<![CDATA[PHILIP ESTRADA - Blog]]>Wed, 13 May 2026 10:12:07 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Why Not Learn As Much As Possible?]]>Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:08:29 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/why-not-learn-as-much-as-possibleEvery year, seniors at our school are required to plan and prepare an exit interview. There are required slides and topics, and they must bring parents and trusted adults. Failure to meet these requirements, we tell them, will result in being banned from graduation ceremonies. While positive in spirit, this structure is failing to provide accurate assessment of our students and our effectiveness as educators. By making exit interviews voluntary and removing excessive structure, we would get a more authentic and valuable assessment of both student capabilities and our schools’ effectiveness.
​
In the professional world, exit interviews are very different. When employees leave a role, they're invited—not required—to share their experiences. Their choice to participate and their level of engagement reveals the true nature of their relationship with the institution. Do they reject the invitation? Do they show up with prepared material? This valuable information emerges only because participation is voluntary. In our school, we lose this insight by coercing students into participating through graduation requirements.

Our excessive scaffolding—required slides, artifacts, topics, and family participation—further limits our view of students' true capabilities. While scaffolds have their place, they're inappropriate in evaluation because they mask actual abilities and values. When we dictate exactly what and how students must present, all that we really learn is how well they follow directions! 

I propose eliminating both the graduation requirement and all but the essential structure of exit interviews. We would provide only a date and time, making it clear that the format and content are entirely up to the students. This approach transforms the interview from an obligation into an opportunity—a chance for students to be celebrated and demonstrate their learning in ways meaningful to them. By making participation voluntary, we would gain valuable insights into how students value us and our school. By letting them choose the content, we could learn what they found most important in their educational journey.

The stakes are real because every year we have only one chance to hear from our graduating class about their experiences—to truly understand what it’s like to be a student at our school. By forcing participation and dictating content we limit what we can learn about our students. By trusting our students to show us what matters to them, we'll not only learn more about their capabilities but also gain insights about ours. Why wouldn’t we learn as much as we can?]]><![CDATA[Make Things and Talk About It]]>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 18:12:23 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/make-things-and-talk-about-itIn the past, I believed that all that students should do in a project based learning class is project work. Every day the class should work on the project and build the next part. They will critique and tinker. This has been my way for a long time. Generally the students experience success, but I wondered what might be missing. I remember talking with students at exhibition who, based on their products, had completed the project. Surprisingly, when I asked them about their work they were not able to well describe what they had done. Specifically, they could not explain the purpose behind choices they had made for their product. After some pushing, one student said "we built it this way because you said it would be better!"

While project-based learning naturally develops student competence in skills and tasks, comprehension requires intentional discussion-based work that allows students to construct and articulate their own understanding of the underlying process and principles. I took these conversations as evidence that they had not been constructing meaning for themselves and creating a product from that meaning, they had merely been tweaking my product plan and largely relying on my example. I believe that if they had completed a product based on their own understanding of the principles involved I would see greater differentiation in the end result. So then I had a question: How do I develop comprehension and competence together? In order to develop something in the brains of my students, I had to look closely at how the brain develops itself.

Neurons, and the connections between them, are the foundation of consciousness and memory. As connections develop, memories and associations are stored. Collections of synapses (the connections between neurons) that signal together frequently become more efficient in their signaling, like a path through the woods being established over time by thousands of footprints. Synapses that fire together wire together. Thus, in order to build comprehension, which is memory and ability wrapped up in one, the associated synapse cluster needs to fire again and again and again. The challenge is in giving learners a reason to build comprehension clusters together with competence clusters, not just one or the other. Think of how difficult tying a shoelace is for kindergarteners. They need lots of focus and practice to build the connections in their brains as they repeat the shoelace tying action again and again. Eventually, they will be able to tie their shoelaces while watching tv, having a conversation, or driving a car because the synapses required to tie their laces are so well built and efficient. This is an example of a competence cluster that is very strong, but is it also a comprehension cluster? To find out, ask yourself "why do I use this knot rather than another?". If, like me, you tie the same knot that you were taught, then you probably have competence without comprehension as far as shoelaces are concerned.

My hypothesis is that by having students build long term and detailed projects, I was not providing them the opportunity to build and fire the appropriate 'comprehension' synapse clusters for the content of my class. They were solving problems and planning and building all the time, just not constructing meaning, not building bridges in their minds between their product and the concepts from which that product was designed. So how to guide them to build those connections?

If we are going to build something then we should strive to build the best version of that thing. The same is true for comprehension clusters. Generally speaking, the more connections involved in a cluster, the more detailed and long lasting it is, like a spiderweb anchored to hundreds of points in a larger tree. Additionally, the more complex a cluster and the more connections involved, the more permanent that cluster will be. Therefore, more complex ideas that pass through the brain are more likely to be formed into the longer lasting structure of the brain. In practical terms this means that rote memorization of a list of vocabulary terms will be less effectively integrated into the brain than an engaging discussion about the concepts in which those terms are used because memorization of a list is simpler than having a conversation about what that list signifies.  

Therefore, one strategy to use in order to build complex and long term comprehension clusters in the brains of my students is to have them dig in to conversations about the concepts that we are trying to understand. One step further, if I do not guide the discussion, they will be the required to build the structure of the discussion as well, learning to prioritize and sort sub concepts. 

This might sound like a lot to ask, but sitting in a circle and talking about things that are interesting and important is one of the most human activities that we can partake in. Evolutionary pressure selected ancestors of ours who were more skilled at sharing and discussing complex ideas with their peers by nature of their improved problem solving ability and greater knowledge base. From these circles grew a culture of knowledge sharing. Other organisms are learning how to live in the world for the first time, but we humans are able to get advice from others who have been here before, and those of our ancestors who were best able to exploit information gained from their peers were naturally selected to be the base of our species.

Talking in circles is to humans as chasing mice is to cats; it's in our nature. We're built for this. 

So that's what we do now in class. Each week we work for four days and talk for the fifth. I pick a pair of articles, one a scientific journal and one a more narrative work, that both speak about the same concept that I want students to dig in to. The phrasing of dig in is deliberate here; it speaks to more than just discuss, more than understand, but to mine, to explore, to feel. I typically dispense the articles on Tuesday or Wednesday so that the students can read on their down time during the week. Discussions are often on Monday.

