PACE: Results of Feedback & Discussion About PACE

Today we talked about what's working and not working for folks in PACE.

A lot of ideas got put on the table and I imagine there are others that folks withheld. I'm hoping you feel you can share them with me in a way that feels comfortable for you.  If I don't know there's a problem, there isn't much I can do to help solve it.

Remember that the 25 means this includes some responses from the other day.
These are imperfect numbers, but I think the trends apply.

These are specific items of feedback posted.  We took these items and looked for patterns, trends within them.

We coded our observations; Blue = Students have control over it; Black = Teach has control over it;
Blue/Black = Shared responsibility

And that hero project from last year is still gorgeous.

From here we decided to talk about the blue/black coded items as there were only two.  Consensus in the room seemed to indicate that the teacher could do a better job explaining homework before setting the expectation and students could do a better job asking for clarification and advocating for needs.

We're going to try an added structural component when we meet next -- which will be a while because of PSATs, digital citizenship day and Mr. Ryder's ACTEM conference presentations.  But when we get back at it, we will start with only twenty minutes of teacher time, followed by ten minutes of figuring out what work zones we should have available, and then moving to those zones that most suit our needs.

Class got cut short because there was a fire alarm.  Everyone got out okay.  It was gorgeous out.

PACE: Assessing How Our Routines Are Helping & Working Toward Heroes

Today we need to take stock of how well our in-class systems are working.  We need to look at a balance of what we enjoy and feels good, and what helps us best get our work done.

We'll start with a similar survey to the one we used a few classes ago.  (You can find the new one in your e-mail.)  And then we will use the feedback talk about specific courses of action we should take.  

This will lead to time to consult with me, work on graphic organizers, projects, vision statements and more.  It's very important that vision statements are done today so I can plan our next piece of culture building.


After Teacher PACE time, here's what needs to happen before you leave the room today.

Student PACE
1. Work in a group of 1, 2, or 3 people to craft a vision statement about PACE.  Based on the ideas on the shared doc, what do you think PACE should look like this year?  Put your vision on the PACE Vision Thinking doc.

Here's an incomplete example to help your thinking:
PACE is a class where we are productive and use freedom to our advantage.  We pursue our personal interests but also do challenging work.  It's important to us that we have time to do our work in class, and it's important to us that our individual needs are respected.


2.  I Am Hero Project Proposal submitted and a conference with Mr. Ryder.

3. Submit your I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #2 by placing it in your Google Drive PACE 2013 IN box.

Homework

I Am Hero Project
I Am Hero Project
Due: Wed, 10/16
I Am Hero Project Proposal
Due: Today, 9/30
I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #3
Due: Mon, 10/7

Blog
Q1 Week 2
3+ Posts this week to meet/exceed the standard
Creative Entry Required:

HerosList

Everyone know the best way to get help on your heroic journey is by posting to Craigslist and advertising in Uncle Henry’s.

Create three advertisements based on your book:  One for a helper, one for an amulet, and one for either an obstructor OR a hero (that last one provides a chance to really play around with point of view).  

Quick example:  Help Wanted: MWM, 36, seeks mortal enemy to challenge him at every turn and push him to excel at everything in life, especially teaching career, family time, and general nerding.  Who wouldn’t want to be his nemesis?  He’s balding, moody and weird.  Strike now! dryder@mtbluersd.org

You can visit www.unclehenrys.com or www.craigslist.com to explore the formatting, the categories, the relative length, and the style used.

Student PACE Suggestions:

• Work on your I Am Hero Project
• Bring materials you need to class
• Keep checking the rubric for standards & requirements
• Show Mr. Ryder & Miss Murphy your ideas

PACE: Taking Stock of PACE & Proposing Hero Projects

We will continue our efforts to flip the classroom around a bit today.  We'll meet in F 215 while taking advantage of all of our new tables and seating locations.

Teacher PACE:
* Work in Book Groups to Complete a Heroic Cycle Model using Design Kits & Your Book
* Complete a vision statement in class
* I Am Hero Project proposals submitted

Student PACE
* Choose your work groups for the vision
* Design & propose your I Am Hero project


Teacher PACE
How does the hero of your group's novel fulfill the heroic cycle/monomyth?

Here are a couple of models to help you remember the stages.  Note! The stages don't have to have the exact same names, so long as the order looks pretty much the same.  Some models are more simple than others and that's okay:

Clickable model of the Monomyth: http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/index.htm

Page of explanations to help you with that model: http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/JourneyStages.pdf

And finally, a great video to help as well.

