Flexibility

(Now that summer is here, it is time for me to discuss different educational topics alphabetically. Please join in the conversation and tell me what you think!)

Flexibility is important in learning because it allows students to adapt to different learning styles, needs, and interests. It also allows students to take breaks in between learning to recharge, which can often contribute to higher retention of knowledge. Additionally, flexibility helps students prepare for an unpredictable future.

Here are some of the benefits of flexibility in learning:

• Adapts to different learning styles: Not all students learn in the same way. Some students learn best by listening, while others learn best by doing. Flexibility in learning allows students to choose the methods that work best for them.
• Meets different needs: Students have different needs, both academic and personal. Flexibility in learning allows students to take breaks, get help when they need it, and work at their own pace.
• Encourages exploration: When students are given the freedom to explore their interests, they are more likely to be engaged in their learning. Flexibility in learning allows students to choose the topics they want to learn about.
• Prepares for an unpredictable future: The world is constantly changing, and so is the job market. Flexibility in learning helps students develop the skills they need to succeed in any career.

There are many ways to promote flexibility in learning. Some examples include:

• Using a variety of teaching methods: This could include lectures, group work, hands-on activities, and independent projects.
• Allowing students to choose their own learning goals: This could be done by giving students a list of options or by letting them set their own goals.
• Providing students with opportunities to reflect on their learning: This could be done through journaling, discussions, or presentations.
• Creating a supportive learning environment: This could include providing students with encouragement, feedback, and help when they need it.

Flexibility is an important skill for students to develop. It can help them succeed in school and in life. By promoting flexibility in learning, we can help students reach their full potential and be more successful in the classroom as well as out of the classroom.

Structure

(During the summer months, I like to take the A-Z Challenge and come up with words alphabetically and see how they apply to education. I think it’s a great exercise for teachers and students to give this a try.)

I am one of those people who like structure in my life. I like routines and I like knowing what to expect. Of course, this desire for structure needs to be balanced with flexibility. It is too easy to get into a rut and that makes any change in my schedule harder to handle. The deeper the rut, the harder it is to adjust to changes that happen. Of course, every day involves change.

My husband is not a planner so we have really had to compromise on planning trips so that we both feel comfortable with the plan. So, I come up with a tentative schedule and places I want to go. Each night on our trip, we reevaluate the schedule by looking at the weather, and what we want to do. Sometimes we stay in that city an extra day or we may go in a different direction because of the weather. I still feel like I have a plan (structure) and my husband feels like he has the flexibility so we both enjoy the trip.

I know many of my students with special needs do really well with structure. So, how do I balance structure and flexibility for my students?

One way that I do this is by giving a general schedule. I help my students know what to expect that we are doing today but explain that the specific things may change. We may do math at a certain time but the activities and assignments will change.

Knowing that changes are going to happen ahead of time helps everyone be prepared for the change. That is also a structure to embed in the schedule. For example, before I change to a different subject, I warn students that in 10 minutes we will finish Writing and will move on to Math. I then give a 5-minute warning to finish up and clean up what they are working on. So, when I make the transition to Math, it goes more smoothly. For younger children, this also works well for going to lunch, related arts classes, or recess and also returning back to the class.

How do you deal with structure in your class? Please share.

Photo by Vishal Vasnani on Unsplash

Word of the Year – Flexibility

This year my word of the year is FLEXIBILITY.

According to Dictionary.com, flexibility means:

“susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable”

I have a lot of trouble with flexibility in my life. I like routines and rules. I like everything to be in black and white. I don’t like gray areas. I like schedules and knowing what to expect.

This year I want to be able to merge what I like with flexibility. I can still have my schedules and routines, but I need to have alternatives. I need to be prepared for when my routine and schedule isn’t going to work. I need to be more spontaneous and accepting when my schedules and routines are thrown out the window.

It is not the end of the world if my routine is not followed. The only one that routines mean anything to are me and if the day is different than the routine I expected, it is okay. In fact, it can end up being more fun.

I have ended up seeing my  routines and schedules as my safety net. As long as I stick to what I have planned, I feel safe. But by playing it safe, sometimes I miss out on opportunities that could be fun and bring more happiness to myself and others.

I am going to write this word on post-it notes and put them in several places that I see regularly in order to remind myself about this.

Do you have a word you want to focus on this year? Please share.

