Episode 28: The Teacher As Strategist
Resources are below the transcription.
Transcript:
(transcribed by kayla.r.fainer@gmail.com)
Melissa Milner 00:09
Hi, this is Melissa Milner. Welcome to The Teacher As... podcast. The goal of this weekly podcast is to help you explore your passions and learn from others in education and beyond to better your teaching. The Teacher As... podcast will highlight innovative practices and uncommon parallels in education.
The Teacher As... Strategist is the focus of this episode. There is a genesis to how this parallel to education came to me. If you haven't already, you really should check out The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. I dare you to watch the first episode called "Openings" and not get completely hooked. My husband, Josh, and I binge watched the series when it first came out. And it's really stuck with me.
So here's a very quick, incomplete summary. Young Beth discovers Mr. Shaibel in the basement of the orphanage, playing chess, and is immediately fascinated. A twist to this is that the orphanage gives out medication to subdue the girls. And Beth has been saving them up to take at night. She takes them and is able to look at the ceiling and visualize the game, which helps her practice without Mr. Shaibel.
You have to watch the entire series to see if she quits drugs and alcohol and is still able to visualize the game on the ceiling or not. Will she not be as strong of a player without that crutch? No spoilers here. It's definitely worth a binge watch. Some education parallels that came to mind when I watched The Queen's Gambit were the following.
So first, the importance of scaffolding instruction like Mr. Shaibel does in the basement with Beth, it's comprehensible input plus one. It reminded me also a lot of Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san, because she didn't understand what he was trying to do. He's patiently and slowly preparing Beth, just like Mr. Miyagi was patiently and slowly preparing Daniel-san.
Another parallel was a teacher being comfortable with and inspired by a student knowing more than they do, or a student who understands something quicker than you ever could. Mr. Shaibel is noticeably rattled. And he has to get over his ego to appreciate the amazing student that he has in front of him. And that would, of course, be Beth.
Another parallel to Queen’s Gambit is setting up opportunities for your students. So Mr. Shaibel invited the teacher from a local chess club to play with Beth and possibly let her be on the chess team. How can we set up opportunities in our classrooms and beyond for our students unique gifts, talents and interests?
Another parallel is that you don't have to go through all the moves to finish the game. Mr. Shaibel teaches Beth to resign in a game and that it's sportsmanship. Are you willing to resign a lesson before it's done if it's not working for the kids? Do you reflect on your lessons afterwards, and see that they didn't totally work out and choose to abandon them or adapt them for the next year?
And lastly, Beth is clearly gifted and understands the moves in chess almost immediately, but still needs to work and study to get better. Later, there are challenges to her winning streak, and how does she handle those? Does Beth have a growth mindset? So check out The Queen's Gambit.
So speaking of growth mindset, I was recently reminded of Queen's Gambit when one of my students shared with me that she was excited to play chess after school. This inspired me to go on Amazon and buy a reasonably cheap magnetic chess board, so my husband and I could play. I never played much chess as a child. And I know that I didn't have the confidence or growth mindset at the time to stick with it.
As an adult, I understand better how I learn. Playing on apps and watching how-to videos on YouTube would only get me so far. I needed to see the actual board in front of me and touch and move the pieces to truly learn how to play. I'm still very much a beginner. But playing with my husband has opened my eyes into the learning process more than ever.
The first thing, I needed to know how the pieces moved. Reminding myself of how the pieces moved was a quick YouTube tutorial. Alright, so I ordered a board. While waiting for the board to arrive, I watched more videos and played on a couple of apps on my phone. I felt I was prepared with the basics.
Then I checked out the first lessons of Garry Kasparov's master class and realized I knew nothing. His lessons did help me discover more parallels of chess to education though. There is an assumption of basic understanding before you get to Garry Kasparov master class, just a heads up.
So, finally, the board arrives, and Josh and I play a couple of rounds. Because I'm physically moving and trying things, I begin to see the limitations of how the pieces move. I didn't notice these while playing on the apps. It was fascinating to me how complex the game really was. I was starting to know what I didn't know. I thought my style would be passive and playing the defense. But I found myself wanting to play more aggressively so I could see what worked and didn't work with the pieces.
So related to growth mindset - Josh may disagree - but I didn't really care much who won. I was more focused on if I move this knight here, there's no way I can get to the king. Well, now what? I can't get to his piece, because my bishop is on white. And he made sure his piece was on black. I have to remember to do that to defend my pieces from the bishop, etc.
Next, pun intended, I had to resign myself to the fact that I did not have the time to dedicate to get really good, or honestly even average, at chess. But it's a fun indoor activity for Josh and me to enjoy. So to prepare for this upcoming episode, I also did a lot of research about the proven educational benefits of students playing chess.
And in planning, once I'm back in the classroom and students can play face to face games again, to buy up a bunch of cheap chess boards and have chess be a part of maybe math number talks at the beginning of math class. So I might use a doc camera and have the chess board out.
