A Star Moment for our Students and Us

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Yesterday, Celina and I had the opportunity to share what we do in our classroom with others at a presentation for empowering learners.  We spoke about the 5 powerful strategies that are the basis for our program: choice, reflection, self-assessment, students as teachers, and student voice.  The 4 ½ hour return trip was spent laughing and reflecting on all that we have been able to accomplish with our students in the last year and half.  How we have grown as teachers, how our students have grown and how our program has evolved into creating an environment for learning that could work in a multiage context or any straight grade setting.

Why does it work?  It is a mindset, a way of thinking.  It is not a canned program or a prescription, it is about starting with the students first, considering what they need, and focusing solely on all of the ways we can meet those essentials.   We start with our students, determine the standards they require, and then pull from our curriculum and other resources in order to meet those needs.

No matter what the standards are, or what the curriculum is, you cannot make it happen without starting from where the kids are and what they still need.

Thinking in this manner, with this mindset, means that the standards and curriculum you work from are basically irrelevant!  They just become a set of “building blocks;” they are those elements that you scale on the path to becoming an accomplished learner. We started our program last year with the state standards, but easily transitioned to CCSS when they were put into use.  In the past few years our district has implemented new curriculum in Art, Social Studies, Math, Spelling and World Languages.  While this could have easily overwhelmed us, we instead chose to look at these materials as just a new set of basic resources from which we could pull (or our students could seek) the knowledge that was needed.

We pass this mindset on to our students. The realization that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, they can grow from where they are, take charge of their learning, and be empowered in their abilities and choices.

We returned today to our classroom tired, but exhilarated and eager to share and celebrate with our students all that we have experienced, shared and received in response. Our students were so proud, so happy that their Brain Books were shared, so excited that “THEY” were our topic of conversations.  Overall though, I felt awe in them and from them, the awe in knowing that their words and work have the power to transform education for all the administrators and teachers who were at our presentation and eventually all the students who will be impacted by this new learning. They have the power to change the world for others as they have changed it for us. It starts with the students and the learning never ends.

~Ann

 

PS Thank you to "our people" for making it possible!

{Guest Post} A Student's Perspective on Brain Books

What are my favorite things about Brain Books you ask???  I could explain many, many things about them but how about we save time and I just tell you my Top 5 favorite things about them!!

1-      It helps me organize my information and thoughts.  Kind of like a filing cabinet except more portable. Plus, the brain books carry much more information than that old filing cabinet. You should really try to use these because they are really great with organizing information and thoughts as well as reminders.

2-      It helps me get important things out of my mind.  Whenever I have something in my mind that I just need to get out so I can stop thinking about it, my Brain Book can help.  I write that certain thing down and then I don’t worry about it as much!!  It may be important and I don’t want to lose it!

3-      I can do whatever I want with it:  Decorate it, put in personal thoughts, tab it, and pretty much anything else.  Although, responsibility is key in Brain Books and you need to make sure you use it appropriately to help your learning.  Not many people besides yourself can tell you what to put into it.  You can put whatever you need to in any place you want to, because it is yours.  Not mine, not your teacher’s…. YOURS!!!  You own it and you are free with it!!!

4-      It helps me record lots of important information, like graphs, stories, and even photos!  Any of the activities we do in class I can easily glue in my Brain Book to help my memory.  We all have important information that we need to remember and a Brain Book is the answer.

5-      Most of all:  Brain Books are organized by you.  Information can be organized in a way that makes sense to your brain.  You can duct tape new composition books to the original one as you need to.  You can also put tabs into it so you can find things lickity-split!

In conclusion, Brain Books can be used for school and business, and by adults and kids.  Make a Brain Book for yourself today!

~Kassie, age 10

Other links for Brain Books:

The Story of Our Brain Books

Our Brain Books: The 10 Essentials

Brain Books: Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Introducing Brain Books to Students

Introducing Brain Books to Students

As Brain Books are a fundamental part of our student-centered classroom, we introduce them right away on the first day of school.  For the resource to be utilized to its fullest potential, it is extremely important for our students to have an understanding of who they are as a learner.  So we actually start with creating a Brain Profile.  During the first few days of school we take several surveys to help us discover a little about ourselves as learners, always keeping the purpose of Brain Books as a dynamic part of each conversation.  Even our returning students retake these assessments, as it is our philosophy that it isn’t just about zoning in on our strengths as learners, but rather understanding the different learning styles/intelligences to become a more balanced learner/individual.  Over time the results of these types of surveys may change, so current data is always important.  When our awareness is heightened regarding all the ways to acquire knowledge and reach our personal goals, we can be more successful since every learning experience through life is different.  It isn’t just about feeding our students with information, but rather teaching them a multitude of ways to be effective, independent, responsible learners.