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

Coddiwomple

In Get 'er done... from The Healthy Knitter, Christina shares,

“Coddiwomple is an English slang term and means to travel/journey with purpose to a vague destination.”

This is the way my husband likes to travel but I’m more of a planner. We have finally worked out a compromise where we both kind of get what we want when going on a trip. I make a tentative itinerary with evening stops for lodging and our main destination. After I work out all those details, he comes in a derails it all…I mean adjusts it all.

I ended up with a two week trip that now is a four week trip.

Even though I get irritated at times, it always ends up working out and we always have fun.

I guess the main thing is that we are on this trip together.

My biggest problem or problems is that I’ve been asking him for 3 months to work on this trip and he waits until 4 days before we are going to leave to work on it. When I need this time to pack and plan (because I thought I had 2 more weeks to do this and now only have 3 days!), he wants to discuss and plan some more.

But this too shall pass.

We could end up arguing and both of us being miserable. We could just cancel the trip and then no one “wins.” We could not compromise and then one of us will get want we want but the other one hates it all.

But life is full of compromises and being flexible brings happiness. I need to see that just because my plan changes, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be even better than I had hoped. In fact, it might even be better.

I wonder if that is how my students sometimes feel in the classroom. Their vague destination is to make it to graduation along with their friends. They have no idea how they will get there or what it all will entail.

Then teachers, administrators, regulations, requirements all join in and start muddying the waters. Some road blocks, detours, or bumpy roads impede the journey but the students keep moving forward.

I think it is important for students to realize that this is actually the way life really works. We all have the purpose of reaching old age and we can’t make a definite plan on how to get there because life throws all sorts of things at us. This keeps us from following a straight line path to our goals.

I need to help my students realize this happens and help them learn how to cope with the curves that life throws us. I need to help them learn that it is important to be flexible and even though we may get irritated, we shouldn’t let things throw us off course.

So, hopefully our trip will be memorable and fun! I will let you know when we get back and I will share our travel notes in a future post.

Day 8 Professional Impact

On the Free Technology for Teachers Facebook, the twenty day blogging challenge created by Kelly Hines was mentioned and I decided to give it a shot. So here is the challenge for today:

“Tell about a professional read (book, article, blog post) that has had an impact on you. Why/How?”

Recently I read Practice productive procrastination from Blue Skunk Blog by Doug Johnson. He asks,

“Should we be encouraging student to practice productive procrastination as well? Should kids be working on math in our English class when they get tired of reading their novel? Could they read that novel during social studies? Are we allowing kids to choose better options than Twitter?”

I commented on this post the following:

This is exactly why I loved teaching a special ed self-contained class. I taught 4 subjects to my students over 4 periods a day. I would have a weekly assignment sheet with all of their assignments for each subject and each day. This allowed me to individualize the lessons and sometimes students with the same assignment could work as a group. It also allowed students the flexibility to work on the assignment that they wanted to do first. I was able to help students who needed help and those waiting could start on an assignment that didn't require my help. Students remain engaged instead of bored waiting for help. Some students liked to start on the hardest subject for them and get it out of the way. Others liked to do the easiest and leave the hardest for last. Sometimes I could let students who already completed an assignment help others who were working on it. I love having many options throughout the day for myself so why wouldn't I allow my students to have the same flexibility?

How would you answer Doug’s questions? Please share.

Image: 'Flexibility' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16462767@N00/3983734887
Found on flickrcc.net

The Rain Won’t Get Me Down

This past weekend we were supposed to go camping in our new camper. Unfortunately when we woke up, it was pouring down rain. I was so disappointed! But we are lucky enough to have the flexibility to change our plans. After thinking about this, it reminded me that teachers have to have the same flexibility in the classroom.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a lesson planned (of course, I just knew it would be a dynamite lesson!) and then the fire alarm goes off, or an unscheduled assembly is called, or some other unforeseen event occurs. This means that I have to put off my lesson or change my plans.

Sometimes I have plans to work with a specific student on a specific skill and the student might be out sick or have some issues that keep us from working on that lesson. Sometimes the mood of the student or the class or myself might need to be considered before doing a complicated lesson.

I think it is hard for new teachers to learn how to be flexible. As a new teacher, I remember being so focused on what I was trying to do and could only see one path to get there. As years of experience got underway, I learned more and more how I had to plan for the what ifs. What if the day doesn’t go as planned? What if my student(s) are absent? What if I am absent? What if the copy machine is broken? What if the technology doesn’t work? What if I find out that I forgot some equipment? What if the administration comes in to observe (which always threw me for a loop)? There are so many more what ifs that I had to consider.

