Observations:
This is a clear place of learning. The walls are adorned with visual information and student support which provided a visceral feeling of knowledge. Opportunities and ideas abound as your eyes scan the various pictures, words, and experimental items around the room. This is where STEM (and STEMS2) happens....
For example, hanging from the ceiling in one very visible section of the room, lets call it the heart of the room, were these statements:
- Should we try (idea)...
- Everyone may not agree but (idea)...
- (Name), what do you think?
- I think (opinion) because...
- How did you get your answer to (question)?
- I'm not sure because...
- Do you agree?
- I like what (name) said about...
- My idea is different because...
These simple yet highly effective sentence starters set the tone for the class expectations, the ideals of collaborative sharing, and the clear message... "You Will Be Sharing Your Ideas Here!"
The students, a 4th grade class, engaged with a lesson on plate tectonics, vulcanism, and the exploration of various viscosities of lava. This was a 2-hour block. The first 45 minutes comprised of recall, note reading, question and answer, and visual supports. In the remaining time, the students engaged in team lab activities to explore the creation and eruption of their lab 'volcanoes.'
I was impressed and happy to see the students, even the more kolohe ones, engaged and being challenged to share with their class. No free passes here... if you're in the room, you're going to be involved! Loved this... again, it was felt... this does not just happen... it takes time and effort to set expectations high, maintain them, and challenge students to engage...
I experienced and felt this duality in the room.... Kids were having fun, even feeling and acting 'loose' around each other. They did not have to sit in one spot during the activities, they were not assigned specific roles in the groups (although suggestions were made), and they were given the space/place to explore and engage on their own. All this occurred in a controlled, monitored, and supported situation because of Jen.
It's like knowing you can be yourself, yet knowing there are high expectations to exceed what you ever thought was possible in your academics. Like seeing others, recognizing them for who they are, yet supporting the different styles. All the while, Everyone knows they need to take the learning seriously. Everyone knows learning is important and vital to their success in this room...
Personal Connection:
I've had the pleasure of knowing Jen for some time now. She and my wife attended the same graduate cohort in the COE back in 2007-2009. She became friendly with my wife, also named Jennifer, and I have admired and respected Jen ever since. Like her classroom, she can be completely silly and free while maintaining a level of hard-core seriousness and focus... I don't know how she dies this, but she pulls it off effortlessly.
This ability to express oneself freely, yet maintain a high level of competency is what I feel comes across in her classroom. The students know and fee this. They are being given a clear model of how this works through Jen. They are allowed to express themselves as individuals, be silly as kids, yet achieve collaborative projects and gain knowledge at an impressive rate.
Conclusion:
Learning occurs wherever Jen is. Students will thrive wherever she can engage and interact with them. She is STEMS2! She embodies the ideals of collaborative, empathic learning with the innate ability to express oneself while advancing ideas through extremely rigorous expectations.
I took away some cool ideas from her classroom. I want to incorporate and modify her sentence/conversation starters for my K-2 students... Maybe a table-top sticker with short pictures/words to help cue them to share... not sure yet, but something will be created because of my experiences observing Jen. As always, it's good to see her work with students. I walk away feeling I need to step-up my game in the best way possible....
Oh, and don't ever volunteer to be the kid who has to demonstrate a viscous liquid in her class... you may end up turning blue!
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