Chaos as Curriculum: Hooray for Monday - Center for Inspired Teaching

February 8, 2021

By Aleta Margolis, Founder and President, Center for Inspired Teaching

Hooray for Monday is a weekly blog filled with questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students.

Nearly all of us are wrapped up in debates around how, when, and whether to reopen schools. We are struggling to balance the needs of the students, families, and teachers whose physical and mental health are being seriously damaged by distance-learning, with the needs of the students, families, and teachers who are deeply concerned about their physical health if they return to school in-person.

In the midst of all of this chaos, where does learning exist? How do we keep learning central? How do we make space for students’ ideas, needs, and interests? How do we nurture curiosity and wonder? Imagination needs space to breathe; it needs oxygen. How do we create that oxygen-infused space in the midst of all of this heaviness?

A simple, though not easy, first step is to talk with our students about the things that are happening. Just as I’ve advocated for talking frankly and honestly and in a developmentally appropriate way with students about the riots at the Capitol, the election itself, the systemic racism we are finally coming to see and reckon with, and many other difficult but ever-present topics, I am advocating for talking with students about the very real questions adults are grappling with around returning to in-person learning.

School is a place where students learn problem-solving skills. Real-world application is a critical component of learning. This is a moment to engage our students in both. What if we talk with our students about the real-world applications of problem-solving skills that are happening in school districts across the country, including their own? We might ask our students:

What are the important points being made on all sides of the issues about returning to in-person learning?
What are the pros and cons of each solution being offered?
How can we create or revise our classroom rules to adhere to safety standards, while also enabling us to connect with content and with each other?

There are ways to foster these discussions that don’t add to fears around COVID-19. Talking to students intentionally and calmly in a developmentally appropriate manner about ways we can care for each other in a community lies at the heart of these discussions. How do we care for one other within the constraints we are given? What is in and out of our control?

Even though we’ll likely have to begin each class reminding kids they can’t do many of the things healthy non-pandemic learning requires – like moving freely around the classroom, sitting or standing close to one another, or sharing supplies – we can be intentional in making space for their ideas in fostering a safe environment. And we can begin before they come back to the building. This is where the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle can be applied. For example:

Explore what 6-feet physical distancing looks like in your own home. Where do you have to position yourself to be 6-feet apart from your family members in each room? What might that look like in a classroom?
Explore the ways in which we can read feelings even when a mask covers half of our faces. What do our faces look like when just our eyes show confusion, happiness, worry, suspicion, excitement? What other body language sends a message?
Ask students which benefits of online learning they want to keep in an in-person space. What kinds of learning were they able to do on their own, independent of a physical classroom? How might that learning continue within the constraints of coming back into the building?

When we speak with our students about these real issues that affect their lives and ours, we’re letting them know that they can trust us to make their school experience relevant and meaningful. As many of us transition into hybrid learning situations in the weeks ahead, our students will appreciate being invited into the process, rather than simply being told what to do. Our own ideas will always be improved by their wonder, and it is far better to venture into the unknown with partners in learning.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.