Any format of group discussion that is student-led will do, but I particularly enjoy Spiderweb Discussions, which you can read more about through the work of Alexis Wiggins. In brief, it is a circle discussion based on a text in which the teacher is completely removed and only serves to give feedback on the ability of the circle to converse productively. I observe my students, individually and through peer encouragement, consistently construct comprehension when they answer questions like "how does this article relate to our project?", and say "this reminds me of a previous discussion we had where.". These comprehension clusters are fired and wired together much more regularly and with more complexity in these discussions than in previous versions of my class and the results are exciting. One thing I've noticed is that students more regularly will engage me in conversations about the project and it's subject without being asked to. For example, a group of kids came into my room before class to discuss ideas for exhibition of the project and we talked over different options, all because they initiated.  I can see that they own this project as much or more than I do, which I credit to their increased comprehension of the work and it's principles. I look forward to this semesters exhibition; I'll ask my students "why did you build it like this?" or "why this pattern and not another?" and be able to enjoy seeing the new connections that their brains have made. 


]]><![CDATA[Entropy In Organizations]]>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 16:19:11 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/entropy-in-organizationsI have a bag of dice in my classroom. There's probably 50 dice in a blue velvet pouch with a drawstring that wait in the closet for some down time or a decision that has to be made. The drawstring doesn't hold the bag closed very well, so every time I take it out, it seems, the opening of the bag will burp out 5 or 10 dice. They immediately spatter out of sight on the linoleum floors and I have to chase them down like a freshman losing at beer pong. 

In the bag, they are ordered. In terms of the universe, it's incredibly unlikely that they would be bundled together and in a container. It is much more likely that they would spread out in a chaotic way, distributed throughout the world. Indeed someday the bag will break or deteriorate and the dice will begin to move toward their most likely arrangement: far apart from each other, chaotically distant. Highly entropic. 

Organizations begin, usually, in states on low entropy. Everything clustered and associated. Organized. Slowly though, things spread out and the scope increases. The original function and purpose of the organization is amended, expanded. Eventually you might have a hard time figuring out what this organization does when standing on the outside. 

I remember when Apple made 2 things: computers and iPods. There was one computer and one iPod, with small variations in storage or color. Today, Apple makes hardware (laptops, screens, iPhones, watches) and software (Maps, Safari, multiple operating systems) and maintains services (iCloud, music streaming, health monitoring). At one time, you could clearly see that Apple was a technology company. Today? It's not so simple to encompass the function and purpose of the company in a short description. 

Is that wrong or bad? Not necessarily, but it is different for 2 important people. Imagine the difference as a new hire. When someone joins a company with low entropy it's easy to gauge whether or not they are contributing to the overall organization. In this situation, new hires feel connected to the organization overall and a part of the team. With a broader scope and high entropy new hires cannot as easily see how their role contributes to the whole. This can lead to situations where different departments never have a reason to collaborate or interact because they serve unrelated functions within the group. 

The other person to whom this matters is the administrator or manager. In places with low entropy it is easy to see what should be prioritized and what can be set aside. Most or all decisions can be based on serving the purpose of the organization rather than preferences, style, or individual needs. Compare that to managing a broad and amorphous organization with high entropy. Different managers might disagree about similar decisions because there are multiple purposes that they are trying to fulfill. Managers will recognize that decisions must be based on something objective, so this is when metrics come in and tracking of employee performance is critical. Managers are much more strict about timeliness and adherence to policy because these are easily tracked and can be used as a basis for choices rather then referring to the unfocused purpose of the company. 

---

Enough avoidance. Of course I'm speaking about schools, and my school in particular. It's my belief that HTH started as a low entropy organization with a clear purpose, stated in 5 values (Personalization, Adult World Connection, Common Intellectual Principles, Teachers as Designers, Access and Challenge for All Students). From these values one could ask of different paths or choices "Does this serve to personalize a course for students? Does this give teachers more control over the design of the school?" and act. I remember being hired as a new teacher and being advised to always ask "Will this make the project better?". I was also told that if I wasn't giving students worksheets, tests or homework then I was probably doing ok. From those two simple guidelines I had the agency to make choices for myself and use my autonomy to improve every semester. 

Let's compare that to now. In my experience, every new teacher will believe that the purpose of the school is something different. One entropic idea that has become incorporated into our identity is that we are meant to counteract racial, social and economic injustices. That's not to say that we should counteract those injustices as a result of progressive, project based education, but actually to explicitly counter those ideas with whatever method of teaching one likes. Units on identity and prejudices abound. Our mission statement is 3 paragraphs long and separate from our statement of purpose. 

Here's my question: if schools cut out all the bullshit (accessory goals and scope) and focus solely on what remains, would they still have a school?]]><![CDATA[M.Ed Presentation of Learning]]>Mon, 30 May 2022 04:50:41 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/med-presentation-of-learning
I've finished my Master's degree. Below is my presentation of what I have learned in this program.

Implications for myself: 
1. Artifacts
   My Foundations project
2. Significant Growth
   Assertiveness cultivated
   Balance of rebellion <---> compliance
It was always me vs the world
until I found out it's me vs me
- Kendrick Lamar
​​   Non Violent Communication
   Identifying emotions and expressing them as leadership practice
3. Looking Ahead
   Work as new teacher support. Goal: all teachers plan and facilitate a high quality project every semester
   Middleman of privilege


​
​

Implications for my school:
1. Research
   Online resource ---> Apprenticeship model
2. What did I learn?
    The answer was within me all along
​    Our current process does not serve my aim
3. Priorities
    A school should arrive at commonly held standards of excellence for a project*
    You *must* teach thru projects
4. Implications
   Mentorship program should become an apprenticeship program for new staff
   New teachers are unlikely to plan and facilitate a high quality project in the first year under current conditions





​
​
Implications for Sector:
- Schools should be clear about what their priorities are.   
We are who we pretend to be
- Kurt Vonnegut
- How do we measure teacher success?
As long as you don't give tests, homework or worksheets you'll be ok.
-Brett Peterson (when I asked how I would know if I was doing a good job)

The more kids who feel comfortable speaking up and sharing, the better
- Kaleb Rashad (when I asked how I would know if I was doing a good job)
(Grad school version)
Does our school currently provide a clear and unambiguous directive to teach exclusively through projects?
​
What would be the impact of a clear and unambiguous directive to teach exclusively through projects in a school?



(Real Talk)
How much push back would we get if all teachers were required to 
1. do their own project first, documenting the process
2. guide students to follow their process starting on day one and not stop until they finish
3. complete a reflection project as evaluation



How might we clearly articulate our values and principles for what teachers do with their students? 
Here's how our school currently does:
https://www.hightechhigh.org/about/


What are my blind spots for an apprenticeship approach?
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"IF you don't drain a vent pipe like this, sewage gases will seep up through the water in the toilet, and the house will stink of shit." In the trades, a master offers his apprentice good reasons for acting in one way rather than another, the better to realize ends the goodness of which is readily apparent... He does the same work as the apprentice, only better. He is able to explain what he does to the apprentice, because there are rational principles that govern it. Or he may explain little, and the learning proceeds by example and imitation. For the apprentice there is a progressive revelation of the reasonableness of the master's actions. He may not know why things have to be done a certain way at first, and have to take it on faith, but the rationale becomes apparent as he gains experience."
-Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soul Craft
]]><![CDATA[Creating the Conditions for Deeper Learning Through Assessment]]>Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:04:40 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/creating-the-conditions-for-deeper-learning-through-assessment*4 years later revisit at the end*

One condition for deeper learning that I've focused on recently is Authenticity. I wasnt to be sure that communication with students about the grades and progress is authentic and rooted in something real. The longer I teach the more I realize how artificial grades and assessments can be. I wanted to try something that would be more grounded in student experience and character rather than being directly tied to their work. Below is a summary of what I'm working on.
​

Weekly Evaluation

The main idea of this prototype grading style is to be rapid and ongoing. I learned that the more often I could communicate with students, the better. This is especially true at distance. I worked to create a grading system that ultimately would be used weekly.

