A0: Hello friends. Tom Ashley here, Tech Coach/TOSA @PalomaValley High School in the awesome @puhsd. Interests outside of school? Running, Electric cars, following politics. #IEedchat
A0:
Jed Tech TOSA / math geek @HeritageHSPats@puhsd
I crochet. Learned in college and kept it up. Great example of my fascination for patterns (math)
#IEedchat
A1: In my ELA class, we used engaging discussions and journaling to learn about each other. I would embrace youth culture to improve learning outcomes for students.
#IEedchat
A1: I notice what's on their backpacks, folders, and what they are browsing on their computers. Also, in the beginning of the school year I have them fill out an interest survey. #IEedchat
A1: Every friday in my class is Rock and Roll friday, so Ss get to listen to their fav music on their device as we do our warm up quiz. I then ask them to share what they listened to. This allows me to get to know them and share similar or different tastes #IEedchat
A1: You get to know these interests by asking them. They might have to put their initial answer in writing, but you are doing them a disservice if you don't let them SHOW you what they love doing at some later date. #IEedchat
A1:
1) Listen
2) Ask
It's not hard. Kids/Teens love to talk about themselves. Just help them shape a voice; give an opportunity.
I've seen @SamAvne just gather details via Google Survey and beginning of year, then use results throughout.
#IEedchat
A1: In 5th grade Ss were usually excited to share what they did over the weekend & invite me to their activities. In H.S. it was through conversations & noticing which campus activities they participated in. #IEedchat
A2: Connections before content.
Our students are extremely interesting, thoughtful, and more kind than people give them credit. Get to know your students and use this in your lessons.
#IEedchat
A2: I try to do projects or assignments that use their interests as a basis or topic for the assignment. Writing assignments are easy to do this with #IEedchat
A2: We can incorporate many student interests - maybe not all - by having them interpret your lessons in drawing, song, dance, poetry, drama, a social justice movement, or even in a Minecraft creation. #IEedchat
A2:
Many tasks/assessments go well with context. Approach a task like problem based learning (e.g. @geoffkrallhttps://t.co/WYD6oDIZqY) or simply have the context of a writing sample address a common student interest.
#IEedchat
A2:You start to relate content to some of their similar interests or connect material to a song or music artist they like. My old college roommate is a Philosophy Professor and he always uses Tupac in his lectures to connect to Ss #IEedchat
A2: I think Ss will naturally gravitate toward their interests if Ts offer student choice in activities, provide authentic audiences, & give Ss the opportunity to create. #IEedchat
A2:
Also, just talk to students about their interests. Get them to open up and often they'll give more of themselves to your class stuff.
(remind the students and yourself that we are human, and that matters too).
#IEedchat
A3: Students work harder and with more creative energy when it is something they care about. I've asked students to study figurative language in the songs they listen to and create their own examples from those. WAY more buy in and more quality work #IEedchat
A3: Even if the student's interest has nothing to do with your lesson, making time to showcase student talent, skill, & creativity gives all Ss a sense of value and AGENCY in your classroom. Then your classroom becomes THEIR classroom in a healthy way. #IEedchat
A3: Students are more likely to pursue those things that are of the most interest to their lives. Including their interests in classroom acitivities motivates them to dig more deeply into a topic. #ieedchat
A2: This year I said 'yes' to a 5th grader's request to cook Chicken Adodo for genius time. Oh boy, then came tomato soup, sushi, fresh tapioca boba balls & tea, GFCE waffles... So much math in there. Possibly a lunch cook club next year? We don't have cafeteria #ieedchat
A4: If you use students interests in the lessons, they will see themselves in the learning. Students need to be the subject of the learning, be active, and engaged. Not passive-listening objects-in the classroom.
#IEedchat
A3: Laurie from Central Cal. Getting to know students makes class more fun, fun ignites innovation. Just check out The offices of Google, Amazon, and Apple - FUN! #IEedchat
A4: Including student interests in your classroom makes going to your classroom fun and Ss become more engaged. Good Ts will find ways to connect student interests to the content material. #everythingisconnected#IEedchat
A3:
Innovation often has to do with remixing as new.
Ss often have interests but haven't gone deep with them.
Push students to pursue depth.
Ex) passion projects. I've seen solid examples of this from Ss in @MathPrincessC@PerrisHigh and Ms Cammon @HeritageHSPats#IEedchat
A4:
Empathy > apathy.
Feeling for one another, building community. It gives purpose and motivation that actually goes beyond the self, pushes the group as a whole.
#IEedchat
Q1: You share your interests with students and they feel comfortable sharing theirs. They know I’m a nerd, my Cacti have their own Facebook page Crazy for Cacti. #IEedchat
A4: in the high school classroom, it’s insanely social. Ex. Kids have crushes on each other and are dying to know others’ interests. It connects the class. #IEedchat
A4: Incorporating their interests makes class fun. Learning should be fun. School should be fun. Students often don't care because school doesn't mean anything to them. #IEedchat
In years past I focused mainly on tech and engineering activities. Very guided. This year I said yes more. those who were less interested jumped into other projects or created their own. Understand I have full inclusion classes. Self directed &
cooperative learning. #ieedchat
A5: This is a great question. If the guiding principal is that students should learn as much as possible given the constraints at hand, the teacher will rarely cross that line. #IEedchat
A5:
What @jswilliams says -
https://t.co/vF64JlqEhR
Get to know interests of Ss, but maybe draw the line at personal connections beyond school. Phone numbers, social media friends, any way a communication with a student is digital and private is prob too creepy.
#IEedchat
A5: I think a boundary can be crossed in the Ss eyes when a teacher tries to act like they have the same level of interest in all Ss interests. They "trying too hard" mentality. #IEedchat
A6: Today's students are all Social Media "disc jockeys." They sit with their friends in clusters looking at their own smart phones. When they find something really funny, outrageous, or super dumb, they chuckle and show each. That is relatively new. #IEedchat
A6: Students are highly interested in progressive ideas, fairness, and political causes. If you doubt their impact then pay attention to the next election cycle. Look that voters will be one or two issue voters.
#IEedchat
A6: I don't understand why everything they do has to be on Social Media. There are some things better left in real life then the internet life #IEedchat
A6:
@YouTube@instagram and any other web media
Kids get their info and entertainment from these. They don't watch cable so much as stream web content. The celebrities they admire seem to come from these sources too.
#IEedchat
A6: kids seem to be really into high end fashion: Louis Vuitton, Cartier, they are marketed to so heavily. Why does my 14 year old son want Gucci slides? #IEedchat
Final thoughts on #IEedchat:
"The longer teachers teach, the better they are at their practice. That practice may serve to empower students or it may break the students’ spirit. That decision belongs to the teacher."
~ Christopher Emdin
A6: I would have thought that my Ss would have obsessed on the online popularity metrics for their projects (I post on twitter), but they were not. But, they all see to want to make it on youtube. #ieedchat
A6: I notice with my own kids they don't seem to watch TV shows, they watch YouTube channels; other kids & families sharing about their lives. #IEedchat
