Two Teachers Podcast

Valuable relationships are difficult to establish as is with students. They become even more difficult with challenging or struggling students. These are the students that we often do not know need us more than anyone. On this episode we will discuss methods to maintain and build this important relationship.

Rigor and Relationship are the two things for which we strive. It doesn't matter what you teach if there is no relationship with the student. In this episode we explore how to get to know your students from the beginning of the year to help build and establish that needed relationship. As middle school teachers, Luke and I have an average of 112 students each. Truly getting to know each of these students is an incredible feat. No matter how hard we try, it is not well enough. Students Want a Relationship Three times annually we do a bit of a survey in my building about kids perception of a relationship with a teacher. Then we have them define that relationship. The results are all over the place. Some kids claim they don't have relationships with teachers, yet they are some of the most friendly conversational kids. Others claim that what they are looking for in a relationship is someone that they can truly trust and go to and confide in. That is something we want to be for all the students. But I don't know that in a given year I can build that with every student. For me, sometimes my personality and teaching style naturally mesh with some students. It may be the content that allows them to mesh well with the students or similar interests there. There's some simple ways that we can go about even just showing the kid that we have some interest in them. Outside the Classroom As teachers, we should be reminded of some of the little things that go a long way. As much as I'd like to prep a little bit between classes, standing in the hallway and saying hello to the students is incredibly valuable. It sounds cliche, but some of the best relationships can be developed by saying hello to that student with his head down or that reluctant student while walking into your classroom who's maybe had a bad day. Maybe get a smile out of a kid that wasn't smiling at all that day. We also build that relationship with students who are part of the school community and maybe haven't been in my class or reached our grade level yet. Try to take as many opportunities as I can to put a face to the name or be out there for those students so that you've already have the groundwork laid when they become "your student." Even that presence around the building and in those previous grade levels, builds you up as not just this person in a classroom but rather a member of the community. Coaching is an easy way to do that. Running a club, maybe a little less commitment than coaching, we find to be extremely successful. For example, I do the ski club of 140 kids, six, seventh and eighth grade, and I've already seen the effects. I have kids that come to my classroom and already know me from just a different setting, and it already has that rapport built and saves me a little bit of opportunity there at the beginning of the year to focus my efforts on taking that relationship to the next level or even being sure that I am establishing a relationship with students whose faces I do not recognize. Inside the Classroom What are some of the things that we can do inside of our classroom within our 47 minutes? Use some cardstock and have the kids make name placards. The benefits are twofold. When standing in front of the room on those first days you see their name is displayed nice and big. Secondly and more importantly the other benefit is the inside. Name placard. It provides a conversation to have with the students where they would write a message to me. Each night I reply to their message. There's a spot for each exchange and they leave a comment or question for their teacher. In the next column over, there's a response from the teacher. And it's a little bit of work, but honestly, it was one of the absolute most valuable tools I've ever used to get to know my students from day one. The success was immediate. This placard got kids who would open up about nervous and worried feelings or what they don't like about school.

In today's classroom, tech is all around us. Many schools have moved toward 1:1 models and put personal technology in the hands of their students. We've even seen schools make-up snow days with "Virtual Learning Days." The existence of technology does not improve educator effectiveness. For that we must strive to redefine our classroom with the technology we use. In this episode we review Dr. Puentedura's SAMR model as a guide to transform our classroom with technology. Resources:www.emergingedtech.com Article on the SAMR ModelTwo-Minute Review Teacher ExampleTwo-Minute Review Student ExampleHow to make a Two-Minute Review

Calling this intro to inquiry was essential as a lesson on inquiry could be a week long class and we only have 10 minutes. On this episode we will share some great entry-level ways to affirm or add to what you already do in your class with inquiry. Inquiry, in short, is asking questions. This is the most simplified definition. It is not new, rather, its newly being emphasized in the C3 Framework in Social Studies and the NGSS in science. We've noticed with the accessibility of information at the fingers of the students we teach, their desire to inquire has diminished. As naturally curious people access to information has increased are question asking, but this is a learned approach. As the Right Question Institute premises, "All students should be able to formulate their own question in a classroom." We are fully on board with this statement. As if additional rationale is necessary... Students who formulate their own questions are engaged and curious. There develops a further desire and interest in the content. This skill is not unique to class but rather a life skill. How do we get them there? Start low-floor. Model the questions for the students. Asking questions in class very intentionally to model this inquiry process. Verbalize the process aloud so they can see what these questions look like. The next step in this scaffolding is setting the "hook" for the questions. Luke's example: Hitler did some really bad stuff yet leaders are typically (should be) held by morally correct and ole model type of people. Hopefully this leads to the aha moment that these two phrases don't match. This modeling or setup helps them work on how to ask a question. If you think about it, when using google we seldom even ask a question, we type in key words and look for an answer. This can be developed through a discussion or prompting surrounding the level of questioning. Levels of Questioning Examples:Costa's Levels of QuestioningDepth of Knowledge Resources:Question Formulation Technique - Right Question InstituteSocial Stuidies Inquiry - http://C3Teachers.org