Below is a sample of an email that I send out to students weekly.

Hi {{First Name}},


Here is my impression of your work from last week! Like the first week, your Public Critique participation weighed heavily on Effort and Presence. 


(each scored out of 5)
Presence: {{Presence3}}
Effort: {{Effort3}}
Creation: {{Creation3}}

Total: {{Total3}} of 14 or a letter grade of {{Letter Grade3}}

{{Personal Note3}}

If we are in disagreement about any of these scores, please email back with any changes I should make. Otherwise I will input your letter grade to Powerschool later tomorrow!


Best,

P
I use a Google Spreadsheet to keep all their information organized and do my grading, then automate sending them a weekly update. The class gets the chance to give me feedback or offer changes before I post their weekly grade to Powerschool (our grading system)
​

Feedback

Upon showing this to peers, I heard 2 main components of feedback. First there is the issue of giving students a grade based on my subjective interpretation of their character or behavior during a week. This could be problematic and I might be enacting some oppressive patterns with my class. The second portion of feedback was that this grading method is not tied to checkpoints within the project or classwork. 

On the first point I both agree and disagree. In my experience testing this method, many students take the opportunity to write me back and tell me why they deserve a different score. I am careful in the language of the email to not use deficit language and encourage revision. I could go further with this. Also, the categories that I am evaluating came from me, and I was the one who defined success in each area. In the future, it would be better to work with students at the beginning of the semester to choose categories and write out what a 3, 4 and 5 look like for each.

For the second point I would like to refine my categories to be more explicit. To me, high effort (one of my categories) involves having all work in on time and high creation (a second category) involves doing high quality work on assignments. As I define these areas with students, I can be more clear about this.

Subsequent Drafts



​In the future, I will co-create 1 or more of the categories with the students as a kind of norm setting task at the beginning of class and define expectations for each with them as well. This should reflect not only what I see as being valuable but their view too.

I would also like to include a function where students set a goal for the next week. They might choose one category and pick a score they would like for the next week and include ideas about how to reach or hold that goal. In setting a goal and describing what they want to do to achieve it I would be pulling in more elements of student centered evaluations and involving them more deeply in the process. 

Reference

Santos, J. (2020). Supporting Latinx Students in Rigorous Learning Environments (Unpublished master's thesis). High Tech High GSE.
17 September 2024

This was a step in the right direction. As I've learned more, I have a better sense of what to look for and what evidence there is when students are learning. It's easily summarized: If students are doing the project, then they will be learning. 

Therefore, I now grade based on Engagement and Timeliness. Students need to be engaged with the project work (doing the project) and work in a timely way (communicating well, turning things in on time, being on time for class tasks). This is all based on the assumption that students are always learning and that they just need to point their attention to the subject of my class in order to learn about that subject. 

Another big learning point for me was to make these grades qualitative, rather than quantitative. I am recording the quality of their engagement, but it's not cumulative. That means that if they have a few bad weeks, the grade will come down, but they can recover by changing the quality of their engagement. 

The best part about grading by engagement and timeliness is what happens when students ask about how to get a good grade on an individual assignment. I get to tell them "it's not graded! None of these assignments are graded!". I tell them how to complete it so that they'll enjoy themselves more and so that they'll learn more which is the whole point of all this anyway isn't it.


]]><![CDATA[Creating Equitable Learning Environments]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2020 21:20:28 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/creating-equitable-learning-environmentsThis school year, I'm beginning work on my masters degree in educational leadership. The first course in that program has just finished, and I thought I'd include two papers that I wrote for the class here. 

The first is one I wrote in response to and article by Sarah Fine, where I discuss what I see as my next steps in developing PBL and helping it shed it's oppressive history. I read new educational theory as part of the pre-work for this class, and this paper helped me get my thoughts in order. 

The second paper was my final paper for the class, where I summarize what I learned and how the class had developed my thinking. At the end of this course, we were tasked with a self assessment, something that I have never done before, but that I enjoyed and will probably adapt to use with my own class. 

For teachers that are beginning to teach at a distance using videoconferencing tools (like me), my major takeaways from this learning were these:
1. Use small groups/breakouts as much as is appropriate. The best learning happens in small discussions. You may apply accountability techniques for what happens in the breakout room, but don't jump in unannounced, let the kids have some responsibility for doing the work,
2. Ask your class what they want to learn. If possible, only teach them things that they ask about. A good place to start it to give them something to do in your subject area and then see what questions they have about doing the work. This is much better then telling them everything you think they will need to know.
3. Related to #2, student voice and experience should lead as much as possible. Teaching to student questions is one way to do this. Negotiating about videoconference etiquette is another. By centering everything on the student experience you will avoid becoming the teacher you hated in school and motivated you to become a teacher yourself.]]><![CDATA[Models as Constraints]]>Sun, 15 Dec 2019 00:12:45 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/models-as-constraintsWhat if they all just copy you?
This is a phrase that I heard a couple times when visiting teachers would ask about my most recent project, Lakeview. While the kids are working, my complete prototype is hanging on the wall behind them. I use it a lot to show the class how I put something together or what size hole I drilled or whatever. While some might see imitation and copying as a problem, I see it as an essential part of learning.
When I started work on Lakeview I had seen a piece of art that I thought was really engaging. My way of appreciating the work was to make a copy of it. By copying the sculpture I learned about it's structure and design. I gained insight into decisions the artist made by recreating parts and measurements as I deeply engaged with the mechanisms involved. In other words, I learned.

My model then served as guidelines for the class and set constraints for the work when everyone started working on their own sculptures. Students would ask "How big should my off set blocks be?" and I could hand them a ruler and walk with them over to my model. Somebody wanted to know how big their project could be. I hadn't thought of that yet, so I had the class measure how much material I had used and told them that they could use no more than I had. 

Rather than being a burden during a project, a model gives me space and ease during a project because I don't have to make decisions on the fly, but I can speak from experience. If I had tried to write a set of instructions and guidelines for how to make this project, students would inevitably have questions that I hadn't addressed. With a model, I can put the burden of decision making on them and give them an opportunity to think critically. They can see how I did something and compare it with what they want out of their own project. 

