I tuned a ukulele without my dad’s help.

I teach in a small town without thousands of apartment options yet I do have thousands in student loans, so the answer to both conundrums is life in my childhood home with my two really gracious parents.

One of these really gracious parents, my dad, is just plain musical. He plays the piano for our church, fixes accordions in his spare time, and has a guitar he tinkers with (quite well, I might add) on occasion. One of our neighbors has been attempting to learn the guitar for a few years and visits once in awhile to show my family his progress. My dad, who does not devote nearly as much time to the guitar as our persevering neighbor, can play right along with him, prompting our neighbor to frustratingly tell his wife, “He doesn’t even need to practice! It just comes right to him.”

Friends, I am a growth mindset junkie, but the man has a gift.

Ever since the unboxing of my ukulele last week, I have grown new empathy for my neighbor. My dad seems to think that this new instrument is ours, and he can pick it right up (in more than one sense).

Excuse the dog toys! My brother and puppy, Crew, look on as my dad masters the freshly-opened Pomper instrument

Because I am to be dependent on online resources, I have refused my dad’s know-how again. And again.

Other than correctly placing the battery in the tuner for me, my dad has watched his firstborn struggle with tasks he could easily complete. While I almost started to wish he could just show me, I reminded myself of the goodness found in productive struggle. Learning a ukulele on my own was not going to be an easy task, and I wanted to develop the perseverance that I would surely need throughout the process.

Did you know that students who have had the opportunity to fail and problem solve tend to “transfer the knowledge they’ve gathered more effectively than those who were the passive recipients of someone else’s expertise” (Paul, 2012, para. 4)? It is good for me to struggle. 

As the student, I feel a little frustrated but also empowered. I am excited by each new chord I learn, having done so without someone positioning my fingers.

But most days I am the teacher, so I can relate to how hard it must be for my dad to watch me be challenged without flying in like Superman with his musically-gifted-cape.

Okay, but what exactly did I learn? 

A week ago at this time, I knew nothing about the ukulele other than its name.

Today, I can tune one. 

“I should have chosen something easier.”

“I can hold a ukulele!”

It was a rocky process. Using the electric tuner provided and a Ukulele Teacher video, I tuned all four strings until the tuner light glowed green. However, after noticing that my strums didn’t sound like the teacher’s, I realized that I had been holding the ukulele in opposite hands than the instructor and thus had tuned the entire thing upside down.  I thought my dad was going to cry.

I then searched for a YouTube video that taught the absolute basics: from how to hold the instrument correctly to strumming instruction. I found the approach I needed in Cynthia Lin Music.

She has a series of 6 beginner videos that build on each other, teaching various chords and techniques along the way. It’s gold.

The OokTown podcast has been fun to listen to– who knew there was such a passionate crowd of ukulele fans in the world?– but I have not yet explored the website’s video lesson component.

Future Strums: I have decided to learn to play “Three Little Birds” and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” I think the positive message in each will bring a happy spark to my classroom Morning Meetings.

Stay tuned– pun intended.

Reference:

Paul, A. M. (2012, April 25). Why floundering is good [Electronic version]. Time.

All images belong to author unless otherwise noted. 

MakerFaire Magic

Wait, what’s a MakerFaire? 

Prior to beginning an Educational Technology program at Michigan State, let me share my experience with MakerFaires: I walked by a Mini MakerFaire once near the beach in St. Joseph. That’s it.

I remember seeing plenty of cardboard, but truthfully, I had Lake Michigan on my mind and didn’t take the time to spectate.

Perhaps that is the reason for my instant anxiety upon hearing that my classmates and I were responsible for planning and executing a MakerFaire with a mere nine days of work time. I had not yet truly experienced a MakerFaire as an attendee, and now I was part of the planning committee? How could that be?

In a quest for greater “maker” knowledge, I watched a TED Talk by Jeff Sturges. He states, “I really think we’re all makers. We have these things called hands with opposable thumbs.”

This quote brought peace to my frazzled brain. If EVERYONE is a maker, then I could certainly figure this out! The possibilities were endless.