Over time I learned to have a Plan B and a Plan C in case Plan A didn’t work. Many times these alternative plans were general enough to apply to other lessons that I had. I didn’t have to come up with a new plan for each lesson.

Then I learned that I didn’t just need to have this flexibility in my lessons, but in my daily routine, and also my own life. Knowing that I had alternatives kept me from feeling boxed in and getting burned out. Looking at alternatives helps me see the broader picture instead of just having tunnel vision.

How do you keep flexibility in your professional life? Please share.

Image: 'Great Flexibility !'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51813223@N00/474399662
Found on flickrcc.net

Flexibility is a State of Mind

In Habits of Mind: Flexibility from Apace of Change, damian states,

“I believe I save myself a lot of angst and aggravation by accepting there are some things I just have zero control over…I can’t always make everyone perfectly happy all the time, but what I can do is ask questions and listen to all the responses to try to develop a solution that is at least acceptable to everyone.  What’s more, I’ve learned that sometimes asking the right questions is more important than having all the answers, as those questions will often spark something in others that I hadn’t considered, and that may lead us all to a better solution.”

That is one of the hardest things for me to do. It is hard for me to accept that there are some things that I do not have any control over and I have to live with whatever is stressing me out. I admit that I’m a major control freak! I like having a schedule and a plan in my life and I like everything to follow that exactly. Now I know in real life, that never happens but I like to think that it could. I like to think that I am able to be the one in charge of this. But, life has a way of rearing its head and letting me know who really is in charge.

I finally have to sit myself down and make a list of things that are not going the way I had planned and causing me stress. Beside each item, I put a check by the things that I control and can make changes. For the ones that I have no control over and cannot change, I just put a line through them. Then I start focusing on the items with the checks by them. I think of ways that I can change them for the better. Once I am taking action on the things I can control, I stop worrying about items I can’t control. Just by acknowledging them on paper helps me put them in the right place in my mind.

Slowly I am teaching my mind how to be more flexible. The more I do this; I notice that I have less and less items that I am crossing off. Maybe I’m realizing that the things I have no control over do not play a major role in my life anymore. Maybe I’m realizing that flexibility is a state of mind.

Do you have ways you handle things that you can and cannot control? Please share?

Image: 'Magic of Elegance'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51813223@N00/1283997041

Freedom to be Flexible

(Today’s post is for the letter F in the A-Z challenge.)
I understand that we have state and federal standards. I understand that we need to make sure that all teachers are accountable and that our students are learning the most they can.
But students are not robots.
I don’t care how many times I talk to non-educators; I have to keep repeating that all students are different.
I agree that all students can learn.
Yet, I believe that all students do learn differently and at different paces.
That is what makes all of us individuals.
I believe that my husband is the smartest man I know but he learns completely differently than I do. He also learns at a different pace than I do. In fact, it is always interesting when we take the same class and we each have a different perspective about what we have learned.
I also think more educators see this in their classrooms than we actually know about. But many have their hands tied by these rigid standards that they are evaluated by. These standards don’t just apply to the teacher but also to the student that they teach to. When we are dealing with human beings, I believe it is impossible that everyone is the same.
I think our classrooms would be more effective if we let good teachers have the freedom to be flexible. Good teachers need to evaluate their own strengths and the strengths of their students. Using this information, teachers can teach more effectively and efficiently.
When I am having construction done on my house, I trust that the contractor and the construction crew know what they are doing. I don’t try to micromanage the crew every step of the way. When I go to the dentist, I trust that the dentist and his staff will do what needs to be done on my teeth. The same goes for my doctors that keep me healthy. When I go to a restaurant, I trust that the employees there will do what needs to be done to prepare and serve my meal. I don’t go in and inspect the kitchen and test the staff. I trust that the health department and employer have taken care of those items. At some point, society, the administrators, and the taxpayers need to trust teachers to do the job that they were trained to do. I admit that there are some teachers who are no good teachers but if administrators did their job the way they were trained to do, they could get rid of these teachers.
Are you allowed flexibility in your job? If so, in what ways? If not, what kind of flexibility would you like more of? Please share.
Image: 'Flexible'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90935137@N00/351684037