In fact, I did have one group completely copy my project in the end. Their group was functioning poorly and members split up to do Rebellion projects at the end of the semester. I met with the remaining team who were 2 members short and hadn't finished a proof model yet. They were close to falling way way behind. I told them to scrap their design and make a replica of my model. I don't know what I expected them to say, but they went from feeling irritated and stressed to feeling confident and capable. "Oh we can definitely do that." they told me. They took pictures and made measurements of my project and consulted me as they made the various components. We frequently took my model off the wall to look more closely. I would have been happy if they had submitted an exact copy of my example, but part way through the build, they had different ideas than I about how a few parts should be made. "Yours looks like this, but can we do it this way instead?" they asked. "Will it still work?" I asked. 

They thought about it.
]]><![CDATA[I felt happy while grading assignments]]>Fri, 06 Sep 2019 02:54:53 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/i-felt-happy-while-grading-assignmentsOne of the compromises I make as an educator is grading assignments. I really like all the other stuff that comes with teaching, but grading is something that wears me down and seems to be my least favorite part of the job. Usually I structure my classes so that I have the smallest amount of grading possible or so that grading is as easy as possible. I've noticed 2 effects of this on the students. First, they get the message that detail is not important. If their teacher is just going to breeze over it, then there's no need to be super careful or take too much pride in what they do. Second, their work is not important. If their teacher, who may be the only person to see this, doesn't give it much attention, then what's the point?

So I changed things this semester.
​

Tags

I used to work with a teacher who had students put a tag on every assignment that was turned in. On the tag was information about when it was submitted, if it had been accepted for credit, and if there were changes that needed to be made in order to be accepted for full credit. I've adopted versions of this in the past, but only this year have I taken it seriously. When a piece of work comes in, I can leave the student notes about revisions, give extensions, ask questions. The story of the assignment is right there on the front, so I don't get lost when looking at another piece of work. This communicates to students that there will be accountability for assignments, and that revisions are a possible and common occurrence. By including language like "draft #" and "new due date" I am communicating how I value updates and drafts. This has already made a difference and is less for me to keep track of.
​

Revisions

I included a system of extensions this year. If students turn in a complete piece of work (everything is done) with mistakes, there is no penalty. I just point out mistakes and give them a new due date. The student makes revisions and resubmits the work. However many times it takes to go back an forth is fine, but they don't get credit in the grade book until it's done. This is what made me feel happy while grading.

Usually when I sit down and look at student work I feel one of two things: "Nice they did it right, on to the next one" or "Oh look they messed up, I wonder if I should have been more clear". By focusing more on the issues and grazing over successes, I get upset and start feeling like a failure. Oddly enough, when I started using tags to document revisions, I began feeling happy while grading. It definitely takes longer to grade, but it is really rewarding to see assignments that initially were not acceptable develop into high quality work. A new emotion was present during grading: "Man, I knew they could do it!". 
]]><![CDATA[Breaking the Cycle]]>Thu, 06 Jun 2019 20:23:57 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/breaking-the-cycle"I can't even begin to think about next semester yet."

I hear this often. Project teachers at this time of the year are usually very absorbed with planning their exhibitions. Issues and snags appear and they must react quickly to try and display all of the student work. They must make a lot of decisions and it's exhausting. There is not enough room to do all of this and also plan out a project for the next semester, even though a quality project takes a lot of time to plan. It is a cycle of decision fatigue

​


This is one cycle. Teacher teams will come to the beginning of the semester with an idea of what they want the students to do and learn, maybe even some professional models, but not exemplars of their own work. The first month or so is planned, with the intention that the team will collaborate to plan out the future of the project at a later date. By the second half of the semester, students have not begun meaningful work on their projects, and exhibition begins to loom. Teachers start to get stressed and their class will reflect their emotions. Daily, hourly, teachers have to make decisions about how things will be exhibited and displayed. They are being flexible and agile, and that mental work takes a toll. Students rush to complete work before exhibition, and the day of exhibition can be tense as teachers try to communicate their expectations to students and show off their work. 

At this time, or even right after exhibition it is unrealistic to expect that anybody would be ready and excited to start thinking about their next project. It is more likely that after this much decision making and effort people will put off planning till they feel more relaxed. Therefore teaching teams will avoid planning until the beginning of the next semester and the cycle begins anew.

Alternatively, here is a different cycle. On the first day of class, students are given examples made by their teachers of what their final project will look like. They see how it will be exhibited and how much work must be put into it. They ask questions and teachers can answer their questions based on their models. Since they have just completed the project teachers know how long things take and  can structure the semester with logical checkpoints and grading cycles. Students complete their projects a week early or more, with the final week before exhibition being spent planning for exhibition. Students are all given exhibition jobs and they do everything related to displaying their work, from set up to making pamphlets to tearing down. Because there are plans and examples, the teachers do not have to make many decisions during the project and their mind is free to wander. While students are in project time teachers am free to tinker and prototype for the next project. By working in little bits during the semester they are able to refine prototypes and deliverables. These are usually complete before or soon after exhibition. 


Unfortunately it is very very difficult to break the first cycle. Projects require a lot of pre-planning which must occur during the preceding semester. There is no way around that. 
]]><![CDATA[First Friday Deliverable]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2019 08:24:40 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/first-friday-deliverableHow to make sure your project gets moving quickly! or How to check that your project will work.
Sometimes when planning projects, it is easy to lose focus of what the class will be doing the whole time that you've set aside for this work. What will the day to day tasks be? For a project to be successful, it is necessary that students start with experience before moving on. Good projects also involve multiple drafts and revisions. The best projects will turn your classroom into a kind of cycling museum, with new stuff going up and being replaced and showing what the class is working on. All projects should end in a final deliverable or final product that the students are proud of. How can you be sure that you are doing all this and that your project is aiming for greatness? Make sure you have a First Friday Deliverable.

​

What is it?

A FFD is something that your class finishes by the first Friday of the semester that you can show and put up on the walls. Not just anything though, it should be a miniature version of whatever the final product will be for your project. For example:

- For a project where students build flying objects, everyone should make and fly a kite by Friday.
- For a project in which students hold debates, they should debate a relevant topic on the first Friday of class.
- For projects where students will write letters to their representatives, they should draft a letter by Friday.
- For a project where the class makes documentaries, everyone should make a movie by the first Friday.

Why use it?

For You
The FFD has utility because it only works in better-conceived projects. Problems coming up with a FFD indicate problems with the project.