And if this is the set up, if these pieces are here and I'm white, what is a good move? And what do you see two or three moves ahead of this? Maybe start a chess club after school. Am I qualified to do that? Probably not. But I could see if there are parents or high schoolers who know the game better than I do to come and help. Why should I hold kids back from this opportunity, just because I'm not so great at the game? Yet. Growth mindset!
I also looked into gameplay in the classroom, the importance of play itself, and gamification as a possible topic for this episode. I shared about play in the classroom in Episode 24, The Teacher As... Negotiator. And I feel these topics are better tackled by having educators who use games and gamification in their classroom to come on to talk about their work.
So for this episode, I want to look at the ceiling, like Beth does in Queen’s Gambit, and see the whole game and all the moving pieces. So I'm sharing parallels at the macro level for this episode, so philosophies and pedagogies of instruction for an entire unit or for the entire school year, as opposed to individual lesson strategies. At some point, I may revisit The Teacher As... Strategist for the lesson level parallels, such as openings of lessons, strong middles, closings and resigning.
One message I saw repeated over and over again in my research is that in chess, every move must have a purpose. This reminds me of really well written movies where every scene, every moment even, has a purpose in the story and is driving it forward. So, too, our school year must be filled with purposeful moves and decisions that facilitate the best learning outcomes for our students. I asked educators on Instagram to share with me any thoughts about the parallels of chess to education.
And one response was all about this idea of purposeful moves. I ask that you listen to the following quote from Alfonso Mendoza, Jr., @myedtechlife, with the macro lens of units and overall pedagogy for the school year. But it certainly applies at the lesson level. as well.
So Alfonso wrote:
"Chess is a game that shows you that every move has a consequence somewhere down the line. Although our opening may be great, our middle game may be weak. If our opening is weak, but our middle game is strong, this can help compensate and allow us to plan a formidable attack. But we will still have weakness. We must clearly see and think of the end result. Work on all areas of our game so that we can make sure we can adapt and overcome any attack and have a solid defense. Much like education, no matter in what capacity you serve, we must always think several moves ahead."
So I thought that was so fitting for The Teacher As... Strategist, not just at the lesson level, but really thinking overall the opening of our year. And then as the year's going on, what is our plan? And how do we want the year to end? And the overall ideas about how our classroom runs. So there's so much strategy in planning out a school year. How can we be strategic as educators to get the most out of our moves as possible?
There are so many different avenues I could go with this. But in this episode, I focus on Understanding by Design, project based learning and student led classrooms. I was introduced to Understanding by Design, also known as UBD, when I was a part of the Race to the Top curriculum work in Massachusetts. K-12 educators from all over the state work to prepare units using the UBD framework for schools in the state to use. It was very challenging, especially since one of the creators of UBD, Jay McTighe, was mentoring us and reviewing all of our work.
So I quote directly from Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins work.
"The UBD framework is based on seven key tenets. Number one, learning is enhanced when teachers think purposefully about curricular planning.
Number two, the UBD framework helps focus curriculum and teaching on the development and deepening of student understanding and transfer of learning, the ability to effectively use content knowledge and skill.
Number three, understanding is revealed when students autonomously make sense of and transfer their learning through authentic performance. And six facets of understanding-- the capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize and self assess can serve as indicators of understanding.
Number four, effective curriculum is planned backward from long term desired results through a three stage design process-- desired results, evidence and learning plan. This process helps avoid the common problems of treating the textbook as the curriculum, rather than as a resource, and activity oriented teaching, where no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.
Number five, teachers are coaches of understanding, not mere purveyors of content, knowledge, skill or activity. They focus on ensuring that learning happens, not just teaching and assuming that what was taught was learned. They always aim and check for successful meaning making and transfer by the learner.
Number six, regularly reviewing units and curriculum against design standards enhances curricular quality and effectiveness and provides engaging and professional discussions.
And number seven, the UBD framework reflects a continual improvement approach to student achievement and teacher craft. The results of our designs, student performance inform needed adjustments in curriculum, as well as instruction, so that student learning is maximized."
Pretty impressive, right? UBD is amazing, I recommend checking it out if you haven't already. And I've shared some links on The Teacher As... Strategist episode page on theteacheras.com so you can get more information about it. Another purposeful strategic move a teacher can make in planning units or planning for the year is project based learning or PBL.
In Season One, I had the pleasure of chatting with Leah Henry about project based learning. So here's a clip from that interview.
Leah Henry 14:10
I think a lot of people are like, oh, I do project based learning. Well, not really. You're doing a project after you've taught kids a bunch of stuff. But the big difference in that is that with project based learning, they know the why. They know the reason right up front.
How do we raise awareness about the modern day slave trade? I don't know. What do I know about slavery? Okay, good question. Let's go into that. Slavery throughout history, and then scaffolding and building. And before you know it, you've quote unquote, "covered" a gazillion world history standards just by asking one question. What do we know about modern day slavery and human trafficking?