After Teacher PACE time, here's what needs to happen before you leave the room today.

Student PACE
1. Work in a group of 1, 2, or 3 people to craft a vision statement about PACE.  Based on the ideas on the shared doc, what do you think PACE should look like this year?  Put your vision on the PACE Vision Thinking doc.

Here's an incomplete example to help your thinking:
PACE is a class where we are productive and use freedom to our advantage.  We pursue our personal interests but also do challenging work.  It's important to us that we have time to do our work in class, and it's important to us that our individual needs are respected.


2.  I Am Hero Project Proposal submitted and a conference with either Mr. Ryder or Miss Murphy.

3. Submit your I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #2 by placing it in your Google Drive PACE 2013 IN box.

Homework

I Am Hero Project
I Am Hero Project
Due: Wed, 10/16
I Am Hero Project Proposal
Due: Today, 9/30
I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #3
Due: Mon, 10/7

Blog
Q1 Week 2
3+ Posts this week to meet/exceed the standard
Creative Entry Required:

HerosList

Everyone know the best way to get help on your heroic journey is by posting to Craigslist and advertising in Uncle Henry’s.

Create three advertisements based on your book:  One for a helper, one for an amulet, and one for either an obstructor OR a hero (that last one provides a chance to really play around with point of view).  

Quick example:  Help Wanted: MWM, 36, seeks mortal enemy to challenge him at every turn and push him to excel at everything in life, especially teaching career, family time, and general nerding.  Who wouldn’t want to be his nemesis?  He’s balding, moody and weird.  Strike now! dryder@mtbluersd.org

You can visit www.unclehenrys.com or www.craigslist.com to explore the formatting, the categories, the relative length, and the style used.

Student PACE Suggestions:

• Work on your I Am Hero Project
• Bring materials you need to class
• Keep checking the rubric for standards & requirements
• Show Mr. Ryder & Miss Murphy your ideas

PACE: Working on Being Heroes

Thursday will begin in The Forum.  We'll be looking at some work the  teachers did on Wednesday afternoon regarding how to make the school a more welcoming, engaging place that gets more students to want to BE HERE.  I'm curious to see what you think of the results.

I then need to show you how to complete the project proposal form for the I Am Hero Project.  I'll do that by making a fake one right in front of your very eyes.  The actual form lives on its own page right here on the blog.

I only received a little feedback the other day (7 out of 17) about how class went, but I'm applying it.

So I'll stop as close to 30 minutes as possible today, though it may go a little over.  You will certainly have over half of the class to work.

And that work will include working by yourself or with your Student PACE reading groups on any of the following.

Homework

Reading

Student PACE: Whatever reading comes next for your group

Teacher PACE: Finish book by 9/30

Graphic Organizers

I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #1

Due Friday 9/20 -- Will Take Up to Wednesday 9/25 & Not Be Late

I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #2 (In the PACE 2013 OUT folder on Google Drive)

Due Monday 9/30

Blog

3+ Blog Posts Due Each Week (A Week is Monday to Friday)

1 Post Is Required (It Will Always Be a Creative Post), Others Are Anything You Want to Post Related to Class

Creative Req. Post: Write your own song or poem that tells JUST the story of your protagonist’s call to adventure and/or crossing of the threshold.  It may take any poetic form you like -- it does not need to be an epic poem -- and there isn’t a particular length requirement so long as it fits a poetic form and tells that part of the story. (Note: This is also part of your graphic organizer Week #2 -- it counts for both! That’s one way to look at using your blog. A place to do your work.)

Due Friday 9/27

I Am Hero Project

The rubric is on the blog as well as here.

You should start your planning ASAP.  There will be a proposal form that will be due next Monday 9/30 in class.

Proposal & Conf Due Monday, 9/30

Due Wednesday, 10/9

PACE: Taking a Step Toward Independent Learning Today

Today I tried an experiment in terms of helping folks meet the vision of PACE described on your sheets the other day.  I'm very curious to see what people thought.  So

I limited my direct instruction to 30 minutes.   (During that time I shared another student I Am Hero project and ran a summary vs. paraphrasing activity.  Remember, summaries say it in much fewer words. Paraphrase say it in your own words, but about the same amount of content.)  

From there, folks had the rest of class to work at their own PACE as I circulated around and added some more information and helped folks out.  

It was a little confusing because I didn't explain the new graphic organizer for Week #2 before hand.  That's something I wish I had done.   

Here's the work and due dates for I Am Hero.

