Whereas many TeachMeets are based on the model of teachers sharing what’s working for them, this meeting was about teachers sharing the things they haven’t quite figured out yet. In these times of uncertainty, our focus was on sharing the dilemmas that keep us awake. . . . and Puzzle Meet participants had the opportunity to support their colleagues by offering possible next steps and suggestions that could be helpful.
Here is the information you need to run a Puzzle Meet of your own along with reflections from the two Puzzles shared. A very big note of thanks to Kath Boon and Kris Little for sharing their dilemmas. And, thanks to all who participated. As Simon Sinek shares “Together is Better” and when we collaborate and share we are wiser and smarter.
Before the Puzzle Meet: Preparing for the Consultancy Protocol
1. Presenters take time to think about their dilemma. This guidance might help:
Dilemmas deal with issues with which you are struggling or that you are unsure about. Some questions for helping you select a dilemma might include:
Is it something that is bothering you enough that your thoughts regularly return to it
Is it something that is not already on its way to being resolved?
Is it something that does not depend on getting other people to change - in other words, can you affect the dilemma by changing your practice?
Is it something that is important to you, and is it something you are willing to work on?
2. Do Some Reflective Writing About Your Dilemma
Some questions that might help are:
Why is this a dilemma for you? Why is this dilemma important to you?
What (or where) is the tension in your dilemma?
If you could take a snapshot of this dilemma, what would you/we see?
What have you done already to try to remedy or manage the dilemma?
What have been the results of those attempts?
Who needs to change? Who needs to take action to resolve this dilemma? If your answer is not
you, you need to change your focus. You will want to present a dilemma that is about your practice, actions, behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions, and not someone else’s.
What do you assume to be true about this dilemma, and how have these assumptions influenced your thinking about the dilemma?
What is your focus question? A focus question summarises your dilemma and helps focus the
feedback.
3. Frame a Focus Question for Your Consultancy Group
Try to pose a question around the dilemma that seems to you to get to the heart of the matter.
Remember that the question you pose will guide the Consultancy group in their discussion of the dilemma.
4. Critique Your Focus Question
Is this question important to my practice?
Is this question important to student learning?
Is this question important to others in my profession?
The Puzzle Meet: Using the Consultancy Protocol
1. The presenter gives an overview of the dilemma with which she/he is struggling and frames a question for the consultancy group to consider. The framing of this question, as well as the quality of the presenter’s reflection on the dilemma being discussed, are key features of this protocol. If the presenter has brought student work, educator work, or other “artefacts,” there is a pause here to silently examine the work/documents. The focus of the group’s conversation is on the dilemma. (5 - 10 minutes if there are artefacts to examine)
2. The consultancy group asks clarifying questions of the presenter — that is, questions that have brief, factual answers. (5 minutes)
3. The group asks probing questions of the presenter. These questions should be worded so that they help the presenter clarify and expand her/his thinking about the dilemma presented to the consultancy group. The goal here is for the presenter to learn more about the question she/he framed and to do some analysis of the dilemma presented. The presenter responds to the group’s questions, although sometimes a probing question might ask the presenter to see the dilemma in such a novel way that the response is simply, “I never thought about it that way.” There is no discussion by the consultancy group of the presenter’s responses. At the end of the 10 minutes, the facilitator asks the presenter to re-state her/his question for the group. (10 - 15 minutes)
4. The group talks with each other about the dilemma presented. In this step, the group works to define the issues more thoroughly and objectively. Sometimes members of the group suggest actions the presenter might consider taking; if they do, these should be framed as “open suggestions,” and should be made only after the group has thoroughly analyzed the dilemma. The presenter doesn’t speak during this discussion, but listens in and takes notes. The group talks about the presenter in the third person.
(15 minutes)
Possible questions to frame the discussion:
• What did we hear?
• What didn’t we hear that might be relevant?
• What assumptions seem to be operating?
• What questions does the dilemma raise for us?
• What do we think about the dilemma?
• What might we do or try if faced with a similar dilemma? What have we done in similar situations?
5. The presenter reflects on what she/he heard and on what she/he is now thinking, sharing with the group anything that particularly resonated for him or her during any part of the Consultancy. (5 minutes)
6. Each facilitator leads a brief conversation about the group’s observation of the Consultancy process and summarises solutions offered. A more detailed version can be shared online afterwards. (5 minutes)
The Consultancy Protocol was developed by Faith Dunne, Paula Evans, and Gene Thompson-Grove as part of their work at the Coalition of Essential Schools and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
The Puzzles
Making Connections by Kath Boon
Kath's dilemma was around the idea of making connections.