Brain Books: Everything but the Kitchen Sink

So you may be wondering, what all goes into a Brain Book anyway? To that wewould reply: almost EVERYTHING we do finds its way intothe Brain Books of our students. In the past Celina and I had both used journals,logs, folders, workbooks and teacher created notebooks for students, and likeCelina said it often became an organizational nightmare when a student wastrying to access the item he or she needed among the many!  So much of the work was created and directedby us, the teachers, and often we were the ones running around trying to findthat one copy or item that a student needed for a lesson.

With Brain Books our students gather all of the elements that they WANT to keep in one specific place.   Theycollect information they want to remember and add to their Brain Books piecesthat show their personal interests and needs. Celina and I believe when information is stuck intheir Brain Books, coupled with the constant daily access/review of this resource, student ownership intensifies.  Brain Books reside as an essential part of learningwithin our classroom.  Here are sample lists of ways students utilize this resource, along with items that end up finding their way into our students' Brain Books:

In Literacy students:

·        Generate summaries, story maps, and questionsabout what they are reading.

·        Create character trait maps and illustrations ofcharacters

·        Record interesting words and phrases

·        Plan out oral presentations, and public serviceannouncements.

·        Research and collect facts, anecdotes and connectionsto other content areas

·        Investigate elements of genre, gatheringessential category markers

·        Frame words in chunks for vocabulary developmentand spelling

·        Design rough draft of stories and collect futurewriting ideas

·        Collaborate with partners in Venn Diagrams andother graphic organizers that they either glue in or draw themselves.

·        Reinforce spelling words, conventions andediting elements through word work activities

In Math students:

·        Calculate problems, explain their thinking andshow their work

·        Develop alternative methods to solving problems

·        Formulate patterns, number sequences and equations

·        Create graphs and charts to collect and reflecton data

·        Draw and define important vocabulary andmathematical terms

·        Model their thinking in concrete and abstractways

·        Prove their attainment of learning goals

In Science and Social Studiesstudents:

·        Generate science experiments using thescientific process

·        Collect and record data

·        Draw and label illustrations of concepts, mapsand content rich vocabulary

·        Write hypotheses statements and conclusions

·        Summarized information from Brain Pop clips,maps and charts
·       Collect health information, including creating sample food pyramids and listing appropriate food choices
·       Illustrate the bones, muscles and tendons of the human body

In the Arts students:

·        Interpret different works of art and recordtheir thinking

·        Plan, sketch, and practice elements of design

·        Create sample compositions in music and record the musical notes

·        Highlight important vocabulary

In the area of assessment students:

·        Maintain target walls and goal sheets

·        Collect evidence of meeting and exceeding goalsand targets

·        Cut and paste samples from assessments in areaswhere they need further study

·        Showcase their learning and reflect on how theyhave made growth

·        Generate test taking strategies and ideas forreducing test pressure

·        Conference with teachers and note resources touse to meet goals

What wealso found too through our Brain Breakfast and Brain Snack activities was that our students usedtheir Brain Books to become highly reflective, creative and innovative thinkers. 

• They collected pieces about their learningstyles, multiple intelligences and Blooms Taxonomy to help them in accessingnew information and sharing what they were learning. 
• They doodled and came up with new ideas onusing color and shading, drawing to explain a concept and even to illustrateabstract thinking. 
• They collectedmotivational quotes and connected them to their own daily practice. 
• They planned future projects, kept lists of ideasand used their Brain Books to share thinking of which they were especiallyproud.  
• They collaborated with peers byoften sharing their own thinking, ideas, writing, pictures and collections ofpersonally meaningful items, often working in partnership to push their viewpointsand development.