Homework

Reading

Student PACE: Whatever reading comes next for your group

Teacher PACE: Finish book by 9/30

Graphic Organizers

I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #1

Due Friday 9/20 -- Will Take Up to Wednesday 9/25 & Not Be Late

I Am Hero Graphic Organizer Week #2 (In the PACE 2013 OUT folder on Google Drive)

Due Monday 9/30

Blog

3+ Blog Posts Due Each Week (A Week is Monday to Friday)

1 Post Is Required (It Will Always Be a Creative Post), Others Are Anything You Want to Post Related to Class

Creative Req. Post: Write your own song or poem that tells JUST the story of your protagonist’s call to adventure and/or crossing of the threshold.  It may take any poetic form you like -- it does not need to be an epic poem -- and there isn’t a particular length requirement so long as it fits a poetic form and tells that part of the story. (Note: This is also part of your graphic organizer Week #2 -- it counts for both! That’s one way to look at using your blog. A place to do your work.)

Due Friday 9/27

I Am Hero Project

The rubric is on the blog as well as here.

You should start your planning ASAP.  There will be a proposal form that we complete next Monday 9/30 in class.  I’ll send it along so you can work ahead if you like.

Due Thursday, October 9

PACE: I Am Hero Rubric, Proposal Forms, Blogs & Heroic Cycle . . . Wow. That's a lot.

We'll start class by setting up our blogs.  This will only take about 15 minutes fortunately because it is a pretty quick process.  We start blogging next week as a formal assessment. (3+ entries per week, M - F, including the creative prompt I provide you each week.)

From there, I will share with you the rubric for "I Am Hero" and some examples of projects other students have done in the past.

The rubric is right here.  (And I posted it on its own entry as well.)




We won't take a ton of time to introduce the project.  While it is a big project, you will need a little more background to really get started and do it proper justice.

We'll get that background with an online thinking activity with Padlet.


 

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

And then finally . . . two more things.  I'm telling you.  Today is a LOT.  

Week #1 Graphic Organizer.  We'll hold off on summary/paraphrase for now.  That section is optional. HOWEVER, eventually you'll be doing it so why not try researching it on your own?   What's the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing?  Perhaps there's a video out there that can help.   Or a website at least.  

Instead, you'll get into your reading groups and complete the bottom part of the I Am Hero Graphic Organizer due TODAY.  The results of your work will be linked on your blogs and and included in your organizer.  Those pieces are the creative thinking portion of the graphic organizers and worth the time they take.
While you are completing THAT work, there will be some papers circling to help us continue our work on room climate.  It will all make sense once we are doing it.

Homework  

Teacher PACE: Read novel by 9/30Student PACE: Reading group selection for next class
Start Designing: I Am Hero project

Complete - if you haven't: I Am Hero Graphic Organizer #1

PACE: I Am Hero Project Rubric

PACE 1G: An Improvised Heroic Journey

Meet in the Mt. Blue Campus Food Court.

Be prepared.

For anything.

Epic.

Monomyth style.

Homework

Reading
Teacher PACE: Finish book by Sept. 30
Student PACE: Your group's next assignment.

Reading/Writing
Teacher PACE: I Am Hero Graphic organizer #1: Due Friday, Sept 20

Next Class: Meet in Food Court for a Heroic Journey!

PACE: Heroic Qualities Brainstorming

Our ideas on what qualities a H demonstrates.

PACE: Heroes & Journeys, Rubrics & Standards

Quite a lot to do in the space of a Monday starting with your chosen adventures, Hunger Games and Adventures of Ulysses.

Heroic Journey

We'll start with fast brainstorming sessions around heroic qualities.  Take a look at these tips from IDEO about brainstorming.

You will break into your reading groups and see how well you did with your first reading assignment.  Who is caught up? Who is a little behind?

Your first group task?  Create a reading schedule that takes us to Sept. 30.  Make sure you share it with me.

Your second group task? Complete the first two sections of the I Am Hero Lit Circle Graphic Organizer Week #1 using our brainstorming notes.

Unpacking Standards

From here, we take a minutes to dig into our rubric and unpack the reading standard.  It's important to understand what is asked of you and why.  This may seem like tedious work at first and it should start giving you some ideas for future projects.

Homework

Reading
Teacher PACE: Finish book by Sept. 30
Student PACE: Your group's next assignment.

Reading/Writing
Teacher PACE: I Am Hero Graphic organizer #1: Due Friday, Sept 20

Next Class: Meet in Food Court for a Heroic Journey!