And the students will come up with an idea to have an exhibition or do a fundraiser for a local sex trafficking awareness or recovery group or something. And that is different than projects. Because the students are guided the whole time by this bigger question. And hopefully it's something that is concerning to them and is of their interest.
Melissa Milner 15:09
The whole vision of project based learning is not teaching the content and then doing a project at the end. It's the students are asked or posed a question. And then it's a process through answering that question. It's very student centered, and I really strive to do more of this with my students. I am far from having UBD and project based learning all figured out and continue to jump in and try both.
UBD is a good fit with the constraints of schedules, pacing guides and other district mandates. Project based learning, on the other hand, is more led by the students and feels like it's a bit unconventional and messy, which I love. It means relinquishing some control and allowing the process to unfold. There are also resources to learn about PBL on The Teacher As... Strategist episode page on theteacheras.com.
When I read Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz, it affirmed many of the ways I approach teaching students and setting up my classroom climate. Learn Like a Pirate also helped me see the strategy behind having a student led classroom and how purposeful it really is. So here's a clip from my interview with Paul Solarz.
Paul Solarz 16:32
Just in those 20 years, I think that one of the things that I really discovered was the importance of having your students be partners with you in learning, and not just always trying to feel like you have all the responsibility on your shoulders to make sure that everybody learns, that everybody's happy. I've really worked hard to partner with my students.
And that's why I wrote a book called Learn Like a Pirate, which is how I try to describe the classroom setup that I have. And that classroom setup, I call it a student led classroom. But it's a little bit of a misnomer. It's not where the kids just stand up and teach each other and learn whatever they want. But more, I still plan the day. I still teach any kind of content, lessons or mini lessons. But my students know that they have to help each other when they're working independently or collaboratively.
They do projects constantly. We do so many things. They also have to keep an eye on the time. And they have to problem solve as things come up that I'm not necessarily right there thinking about. So my students have the ability to interrupt the classroom and lead the classroom. And I have to follow their lead or give them feedback that helps them to do it in a different way.
But the idea is, I don't have to constantly be watching the clock and thinking about everything. Because my kids can do it just as well as I can. So that's kind of about my history and my philosophy at the moment. I'm really focused in on skills instruction and less focused in on knowledge and facts. Obviously, we have to have a bit of background and some basics.
But I think I, in my first 10 years of teaching, focused way too much on making sure my kids knew everything about the Declaration of Independence. Then I quizzed them, and I tested them, and I made sure they turned in all their worksheets and they did all their homework. And now I'm feeling like, let's get the ideas, the big concepts, the major points.
And then let's create a new declaration. Let's create our own country as we break free from somewhere. And let's do that collaboratively while I teach you skills that you can actually transfer through the rest of the year and through the rest of your life.
And I'll just throw out that I also really care about social emotional skills, and building self esteem, and making sure kids know how to get along with each other, interpersonal skills and stuff. So those are big points for me.
Melissa Milner 18:50
When planning out your unit, your semester or your entire year, remember to make purposeful moves to encourage student choice and voice, student interaction and leadership in your classroom. In sharing about student led classrooms and Paul Solarz's work, I believe Paul's own words speak volumes. I can't recommend Paul's book enough, Learn Like a Pirate.
Also, make sure to check out my interview with Paul this past August in Season One of the teacher as, Episode Four, as well as his guest blog posts that he wrote to accompany the episode. In that blog post, Paul defines student agency and the student led classroom.
The Teacher As... Strategist parallel is definitely in to be continued status. There are so many methods and classroom strategies to discuss in different areas of education. I hope the interviews on this podcast, as well as this new educational best of list episodes that I'm going to be doing, add to your strategies toolkit, as well as remind you to make purposeful moves and keep the end game in mind, whatever that may be for you and your students.
If you enjoyed this episode, and have not done so already, please hit the subscribe button for The Teacher As... podcast so you can get future episodes. I would love for you to leave a review and a rating, as well, if you have time. For my blog, transcripts of this episode and links to any resources mentioned, visit my website at www.theteacheras.com. You can reach me on Twitter and Instagram @melissabmilner. And I hope you check out The Teacher As... Facebook page for episode updates.
I am sending a special thanks to Linda and Lester Fleishman, my mom and dad, for being so supportive. They are the voices you hear in the Zooming In soundbite. And my dad composed and performed the background music you are listening to right now. My intro music was "Upbeat Party" by Scott Holmes.
So what are you zooming in on? I would love to hear from you. My hope is that we all share what we are doing in the classroom in order to teach, remind, affirm and inspire each other. Thanks for listening. And that's a wrap!
Resources for topics discussed in this episode:
Understanding by Design
Project Based Learning
My interview with Leah Henry
My blogpost about PBL and Design Thinking
#pblchat on Twitter/ Tuesdays at 9:30 PM EST
Student-led classroom
Learn Like a Pirate book
My interview with Paul Solarz
Guest blog post by Paul Solarz