But what made the most distinctive impressionon Celina and I was that they wrote their personal goals, dreams and aspirationswithin the pages.  They created newpieces of art and poetry, added pictures of people and events that weresignificant in their lives and connected their learning through a highly metacognitiveprocess.  They truly made their BrainBooks a reflection of themselves as learners and individuals.  Our students surpassed any vision or idea we couldhave had for Brain Books as a tool for learning and turned them into a tool forbeing! 
~ Ann

Our Brain Books: The 10 Essentials

When Brain Books were integrated into our learning environments, we saw a dynamic impact.  Students were empowered by their moment-to-moment interactions in our classrooms, making authentic connections among content areas and within their own lives. Brain Books immediately guided students in the direction of personalization, providing frequent opportunity to connect new learning with past while focusing-in on individual goals and interests.  Students were given the opportunity to attack learning through their own style, consistently applying strategies that worked the best for them to aid in retention.

As Brain Books were intended to be a student-centered tool from the beginning, we were very cognizant of our tendency to “take control” of the resource in a way that matched our personal learning styles and organizational preferences.  We really had to coach each other through the process of “letting go”.  It was very important to us to separate Brain Books from direct instruction and teacher-driven strategies.  Brain Books became a simulation of individual brains learning, so they no longer served the same purpose of a one-size-fits-all journal or notebook.  We didn’t want their Brain Books to be carbon copies of our “model notebook,” instead we wanted individual learning styles and strengths to shine within our diverse learning environments.

In sharing with other colleagues, we have found the following aspects to be imperative in keeping with the authenticity of a truly personalized notebook.  These 10 essentials help Brain Books to remain a student-centered tool, empowering students to take ownership for their learning in a way that best fits them as a learner.

The 10 Essentials

1.      This is a Personal Book:  OF the student, BY the student, FOR the student.

Each and every student’s Brain Book should be completely different, mirroring the students’ individual styles.  Each and every student chooses what goes in their Brain Book, where it goes, and when to expand their book.  Each and every student should see the Brain Book as a necessary

resource for themselves.

Pondering Questions: ·         Is this artifact for me or my students?   Remember the words of Sousa, “The brain that does the work makes the most growth!”   ·         Will engagement increase with a student created resource?

2.      Independent Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences must be known.

Teaching students about each of the styles/intelligences allows them to understand their own personal strengths and challenges within the academic setting, so they approach each learning task with success.

Pondering Questions: ·         Do I promote self-awareness in my students? ·         Am I continuing to do my job teaching all learning styles/intelligences so my students continue to use and benefit from their Brain Books?

3.      Frequent modeling by teachers and students must be used.

For students to understand the potential of the resource modeling must occur, along with intentional teaching around the Brain Book.  Students must also understand the WHY behind Brain Books.  Continuously sharing sample Brain Book pages and possibilities is important.

Pondering Questions:     ·         Do my students understand the importance of a personalized resource? ·         Will my students benefit from creating a resource that is customized each and every day to meet their own learning needs?

4.      Organization by the student is key.

This is really the place where “letting go” was the most difficult for us as teachers.  But honestly WHERE students put information in their Brain Book and WHY they choose to organize it the way they did really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.  What matters is that each student has the opportunity to experience, investigate, and understand what works best for their learning style.  Their Brain Book allows them to experience learning from their own perspective, adding to and changing the format of the book as their knowledge increases and connections are made.  By using a personalized organizational style, meaning is connected to the learning.

Pondering Questions: ·         What type of “meaning making” will come from students discovering what organizational practice works best for them? ·         Can independence of thought and purpose be supported by Brain Books?

5.      Open-ended access to Brain Books is necessary.

By permitting open-ended access to this resource, students are allowed to make natural connections, value information individually, and reinforce what they learn over time. The Brain Book is a STUDENT resource, therefore, once classroom expectations are set for the culture and learning environment and students are taught the complete and possible use of a Brain Book, the resource should be seen and valued no matter the time of day.  It is okay for Brain Books to appear during instruction if the information going into them is on topic.  They should stimulate conversations and connections constantly.  Brain Books will be completely different from one another, which is why they should be THE choice resource- students will feel as though their own thinking is relevant, important, recognized, and appreciated.  Thus, assume these books to travel everywhere and always be in the hands/backpacks of their owners!

Pondering Questions: ·         Do I see Brain Books as a resource that encourages metacognition? ·         Do I keep in mind students’ feelings of ownership and value of their own work in order to increase their engagement and purpose in learning?