If a mini version of your final product..
- won't take the class a whole week to finish? Not complex enough/not age appropriate
- won't engage the class for a whole week? Bad news for student buy in
- won't look good anywhere in the school or are difficult to display? Your exhibition will be stressful.
- will be pretty much final quality in one week? Not enough to teach the class.
- doesn't exist or you can't think of what it will be? There's your next step in planning

However, if you ask the class to make a small version of your final product and they are engaged for the week and it takes the whole time and the pieces look interesting when displayed and clearly have lots of room for improvement... You've got a pretty solid product for the project.

For Your Students
To make an interesting and challenging mini product in the first week will require most of your time that week. This ensures that you will start the project off with an experience for the class. Instead of starting out by telling them everything they need to know to get started or by lecturing, you will hand them the materials and examples and let them try it first. Then on week 2 they will have lots of questions and you can feel good answering them by teaching the content as they make revisions. 

Your class will also want to replace their First Friday Deliverables quickly, because they will soon be able to improve and do better. Having their work on the wall also keeps the class grounded, because they know at the very least they'll be doing something related to that thing they made last week,  and they will all have a common context in your subject from which to draw.

For Your Administration
If you are careful and precise when displaying student work, even process work, your administration will like it. It's cool seeing that students are engaged in creative and interesting work that changes every couple of days. If you are at a school where PBL is not the norm, it will be clear to everyone that your students are doing something interesting that they are proud of and may help motivate other staff to give it a try.

How to use it?

A First Friday Deliverable is sort of like tasting spaghetti sauce a few minutes before dinner. Not quite salty enough, needs more basil. So plan your project first and pick a final product, then imagine having your students make a draft of it in the first week. You'll be able to tell if it needs a little tweaking one way or the other and hopefully result in a stronger project.
]]><![CDATA[Design Process as Scaffolding]]>Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:06:27 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/building-skillsHow do I scaffold complex tasks in an authentic and engaging way? or What is the day to day of PBL?
​Earlier in my teaching I used to think that in PBL we were intentionally withholding information. It felt like we were asking students to discover concepts and skills that were well established in academics and I didn't like the dynamic that it created. My perspective has changed since then and thought I'd share.

So you are trying PBL, and you need your class to learn how to do something that is complex, like writing a comic book or building a glider. How do you scaffold all the skills that go into that task? How can you individualize the learning for each of your students? In short, you need to let them try it first, then fill in the holes over time. Here are my suggested steps for doing that. I'll give examples for a few different types of projects.

0.5 Do it yourself.
First of all you should sit down with the materials and make whatever it is you are trying to make. Build the trebuchet, write the play, paint the portrait. At the least, you'll make sure that you have the appropriate supplies on hand in the right quantities, and you'll make a great example to show to the students. At the most, you'll learn how long everything takes, gain insight into the skills involved, and gain empathy for your students who will need to learn how to do this as well. Do it.

1. Everybody makes a model (day 1)
On the first day of the project, give the whole class a pre-fabricated, fill in the blank version of the final product. Include instructions that are visual and concise. Show your final model and let them get to work. You're aiming to have the whole class assemble something functional, they are not being creative at this stage.

Samples:
1. in Along for the Glide, I gave the class pre-made gliders and the instructions to assemble and then we went and flew them on the first day of class.
2. Essays: you could cut up the paragraphs of a well written essay and have the class arrange the paragraphs into something that makes sense.
3. Comic Books: consider cutting out a bunch of panels from a comic strip and have the class put them back together on the pages. 
4. Portraits: Everybody completes a paint-by-numbers version of a famous portrait using the same colors. 

Picture
The toy gliders that we built on the first day of the Glider section of Along for the Glide. They are simple and crappy but allow everyone to get the experience of building and flying something.
​2. Modify the Model (day 2)
Once the class has assembled a model give them some cheap materials with which to make changes to their model. This is their first creative stab at learning this skill and is a lot of fun. Drawing inspiration from professional examples, they should modify their model in any way that they choose. You may set goals that they are trying to meet or not, but what is important is that everyone does something to change what they previously assembled. Measure the changes. Is it better now or worse? Why?

Samples
1. In Along for the Glide, the class taped things onto the gliders they had assembled or cut shapes out. They looked at wind designs and added weights to their gliders.
2. Essays: Have the class re-order the paragraphs of their first essay by writing new transitions between them so that it still makes sense. They could re-phrase sentences that they find weak.
3. Comics: let them draw a few frames of their own or replace/modify some cells to change the story. Re-arrange where cells lie on the page for different emphasis or move text for clarity.
4. Portraits: Let the class pick a new color scheme and apply it to the paint by numbers portrait. They may sub divide units into more segments to make more definition in the image or combine them to make new shapes.
Picture
A crappy glider with added wingspan. It flew a little better and that's the whole point.
3. Scratch Build (day 3  - 4)
Now that everyone has a workable model, it's time to start from scratch. Using their own model as an example, (or one from the class that they liked) students will make a version from scratch using the correct materials and techniques. They may improvise some parts but encourage them to try and replicate what they created previously. (In Along for the Glide, students tried to beat the glide ratio of their models). These builds are subject to critique and will be assessed for specific goals that are outlined by the teacher. I've been using a One Point Rubric for this lately and it's pretty quick to put together so that everyone gets critique and knows if they have met the goals.

Once this part of the process is done, I usually have the class complete an assignment where they summarize what they have learned about the process we are practicing. Taking the time to create their own set of guidelines for the work is valuable and lets them highlight what they find important to remember.


​Samples:
​1. In Along for the Glide, the class tried to replicate their glider (or someone else's) by building it from scratch out of foam and balsa wood, using the dimensions of the previous model.
2. Essays: identify the parts of the essay and it's structure. Write your own using the same structure, sentence for sentence or paragraph by paragraph.
3. Comics: Identify the purpose of each panel or paragraph. Make a new version of the same story where each panel serves the same purpose. Use new characters or settings.
4. Portraits: Pick a model that you like. Re paint it from scratch without the paint by numbers format.
Picture
A scratch built glider that was made to the dimensions of the hacked version. It flies measurably better than it's predecessor.
4. Planning and Build (day 5 - 7)
The next stage is to plan out a more detailed version of their project. Do not let the students start working on their actual product until their plans have been critiqued and approved. It is important to critique their plans at this stage because they are prototyping their final version of their project and the more detailed their plans are, the better their final project will be. Provide them with examples of what professional plans of this type of project look like. Once they have had their plans approved, they may begin working.  Partnerships work well for this if the project is appropriate.

Samples: 
1. In Along for the Glide the class planned out their next glider with a partner, pulling from what was successful in previous versions. I also provided them with professional plans to use or draw from.
2. Essays: Students must create an outline for their essay with potential sources noted.
3. Comics: Everyone creates a storyboard outline of their comic. Major beats of the story are outlined and source images are presented to give an idea of the art style that will be used.
4. Portraits: Students find a source image and trace around the different colors that they see, making a paint by numbers style plan of what they will paint. They also should provide a color scheme for the portrait, if they are doing true to life colors or if they are changing the colors. 

