Transcript

Hello listeners. We are excited to BLaST the Airwaves with you today and provide educational solutions for all. My name is Rebecca Gibboney and I am the Curriculum and Online Learning Specialist here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. I am thrilled to welcome you to this episode of BLaST the Airwaves. Today, we will discuss how we bring relevance to the classroom. How do we get our students hooked? Engagement is a struggle in a virtual world, but together, we can find the answers. Let’s blast the airwaves.

When I think of myself as a student, I think about the courses that sparked my interest and that truly engaged me. The ones that ignited my passion and kept me wanting more. More learning, more opportunities, more practice…I just wanted more. For me, I found enjoyment in math and Spanish. Gym and a little bit of art; but I was never very good at art. Sadly, in my younger years reading was never my thing; but writing, well, I could write for days.

In fact, one of my most influential classes for me growing up was creative writing, my senior elective class. I was fully engaged for many reasons. For starters, it allowed me to clear my head. It was low-risk, low-pressure. I could express myself. It was a judgment-free zone. Not to mention, I found the class relevant.

In fact, one of the reasons I am in education right now is because of this class. It all started with a pumpkin-orange sheet of paper. Each marking period our teacher would distribute a “choice list”. Each student was required to choose a choice writing assignment for the marking period to work on. Some were easy, some tough. Some scratched the surface, some went deep–real deep.

What did I choose, you might be wondering? I chose to explore my future. That entailed me traveling to an organization in which I would hope to serve one day and exploring my options through a job-shadow experience. What did I want to be? I wanted to be a prison counselor. Yes, a prison counselor. And, while sometimes, I still wonder what if, this project changed my life projection. Because, I realized during my visit with my mom by my side, that my heart just wasn’t there. Quite frankly, it was a reality check for me. A gut punch. Because for so long, I had my heart set. Miss Type A had her plan A and that was it. Yet, thanks to this class, this assignment, this assignment that was so relevant to me, I was able to make a plan b (or c to be honest) before it was too late.

How do we combat boredom? We build meaningful relationships. We speak to our students as human beings and not just data points. We make lessons and tasks meaningful and relevant. And, especially now more than ever.

I cannot help but empathize with all educators out there with teachers and students tuning in remotely. The struggles you face, we face in education right now, to engage those remote learners. To just get them to sign on. Why don’t they see their importance of simply logging in? How can we hook them? What more can I do?

Friends, you are doing the best you can. You are enough and I just want you to hear that. I know this is a common struggle across the country. I do. And, unfortunately, I don’t have the answers. What I can tell you is that I struggle with the same emotions and questions when dealing even with our professional learnings for adults. The best solution I can think of right now takes me back to those years with that pumpkin-orange sheet of paper. Relevance. During these trying times, is to keep students and yourself rooted in your why and find ways to keep your lessons and assignments relevant.

Fisher, Frey and Hattie mention this in their Playbook and raise some great points. There’s a reason I chose that choice assignment in my senior elective. I clearly needed some clarity on my future. Yet, not every student chose that same assignment. Why? Because “what is relevant to one person may not be relevant to another” (p. 98). We need to figure out what pulls at each students’ hearts. We need to make learning personalized.

Some students find that personal association. They have a memory or a connection with what they are learning. Perhaps a student is interested in a specific career, like me, and that keeps him or her more engaged in an assignment.

Some students might simply find your content, your lesson, or your assignment useful. How many times do we get asked why are we learning this? The thing is, if the students find it useful, they’re bound to commit to it. If it’s time and there is personal goal or if they think the lesson will help them in their future, they will engage. For example, I mean I may not have loved driver’s education class, but I do know how useful that course was for me. So, I engaged. I tuned in.

Want to get your students to really tune in? Help your students personally identify with your lesson or his or her assignment. That simple assignment, that life-changing assignment, for me I identified with it. Maybe for our students this ties with future goals he or she might have. Perhaps it’s tied to local or global issues. By self-identifying students are given a purpose and a voice in their own education and that, my friends, is one of the most powerful lessons in which students will engage.

So, right now, is it easier to streamline everything? For sure. So much easier. I will not argue with you there. But, what I struggle with is the question ‘what is best for my students right now?’ For me, it’s what’s best for you right now. We know there is a lot out there that we bite our tongue on as educators. There are a lot of unknowns still. A lot out of our control. We cannot get students to zoom in. We wrestle with technology every day. But, you, your assignments, the relevance you bring to the lessons, your passion, that you can control.

Remember, control what you can control. Provide that clarity for your students–what they are learning and how they will know they are successful. Because that control, that teacher self is the best version that your students need right now. So hear me out, continue to show up every single day. Keep fighting for yourself and your students. You are doing enough. You are enough. And, that, I am sure of.

We would like to thank you for blasting the airwaves with us today. If you like the show, please subscribe or leave a review. If you want to know more. Check out www.iu seventeen.org for further resources and show notes. As always, we want to thank you for what you do every single day. Remember, keep shining. We’ll be back next episodes to provide you another educational solution for all as we continue to transform lives and communities through educational services.

Additional/Suggested resources mentioned in the episode:

The Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie

BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 – www.iu17.org 

Professional Learning Opportunities at BLaST IU 17 – https://www.iu17.org/professional-learning/ 

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