6.      Brain Books should become a natural resource in the Classroom Community.

This resource should be referred to often in order to review previous learning, make connections, and add relevant information.  Students should also access their Brain Book often as a go-to reference tool.  They will also document their progress, displaying evidence of their learning related to their individual goals.  Reflections will be stored in their personalized notebook to recognize their growth, innovative ideas, and associations.  This resource should also be used to share learning by way of comparing notes, sharing connections, and asking questions.  

Pondering Questions: ·         Is reflection a common process in my classroom? ·         Can I encourage, then in turn trust, my students to use this resource effectively for themselves?

7.      Books should be added as the brain naturally “grows”.

Adding additional notebooks to the original should not be a forced, time oriented, or teacher directed process.  Only a student should decide when another book needs to be bound (duct-taped) to their Brain Book.  The student needs to decide when their own brain needs additional space to work with.  Imagine being given lots of extra space prior to needing it.  For some students it may be overwhelming and cause anxiety to figure out what to do with it.  However, on the flip side, if you restrict a student from expanding their book because you deem it unnecessary it may cause the same effects.  Some brains need to feel as though there is enough storage space for what is to come and like to prepare in advance with 2-3 blank sections.  As we recognize that our brains do not increase in size as we learn, the students love this metaphor and play-on-words of adding notebooks as their brain is filled with knowledge.  It is a visual reminder for them of all they are learning, as well as a celebration of their personal growth. 

Pondering Questions: ·         Am I cognizant of the adage that each child develops at their own pace? ·         Do I believe that Brain Books can assist in recognizing, promoting and celebrating this?

8.      Daily rituals should be used to value the thinking within Brain Books.

In our classroom, we have established 2 rituals for reflective thought and discussion:  One to start our day (Brain Breakfast) and one to end our day (Brain Snack).  Our Brain Breakfast is the brain food we need to get us going in the morning.  Our Brain Snack is the brain food we need to snack on as we head home for the day.  Both involve very strategic prompts/activities/conversation starters that integrate and infuse previous and future learning, along with all content areas.  We also carve in 2-4 additional reflection points throughout the day to allow students to confirm learning, self-assess, and/or make connections. 

Pondering Questions: ·         Do I establish rituals daily for my students to reflect, discuss, and share?  ·         Am I intentional about minimizing teacher talk and maximizing student thinking?

9.      Brain Books should never be scored.

This resource plays a very powerful role in recognizing and appreciating that learning is a process.  When students feel safe and valued, they are more open to “muck around” in the learning process.  Thus, putting a mark on their resource would defeat the purpose.  We have stuck to not scoring, grading, checking-off, or collecting their Brain Books.  The message has been clear that this is a resource for them and not us.  As they bring their books everywhere with them, we often see their documented/gathered thinking first hand.  But they are in control of these moments.  We truly want them to own their learning, especially during the articulation/communication process.  Students should feel the power in exploration of the topic and their journey towards meeting their learning goals.  They should be empowered by their own thinking, allowing them to rise from mistakes and wrong turns along the way.  The purpose of this book is for it to be a resource:  a place to store thinking, connections, new knowledge, private thoughts, goals, dreams.  To put a score on any page would devalue their brain and the personal thinking that is occurring. 

Pondering Questions:                   ·        Am I clear with the message that this book is for them and not me?                   ·         Can I help my students feel comfortable with putting their ideas and thinking in their book because it is for their brain?

10.  Brain Books are a vital component of a student-centered classroom.

Students who believe their teachers really listen and care about what they think results in students being more engaged and invested in their own learning, their classroom, and their school.  Our philosophy is to empower students through frequent choice, reflection, self-assessment, voice, and providing opportunities for them to take on the role of the teacher.  Brain Books facilitate all 5 of these strategies to occur seamlessly within our learning environment.

Pondering Questions: ·         Do I ask my students for feedback regularly?  ·         Am I recognizing Brain Books to be a highly effective way of documenting learning and valuing student thinking?

 

~Celina and Ann

The Story of Our Brain Books



Brain Books have become the anchor within our learning environment, for our students as well as us personally.  Ann and I have been excited to share this resource- a good idea that our students made great.  But as we have tried to put the idea in print we have struggled a bit…. Then Ann reminded me again of the great words of Simon Sinek, “People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”  So here is the story of the WHY behind our Brain Books: