A chat that offers middle school teachers a chance to have a collaborative discussion about a different topic each week. Our topics change from week to week, ranging from Common Core State Standards to Character Education. During the chat, participants exchanges ideas and resources. The chat group ranges in size each week from 10 to 50+ participants. Discussion can be general talking about instructional style or process to specific. Recently members of the chat group help each other create lessons.
Hi #mschat! Colin from Phoenix, Founder of @thinkLawUS (https://t.co/Ah3EoFkCFz) where we teach critical thinking using real-life legal cases. Happy to join for this great topic!
A1: compliant one just follows the rules. Being engaged means the Ss care about their education and are asking questions, being critical thinkers and thinking outside the box. #mschat
A1: The difference between a compliant and an engaged student is the amount of communication and questions from the student. A compliant student would probably not be as involved. #mschat#osussmce
A1 I see many compliant Ss who are going through the motions (but you can tell nothing is sticking and they won't remember what they did/learned/saw by later the same day). Engaged Ss are sponges who are soaking in and struggling with the content. #mschat
A1: An engaged student is actively listening and participating in the lesson. A compliant student is usually just blending in and could or could not engrossed in what is being taught. #mschat
A1: An engaged student is motivated to participate & engrossed in the work. They’re often excited to talk about what they’re doing & learning. Compliance is more of an obedience, less excited & far more passive. #mschat
Authentically engaged students have dialogue with their peers and the teacher. They ask questions. They are talking as much or more as the teacher. The teacher serves as more of facilitator. #mschat
A1: With so many teachers choosing education because they were "good": doing the work, following the rules, compliance is just part of the prevailing culture. Engagement is reaching those who aren't necessarily wired that way #mschat
It definitely takes effort, doesn’t it? We have to actively try to SEE those students, and it take intentional choices & actions on our part to reach them. #mschat
A2: We model compliance by also following the things we expect our students to do. Why should they follow things that we deem important if we don't ourselves. #mschat
I would take this one step further and actually design lessons with those students in mind. I always knew, if Student X is rocking with this, the whole class is gonna be lit! #mschat
It definitely takes effort, doesn’t it? We have to actively try to SEE those students, and it take intentional choices & actions on our part to reach them. #mschat
A2: Sometimes kids aren’t going to understand a rule, procedure, or why something has to be the way it is, but WE know why. Compliance is needed to ensure kids follow our lead in those important things even if they don’t understand why. #mschat
I would take this one step further, because some compliant students become so good at playing school that they can go through the motions of engagement as well. #mschat
A2: in a large class like band we need many procedures and processes to run an engaged class. Compliance in classroom operations help set the tone for engaged rehearsal. This is not unique to music, just really obvious if it’s a problem #mschat
A2-2 there are times that educators need students to engage in creating the procedures that the school community is expected to comply in. So even some compliance requires engagement at some point. #mschat
A1: When you see an engaged student in the classroom there is excitement for what they are learning. The lesson has met their needs. Compliant students are waiting for a moment where they feel connected to the material. #mschat
A2: @thinkLawUS did a piece at the start of this school year encouraging strong discussions around the "why" behind rules we want students to comply with. Much more compliance when they have a say and an engaging discussion. https://t.co/pzNhk1FZxT#mschat#studentvoice
A3 we learn with students we ask them to teach us and we listen and participate actively. We become a part of the learning activities along side them. #mschat
A3: We model engagement by asking Ss to expand on their thoughts, asking deeper meaningful questions that provoke Ss thinking and conversation. We model engagement by bringing our passions to the classroom and tying them into the relevant content. #mschat
A3: For me in the ELA classroom, I show my Ss engagement by walking through the writing process with them with my own writing. I also have shown them pieces of my writing that have been proofed. Walk them through my though process out loud. #mschat
A3: We can model engagement by being fully engaged—fully present—with kids when they talk to us, show us something, etc, even if we’re busy or otherwise preoccupied. They’ll know if we’re expecting THEM to fully engage w/ us but we won’t fully engage w/ them. #mschat
A3: when we finish a section of music I like to ask 4 questions: what did you like about that? What would you fix? What does that error tell you about our level of mastery and How would you fix it? #mschat