5. Assess and Succeed (day 8 - 10?)
This might be the last step for you. It usually is for me.  This is where the class makes the final version of the project that they've been developing. Critique and assess the work from the previous step, which should be pretty final in nature, but still needing work. Make a rubric for this by yourself or with the students. Once they've had their work critiqued they will either need to
A.) update their plans and start another draft of the product,
B.) modify their existing draft to make it better

Either way, this is the final leg of the process. Set clear goals for what everyone should be finished with by the end of a work session and let them go for it.

Samples:
1. For Along for the Glide everyone was required to start a new draft. We treated their initial gliders as prototypes, they were functional learning models. Once they had measured the performance of their design they either updated it to improve or picked a new one.
2. Essays: Writers circles can be employed for deep critique of the works. Perhaps each day of the work time could focus on improving various aspects of the work, (structure, flow, style, etc.) to keep things moving.
3. Comics: Up to this point the cells will probably have been sketches. Now each is rendered as beautifully as possible and lettering is done professionally. Critique often, focusing on specific aspects of the whole (Art style, organization, story, lettering)
4. Portraits: Up to this point I think that the class could have been painting small scale portraits. For the final, scale everything up by 2x and add a bit more detail to the work.

Notes:

 This style of long term scaffolding is great when paired with relevant lessons. After the class has modified their initial models, you can do Critique as a Lesson, or field questions from the class to guide your lessons. What makes this great is that every student has a context for the information and will need to learn the material in order to complete the task.

DO NOT ASSESS THEIR WORK UNTIL THE END!! If students feel that they are trying to get a certain grade in the early stages of the process, they will not experiment and will not feel safe to fail. Let them try something that they think is interesting and give critique. Give completion credit if you must, but make sure that they know they can try anything. Once they sit down and plan their final version they will be working to make something of high quality, which you could grade, but in the beginning DON'T GRADE IT.

]]><![CDATA[Ask.. then answer]]>Sat, 26 Jan 2019 18:36:20 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/ask-then-answerWhat are we really learning?
In the past I've had a hard time adding content to my projects. They usually involve skills, like woodworking and CAD, but not easy content pieces that I could point to to say "look what we've learned". I think that this is for 2 reasons: first is that my projects didn't require very much content. to build furniture for your school doesn't really require much knowledge of physics so it doesn't come up. In fact, for the Making Space project I finished the project early so that I could go back and fill in the holes for the students with more content. The second reason is because I never asked my students what they wanted to learn. 

Part of what draws me to PBL is the removal of the fluff around teaching. When I'm showing students how to make something the class structure is focused and intentional. I give a lesson in the moment because the class needs to know it to finish this part of the deliverable. Where I've fallen short in the past is picking deliverable that require both content and skills.

With Along for the Glide , the class need both content knowledge and skills to complete the objectives for each unit. Built a kite that flies, build a glider with a high glide ratio, these require building skills and knowledge of aeronautical physics. But with such a huge topic it's hard to know what to start with. So, I asked the class. Once they had had a chance to build a kite and try flying it, I had each of my students write down 3 questions on a card and turn it in at the end of the day. I combed through these for commonalities and found 3 overall questions:

- What makes a kite fly?
- What makes a kite not wobble when it flies?
- How do you fly a kite?

The answer to all these questions gets us into topics of lift and drag and balanced forces etc. And the set up for these lessons is really authentic: "Ok class I had a lot of questions last week about how to make your kites more stable in flight so I'm going to give you some ideas." or "Some of you were really able to get you kites up high last week, so I'm going to have us share some thoughts on what might make the difference when actually getting a kite into the air."

Instead of positioning myself as only the deliverer of knowledge but a part of the collaboration, these lessons are way more fun for me and engaging for the class and bring everyone in, which is the whole point.
]]><![CDATA[Things I Learned]]>Tue, 15 Jan 2019 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/things-i-learnedHow do I record and assess what kids learn while doing PBL?
A big question to be sure. In my practice I don't give tests or quizzes. I find these to be inauthentic assessments of what students have learned and what's more they cater to a certain type of learner. Lately I've been tweaking an assignment that serves as an assessment, reflection, and documentation of what the student has been learning in a given amount of time. I call it the T.I.L. (Things I Learned)

What it is

I give students a blank piece of paper and tell them to write out an organized set of notes that summarize the important things that they have learned while completing part of a project. Maybe we just finished our first prototypes and I want them to capture their thinking at this stage. 

There is not a rigid format for this assignment, and that's kind of the point. I like that the students are free to choose how to organize their work and thoughts. For younger kids you might need to give more structure, such as specific questions to answer, but I think the blank page aspect is part of why this works

Why use this?

The preparation process for a T.I.L. is much like getting ready for a test. They need to collect their notes from the project and group things into categories. Where this improves on test-prep is in the prioritization and personalization of the work. Students are telling you what THEY learned, not what you think they should have learned. They can include things that were new to them that you assumed everyone knew, or they can group things into whatever categories make sense to them. 

In this assignment there is also a visual aspect as well, it needs to look good when it's finished. This helps to reinforce my values of beautiful work and attention to detail, which are things that carry over into the project work. Taking a test only reinforces memorizing the things that a teacher says are important. 

A T.I.L. is flexible. Different students will finish these differently and that's fine. It allows me to personalize their learning and differentiate if needed. 

How to Use a T.I.L.

Here are 2 variations:
1. Freeform Jazz:
Given that the students had been taking notes throughout the unit, have them collect their notes. Ask them to categorize the most important things that they have learned. Show them an example:
- Requirements
   - Must have a title and subheadings for different sections
   - Drawings must be labelled

Critique their work at an early stage. Once they spend an hour on a bit of notes it's not really worth their time to go back and redraw it all because the information is the same. However, if you have access to a copy machine a you can use a method like this. 


2. Content Specific
In my example above, I required a diagram of the kite that everyone had made. You can require whatever you want, like definitions, summaries of concepts, etc. Just make sure you have an example to show everyone.
-Requirements (examples)
   - Must use at least 5 vocab words
   - Include summary of main experiment
   - Summarize notes about future plans


To introduce it, show the class your example and whatever rubric you will use for critique/grading. Here's one I used recently. 
]]><![CDATA[How to Communicate Expectations?]]>Thu, 17 May 2018 23:28:36 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/how-to-communicate-expectationsThis week, as part of the Pendulum Project Prototype I asked all the students to give a presentation regarding their experiences and plans for future paintings. To communicate my expectations for the presentations I planned to show them an example presentation and give them a model to work from. While this has worked in the past I wanted to try something that I heard from a colleague. The three level grading system.

