Kate Carroll's Halloween Weekend Reflection

Highlights

• Highlights included witnessing students making the, often emotionally, challenging decision to leave behind a social issue they were deeply invested in in order to create this weekend’s action teams.
• As a participant with the Educational Reform groups, we reviewed the blog posts of each action team member. I was struck by how much overlap existed across their seemingly disparate studies of Act 77, Act 46, and Career Education/Declining of young people in VT population.

• Bill’s structural organization, especially in regards to food, was a definite highlight; not only were we well fed, but the hosting sight of Common Ground provided a setting that made feeding and sleeping 26 people not only easy, but relaxing and productive.

• Another basic but essential highlight: Tim’s orchestration of the room itself to serve our movement from a larger group (tables were set up in long communal rows for initial large group and dinner) into our smaller action teams (tables were spread out around the room, and when acoustics were challenging, Bill brought one group into a smaller space so they hear each other better).  Although these movements might echo what teachers do in terms of setting up activities for their classroom, they differed because students were involved in the actual re-arrangement (best illustrated when setting up the ‘triangle’ to practice up the ideal light setting for interviews) and leaving the ‘actual’ room itself (e.g. going outside).

Ah-Has

Not sure if this is an Ah-Ha or more a confirmation, but this weekend highlighted the importance of any retreat/conference’s function, namely that we move forward  in our work together.  For example, in trying to seek common ground across the various topics on Friday night, a teacher initiated the exploratory process of ‘digital maps' via two ways.  

During this process, a student, Eva, suggested that students participate in  a form of ‘human mapping’ through actual one on one conversation.  I thought the exercise was valuable, but even more importantly, indicated a student’s own understanding of her role, namely as a co-participant.

My sense of "Bread-Loafness" of WtS? and "new ground in portfolio-based, student-initiated learning."

As MA graduate and current M.Litt student, my BL course and conversations have always directly influenced my teacher practice.

Here is one specific, recent example: despite VT-BLTN What’s the Story’s kinship with Act 77’ mandate for students to personalize their own learning, I have one administrator who is doubtful whether or not this course will provide a model for all students. This week, I told him about how last year’s traditional i-search essay had been morphed; this year, students’ posted pieces of the essay into weekly blog posts whereby multiple interested mentors provided feedback and guidance. When I told him that I thought this course design could support a variety of students in our school who are conducting research, he, for the first time, indicated a recognition of the initiative’s merits. . .

The i-search essay coupled with the digital blog record, and the weekend’s development of a collaborative blog for each action team, provides an essential visible record of learning itself and the portfolio’s creation.

Finally: anything else you'd like to convey about this, our first of three overnights, that might help us make things work even better next time?

Build in more frequent breaks for physical movement

Have students put phones on airplane mode at beginning of each work session.

Laurie Hickey's Halloween Weekend Reflection

• HIghlight 1.  What a difference 24 hours make.  When I first arrived just 23 hours ago, students were locked into their range of devices breaking focus to talk to only those they knew.    Now, the groups have morphed and morphed again, welcoming new members both shy and confident. Students tackled an assortment of tasks set for them by Tim.  They also began to form the personality of their groups; I watched in my group as three particularly strong high school students both encouraged and kept tabs on the middle school students who are working in their group as well.  
• Highlight 2.  Last night's slide presentations from students touched my heart.  The unifying theme of improving our communities and the intensity these students brought to their topics shone bright.  This project gives students the mechanism to put their voices forward.  Through learning how to create documentaries now, I can only imagine with maturity what kind of change these kids can create. I was talking with Brennan during dinner (I had been reading his blog before this gathering.) While I gushed about the overall maturity of this group, he rightfully pointed out  that the kids here are not necessarily typical.  This is true; I think the gift of this experience will then have an even greater impact down the road.
• Top three "Ah-Has" 
• Tim has amazing resources about filming videos which I can steal for my work at Hunt.
•  The mixture of high school/middle school provides a natural mentoring opportunity.
• The blog preliminary work prepared the students for a rich conversation when they formed their groups.  I was impressed also by the grace the students displayed when they let go of "their" projects to search for a common project.
•  Three "I Wonders"?
• How would this exact project work with more disengaged/disadvantaged/lesser proficient students?
•  How will the group dynamics "sugar out" in our group about DCF as deadlines and the real world seeps in?
• How do I take this weekend back to my own Hunt students (in addition to stealing Tim's work.)?
• This work is so Bread Loaf.  This is evident by the strength of student voice and choice, the reliance on writing to reflect and learn and the presence of Bread Loaf teacher/students who epitomize a sense of craft, diligence and questioning about their teaching practices. I do believe this portfolio-based, student-initiated learning could be replicated in a typical school; I do wonder how it could happen without quality professional development and teacher buy-in.
•  This was a physically perfect place for our work.  Lots of attention to detail to make all feel welcomed and comfortable.  Even though we did not have time to work together as teacher groups, we had lots of informal time to talk about our work. I feel really fortunate to hang out with both the students and the teachers who are here. Thanks too to Bill, Tim and the magical funders who let this weekend happen so gracefully.

