March 4th, 2019
So, let me backtrack for a second and explain the title of this post. If you're anything like me, the thought "if only there were 2...10...x...number of me" has probably crossed your mind at some point or another while you're teaching a class. It's not hard to see why; in most classrooms, students outnumber teachers 10 to 1 (and those are extremely generous odds). In the wonderful, wide world of Special Education, those numbers might look a bit different here or there, but the central issue remains the same: how can I be everywhere at once to answer every question the second a student has it, so as not to waste any of the precious and limited learning time we've got each day?
Unfortunately, the short answer is: you can't. Not without diving deeper into some Marvel-esque hard science that'll grant you the superpower of literal clones (not that that doesn't sound great).
Back in my current, less mad science-y, classroom, though, one of the big themes I try to promote (and encourage my students to promote) each year is moving towards independence and personal ownership of schoolwork. This simply means actively instilling habits that allow students to self-monitor and continue their work without myself or another adult constantly looking over their shoulder.
To be clear, I am not advocating for no teacher/student interactions or collaboration. I am just saying, I try to make it a priority in my classroom to encourage behaviors that let students keep on working when I have to step away to help another student, answer my classroom's phone, stop the Joker from poisoning Gotham's water supply, etc.
Instilling independence in my students isn't always easy, but, before I get to those much sought-after cloning techniques, I'd like to take you through a few particulars about what independence looks like in my classroom (and how you could possible relate it to yours). First and foremost, I teach 7th Grade, which, like everything else in middle school, is smack-dab in the middle on the age range of least independent to most independent learners. One of the things I love most about teaching middle school, in fact, is the emphasis on critical soft skills like independence. Most of my students are at a point where they're starting to get a taste of freedom in their lives, so it's a perfect time to remind them that with that power comes great responsibility. However, I don't believe you have to wait until your students are transitioning into teenagers to weave age-appropriate independence into your classroom. I firmly believe that all school-age students, regardless of their grade level, enjoy a challenge (especially when it's dressed up as a game). Presenting something as special, new, or just something they weren't old enough to try until now is your hook, and with it you can catch and encourage your students to take risks, try something new, and make mistakes all on their own.
So, now that we've gone on that comic-book heavy tangent, let's get into some of the techniques for promoting independence in your own class. First, apart from the obvious reason of there being only one of me and a bunch of them, when and why did I make the shift to focusing on independence as a core element of my class?
Simply put, I believe that the ability to work independently on an assignment directly connects to one's confidence in the material. If you aren't confident with your work, you ask more questions and need more reassurance, which, again, isn't a bad thing.
Still, there's a distinction between not being confident because you're truly shaky with the material and the learned helplessness of needing every move you make double checked for fear of error. Mistakes often don't get their due credit in the learning process, sometimes being framed as necessary, but still often connoted with unpleasantness, which I think is unfortunate. In any event, I noticed in my classroom that there were certain students who consistently made the grade and earned that A...but their productivity plummeted and they seemed almost panicky when I wasn't standing right beside them.
So, from those collective experiences, I decided that the goal I present to my students needed to shift. Instead of the objective we were chasing throughout a unit revolving around getting that A, I tweaked it to gaining mastery of skills and moving from dependence to independence.
One of the first materials I created to meet this goal was a learning target (sample: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kSlCN45beWk1ArqbL2ecwiYAVVecZSswWHj7xpwzDGA/edit?usp=sharing). This is something all students receive from me at the start of each unit. It includes the ultimate goal of the unit (usually in the form of an overarching task), as well as all the standards we will be utilizing throughout the unit to get there. To clarify, for me a unit can last anywhere from 3-5 weeks.
I'd like to focus now on the actual target. At the end of each week, as part of our Friday routine, all students mark up their target and reflect on where they think they are in terms of their independence level. My students know that I never mark their target with my perceptions; it is strictly for their reflection and their tracking. This, I believe, gives students a realm for reflective honesty without the fear of 'losing points.' And, generally, my students are very honest about where they think they are with whatever skill we're learning at the time. It's also important to note that I take great care to frame the presentation of these targets with a 'progress over perfection' mentality, meaning that it's okay if we don't hit the bullseye by the end of each unit every time. I'm much more interested and overjoyed by seeing students move towards independence rather than pressuring them to be achieve perfection in every unit throughout the year.