A2: Compliance is important when teaching classroom expectations, but the word comply gives the idea of the student not wanting to participate. I want my ss to be invested in everything within the classroom. #osussmce#mschat
A3- We use structures and strategies that allow and support students in their engagement. A simple Think Pair Share requires no planning but provides the structure for kids to safely engage in a lesson #mschat
A3: You can model engagement by catering to your audience. When you get on their level, and as I continuously say continue to build on your relationships with your Ss, you're modeling engagement #mschat
We talk often about the thinking behind our rehearsal strategies. I practice the band like my instrument and self talk through a practice session #mschat
A3: For me in the ELA classroom, I show my Ss engagement by walking through the writing process with them with my own writing. I also have shown them pieces of my writing that have been proofed. Walk them through my though process out loud. #mschat
A3: To help students unleash their full potential, we must combine the type of engagement that taps into our students sense of agency with a purposeful focus on learning outcomes. https://t.co/wFaWuMwQeu#mschat#engagechat#criticalthinking
A3: We also celebrate failure and make it okay to be wrong. Check out this video about a teachers math routine where students discuss her favorite mistake #mschathttps://t.co/PEuw3XmMCs
Humbled to learn that my article “Are you preparing students for their futures or your past” will be in @AMLE newsletter next week. I hope you will check it out #mschat
A3: Model engagement by showing excitement for what you teach. It’s also important to show engagement in students lives. Ask questions and when students ask questions... answer them! Have conversations and make your classroom a place ss want to learn! #mschat#osussmce
Q4: How do we work with non-compliant learners? #mschat
(YES, relationships help but what if a strong relationship is present but students still doesn't want to comply)
A4: First acknowledge that they may not want or like to do everything but the NEEDS to complete task outweighs the wants... Give examples of when compliance has to happen in our lives #mschat
A4:1 I think first start off with a convo with the student as to why they don't want to be compliant. Is it the subject itself? How it's taught? It's always important to receive feedback and change it up #mschat
A4 live and choice need to be present. This can help tremendously, but I think this is one of the most difficult situations we deal with as an educator. Big part is WE CANT WVER GIVE UP SEARCHING FOR THE SOLUTION. #mschat
A4:2 And sometimes I think it's important to be straight with kids and give some tough love and say you do it because it's asked of you and we don't always get to do what we want to, or sometimes I'd be at home binging Netflix 😉 #mschat
A3: I try to not stand off to the side when Ss are working, but be amongst them & helping. Body language saying "I'm listening", asking Q's, using tools around me (whiteboards, manipulatives), etc. #mschat
A4: There’s usually a reason behind that noncompliance, and until we address that reason, we aren’t likely to get much further. Some triage strategies (while we’re investigating) include choice, social learning opportunities, manipulatives, and my favorite—novelty. #mschat
A4: I go back to something I read a few years ago: kids will do a task because it is easy/doable, they find it meaningful, and/or they want to please you (there's a relationship). It might not lead to engagement but it can lead to compliance. #mschat
A4: We have to be willing to ask why they are non compliant learners AT SCHOOL and where they are compliant learners. Is it sports? Music? Why? How can we give a little to meet them closer to where they are and help them discover they are learners and can be @ school too? #mschat
I like to say “good enough” is the enemy of excellence. Every time you pick up your “instrument” work to improve something. An instrument could be a clarinet, pencil, or a hammer. #mschat
A4: I actually struggle with this with a student that I have a strong relationship with. I’ve noticed that they respond to a little tough love where I let them know they can do better and how important it is that they do their work and engage in class. #mschat#osussmce
A4: Non-compliant learners may be outliers of the most special variety. Today we call then disruptors. Tomorrow they are the ones who defy norms and become titans of business and industry. That is, if we don't throw them out of school first. https://t.co/mVgFYM0I4r. #mschat
A4: I think this is one of the hardest parts of the job! I stay consistent and present with them every time. I try to make sure I’m always communicating with them regardless of if they want me to or not. More than anything I just don’t give up on them. #mschat#osussmce
A4: Be relentless in showing them you genuinely care about their success. Won't be perfect every day but they'll be more inclined to give more effort after they've realized it. #mschat