Bob Uhl's Halloween Weekend Reflection

More than anything else this weekend, I enjoyed getting to know the students involved with What's the Story. Aside from the three students from my school, I had met them all only once before, at our September kickoff event. Between then and now, I read most of their blogs and acquainted myself with their interests and preliminary research. It felt good this weekend not only to match names with faces, but to spend time working and socializing with the bright young people who make up our group. I particularly enjoyed tossing a disc with some of them outside on the lawn.

I realized this week that, because this is only project's second year and the first year that middle school students are involved, some of what we do necessarily results from a continuously evolving process of monitoring and adjusting in response to our circumstances. I'm also becoming more comfortable with improvisation and its importance to effective teaching. For instance, though I knew in advance that I would be facilitating a couple of our activities together, I wasn't sure about precisely what that would look like until I had arrived and tuned in to the dynamic. I'm also getting to know my colleagues better, and drawing no small amount of inspiration from their dedication and resourcefulness. I'm glad to be a part of the team.

As we move forward, I'm curious to see how the various groups will continue to refine their focus. I'm interested to see how my own students grow through this opportunity, and how they will present their experience to family, friends, and classmates. I wonder, also, how what I learn through What's the Story will change me as an educator.

So far, What's the Story strikes me as embodying the spirit of Bread Loaf. At multiple times throughout the evening and morning I found myself looking around the room, magnetized by the tight clusters of students engaged in deep, meaningful conversation about issues that matter. This project is harnessing the energy of what someone, I think, referred to as the most underused resource in the nation: our youth. Students unanimously commented on the relief they felt in breaking out of the confines of the classroom and moving into the arena of their communities and state, "the real world," where they're free to pursue ideas that motivate them. It would probably not be a bad thing if the future of education in our country looks something like What's the Story.

Colleen's Halloween Weekend Reflection

Woah! What a wonderful 24-hours it has been. I am truly amazed and more invested in this project than ever before. Our 18 students came in yesterday at 4 pm. At first they sat silently on their phones, not speaking. By 9 pm I felt a true sense of bonding. They were having fun! Three girls (representing 2 schools and 3 grades) sat on the floor still discussing their group topic; at least eight students sat around one of the large wooden tables playing cards. A few others were huddled on a couch watching Netflix, while some were slipping off to bed. Despite the various activities going on, I truly felt a sense of community forming...that maybe they'd stay in touch beyond the parameters of our year-long class. But it is too soon for that. And there is still more to think and reflect upon. 

 "Ah-Has"  

• I loved watching students make connections (via affinity maps) between their various topics. They see and understand how all these aspects of our lives are connected! 
• Realizing it's okay to push students beyond their comfort zone. I guess I've always known this was the job of the teacher, but I'm not sure I exercise it too often. I'm so often worried about losing my students' interest or pushing them too far, that I back off and make sure they are happy and comfortable. While I deflected the role of asking students to change their topic, I see the benefit in doing so. 
• You don't have to be old[er] or have had lots of life experiences to be passionate about extremely important issues. 

I Wonder...

• I wonder how my group of 5 will manage to work together and complete task on time?
• I wonder if I should let them sink a little, before throwing the life vest or if I should intervene before they need the life vest? 
• I wonder how we can make sure students continue to write and reflect as much as possible? 
• I wonder if the students enjoyed this time together? I wonder if they look forward to or dread the next overnight? Maybe we can gather feedback (a survey?)                                    

In my experience, the Bread Loaf School of English has always stressed the importance of bringing what we learn back to the classroom. If they truly believe in this, I can't imagine a more "Bread Loafy" project. Not only have we taken our passions from the summer and carried them through the school year, but we (the adults) continue to make connections and improve our teaching craft by seeing and talking to each other on a regular basis. What wonderful conversations I've had with Kate, Ben, Bob, Bill or Tim in just the 15 minute breaks we gave the students.  

