AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTABILITY

estimated reading time 3:13

note left behind in my classroom this past week

This past week I found this sticky note left on a desk by one of my college students (it reads: "You tried very hard to talk which is nice." In the interest of humanity, I have taken to making accountability to others paramount in my classes, and this is just one of the simple ways I encourage them to look beyond the first-person singular to attempt a connection in the second person (singular or plural - I'm delighted with either).

While I'm still in the (very informal) beginning stages of gathering data on my experiment, I thought I share a bit more about the why behind it. Last semester, most of my students would sit and stare me down (seemingly for longest minutes of my life) when I offered/encouraged/cajoled/modeled or otherwise asked them to participate. Like Meg Vernon (a fabulous teacher in Iowa) discusses in an Insta post, communication was not happening. Ben Tinsley (also a fabulous teacher, now in Cali, Colombia) reiterated Meg's message on his Insta post, so at least I knew I wasn't alone. You're not, either. (Both of these teachers are WAY more eloquent than I in speaking, so I offer these messages for those prefer audio/visual!)

Like with Meg's and Ben's students, mine were practically mute. So, I also asked mine to write what was blocking them from participating. Their answers were so similar, despite the 7-11 year age difference between Meg's 7th grades and mine. Essentially: fear.

Did you know that fear and excitement live thisclose in the brain? 🤩

At the end of last semester, my students also suggested that they have the opportunity to work more in small groups when speaking, thus lessening the fear of perceived screwing up by their peers. Great, I thought, however you want to do it, I'm in. Small groups, it is. I figure, if nothing else, they will get to know their peers (also a huge fear for them), and perhaps some peeps who are not their friends. (I still smile when a student popped into my classroom the semester after she was done with my courses and I asked her for any words of wisdom for the newbies. She said, "I made some really great friends in Profe's classes." Job done.)

Then I upped the ante ever so slightly by using the sticky notes. I could not care less if the messages they write are in English, Spanish or in a rebus, I just want the students' focus to be on someone else and in a positive way. I started with smaller stickies and am gradually increasing the size.

Will this accomplish what I want? I have no idea. Does it - at least for a minute or so - focus one's attention on someone else? Yep. I'm hoping that the more that they focus on noticing others' contributions, the less they may be concerned with their perceived flaws.

I haven't asked my students what they think of the whole affair, but they don't seem to balk, so that's something. And, the working in groups/pairs and reading short dialogues to warm up their tongues, doing activities like speedtalking (set up like speeddating - concentric circles) and whatever else I can do to eliminate the perceived pressure - I'm all about it.

They're not going to be perfect in __(insert any new thing here)__ right out of the gate, but the fun is in the trying. Let's get back to that.

We have the best angle to promote learning for learning's sake.

Oh, and in the interest of humanity and all that is good, Happy Valentine's Day! 💌🌹💝