Transcript

Welcome to BLaST the Airwaves with BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. Here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, we strive to transform lives and communities through educational services. On this podcast, we will provide you with educational solutions for all, no matter the learning environment. So teachers, administrators, caregivers, what are you waiting for?

What would happen if we started questioning, what if? What if we had a positive perspective on education? What if we flip the switch on education? What if we were the solution?

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 episode 11 of BLaST the Airwaves.

During this episode, we are going to talk about the vibes you give and how they influence your relationships. What are we waiting for? Let’s jump right in and BLaST the Airwaves.

Do you ever wonder how your students feel when they leave your classroom? Actually, do you ever wonder how anyone feels when they leave your classroom or even just your presence? I always root myself back in my values. When reading Brené Brown’s, Dare to Lead, I was encouraged to evaluate my values. And, no, we are not talking family, friends, etc. Everyone values those things (or at least they should). What Brené reinforces is that we focus on the different qualities that we value. For example, ambition or patience or positivity, and so on. It really made me think. She asks me, she asks you to make your list of values. Then narrow it to five, then to three, then down to two. By narrowing the list down to two. Boy, is it tough. By narrowing it down to two, it does not mean that those other eight values aren’t of importance. Quite the opposite. They are still important, but they are not your most important. The two that you are left with are your most important values. It is with these qualities through which you live your life, how you leave people feeling, and how you strengthen your relationships. It is your of living–how you orient what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.

If you’ve never really taken the time to think about what you value, please hit pause and think about. Narrow down your list and do not be afraid if your values have changed. They are meant to change. I know mine have.

For me, in this season of my life, my values are ambition and it is also optimism.

And, since last year, when I turned the page on Dare to Lead, I have been living my life through ambition and optimism. I make decisions based on these values. I carry myself day to day based on these values. I hope I leave lasting impressions based on these values. Heck, I hope that you listeners, wherever you are, leave these episodes feeling more optimistic and filled with ambition, no matter the circumstances.

Every human I interact with, including myself, that’s how I want to leave them feeling: optimistic and ambitious. But, let’s take it back to your classroom.

Do your values align to how you carry out your instruction every day? Do your vibes you give off with your students align with your values? Or, are they chilly vibes?

Chilly vibes.

A chilly classroom, a classroom climate that Fisher, Frey and Hattie define as a place where students do not feel valued. A place where students feel “their presence…is at best peripheral, and at worst an unwelcome intrusion.” It is the opposite of what we work for every day as we aim to strengthen positive teacher-student relationships.

But, in reality, it happens. Friends, it happens.

There are classrooms where, ‘Oh, I do not feel like dealing with this student today, I will put him or her over in this seat. Out of sight out of mind.’ It happens; and, sadly, far too often.

Moreover, it happens far too often with our lower-achieving students. These students end up criticized more for failure. They are praised less frequently. They receive less feedback. We barely call on them, to save them from high-anxiety. Their ideas are rarely accepted, more so barely even heard.

It happens, but here is the thing. Fisher, Frey and Hattie, and myself, we do not believe it happens consciously or intentionally. No! That is not the case.

What Fisher, Frey, and Hattie suggest is that students who are not making gains make us feel more like failures. So, we detach ourselves; and, instead, we attach ourselves to the ones that make us feel good, the overachieving.

Maybe you are thinking, no way. Maybe you are thinking back to 8:30 in your first-period class when, oops, yes, you made this unconscious decision. You avoided calling on that lower-achieving student because you feared he or she would get it wrong. Or perhaps you struggle with ways to talk to or deal with a student that is lower achieving. How can you praise someone who doesn’t even meet your higher expectations?

It is okay to admit it. It is. The best advice ever recommended to me was to have a building instructional coach or someone, it could even be an administrator, come visit your class and collect data. Pick something specific. Perhaps, tally how many times you call on certain students. Tally sex versus sex. Race versus race. Reflect on your seating chart and where your certain achievers sit. Get good at being intentional and recognizing your unconscious decisions so that they become conscious decisions.

Because, friends, it is time to change. Sure, it is hard to teach them all; but it is not hard to reach them all. It takes practice. It takes time. It takes intention.

For starters, Archbishop Desmond Tutu recommends that sometimes we have to “act [our] way into being.” We must change our behaviors before we change our perceptions. What behaviors can you change now so that eventually your perceptions might change?

For example, how many touch points do you have with all of your students? Try increasing that number. Choose a system for calling on students. Have you noticed recently who hasn’t participated? It does not matter the learning environment. That pedagogy–calling on students–still works. Have a system in place to not only recognize those that do, but also those that do not do.

Make sure you are not just lecturing the whole time! That brings up boredom, which we will cover in a future episode. Mix it up! No matter virtual or face to face, there should be whole group discussion and the small group discussion. If you are not sure how that might look in your current learning environment, send me an email. I’m happy to help!

You, the teacher, you, participate! Be an active learner in your own content. It is one thing to assign a discussion post and then provide feedback, a like or even get craft it out with a bitmoji or your favorite gif; but, it is another thing to post your own answer. Schedule time in your week, every week, where you will intentionally respond to posts.

How do your students engage in content throughout the week? Fisher, Frey, and Hattie use the term “pop-up pedagogy” and it’s brilliant! Basically, get your students to think about class even when they’re not in class. How do you do it? Some ideas suggested are: personalizing directions by using short video clips, gamify some trivia throughout the week, use voice recording feedback, post photos of projects–you can have a virtual brag board! And the list goes on…

The bottom line is, what kind of vibes do you give? We have spoken the past couple of episodes on that positive teacher-student relationship; and we are talking about a quality relationship here folks. These relationships, when based on your values, are foundational to any learning environment. Your students will never learn if they do not first relate.

I do not know about you, but I got into education for these students. It was not for the content. It was not for the testing. It was not for summers off because no one ever gets those. No! It was for the students. It was so they had someone to relate to. It was so they had someone who showed up for them. It was so they had someone to be their constant. It was so they had someone who believed in them. It was truly for the relationships.

And, those relationships, they can be built virtually and they can be built face to face. Remember, Ms. Frizzle and Mr. Rogers. It can be done. But, relationships are hard, especially when they are with teenagers or even younger children. They take patience. They take ten steps back before one step forward. They take resilience.

So, before you dive into the content and before you rush to that next lesson. Take a step back. I know, that can be hard for some of you; but take a pause. Think about the vibes you give. Think about how you leave people feeling. Think about how you show up. Is it aligned to your values?

Because, what I’ve learned in my years of education, actually in my years of life, what I’ve learned is that you will never leave an impact if you first don’t build that relationship.

Start there first.

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.iu17.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 episode 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

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 – www.iu17.org 

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

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