A5:We can’t force anyone to love something they just aren’t interested in. We can still have expectations and tasks they need to accomplish to demonstrate learning. In this case, if you’ve done your best to engage and they are only willing to comply, that’s ok. #mschat
A5: Current teacher evaluation rubrics usually stipulate at least 3/4 of the students are fully engaged. So regardless of one’s belief if every student can or should always be engaged, we need to aim for engaging all learners. (And for the record, I think we can.) #mschat
A5 our job isn’t to teach students content it’s to engage them in the content so we have to continue to search, experiment, and test all possible avenues to engage them. #mschat
A5: I believe all students need to be engaged. Some days may be better than others, after all they are middle schoolers. I think knowing your students and trying to make lessons that appeal to their interests could definitely help! #mschat#osussmce
A5b I will say that you may have compliance and that’s ok as long as you aren’t satisfied with it. It’s one thing for kids to be in a state of compliance but it’s another to accept that they permanently reside there #mschat
A5: Engagement levels are created early on in the year and maintained by communicating to Ss that it is one of your non-negotiables. Everyone will participate!! No opt out!! #mschat
A5: You can still try to find ways to make the subject matter relatable to the students who aren't interested and through that get more engagement, but at the end of the day I can sing on a horse and tap-dance and I won't get 100% engagement from all students anymore than #mschat
A5: Sometimes compliancy may be the answer -- I know as an adult I am not always engaged. However, as Ts we should strive to make learning relevant and authentic to bring those disengaged learners into the fold. #mschat
A6: Seems students vary but I find 20 minutes max and it doesn't carry over from day to day so have to reenergize each day. They need to be moving and talking #mschat
A5: (cont'd) I'd be engaged if I was sitting in a math class. Doesn't mean I don't continue to try and reach those kids, and it doesn't mean they don't have to follow and do what's been given BUT you're just not going to make everyone happy #mschat
So true they may be non-compliant because they are bored or have a variety of other interests! #mschat COULD go on to change the world like Bill Gates etc
A6: With 8th graders, I really try to not do one thing for more than 12ish minutes. After that, they are toast. That is why I give choices during hour so they can decide order and have freedom to move! #mschat
A6: I'd say it typically depends on the type of lesson. There are some days that I have students engaged for a block and some days where I struggle to get them engaged and go back to reflect on improvement ideas. #mschat
A6 tough question it varies day to day and even from activity to activity. There are different levels of engagement. Students should be engaged the vast majority of the time #mschat
A6: It def depends on what you have planned. MSers have to move around. Even when I go over their homework I have students stand on their chairs and they step down and do different things dependent on their answers to get them moving. Otherwise you'll end up losing them #mschat
Moving and talking can be engagement. It’s all about what you want them engaged in. Brain breaks are engagement. If there is purpose in an activity engagement can exist.
A6: Depends, definitely. A breakout may keep them riveted for an hour. But typically we get <20 min. It CAN carry over! Build anticipation. Use cliffhangers. A student once asked me, “Will tomorrow be even more awesome than today??” #mschat
A6: I think that sometimes students should realize that some things are just kind of boring, but that's okay. The quadratic formula can only be but so sexy. #mschat
A6: Engagement always depends on the day. 15-20 minutes is usually the amount of time they focus on one thing. That’s why students usually need a variety of things throughout a class to keep them focused and engaged on the goal. #mschat#osussmce
A6: Re-engage every 10 minutes or so by including brian breaks or a minute to process the learning (explain to your neighbor, draw a picture, do a quick write) #mschat
a7: Most jobs desire more compliance than engagement: Want employees who show up, complete tasks but engaged employees satisfy the customers best and are innovative but might not complete ALL tasks #mschat
A7: Compliance is probably enough for some jobs. But don’t we seek true engagement? Don’t we want jobs we’re passionate about? And don’t we love being the customer or client of someone who truly loves their job? #mschat
A7: I think it depends on the job, but I think in the end they care that that their employees are compliant with whats expected more than engaged. Usually it's more about the end result than anything. #mschat
A7: But without engagement and desire to continuously do well, people get burnt out and that company/organization is looking for people to take his or her place. Isn't that part of the problem we see with education? #mschat
A6: ENGAGEMENT. Staff meetings are the biggest example I can think of. I want to meet because we are learning and growing together in creative ways not because I’m obligated to do so. Taking that time to engage the staff is critical! #osussmce#mschat
