill. For instance, if the skill of the lab was to sew a button beginner students may have the goal of actually sewing a button onto a pillow by the end of the week. Where someone who already has some sewing skills may have a goal of teaching someone else to sew a button on a pillow. An expert might even choose to sew the pillow for us! 

At the end of the week students would rate their effort, share their creations, and reflect on their learning. It would be a quick Google Form where they would give themselves a grade. The sharing would be a part of the Form but more time would be spent with them sharing to others in or outside of our classroom walls.

What Skills?

I have a few ideas already but I am hoping for more. I am also planning on having students create the labs after the first couple months or so and take it over for the rest of the year. (Those who do the work do the learning.)  I would like to eventually become just a student in the lab and not the teacher. 

Side Note: I just came up with that thought of the student take over as I typed it. I like this blogging thing.

I would like to have the students work on life skills, tech skills, communication skills, and more.

Skill Ideas:

• Sewing
• Knitting
• Song Writing
• Code Cracking
• SketchNoting
• Tech: Learn a new app 
• Drawing
• Origami

I need more skill ideas. Maybe I don't because I would like this to become student led sooner than later. My husband said 'change a tire'. Good skill to know, but not to learn in my classroom. 

I will be posting the labs and their outcomes. Check out my other experiments like Flexible Seating for Middle School and soon to come automatic group making with Google Forms/Sheets, multiple types of #HyperDocs...

Thank you!

Flexible Seating Experiment

Experiment 1 for 2016-17:

Flexible Seating for Middle School

I am moving into a new classroom for the new school year. The room has pretty much the same set up with less space. No complainants here (under my breath: except putting my 8th graders in the middle of the 6th graders) because there is a wealth of opportunity here. Here are some of the risks I plan on taking in this Flexible Seating for Middle School Experiment!

Flexible seating to me is make different options available for students to make a choice on what is the best learning/working "sit"uatation for them during each activity. Lucky enough I store an iPad cart in my room so I can pretty much have a 1:1 classroom (depending on numbers next year).

Seating options I hope to have available:

Expo Pallet Table 

• What: 
• White Board Table with Expo markers: a pallet with short legs on the bottom and a piece of Shower Board attached to the top. There will be a carpet and floor pillows options for students to sit on. 
• Uses: 
• Students can work in small groups/partners/individuals and mark up the table with the Expos. 
• They could actually do their work right on the table. 
• Take a Pic, Drive it, Classroom it and turn it in. 
• It can be erased or saved for another group or another class to read, add-on, or ...

No Teacher Desk

• Note: There is currently a giant wood desk in the room that I was told was leaving. I was okay with this because horizontal surfaces are an enabler of my ability to clutter up anything! So, this is another opportunity for me to go to a semi #paperlessclassroom.
• What: 
• Painted kitchen table with shower board again!! There will be a nice comfy office chair that the students will assume is mine and other chairs that can be moved.
• Uses: 
• I would host small groups here. (How I form groups is another experiment!). I could mark up the table myself and keep common notes on it for all classes to see. 
• Students could work in small groups/partners...
• The big flat surface allows for projects to be made!

Movable Desk Area

• What: 
• According to the custodian she found a bunch of desks (wood tops with chair attached). There will be an area here where the students will be able to move the desks.
• Uses: 
• Large group/Whole Class to Small groups/Partners or Individual working stations.

Please comment below with questions, concerns, ideas, suggestions...

Thank you!!

Other experiment ideas coming soon including: Skill Labs, Automatic Group Making with Google Forms/Sheets, Multiple types of #HyperDocs

Google Classroom Discussions and Playsheets

Tonight is NYE and I completely teched out for the night. I just couldn't put my iPad down. No matter how many football games, kids screaming or dogs barking around, nothing could break my excitement. I found http://www.alicekeeler.com/teachertech/   Thank you Alice Keeler...you rock!!

Keeler's blog was a one-stop-shop for removing my roadblocks. Most of my Google Classroom questions were answered. Those that weren't answered I learned alternative ways to get it done.  For example I have way too much in the students' stream and I needed to clean it up. One thing that was cluttering it up was the daily objectives/do nows where I asked questions to start class discussions. The discussions were not as good as I would have liked and the posts had too much real estate in the stream. Starting after break I am now going to use a Google Sheet equipped with Scripts by Keeler to have class discussions. I will blog about set up and implantation over the next week or two.

I am also now looking for Playsheets. Playsheets is a term I learned tonight. Playsheets are interactive worksheets/activities that grade the work and offer students instant feedback.  I once again miss teaching science. There are so many interactive games and Playsheets out there for the Sciences and Math, but I have not really found English Language Arts for Middle School students. However, I only spent a little time on Quia.com. I was able to find a quiz for The Giver. I may try this out with my 30 day free trial next week. I'll let you know how that goes too.

I wrote down my list for everything I wanted to get done during Media Monday, right when we return from break and I am now up to 5 things; start Class Discussions on Spreadsheets, set up writing journals on Google Classroom/Docs, ThinkMarks (continued assignment), PBS Storyboard learning lesson, join Quizlet classrooms (I just upgraded to teacher!).  I know I should set the bar high, but I am also dealing with a tooth ache and no dentist until 4:30 on Monday. So, the next 3 days I need to widdle things down and make a schedule I will survive.

Happy New Year!