I feel like making connections is one of those concepts students are exposed to from a very young age so the idea of making a connection has a very specific connotation for them - usually related to texts they are reading. Because I am focused on how I can encourage my students to take responsibility for their own learning, making connections is an important thinking move I would like them to be able to use to really link learning across a range of content areas.
I’m feeling conflicted because my students DO talk about making connections - they use that language even though it is usually couched in text to text, text to self type language and focused on something they have read in English. In their written work you would see them talking about how they connect to an event or character but the connection feels very superficial (I will often talk to them about how a connection that is “I have a mum and he has a mum”, is not the level of connection that will help them understand or make their thinking clear) In discussions they talk about connecting to someone but it can often be quite tenuous and really just a vehicle to share a new thought.
Things I’ve tried so far:
Thinking frames in maths that include “How does this connect to other maths?”
This one has some success - I’m thinking that is because it’s outside the space where students see “connections” as a specific thing
Asking “what makes this connection important?” when looking at connections to text
Blank stares??
Occasionally we are able to go a bit deeper into why they felt the connection was important - usually centred around it helping them understand the character’s POV because they had a similar experience
Connect - Extend - Challenge
Ss really struggled with the extend part - and this is probably what I want to develop the most. Modelled some examples, used with non-fiction texts and with learning in our history unit.
I’m not sure if I need to change my expectations or if I need some inspiration to find some new ways to try and support my students to have more depth in their connections. Am I making it harder than it needs to be? Is “I have a mum and he has a mum” what a connection (at least in the context of English) should be?
I don’t really think so. I really believe being able to connect deeply is a powerful learning tool that will support my students as they move into HS. And I would like them to be able to write about it.
FOCUS Questions: How can I support my students in making deeper connections that extend their learning and get them asking questions?
Clarifying Questions
Matthew Bentley: Are there particular types of stimulus that seem to work more effectively than others in generating the connections? & Are the deeper connections that you’re interested in specific to one learning area or multiple?
Kate Chauncy: what texts are you using in the classroom at present? are they integrated into HSIE?
Suggestions and Open Solutions
Ruqqiya Dean: Have you had an opportunity to do a LAST protocol with samples of student work?
Kate Chauncy: I am thinking about the 3 Why's Routine for literature which sometimes can take students deeper than text to me.. text to text.. strategy.
Rebecca Toltz: A real-to-life project: Cool Controller Project.
E Fuller: Have you tried the 'I used to think... now I think' strategy? I find this works well, even with students who think their thinking hasn't changed - in their reflection they demonstrate that they have made a deeper connection with the complexities of the situation.
Justine Hamilton: Hi Kath, it sounds like to are seeing connections that are more important to the individual and that you are wanting to see deeper thinking from them. I am wondering if collaboration would move their thinking forward. This could be done through bookclubs where the students show agency through a book of choice.
Noroja Rouzbehi: I am wondering if the ease of connecting mathematics to real life is accessible but not so deep anyway. The way that is extended may be used to scaffold other areas of study?
Erin Patel: Sometimes I find that students are reading for the “gist” rather than closer reading. I wonder whether a “dinner table” routine of a close reading of a piece of the text where students are asked to take on roles could be applied here.
Matthew Bentley: A couple of ideas here. Firstly, I think the richness of the stimulus material might be crucial here - eg using a specific textual reference to help with making connections. Also, adding some prompts or questions to the connect in Connect, Extend, Challenge may help students add some depth - Also - I’ve found that the Peel the Fruit thinking routine is a routine in which students are often able to make meaningful connections
Emma: We have been focusing on building staff awareness of what making connections look like developmentally. We have been using the thinking strategies "What Makes You Say That?" in the younger years, and "Claim Evidence Reason" in the upper years. Particularly in the upper years, we co-created a rubric for Connect - Evidence - Reason with students. - This is our Making Connections Continuum.
Pip Madden: You might like to explore a strategy called ‘connect the dots’. It is explained on Verso.
Mel: I am a new career teacher career changing from a past career in qualitative research and marketing. Projective techniques were often used…- Imagine you are an alien who has just landed. How do you see the situation with fresh eyes? Takes the personal nature out of it and forces a broader perspective.