I learned that MakerFaires are events, varied in scale, that exist to encourage hands-on creativity. For example, visitors to the enormous Detroit MakerFaire might try a wearable video game system while guests at the Southwest Michigan MiniMakerFaire can learn how to solder. Pretty much anything goes!

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We planned a #MAETCircuitCircus! 

My partner, Alex, and I were responsible for planning a hands-on exhibit which could engage visitors of all ages. We had both enjoyed the circuit-centered activities we had tried in class, specifically the Squishy Circuits. I had wanted our activity to include common household items, so the Squishy Circuit kits seemed to be a perfect compromise: an unfamiliar technology with a very common childhood medium.

Testing out the Squishy Circuit kits in class; I have a newfound appreciation for Play-Doh! // Photo taken by author

While we knew of the technology we wanted to utilize, we had great difficulty deciding on what exactly our visitors could do as they played to learn.

We decided to come up with a list of scaffolded challenges that would demonstrate various aspects of the electric circuit. For example, the challenge “Make a light bulb go out without removing the power source or the light bulb” led visitors to notice the short that occurs when touching the two pieces of Play-Doh together.

For a complete list of the challenges we posed, please see our Circuit Circus Challenges. 

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How did it go? 

Thursday, July 20th quickly arrived, as did visitors to our MakerFaire! It was a joy to watch third and fourth grade kiddos from a Spartan Writing Camp take on the circuits, working seamlessly together throughout each iteration.

It was obvious that the Writing Camp instructors had discussed working together as a team. While I reviewed the use of accountable talk before they began, I was not expecting how well the campers would take turns and actively listen to one another.

Teamwork makes the dream work, my friends. // Photo taken by author

This portion of our MakerFaire morning served as a great reminder for my own classroom. I can talk my students’ ears off all day about speaking nicely to each other and working as a team, but in the end? I need to stop talking and give them the freedom to try. 

This is part of teaching with which I am challenged. I want to guide my students each part of the way, and it is difficult for me to watch them struggle without jumping in.

However, the MakerFaire reinforced what my summer courses have shouted from the rooftops: kids can. They are capable of collaborating, of facing difficulties, of building, of creating, of figuring it out. Sometimes, I just need to get out of the way.

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Try it yourself!

Are you interested in replicating a MakerFaire experience in your own classroom? If you are particularly fascinated by Squishy Circuit challenges, here is a Circuit Challenge Guide used for my own planning purposes.

View this document on Scribd

If your interest lies in more general MakerFaire plans, here are a few tricks that may be of use:

• It is easy to be caught up in the exhibit plans and forget about logistics. For example, ensure that signage within the event building is plentiful! Enjoyment surely suffers when people aren’t sure where to head.
• Utilize social media all that you can. Create a hashtag for your event; this helps visitors feel connected from the start.
• Prizes aren’t necessary, but people of all ages love to be recognized! Project a leader board or create a congratulatory board for those who have completed your challenge. Pictured below is the Wall of Fame we used; visitors could write their name on the whiteboard if they mastered the challenges.

This wall was signed by engineers of all ages. // Photo belongs to author

For more information on the Maker Movement, I highly recommend the aforementioned TED Talk by Jeff Sturges.

References:

Sturges, J. (2014, Jan.) The maker movement. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uIXJclJE2Y.

Engaged Learning and Haribo Bears

All right, friends, find a comfy seat and settle in for a story of cross-cultural connection.

The Backstory:

While I interned in Detroit Public Schools two summers ago, I stayed in a house with three other Detroit area interns, two of whom were German. It was truly the dream as I got to show their sweet selves all over the great state of Michigan, from Grand Haven’s sandy shores to Detroit’s lovely Belle Isle. They met my family, petted my dog, and shared many a pint of Ben and Jerry’s on the couch.

Less than a year later, I made my first trip across the Atlantic Ocean pond in order to see the homeland of my dear friends. I met their families, petted their dogs, and bought gelato from a vendor on a Munich street. It was a quick, wonderful whirlwind of a trip, and Germany’s beauty stays in my heart still.