The three level grading system is something that I saw while browsing Mike Amarillo's blog, another HTH teacher in Chula Vista. I saw that he had these descriptions of different "levels" of student work for presentations. Through a few emails he told me about the system that he uses. What I liked about it was that it clearly described expectations for student work in 3 levels of completion. 

For example I used this for our presentations today as follows.

Basic Presentation: Key information included. All group members speak. Clear delivery
Advanced Presentation: Basic and diagram showing variable effect is high quality and well organized.
Challenge Presentation: Advanced and group shows expert knowledge by including calculations, answering audience questions, posing meaningful questions for themselves, etc.

After I gave my example presentation I had a discussion with the class where we categorized my work as Basic, Advanced, or Challenge. We talked about why it fit as one or another. In reality what I was doing was critique as a lesson, but what was different was that my expectations had already been outlined and so we were able to get specific very quickly.

How is This Not a Rubric?

Mike says that this method was developed from rubrics in a traditional setting, then adjusted to be useful for PBL education. There is a key difference between this and rubrics. Mike says that when making a three level grading system one should "Avoid basing grades on an ideal perfect performance and then defining ways of falling short" . This really stood out to me. The reason why I don't like rubrics is because they seem to limit the creativity of students while they seek to check all the boxes and they also are increasingly negative. In my example above the three level guide starts with the expectations and grows upward with an emphasis on open-ended descriptors and demonstrating mastery. The three levels should each represent distinct goals instead of 1 goal in different forms. 

I used this with my kids and need to ask them a little about it. I wonder what their experience was with the guidelines. So far I don't know how I would use this grading because I like my own system so much thought I like how this helps communicate my expectations and is a reflective tool. It also forces me to define what my expectations are, which is half of the battle in my opinion.
]]><![CDATA[Planning Is Important]]>Wed, 16 May 2018 23:46:30 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/planning-is-importantTime Well Spent
I spend a ton of time planning out time with my students and making plans for projects. There's a cycle of Idea --> Predict --> Observe --> Improve. Because I have had a lot of  practice with this pattern it comes pretty naturally to me. Lately I have been recognizing that being able to go through these steps is a skill as much as writing, building or public speaking so I have tried to give students chances to practice the cycle of ideas. 

Lots of times I will notice students get distracted or off task when something had gone unexpectedly. Their measurements were wrong or they forgot to add something important. My interpretation is that they are skipping the Predict step and not getting into the Improve step. By not making predictions they don't see potential conflicts or issues in their idea and my not being practiced in making improvements they see their first failure as the end of the process and don't continue to try new things. To be the most help to the class I've been trying to give them lots of opportunities to practice and develop these skills.

Improving Predictions

To help the class get better at predicting I gave them explicit opportunities to practice it. In my prototype of the Pendulum Project I asked everyone to draw a picture or write 2 sentences predicting how they thought the paintings would look once they had had a chance to make their first pendulums. After they had had their first experience painting I had groups give a presentation where they shared the changes that they wanted to make to their paintings and how they thought they could make those changes. 

All this practice with predictions is only worth it if everybody eventually circles back and looks back at their predictions and checks to see if they were right. There's a wealth of discussion and reflection possibility in asking why predictions were or were not correct. Prompts I would like to use in the future for reflections or discussions would be "What didn't I know when I made this prediction? Could I have known that this would happen?". 
​

Practicing Improvements

Some of the most rewarding conversations that I have with students is when they are able to tell me how they tried something that didn't work, so they tried something else or got help and it worked. Leading groups to a place where they are able to make improvements to processes and systems takes a long time and I think had two main components. First, there needs to be a culture present where it is ok to make mistakes. Someone who never makes mistakes doesn't need to make improvements. Someone who is afraid to admit or show their mistakes never makes improvements either. As the facilitator of a group it is my responsibility to make a safe space for students to feel comfortable talking about mistakes and also model what it looks like to be comfortable with making mistakes. 

The second component to developing a culture of improvement is providing the space to discuss and plan improvements. If there is not opportunity or the space to talk about what changes everyone is making then there won't be a model for everyone to follow. This can take the form of presentations or critiques.
]]><![CDATA[A Mirror]]>Tue, 08 May 2018 02:41:08 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/may-07th-2018"Children exhibit challenging behavior when the demands being placed upon them outstrip the skills they have to respond adaptively to those demands. The same can be said of all human beings."
The above quote is attributed to Dr. Ross Greene (as are the rest in this post), a clinical child psychologist who has been trying to help teachers and parents understand what they see as misbehavior from their children or students. The first thing that I like about the quote is that he expands the idea to all human beings. Something that I've learned while teaching is that it's no use at all treating my students like some subset of humans that have different dreams and desires and needs than myself. 
This quote is in reference to the explanations traditionally given as to why people misbehave. If one believes that those who exhibit difficult behavior are doing so because they are manipulative or coercive or something then you will view them in a more negative light. However if one believes that everyone wants to do well, and that misbehavior is better explained as a lack of the skills to do well than there is an inherent sense of compassion. This is a much better place to start and a more helpful way to address the behavior than a negative place.

"When do you look bad? When you can't look good"

As above, the things that I'm learning about when I learn about my students are applicable to the rest of humans. The above quote is true of myself. I can remember times when I let people down, made an offensive joke, or embarrassed myself. In none of these situations was I trying to look bad, I just made a mistake or misread the situation. I must believe that the same is true of my students. People do well if they can. In this perspective misbehavior is nothing malicious but a lack of ability or skill to do the right thing. Greene says that from this perspective ones role is no longer trying to make a difficult person do the right thing but figuring out what's getting in that person's way and helping them get rid of it. This is a much more collaborative and compassionate perspective and the one I prefer to take.

Problem Solving

From the perspective described above one becomes a partner in problem solving with the person that you are trying to help. This is already vastly preferred to being the teacher trying to make a student do what you want. As someone who is empathetic and compassionate and involved in helping solve a problem I feel way more engaged and helpful than if I'm telling someone why they're wrong or doing the wrong thing. 
]]><![CDATA[Whip Around]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2018 20:38:12 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/whip-aroundAt the beginning of this semester I was looking for ways to improve in my teaching practice. I had had a fairly successful experience with my previous class though I hadn't collected much feedback from the class except for at the very end. I was asking a colleague how to know that I was doing a good job throughout the semester. What were some small metrics that I could keep track of that would indicate whether or not I was facilitating a good experience for my students? Among the advice I received then, one nugget of knowledge stood out and I have been thinking about it ever since. They said "Make sure everyone feels like they can be heard." 
"Make sure everyone feels like they can be heard
I think that I remember this guiding principle so often because I often feel that my class would fail it. Some people in my class definitely speak up more often than others, and some don't speak up at all. While personalities and expressiveness definitely play into the frequency with which people speak out in public settings, I began to wonder whether or not the people I identified would share. Maybe there are some who don't feel heard. 
​
To address this I set out to try a technique called the "whip around". It's pretty straightforward and will get every student to respond to a question and helps get thoughts moving. 