Karina Castillo: Hi Kath, I don't have much experience as a teacher, but during this 1st year I was looking for my 5th graders to make deeper connections and also ask questions. I would suggest you to use the S.A.I.L routine. Maybe you can share in that moment an idea or a Project you want to star with them so they can be interested at the material, so after that they Will ask you questions and then they Will share their ideas with you… And then, you will tell them what you learnt from them… this routine is in "the power of making thinking visible" if you want to find more about it
Maximising Engagement by Kris Little
Kris’ dilemma is all about maximising engagement in online learning and how some of the more engaging strategies and tools might continue to be relevant once we return to face to face.
“We currently have an online learning platform that allows for one person to share their screen with the whole group. With 20+ students in the meeting, giving a student the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas often encourages others to want to do the same. In a normal classroom setting this could be managed through group discussion, turn and talk etc. Students would have the opportunity to build on one another’s ideas and develop their thinking collaboratively. In this current setting allowing 20+ students to share their ideas wouldn’t appear functional. However, as an educator, the results of limiting students’ ability to discuss and share as per a normal classroom is somewhat concerning. I worry that it could result in students disengaging with their classmates and the learning activities and possibly bring on feelings of isolation and stress. “
Focus Questions: Without normal classroom practices available how do we build a culture where we allow for engagement through interaction? And, are there online tools and strategies that we might want to continue utilising as we move back into the classroom to encourage engagement?
Clarifying Questions
Ruqqiya Dean: what is the Tech ability of the students? Do they all have devices?
Emma: Are students technically savvy / mostly have access to 1:1 devices?
Sue Zipfinger: are they all using the one type type of device?
Kate Chauncy: What online tools do you have available at present?
Phillip Cooke: How are students talking and interacting outside of school?
Suggestions and Open Solutions
Ruqqiya Dean: We have used Padlet in a variety of ways to give students a voice; brainstorming, sharing ideas or solutions etc
Emma: Could students use a website such as Padlet to collaborate. They don't necessarily need to login but could leave their name with their comment.
Maria Barberis: Padlet is great.
Margaret Nilon: Yes can highly recommend Padlet
Sue Yeo: Padlet is great I have used it with year 1
Erin Patel: One idea that I had was FlipGrid - which is a way for students to film their ideas in a discussion topic (which I’ve tried on my Year 4 daughter and she loves). I also now use it with my students whilst incorporating thinking routines…they love it. The only thing I would say about Flipgrid is that you need to build a classroom environment of trust (safe environment to take risks in learning) because some students aren’t willing to share their ideas publicly. But once that is established, I have found it to be excellent.
Kath Boon: Or Mentimeter can also provide a platform for collaboration which has some interesting options - It will do a word clouds for example.
Justine Hamilton: I am wondering if Verso could be used to help them to interact and share their thinking.
Ruqqiya Dean: SeeSaw is great for Primary School. It allows you to collect student work, students can send videos of themselves reading, or take a photo of their work and put it in their portfolio. There is a free version.
Matthew Bentley: Mural also has sticky notes
Maria Barberis: Yes!!! Mural is great too!:
Phillip Cooke: Quieter students built their confidence online which has translated back into face-2-face with increased confidence
Erin Patel: Technology can also invite creativity and allows students to plan their thinking before they create their response. It might also provide alternative ways to communicate their understanding beyond their written responses.
Emma: At school, we have "walls that teach" with our relevant anchor charts and prompts. Remotely, we are using Padlet to store our anchor charts, so students can have the relevant anchor charts available. I would love to personalise these that match students' goals.
Reflections on the Protocol
Maria Barberis : I would use in a PD session, staff meetings, oral presentations with students (I teach older students)
Erin Patel : I like this protocol - I think it might be useful as a Head of Dept in problem-solving in faculty meetings as well as perhaps within the classroom in various contexts
Matthew Bentley : I love it! Great to establish an environment where we can share and receive constructive solutions to our puzzles of practice.
Emma : Comforting to know that we are all facing similar problems! I would like to use this protocol to address teacher concerns around the authenticity of their students' work in Remote Learning.
Adam Majsay: The protocol worked well in an online environment thanks to the chat. Having multiple pathways to share ideas encourages all to participate.
Noroja Rouzbehi : Agreed Adam! I found it challenging in the face to face to tweet, so this was great to think, read and type in the chat!
Sue Zipfinger : I agree with Adam. A very useful protocol and plan to use this with discussions with staff on issues. A great session
Ruqqiya Dean : I really appreciated the speakers sharing their puzzles and it really made me think about being vulnerable enough to ask the question, but also about the capacity of the group to collectively solve problems
Sue Yeo : I really like the Protocol today. It allowed for me to have some ideas discussed, an opportunity to share ideas. It was great problem solving and I have learnt about some new online programs to use with students