Dude...Middle School.

I know. I have been slightly M.I.A. 

Just moving houses, classrooms, and friend groups; having emotional break downs, loving middle schoolers and hating middle schoolers simultaneously; learning new things about myself, making mental notes of the words you CANNOT say in a 7th grade classroom (no thanks to you literature books, I see you. I just sometimes forget to PREread you), surviving an upper grade WEEK LONG canoe trip, eating WAY too much Taco Bell, and realizing that "big" kids are really not much different than the littles. 

Just taller. 

And funnier. 

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So, here I am, back in the land of the bloggers, sharing what has been going on in my classroom. 

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I focused very heavily at the beginning of this year on understanding that there are different learning styles and ways that people gain information. Studies have shown that one of the best ways to solidify information is by DOING it and then DISCUSSING it with someone else. Yes, there is a time and place for teacher instruction - this is the important modeling section of learning (which is why the apprentice method has worked for thousands of years!) but students working, moving, discussing, and thinking is what makes learning come alive and become personal. In order to establish expectations for each method of learning that we will engage in this year, students shared what they thought each area LOOKS like and SOUNDS like when being done successfully. 

As always, I was blown away by the depth to which many of the students took this idea - they have set some very high expectations for themselves as learners and that is exciting! 

Some personal hight lights: 
Learning with Movement 
Looks like - "Looks like a mob of learning" "Organized chaos" "Students on a mission" 
Sounds like - "People making connections" "Learning commotion" 

Learning in Partner/Group work 
Looks like - "People facing each other" "Eye contact" "A huddle" 
Sounds like - "A buzzing noise" "People checking for agreement" 

After rewriting the students post-it answers, I posted them as our expectations as we move forward in the school year. These posters have been helpful reminders for when students are not following expectations or struggle with a learning style. It makes it easy for me to stop them, give a gentle reminder that they aren't doing the activity according to their criteria, and then move on. Especially for middle school ages, this is a very non confrontational way of checking their behavior and keeping the atmosphere positive.