This is a follow-up to a post that hasn't been published yet, but ... oh well.
This year I have become very conscious of just how much we need to break down the processes and skills of communication and collaboration for students. Even in grade 7, many need to be explicitly taught how to listen to ideas and elicit more information about those ideas from their partners. This does not come naturally and many are not even aware that physical stance affects how they are heard and responded to. It is surprising how many students need to be taught how to engage in face to face conversation.
I see the imperative because I know where we are heading. For students to be able to deal with the challenges of Integrative Thinking, they must first become comfortable and able to articulate and hear each other's complex thoughts. Initially, I thought we would begin Integrative Thinking at the start of year. Now I recognize that foundations need to be set in place before that can begin.
Today we began with my observations about their communications skills based on the work we had conducted last week. (the post that hasn't been published)
I pointed out that as they had become more comfortable working in groups and engaging in learning conversations several students had begun to change their physical stances. From being collapsed and closed, they were sitting taller and more open. I shared the research about body chemistry and how standing in a more confident position causes reactions within their bodies that allows them feel more confident. I also shared that many were also less tentative with their voices.
We then turned to language and a discussion of words that shut down others and cause them to turn inward and language that keeps people open and continuing to share. On Saturday I attended Edcamp Design Thinking and by chance, one of the activities we were asked to do fit perfectly with my grade 7's needs. It required us to change how we use language when sharing ideas.
At Edcamp Design Thinking we stood in small groups and passed an object around the circle. Each time we held it we had to state what the object was using "Yes ... and" rather than "Yes ... but". This is the building toy we used.
Person 1: It's the base of a table.
Person 2: Yes and it's a satellite.
Person 3: Yes and it's a tent.
Person 4: Yes and it's a chemical structure. and so on ... for 5 minutes.
These same toys were in one of the kindergarten rooms and I was able to use them with my 7s. It was great fun and students learned it is possible to advance their own ideas without having to reject the ideas of others. My Educational Assistant observed that it took all the risk away.
Next, we read the opening to our text for the week, "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury.
It had been raining for seven years; thousand upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
Students then had to work in partners to discuss and plan how, if they had an unlimited budget, they would film this scene. As they worked with their partners, they had to use "yes ... and" in response to each other's ideas.
Students had about 30 minutes for this. This was a higher level thinking task. The idea of having to translate text into film was challenging. Having to develop ideas for this while working with a partner even more so.
After students shared their visions, we debriefed: What was difficult about this task?
1. Inability of 1 person to understand what the other was seeing in his or her head.
2. Having to use yes and.
3. Having to immediately share ideas without having had time to think on one's own.
4. Not understanding the task at first.
5. Finding vocabulary to express ideas.
These insights become the learning points for tomorrow. It is time to pull out 21 Toys and discover just why it is so hard to communicate an idea to another person.
This year I have become very conscious of just how much we need to break down the processes and skills of communication and collaboration for students. Even in grade 7, many need to be explicitly taught how to listen to ideas and elicit more information about those ideas from their partners. This does not come naturally and many are not even aware that physical stance affects how they are heard and responded to. It is surprising how many students need to be taught how to engage in face to face conversation.
I see the imperative because I know where we are heading. For students to be able to deal with the challenges of Integrative Thinking, they must first become comfortable and able to articulate and hear each other's complex thoughts. Initially, I thought we would begin Integrative Thinking at the start of year. Now I recognize that foundations need to be set in place before that can begin.
Today we began with my observations about their communications skills based on the work we had conducted last week. (the post that hasn't been published)
I pointed out that as they had become more comfortable working in groups and engaging in learning conversations several students had begun to change their physical stances. From being collapsed and closed, they were sitting taller and more open. I shared the research about body chemistry and how standing in a more confident position causes reactions within their bodies that allows them feel more confident. I also shared that many were also less tentative with their voices.
We then turned to language and a discussion of words that shut down others and cause them to turn inward and language that keeps people open and continuing to share. On Saturday I attended Edcamp Design Thinking and by chance, one of the activities we were asked to do fit perfectly with my grade 7's needs. It required us to change how we use language when sharing ideas.
At Edcamp Design Thinking we stood in small groups and passed an object around the circle. Each time we held it we had to state what the object was using "Yes ... and" rather than "Yes ... but". This is the building toy we used.
Person 1: It's the base of a table.
Person 2: Yes and it's a satellite.
Person 3: Yes and it's a tent.
Person 4: Yes and it's a chemical structure. and so on ... for 5 minutes.
These same toys were in one of the kindergarten rooms and I was able to use them with my 7s. It was great fun and students learned it is possible to advance their own ideas without having to reject the ideas of others. My Educational Assistant observed that it took all the risk away.
Next, we read the opening to our text for the week, "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury.
It had been raining for seven years; thousand upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
Students then had to work in partners to discuss and plan how, if they had an unlimited budget, they would film this scene. As they worked with their partners, they had to use "yes ... and" in response to each other's ideas.
Students had about 30 minutes for this. This was a higher level thinking task. The idea of having to translate text into film was challenging. Having to develop ideas for this while working with a partner even more so.
After students shared their visions, we debriefed: What was difficult about this task?
1. Inability of 1 person to understand what the other was seeing in his or her head.
2. Having to use yes and.
3. Having to immediately share ideas without having had time to think on one's own.
4. Not understanding the task at first.
5. Finding vocabulary to express ideas.
These insights become the learning points for tomorrow. It is time to pull out 21 Toys and discover just why it is so hard to communicate an idea to another person.
Hello Heidi, my name is Kayla Christie, and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I think your post is excellent and very true. I have seen adults who still lack in communication skills with others. I found it really interesting how your students, after working in groups and engaging in conversation, changed their body chemistry. I loved how you said, "I shared the research about body chemistry and how standing in a more confident position causes reactions within their bodies that allows them feel more confident." What a useful piece of information for your students! The professors at the University of South Alabama are still trying to get that through to students. Also, I have never though about the "yes...and" instead of "yes..but." This really changes the ideas of students and their interaction. They do not have to disagree with anyone this way. For most students, disagreeing is intimidating, which enables them to speak less.Overall, you did a great job changing how these students communicated, and I hope I can do this in my classroom. Please feel free to check out my blog as well as the class blog.
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EDM310 Blog
Thank you, once again, for your thoughtful comments Kayla.
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