It is now my goal to encourage someone with the skills to organize something like to make this happen in Charlotte, NC. Interested?
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Students gripe about the language that Shakespeare used so I said rewrite it. I added so parameters
- write as if the characters are not in the same room
- cannot change the story
- rhyme whenever possible
Here is a small sample of one group’s work from Act 1 scene 1:
Duke42 (Thesus): Itz so G8 we r gtting married! 
WarriorQueen7 (Hippolyta): Wedding is almost here!
Duke42: Sorry we fought. U were my POW but now yr my wife.
Duke42: Letz get ths party strted!!
-GrumpyDad73 (Egeus) has signed on -
GrumpyDad73: Duke42, my daughter is d8ting Lysander.
Duke42:so?
GrumpyDad73: I h8 Lysander. Told her to D8 Demetrius.
Duke42: What can I do?
GrumpyDad73: Tell her the law.
-Athensgirl (Hermia) has signed on-
Athensgirl: so what happens if i dont mrry Demetrius?
Duke42: well, you can become a nun:[
Duke 42: you can die 
Duke42: or you can obey ur Dad
I am so having fun with these kids.
1. In what way(s) have you tried something new this year to strengthen your teaching or enhance the learning environment in your classroom? Consider the influences of technology, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, global studies, mapping, collaboration with colleagues, new curriculum, your MFE goals, etc. Also consider risks you have taken that haven’t worked out as planned and those that have worked.
In trying to create a more student centered classroom, it has become apparent that by giving students more control and ownership of their work that they are producing higher quality work. It is seemingly easier to get students to dig a little deeper and provide richer opportunities for high order thinking by letting them design their own projects and final performance assessments. The trick seems to be how much scaffolding and direction to give them. I often think I am giving too direction out of fear of not giving enough. The students have quickly adapted the new techniques and openness of the classroom.
Assessment has been another area of change. Pink’s six senses have directed my approach to modifying my assessments. By using images and opportunities for students to create stories using their vocabulary words I believe I have seen significant understanding of the new words. I have also looked to create performance assessments that allow students to not only demonstrate what they know but what they can do with what they know.
2. Describe your communication with students, parents, and colleagues. What are your strengths? In what ways would you like to improve?
Email has made it easier to communicate with both parents and students. My weakness might be an over reliance on the email when trying to get important information out to parents quickly.
3. Describe any professional development activities or conferences you have participated in this year or plan to complete. What impact does professional development have upon your classroom and your teaching?
Going to NAIS, being a part of the Powerful Learning in Practice group, hosting the NCAIS Technology Conference, and attending the Blended Learning Environment in April at Cary Academy has/will have a wonderfully rich array of professional development opportunities. One example was seeing Marco Antonio Torres in Chicago speak about creating a learning studios out of the classroom. I have already become to try to reproduce his ideas in my classroom.
Imagine how different the classroom experience would be if instead of the teacher defining the problems and the students searching for the correct answers, the students’ job was to define or frame the problem.
Daniel Pink says the following,
“In school, problems almost always are clearly defined, confined to a single discipline, and have one right answer.
But in the workplace, they’re practically the opposite. Problems are usually poorly defined, multi-disciplinary, and have several possible answers, none of them perfect.”
Holy Cow! Education would be turned on its ear, but it would seem to make it easier to provide opportunity for differentiation, project based learning, inquiry based learning, etc. Students in upper grades would have greater opportunity to be active participants in the learning process, instead of being recipients. Students would seeming have to be more engaged and hopefully responsible for their learning. Having multiple outcomes and no perfect answers is a fascinating concept for me as an educator.