Much like episode 1, the lead or hook to a lesson can mean everything. In this episode we share ideas on how to quickly make changes to your beginnings of your lessons to draw the students in immediately. Hooks an important part of our classroom and a easy way to make the kids want to comeback. Hooks, are the lead in, something that gets your students to want more. A good hook is creative, focused, engaging the student, plays on students schema, sure to breed confidence, culturally relevant. For example, Luke used the music artist Drake and something he had advocated for in his past to lead into a Civil Rights Movement discussion. This sparked conversation among his students as they have background knowledge to make that specific example relevant to his students. Jack Berkemeyer writes in Managing the Madness about hooks. He writes about be willing to understand where your students are at and meet them there. A simple approach is to change your seating arrangements. Tom has the luxury of being the first door in the building for all of his students. The day to day variety of seating in his room is not necessarily all that creative. He has a handful of arrangements that spark the curiosity for the students who will eventually come to his classroom throughout the day. The arrangement gets the students to stop by and say, "I wonder what we will be doing today?!" For Luke this can be a picture on the board, a song playing in the backgound, a sign hanging outside of the door, etc. Accessibility is key. If it is a question posted on the board that only 2 students can answer, the lesson begins with frustration or discouragement for most of the students in the room. This is not effectively hooking anyone. Start small and infrequent. Novelty and variety keep it fresh. Don't be afraid to hook the students at the end of the class the day before. Resources:Managing the Madness by Jack Berckemeyer - Buy the book on Amazon. - http://jackberckemeyer.com/

On today's episode we begin the year where we always do, the first day. The first day of school can be a struggle for students (and teachers) because it takes on the same format year after year and class after class. We discuss ways including a lesson called Teacher 2.0 to mix it up on the first day and make it more meaningful for everyone. First day of school the culmination of a long summer of relaxation and planning hoping to be the difference in the lives of all the brains in front of you. The students sit there, full of nerves and expectations that this will be the best year of their lives. We meet them that first day much like the other 6 new teachers they might have with the litany and monotony of the rules and expectations of the class. Do we have a seating chart? Can they handle the day without one? Can we expect that they know the rules and norms? Give them some credit that first day. Let them provide the first impression. Drop the old adage(wrong by the way) that you shouldn't smile until the second term. Change it up and build that relationship from the start. For this we use Teacher 2.0. Let the students gather in groups of 3 or 4. Provide strategic groupings by putting them in groups based on birthday, first hour class, favorite subject, etc. This gives you some control but empowers them with some choice. Then let them create their dream list of what makes the most ideal teacher by writing each individual idea on a single post-it note. When they have seem to exhaust their "wish list" in those groupings ask students to contribute. Rotate groups asking for 1 idea per group. If another group's idea is mentioned, they can crumple up that post-it. As you collect the notes, stick them to the board in groupings. We usually have that grouping of unreachable wishes. (i.e. free food everyday, no tests) We discuss these things as necessary components that are non-negotiable. There may also be a group of non-sense ones like "The Teacher will be oblivious." I address those with humor when they come up. Once the answers have been grouped, create a statement that starts with "Teacher will..." Some examples: Teacher will be open-minded and willing to accept feedback or input. OR Teacher will engaging and prepared. They change ever so slightly from class to class. Have the students record these in the first pages of a notebook or on an index card. Once this is complete, I have them cross off the "teacher will" part and replace it with "The student will." This is a great "aha" moment for them to see that we are here together with much of the same expectations. Our podcast aims to open a dialogue about ideas, current trends, researched new ideas, etc. We hope you enjoy and look forward to regularly publishing more content. Resources:Teacher 2.0 LessonSeating Chart Ideas from Rick Wormeli