Six Months Later– The Classroom Story:

My love of Deutschland was no secret to my third grade students. A German flag hung from the ceiling, and if we got all of our work done before lunch, I even told the story of Miss Pomper getting stuck in a foreign country bathroom just one more time.

Imagine their excitement, then, when a brown box came from Europe just for them. My friend Lisa had mailed a package of Haribo gummy bears for each of my students. We found Germany on the map, discussed the differences in currency and continent, and brainstormed the journey that big brown box must have taken to arrive at Star School.

And then? We created. Friends, writing for an authentic, international audience is gold.

Thank you cards (or should I say “Danke” cards?) // Photo taken by author

Once our cards completed their journey to Karlsruhe, Germany, our classroom gained an even greater appreciation for technological wonders: we connected with Lisa via Google Hangout.

Hastings, Michigan connecting with Karlsruhe, Germany via Google Hangout // Photo belongs to author

Students asked thoughtful questions such as, “Does Germany have more history than America?” and curious wonderings like, “Are there cows in Germany, too?”

Lisa answered thoughtfully, even holding up the colorful card creations one by one to let students glimpse their handiwork from thousands of miles away.

The Heartwarming Story: 

In the last week of school, I worked with students to create “Summer Smile Lists” of topics to learn or think about during the break from routine and consistency. An item on almost every single list?

“Germany.”

The Teacher-Becomes-the-Learner Story: 

Technology fascinates me, and I am likely guilty of using the shiniest tools to guide my instruction the moment I get my hands on them (Mishra, 2012).

But my students had Chromebooks in their hands for at least an hour each day. They wrote Seesaw entries, practiced math fact fluency, and scanned QR codes to listen to picture books. I had a classroom culture of perseverance and hard work, surely, yet our Germany mini-unit brought student engagement levels I had not seen prior.

What’s the catch? Or rather, the hook?

I believe my students snatched up a large dose of what Daniel Pink refers to as “right brain qualities (2005, p. 3). My students were joyful, munching on Haribo bears sent from far away. They felt empathy, considering the cost of shipping overseas. They creatively expressed gratitude, writing a thank-you note to the very best of their abilities (2005).

I don’t believe it was the Google Hangout session that magically turned my third graders into walking, talking Germany travel brochures, nor do I think it was the gummies or the art of writing a warm thank-you.

I do believe combining kindness, an incredible tech tool, markers, construction paper, and a pack of gummy bears does indeed create an aptly named sweet spot.

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References:

Mishra, P. (2012, September). Rethinking technology and creativity in the 21st century: Crayons are the future. TechTrends, 56 (5).

Pink, D.H. (2005). A whole new mind. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.

Rocking and Rolling in Room 21

While I have one year of teaching under my belt, a friend of mine has 25 years under hers. I am constantly learning from how she makes her classroom a warm 8:00-3:00 home for her students, and one of the techniques I have begun to emulate is her use of music.

We sing ALL the time in Room 21! From attention-getter chants to learning reading strategies to the tune of Meghan Trainor’s “No,” I love to use song as both a teaching tool and community builder. However, I have zero singing ability. Good thing my showerhead doesn’t care (and neither do my third graders)!

This teacher I so admire brings a ukulele to school with her each day, adding a whole new level to singing in the classroom. She is able to play along to “Happy Birthday” on treat days, teach her class new songs during Morning Meeting, and even introduce music-reading basics (which has a huge connection to mathematics!) using her ukulele as a spring board.

As part of my MAET coursework, I have been challenged to learn a new skill utilizing only online resources as instructional tools.

And so, this summer, I will learn to play the ukulele.  

The unboxing of my much-anticipated Amazon Prime package // Photo belongs to author

Upon beginning to research resources that may help me learn, I reminded myself to be searching for videos and tutorials that are instructionally sound. There is an infinitesimal number of YouTube videos that promise to demonstrate the playing of a popular song in four easy steps, but even though the musicians may be ukulele experts, they are not necessary skilled in instruction (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). Furthermore, I know that learning how to play “Over the Rainbow” by watching someone else’s fingers move flawlessly will not teach the skills I need to be a lasting player.

