Thoughts Matter More than Topics

I have to say I've been really enjoying blogging for the past few weeks.  As a student, I've experienced the freedom of thought without restriction of topic.  As a teacher, I've realized that giving students more freedom actually pushes them beyond my and their own expectations.

But still...a teacher cannot simply say, go write!  Learners need some form of guidelines to begin their work.  I found good advise in Blogging in the 21st-Century Classroom.  Educator Michelle Lampinen posts her own blogging assignment guidelines which were so helpful for me. She wanted to make sure her assignment addressed the following: 

• Address multiple Common Core standards
• Hold students accountable while minimizing stress
• Be structured enough to provide clarity while giving freedom to experiment
• Be varied enough to keep students engaged
• Get students to write for multiple purposes.

Lampinen then reflects on her and her student's experience with the blogs.  It is an insightful article worth reading and duplicating its example in your own classroom. 

A comment in response to the article written by Brian Sztabnik drew my attention as well.  He writes about his own students' use of blogs, "They begin to realize that their thoughts -- not a prescribed topic's narrow confines -- are what matter. I can't begin to tell you what this does for a student's voice and intellectual confidence!"

And instilling that confidence should really be the ultimate goal of any educator.

Race in the Classroom

My good friend introduced me to Teaching Tolerance founded in 1991, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.  It "is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children."  The organization "provides free educational materials to teachers and other school practitioners in the U.S. and Canada."

In light of the most recent racial tensions brought on by the Michael Brown & Eric Garner cases, it was refreshing to read an open and honest educator's self assessment of the topic of race in her own classroom written by Kathleen Melville.  In Talking With Students About Ferguson and Racism  Melville writes: 

It’s clear to me that my students have learned about race and racism in school. The primary lessons they have learned are that racism is over (with the exception of a few racist individuals) and that it’s impolite to call attention to race, especially at school. How did my students learn these lessons?

They learned from textbooks that treat racial justice as an inevitable result, a goal attained. They learned from media that skirt discussions of race and reinforce the idea that talking about racism only makes it worse. They learned from white teachers who, intentionally or not, communicated their own preference to avoid the issue.

 She concludes by asking educators to step up their role in promoting social justice and writes,

We need administrators who encourage teachers and students to work for social justice. And most of all, we need diverse networks of colleagues who support this work, people who share honest conversations, who help us to see our own blinders and who challenge us to think critically about race and pedagogy.

Two more good reads about race in schools are When Educators Understand Race and Racism as well as Defensive About Diversity Trainings.