An early happy Thanksgiving to you all. I know it’s cliché to say take some time over the week to be thankful for the blessings in your lives, but it’s true.
First, thanks to all of you who reached out to me whether it was in person, via email, or at the health center to share what inspires and motivates you. I learn so much from your feedback.
Last week, I attended the annual College in the High School conference at NCTC. Gathered there were administrators, counselors, support staff from Northland, and, of course, teachers from both Northland campuses and from high school all across NW Minnesota.
The highlight for me is the time when we break off by disciplines and spend about an hour meeting with our Northland counterparts as well as our peers. This year Adam Paulson from NCTC suggested that we each bring in a book, resource, or assignment that was particularly effective. Man, was this great! Each time someone shared a writing or speaking assignment, I thought, why didn’t I think of that? I need to do that in class tomorrow. I’m totally stealing that!
On top of that, we also were required (thanks to the accreditation process we are going through) to all grade the same essay using the same rubric. The results were fascinating. First, it’s very difficult to accurately grade an essay out of context. I know the testing services (the ACT and so on) have been doing it for years, but I find it so much more helpful if I know something about the writer first. Is this their first essay? Or is it their last one of the semester? How much growth have they made over the semester? What is their other writing like?
And, of course, our results were all over the place. I happened to give this particular piece a 55/100. A few others when as high as 70/100. And when we examined and justified our grades – and when we actually delved into the piece we graded and looked at our comments – I learned so much. Grading, I feel, just like much of writing itself, is often quite subjective.
Part of the day also included a large group discussion of how to best reach Generation Z, or, in other words, the students we teach today. The specific questions we addressed are below –
1. What can College in the High School instructors do to reach out to Generation Z students in ways that are unique?
2. What can CHS instructors do to speak to their needs?
3. What can CHS instructors do to engage Generation Z students in ways in which they thing?
While the discussion among the teachers, administrators, and counselors was interesting, I thought I’d raise these three questions with my third block College Comp 2 students. Their responses – and the discussion that followed – made for the most enjoyable class period I can recall. I wrote notes so fast that my hand started to cramp. They taught me more than I could ever have imagined. More on that, though, next week.
Inside this week’s Teaching Thoughts, you’ll find –
The Worlds is a Fine Place and Worth Fighting For – This story is about the next Steve Jobs. I love this kid’s moxie. Even if he did get the police called on him! I love his creativity. And I’d buy root beer from him any day of the week!
Book review – So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. This one came via a former student (and now colleague) who read it at Concordia. I think this is one reason Tim Elmore, who writes constantly on Generation Z, notes that when compared to the Millennials or even Gen X (on social media especially) they are far more private.
Teaching Thoughts – These are three of my favorite thoughts on teaching so far this year. There’s a lot to think about here.
Podcast of the Week – Digital Minimalism. This is an interview with Cal Newport who focuses on how we need to put down our devices and focus on building relationships and good old hard skills again.
Where are they now? We catch up with former student Hannah Anderson who is an elementary teacher in South Fargo.
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