Ask my parents or my siblings about me as a kid and the same nickname will always come up. I am not proud of it and have fought hard my entire adult life to break from it….but its true. I AM a tyrant and I AM uptight! Although I despise these names and wish to see to them washed from my history I have also accepted them and realize they have played a key role in getting me to the place I am today. I AM uptight when it comes to my content, its structure, and the lessons I hope my students gain from the history of our past. I AM a tyrant to my students about proper dress and proper actions of my students while they are at school. For most people the personality I have built at St. John Vianney High School has become a positive influence on my students who may not have been challenged by a teacher like me. Despite the hard line I take with my students conduct and the rigidity at which I approach my content I do have a softer side as well, something I hope my students will see. That is why this year I am attempting a new approach with my students that looks to build a personal relationship with them and show them how I truly feel.
I have begun to do a little research on a concept that does not seem to fit with the high school environment I have trained to exist in - Thank you notes. That is right, messages of affirmation and thanks to those who are doing a good job. When I look at my students (all male sophomores who are outwardly growing into men who feel no pain) I really do not think of people who would expect and enjoy those tiny messages but when I thought about it more my big question was, what’s the worst that could happen?” The results of the first semester were significant. First, lets debunk a myth our students attempt to perpetuate. Our male students DO have feelings and DO CARE what you think so any little thing (positive or negative) that you say or do will have an impact even if it is not visible. Even adult men still desire and appreciate affirmation from colleagues and superiors. As a student teacher four years ago I received a note from a student (sophomore whose name was Claire) which said simply, “I think you are a really good teacher, please keep going!” A note that I still keep in my desk today. In my first month of my first year of full time teaching I received a note from my principal welcoming me and letting me know he hired me for a reason, because he believed in me. And then very recently (the reason for this post) I received an email from my current principal calling me his HERO. Each one of these notes I keep close to me for those days when the world seems to be crashing down. So if a full grown man can be impacted by a simple note why can't a high school student? I had some amazing results when I tried this out last semester. In all I wrote probably 25 notes during the semester each to a different student. They related to recent work the student had done that really impressed me or a certain action I witnessed that I wanted to further encourage. From those notes I got back several emails from students thanking me for the kind words, I got a story from a parent who put the note on their fridge and a mom who gave me a hug in appreciation. One mom who spoke to another teacher stated that it made her son cry because it was so nice. She said, “no one had ever said anything nice about him like that before...it meant a lot.” It crushed me to think that no other teacher had ever said anything that nice to him...EVER? Now I really do not know what I wrote in each note or what circumstances drove me to select THAT student THAT day but those students may keep those notes for years or at least their week is a little bit better because of a note that took me 5 minutes to write. It is important to show our students that we are human and to remember that they themselves are also human. Despite the fact that many of them are developing personalities that hide their true feelings under layers of hardened mass it is important to recognize their humanity and through that reach them on a deeper level that maybe later we can use to educate.
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During the 21st century technology revolution schools have a very difficult decision to make. They must decide what role technology will play in their school as well as what course of adaptation they will take. It is easy to say from an outsiders perspective that giving each student a device will give students the ability to use technology in education, but is that the right strategy? A few strategies have come to prominence during these turbulent times that need to be discussed. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) BYOD is based on the idea that in the United States each student has access to a basic computing device and that some school systems do not have the resources to supply each student with a device as well as the technology support for hundreds of those devices. In the United States 55% of citizens own a smartphone and 42% own a tablet device (Pew Research). This adoption technique asks that each student purchase and bring their own device to school. These devices have to meet certain requirements and may even be from a list of brands that has been school approved. The role of the school is to provide technical support while on campus as well as Wireless access and security to the students who are part of the BYOD program. There are some strengths and weaknesses to the BYOD system including: Strengths:
1:1 Device Adoption The 1:1 system is a much more involved system of adoption. In this system the school district is seen to go “ALL-IN” and adopt a single device for each student in the school system. The school system then purchases the devices and loans the device to the student for the year (1 student: 1 device). These devices are pre-loaded with applications that the student will need for the year as well as software for security. These devices are serviced by the school system most likely by a dedicated technology specialist in the building. The devices are owned by the school system who has a contract with the device manufacturer for regular maintenance and updates on a regular basis. This system also has its costs and benefits: Strengths:
Teacher Deployed System The teacher deployed system is the combination of the two previous systems that does not require a school system to adopt a single device or rely on students to properly maintain their own devices. The teacher deployed system has a school system build mobile computer carts that can be “signed out” by teachers for periods of time. These computer carts might be multiple carts of the same device or may be multiple types of devices each with its own cart. There will not be enough computers for each student to be working at the same time but enough for a large percentage of teachers to be connected at the same time. This may 1 device for every 2-5 students. In addition each department within the school system makes a recommendation as to which device works best for their subject area. Much like the other systems this strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses: Strengths:
Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is the job of an effective school administrator as well as a trusted technology committee to come up with the system that is right for their situation. Only through the successful integration of technology into our 21st century classrooms will our students be prepared for their tech driven lives outside of the classroom.
Gamification is all about creating a new classroom environment where our students can thrive. In the video game world as well as the real world competition drives our students to complete tasks that seemed daunting or too risky to complete. This is not a new concept for anyone who has worked with high school students. Many times those students who struggle in the classroom to concentrate or grasp key concepts can excel on the playing field or on the court. This does not mean that the student does not care about academics or fails to understand the long term consequences of their actions it is simply a testament to how powerful the idea of competition can be.
In 2002 the video game world was radically changed. The release of the “Xbox Live” system to the world allowed gamers to compete against other gamers online from anywhere in the world. This transformative system of online gaming has been replicated and now stands as a fundamental pillar of the video game community. It is rare (and considered unwise) to see a new game released that does not have some kind of online environment. With this new power gamers everywhere could play games like Halo: Combat Evolved against a dozen of their friends without someone’s mom yelling down into the basement to “Keep it down! We are trying to sleep!” When these students of our become engaged in a competition environment (especially with close friends) little can stop them from hours of gameplay in the constant search for victory (over 2 billion hours have been played as of 2012!) The concept of competition in the classroom seems to be a little more daunting to some teachers. They worry that competition may drive the learning out of the class or that more shy kids will not want to participate when challenged by more aggressive peers. Although these are valid concerns I wonder if getting students to work together and strive for more just outside their comfort zone has ever been a bad idea? As a teacher at an all boys school I see competition as one of many motivators for high school students to achieve more in the classroom. As part of my gamified classroom environment the students compete as collaborative squads against other groups of students. I also see a positive impact on learning when we compete in the “Geography World Cup” which challenges those same squads to identify as many countries in one continent as possible. To see students crammed over a textbook memorizing locations of nations while a timer slowly ticks down tells me they are engaged in the content. Then as the scramble to write down just one more country and encourage their teammates as the seconds reach zero, that is competition at work. I see competition work every day with students who want to give just the bare minimum. If I can engage those students for even 20 minutes in an interactive competition I may have just unlocked a door for that student to other learning opportunities. In the past decade the revolution in education has produced some amazing change in our classrooms. It seems that although for decades schools were behind in technology integration and effective implementation in the last five years a critical mass of technology minded educators has been reached, and CHANGE IS HAPPENING. New “millennial” teachers combined with a growing group of veteran teachers who are changing their practice is shifting the educational landscape towards acceptance of new technologies and the idea that it is okay to try new things in our profession. Personally I think one of the most dangerous mindsets in education is, “...because that is how we have always done it.” Luckily for our students and their families we are seeing the retirement of that mentality for a more adventurous and growth based mentality. These changes in ideas and practices are spreading throughout our profession but what can we do to share this growth and change with the outside world? How can we effectively share that growth and change are happening in a responsible way? With all of these schools doing amazing things it is important for them to develop a method to effectively share their version of success. This process known as “Brand Development” allows schools to establish a sharable identity with the world. A school’s brand is much the same as a private company’s brand, think of the distinguishing characteristics of Coca-Cola, Apple, or Google. When you read those words very specific images, phrases, and concepts instantly pop into your head. Having your brand instantly recognized and associated with key positive ideas can be a powerful tool in a school’s arsenal. Now before you go out and design your school’s first functional website and require all teachers to have a instagram or twitter account it is important to develop an effective branding strategy across all platforms. According to Richard Hanna (2011) in the article “We’re all connected: The Power of the Social Media Ecosystem” an effective branding effort consists of a two step process of developing a unique message and then improving your owned, paid, and earned media presence around the message. the first aspect asks the school to identify the key characteristic or idea that distinguishes your school from your competitors. Once you identify that idea then you must be consistent in promoting that idea through your already existing media presence as well as expanding your presence into new fields. As a private school educator in a highly competitive market this idea of effective branding is especially important. St. John Vianney High School is a Catholic school in a city (Saint Louis) that is known for its large Catholic population and MANY options for Catholic education. In this market five major high schools compete for the male population of Saint Louis. In this market even the smallest edge could result in huge returns over the course of a student’s four year career. In the conference no school has as aggressively approached branding as Vianney. The branding effort started with identifying the key characteristics of the school and then relentlessly promoting those characteristics. Our new branding campaign (released August 2014) touts that Vianney educates “Men of Character & Accomplishment.” With this new brand a new website was designed, print media was modified and distributed on a regular basis, and the teachers were engaged in promoting this idea via their own media tools. The teachers of Vianney have latched onto social media as a key tool for their classrooms and the professional development. This gave the school the ability to share this message with more people than they would be able to do just by itself. The effective implementation of a school’s branding effort requires that it be based on a unique and sharable message. This message needs to be shared using all available media from owned media, to paid media, and earned media. As long as the media is consistent with the school’s overall mission and brand then a school can share all the great things they are doing for the 21st century students.
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Brandon LewisMy name is Brandon Lewis and I am a high school history teacher in St. Louis Missouri. I practice the art of teaching at St. John Vianney High School. Archives
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