Finally, I am a bit concerned about throwing them right into interviewing. While there is some benefit to this approach, I am wondering if the groups need more time to develop a focus, research questions, and do background research? Just a thought, that may make initiating and conducting interviews easier. 

What a weekend! 

Colleen 

Ben Krahn's Halloween Weekend Reflection

Our first weekend get-together was a great opportunity to have the space, time and freedom to work together and get to know each other a bit better. One particularly memorable experience from the weekend was having Walt Gustafson from VPIRG talk to us about activism and the ways in which our students' experiences in What's the Story is akin to the work being done professionally at the local, state and national level.

Top three "Ah-Has":

1) When you give kids the freedom to explore a topic of their own choosing, they'll have enough energy to take them through a friday night and a long Saturday of work;

2) Identifying issues and problems is easy; attempting to locate a potential solution, however, is much more difficult;

3) Kids ARE empathetic; kids ARE energized by real-world issues; kids DO want to have a say in how their lives are governed.

Top three "I wonders":

1) I wonder if we can give the students even more freedom?

2) I wonder how we can make this experience more accessible to more students?

3) I wonder what would happen if we asked the students to have more of a say in the agenda? I wonder what they want more of and less of?

The mix between classwork and out-of-class interactions was absolutely instrumental to my amazing Bread Loaf experience. What I mean by this is that I wouldn't have had the same Bread Loaf experience if I hadn't spent so much time talking, listening, improvising, interacting; my experience would not have been as rich, so to say, if I had not have the time, space and freedom just to be surrounded by smart people, not knowing exactly where the conversation was going to head. The experience we are granting the WTS students is very similar to the experience I had at BLSE. In other words, it's all about student-initiated learning with an audience and support system to guide, prod and encourage.

For next time, it might be useful for students to get sorted into their groups for several periods of time just to "be." No direction, no planning, no organizing, no prompts -- just tell them that they need to be together to chat, to improvise, to interact. See where the time and space take them. All in all, however, it was a great weekend. 

Reflecting about Our First Overnight Experience

Hi Everyone,

Here are directions for posting a reflection about out overnight experience at Common Ground with our WtS? learners and team.

1.  To Make a Post

• To make a post, look at the upper right hand corner of the blogscreen (way up there in small print)  and you'll see: "New Post." Click on that there thing. 

2.  Title Your Post 

• Let's all go with the same format / title: "My Name's Halloween Weekend Reflection" (example: Bill Rich's Halloween Weekend Reflection).

3. Write and Publish a Response to These Three Questions

• What are a couple highlights from this extended time together? (Looking for specific moments here.)
• What are your current top three "Ah-Has" & top three "I Wonders"?
• One of the Middlebury fund raisers is working up a proposal to get us more resources. She's wondering about your sense of "Bread-Loafness" of WtS? and "how Vermont BLTN is exploring new ground in portfolio-based, student-initiated learning." Any thoughts for her?
• Finally: anything else you'd like to convey about this, our first of three overnights, that might help us make things work even better next time? 

Thanks,

Your Blogmaster

Katie Ivory's Opening Volley

Hello everyone. My name is Katie Ivory and I teach at Mount Abraham Union High School. I teach a team-taught humanities course called American Studies and a handful of English electives to upperclassmen. This is my second year participating in WTS. Last year I was a co-instructor and this year I'm taking more of a back-seat, "as needed" role. I am currently on maternity leave after having my first child in August and Bill and Tim have been gracious enough to create a small role for me this year!

Already, this year seems to be more purposeful and organized. I think we have really learned from the successes and struggles of last year and seem to be really on-point from the get-go! I love that Tim has created both purposeful individual work and a meaningful audience for this work right from the beginning. I'm very excited to see where this goes (and again, grateful that I am still able to participate in a small way!)

Since I was not present at the actual kick-off gathering, my perspective is a bit limited. I will keep my "ah-hahs" and "I wonders" to a few...As I said before, it seems like the students have had an authentic audience for their individual work and this will hopefully lead to a greater sense of the larger community and their role as part of a social action team. I wonder how this will continue - how will students continue to receive feedback on their work and engage in meaningful conversation with others? How will this lead to authentic and purposeful collaboration, with adults, community members, and peers in the course?

I'm excited to see where this leads!