And now, at last, cloning. First, I'll define my term: cloning is the use of technology and other materials in a classroom to provide support for students and facilitate independent learning. In a lot of ways, most cloning boils down to something like a custom-tailored FAQ (Frequently-Asked Questions). To successfully clone yourself, you first must anticipate where your independent learner may need support.
In the space below, I'll go through a few of the ways in which I use cloning in my classroom, along with a brief description of what I use cloning for. Full disclosure: my district is fortunate enough to have 1-1 Chromebooks for each student, so some of these techniques are tech-based. However, cloning is one of those things that you can accomplish at any tech level.
Flipgrid: If you have access to a laptop, iPad, or anything else with an enabled web-camera, you've got to check out Flipgrid. First off, it's free (Google bought it), it's super user-friendly, and it appeals to the Youtuber in all of us while still containing all videos to a safe space on the internet. Flipgrid is essentially a video-sharing/making hub designed for education. You (and your students) can create short videos that ask and answer questions, detail how-tos for complicated parts of projects, or read assignment directions aloud in a way that can be replayed as many times as needed. There are times when I'll make a Flipgrid video for the express purpose of moving step-by-step through an assignment I know can be a bit tricky. Other times, I'll post a thinking question and enable student responses through an iPad. It's a great way to share and show off work, and create a version of yourself that can be replayed over and over again and never tire of giving the same response.
https://flipgrid.com
Spark Adobe: This platform was more recently introduced to me by my administration earlier in the year. Spark Adobe is just as user-friendly as Flipgrid with the added benefit of incorporating graphics and images into your video. Spark Adobe lets you design a filmed presentation (complete with voiceover) that is absolutely perfect for how-to sheets, complex directions or questions, and auditory learners. One of the main tasks that I've given over to Spark Adobe is the creation of my Vocabulary Quiz videos. I simply record myself saying the Vocabulary Words (for the Spelling portion of the Quiz), and then give my students access to that recording. Students are then able to replay me saying the words as many times as they need, at their own pace, without having to ask me to repeat the words aloud. So many students love this way to quiz.
https://spark.adobe.com
Hyped-Up How-To Sheets: This next cloning technique is something that can be accomplished with any tech level. We've all heard about How-To Sheets; they're generally a play-by-play of instructions for completing a relatively routine task. When done right, simple, clear-cut How-To sheets can shine a spotlight on the path to student success. If you're like me and tend to be a little wordy (bet you couldn't tell), writing directions for an assignment can sometimes get bogged down with unnecessary tangents or asides. Creating a How-To forces you to think in a very linear and logical fashion, which some students really respond positively to. The link below is just an example of a How-To made by yours truly.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ddlb6kRRESYWzWS_vPWlm4-VUNldDgFsmAITAJTG-og/edit?usp=sharing
Classroom Experts: This last cloning technique is by far my favorite, because it not only enables students to work independently, but it also empowers them to show off their skills and be confident in the knowledge they've obtained. In my classroom, each skill we're studying comes with a variety of quick checkpoints that're deployed throughout a unit. Through these checkpoints (as well as classroom observation), I'm able to determine which students are 'experts' with any given skill. Those students then receive the title of 'expert' and become another resource for other students to seek out whenever they have a question that relates to that particular skill. And, since one measure of mastery in my class is the ability to teach a skill that has been learned, both the experts and students seeking help gain from this interaction.
To sum up, the point of cloning yourself in the classroom isn't so you'll be less available to the students; it's so you'll have more time to engage in those really meaningful conversations that help further deep learning. In the modern day and age, utilizing resources to accomplish a task is a hugely important soft skill. Being able to correctly identify a problem, locate a solution, and implement a plan successfully is immensely important in our tech-heavy age. I'd like to end on a brief anecdote that illustrates as much. Recently, I borrowed a pop-up green screen from my principal to film student testimonials for the upcoming NJAMLE conference. After school (during Drama Club rehearsal), I was struggling to put the green screen back into it's case so that I might return it. A few students involved in the show who were currently not on stage offered to help, but, after a few minutes of folding and twisting, we still hadn't managed to make the shape that would fit into the screen's carrying case. Then, one student took out her phone (again, after school), went onto Youtube, and typed in "how to fold up a portable green screen." One click and we suddenly had access to dozens of videos showing us the proper folding technique. With renewed energy, we packed up the green screen and I brought it back to my principal.
Thanks for reading this post! Leave a comment about your favorite way to clone yourself while in the classroom! Tune in once April rolls around for my next post: Flexible Seating: Dos and Don'ts.
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @toadalteacher.
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