What: Start with a question that can be answered with a brief 1 or 2 word answer. These can be answers on a scale or yes/no responses among others. In this case I asked everyone to rate their sense of preparedness for exhibition, from 1 to 10. 
Why: When I learned about this technique it was justified as a way to give everyone space to have their voice heard in the classroom. It's a low stakes, short response, and nobody needs to fight for attention. When I used this I told the group that it was important for everyone to hear the range of answers in how prepared we were so that they wouldn't feel bad about feeling behind, since there are others in the same situation.
How: Set up here is easy. The whole class is present, distractions away, and ready to listen. Give them the prompt and the scale. Before they responded I asked them to turn to the person next to them and discuss what their number would be. This is just another way to help people who might not feel comfortable sharing aloud plan out their response. Once they have a chance to chat for a minute, start going around with everyone just giving their number without a justification or explanation. 
The value of this technique for me was in the follow up. Leading a reflective discussion was a great time in both classes, and I noticed a higher participation rate in this discussion than previously. Because they had all discussed their answers previously they seemed to speak up more. I asked the group to estimate the average preparedness based off of everyone's answers. I asked if they were surprised by group's answers or not. 
To help everyone feel like they are able to be heard is a challenge. As a teacher or facilitator it isn't enough to ask good questions or keep everyone on time. One needs also to build in places where everyone is given a space to speak and create a culture of inclusivity. Activities like the above are helping me develop in this part of my teaching career. Like other aspects of teaching I've come pretty far and still have a long ways to go.
]]><![CDATA[Reflection]]>Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:15:37 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/reflectionI can't remember to whom it is attributed, but I heard a great quote recently. "The only teachers are models and reflection." This quote gave voice to my convictions about PBL education. Everything I ask students to do needs a model, and an effective way to measure their growth is through their reflection. 

In terms of social emotional learning, reflection is useful for building a sense of self-awareness too. Leading students to be reflective and examine their work and motivations helps to foster presence of mind in the future. Reflection can become a frequent act, occurring throughout a project or experience, until it becomes something like consciousness and presence of mind. 

Honestly this is a goal for myself. Last semester while working through student reflections, I commented to a colleague that the students were more reflective that I had been in college, and that I hadn't been reflective at all during high school. "I just wasn't a reflective person in high school" I said. 

"That's because nobody asked you to be" they replied.]]><![CDATA[Social Emotional Learning for All]]>Tue, 17 Apr 2018 19:02:02 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/social-emotional-learning-for-adultsEarlier in the semester I presented my students with a list of behaviors of learners. The list included things like "uses materials appropriately", "follows schedules" and "problem solves". We reviewed and critiqued the list as a way to be reflective about the class. 

In reflecting on that lesson I realized that a few of the behaviors listed had anything to do with Social Emotional Learning, but those not explicitly. I wondered if I was building a culture that promoted empathetic learning and emotional management, but more broadly whether or not our school held those values for both staff and students. 

This week I had conversations with colleagues centered mostly around conflict resolution. I asked them who they spoke with on campus when they felt frustrated or proud or needed help developing a relationship with a colleague. Mostly I discovered an informal network of supportive coworkers and not someone with a specific role related to SEL development.

Our school environment is built around what I have recognized as some tenants of SEL, such as decision making and self-management, though I haven't found structures which emphasize or promote things like social awareness or relationship skills. As a result our staff and student body are well able to work unsupervised and manage their time, though there is inconsistency in self awareness and relationship. Before one can develop a skill it must be named, so perhaps there should be one within our community who makes those skills which we can improve obvious and clear. 

As a staff we do not deliberately spend time developing SEL skills. Its hard to say how this effects us because I generally feel that our staff is amiable and cooperative, though SEL is more than that. If we were to model for our students what it is like to collaborate and work from a place of developed social emotional ability, I wonder what changes might happen in our student body.


]]><![CDATA[Critique as a Lesson]]>Thu, 22 Mar 2018 22:38:57 GMThttp://www.philipestrada.org/blog/critique-as-a-lessonThe following is a reflection on what it's like to use critique as a lesson format. I wanted to improve the quality of the writing in reflections that my students were writing, so I decided to show them examples of high quality writing and have them critique it.
​

Note on Format

Ever since I was exposed to the Launch, Explore, Summarize model of lesson planning I have been using it for just about everything. Whenever I need to deliver information to the class I try to collect it into those categories because I have had such success with it. This lesson was delivered in LES format and so I have chose to discuss each phase in this post.

Launch

I wanted to do this lesson because the reflective writing assignments I had been receiving from the class were pretty weak. I decided to take the position that I hadn't clearly outlined my expectations for the assignment and that I needed to better communicate what I hoped that they would do in future assignments. 

This was enough for a launch. I had a discussion with the class about the quality of their reflections and tried to be honest with them that I didn't think I had communicated my expectations well enough. There were a few questions but mostly I was able to get the message across: "I am going to help you do better on your reflective writings"
​

Explore

I passed out a copy of a reflection that I had received from an old student that had stood out to me at the time. I printed it out and gave everyone a copy. I was really glad that I had saved work from before so that I had an example to show my students. Having never given them an example of a good reflection I was getting a range of results and formats from the group when they turned in their work.

​To explore this document I had them pick a paragraph to read with a partner. I asked them to find a line that sounded reflective and to underline the section that they identified, This forces them to make a choice and actually pick something. By underlining a reflective section, they are also prepped for the group discussion later, where I call out random names. Because they have something underlined to talk about I feel that this is a pretty fair time to use random names. I refrain from this practice in other circumstances because I know that some students are better at group discussions than others, 

I led a discussion asking pairs to identify the reflective sections. I asked them to be specific about what made those sections reflective. A student recorded the comments on the board. 

Summarize

The final piece of this lesson was asking everyone to summarize what they had heard from their peers. To do that, I asked everyone to complete the following sentence: "A good reflection is..." This was pretty successful in helping everyone close the loop on the lesson. As a bonus their sentences worked as guidelines for future reflections. We posted these up on the board and used them to guide their writing.

Reflection

I was happy with how well the class identified the strength and weaknesses of the given text. They also wrote very thoughtful summary sentences that I found specific and helpful. Using text from a former student was key because they connected with the writing and found it all the more impressive. Unfortunately I failed to capture their writing in a meaningful or sharable way, and the work they did hasn't been recorded. It would be better to make some sort of document or poster that I could mount and refer back to in the future.

When I do this type of lesson again, I will be sure to come up with a summary sentence starter before hand. I knew I wanted to summarize but only in the moment decided to give them a sentence starter. Ultimately this was useful, but I think I can develop the starter to provoke thought.
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