Below I have listed online tools that I believe provide both the “how to” and the “why’s” behind the ways of the ukulele.

THE PLAN:

• I have liked “The Ukulele Teacher” on Facebook. This musician posts tutorials to songs and even songsheets with the chords needed for free. I think it will serve as a great resource.
• I have a long commute to and from my school building; during this time, I like to listen to podcasts. The Colorado School of Ukulele produces a podcast titled, “OokTown.” I think listening to this while I drive will provide me with a greater sense of the instrument and its possibilities.
• I think UkuChords will be helpful in that I am able to reference it for various chords as needed.

MY LEARNING GOAL:

• At the conclusion of this project, I hope to be able to play at least two songs on the ukulele, both of which I am able to use in my classroom.
• I would like to be able to learn various chords first before choosing which songs I will learn. I am still a rookie, after all! 🙂

Do you play the “uke?” Know someone who does? If you think there is a resource that might be helpful, I would love to hear it.

Reference:

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press

Learners Thinking Learning: Metacognition in the Elementary Classroom

The third grade students in my classroom are no strangers to self-reflection. I ask daily, “How did that session of Read to Self go? What could we improve on for tomorrow?” Before parent-teacher conferences, they reflect on their behavior over the trimester, rating themselves on desk organization or how often they followed directions the first time they were given. From a classroom management approach, I have known and seen the power in taking time to consider one’s own actions during the school day. Thinking through the past triggers students’ desire to “do better” in the future– students with previously unorganized desks make a mental vow to use a folder for stray papers in the semester that follows.

I suppose it should come as no surprise, then, that thinking about one’s own academic learning also contains great power. “A metacognitive approach can help students take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 17). As students keep an internal dialogue regarding these goals, their awareness of what content they have and have not mastered increases.

I found it fascinating that metacognition could also take the form of questioning as students read. As students read a description of an 1800’s-era Michigan fort, thoughts such as, “What machinery was available in the 1800’s again? Who were the opponents in this conflict?” would certainly make way for deeper understanding of the newer content.

How can elementary teachers support this way of thinking?

Just as we “think-aloud” while reading aloud, teachers ought to “think-aloud” to model mental dialogue. For example, as educators teach the multiplication of numbers such as 7 x 8, they might begin by saying, “Whoa! Those are two big numbers. Let me think: do I know the answer right away? Hmmm. Nope, I don’t think so. I need to figure this out on pencil and paper.”

In the aforementioned interaction, students would be “developing strong metacognitive strategies” which Bransford, Brown, and Cocking state “should be standard features of the curriculum in schools of education” (p. 21). By listening to a role model talk through their thinking, students internalize the strategy for themselves.

After providing scaffolding as such, students can share their own metacognitive thinking with peers. In a writing instance provided, students “take turns presenting their ideas to the group and detailing how they use prompts in preparing to write” (p. 67). Doing so benefits the student presenting, certainly, as they are held accountable for monitoring their very own thoughts. But I would argue that metacognitive student presentations benefit the peer listeners in a two-fold manner.

Firstly, any reluctant reader, writer, scientist, or mathematician can grow as a result of classmate-provided demonstration. It serves as a reassurance that success in the field is possible, provides a boost of confidence, and exposes the listener to new strategies or ways of thinking. Secondly, the constancy at which listeners are repeatedly hearing others think about their thinking helps the classroom culture shift towards one of metacognition; students are more apt to transfer knowledge to “new situations without the need for explicit prompting” (p. 67).

This web shows the multiple benefits of students sharing their metacognitive thoughts. // Created using Popplet

It is a classroom goal of mine to explicitly instruct metacognitive thinking with my third grade students. I hope to do an improved job of talking about my thinking, and after providing necessary scaffolding, will encourage my students to do the same.

How do you encourage a metacognitive mindset in your own classroom? How do your students take ownership of their metacognitive thinking? I would love to connect!

 

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press