No Laps, No Lines, No Lectures

By Erin Klug



This summer I attended a soccer-coaching clinic and was inspired to see that the lessons educators have learned about social-emotional and brain-based learning can be applied to the field as well as the classroom. Our instructor’s theme was “no laps, lines, or lectures.” I was easily able to make direct connections between this motto and my own teaching experience.

---

No laps The clinic started with a demonstration of two kinds of warm-ups:

1. one group ran laps around the perimeter of the field
2. the other group ran forward and backward, galloped, and skipped through gates scattered around the field

After five minutes, all of us were slightly sweaty—warm-up successful. But the second group had accomplished much more than the group running laps: they had moved like soccer players, quickly changing direction and speed while avoiding collisions. They had to made quick decisions and listen carefully to the coach as he called out instructions.
In the Developmental Designs approach, teachers often use a Do Now assignment at the beginning of the class to help students get materials ready for class and to begin engaging in the learning for that day. In a math class, for example, the teacher might display several problems and have students independently solve as many as they can in the time allotted. Or partners might make up problems for each other to solve. Students could reflect on what was easy about the problem and on what they still needed to learn. Partner work allows students to work with their peers and use critical thinking to assess their learning.

No lines As a childhood soccer player, much of my practice involved waiting in a line—waiting for my turn to shoot, pass, or dribble through cones.

But our clinic instructor had other ideas.

1. one group lined up to dribble the ball, one by one, through a series of gates set up in a line
2. in the other group, players had their own ball and were told to dribble through as many gates as they could in two minutes

At the end of the two minutes, players in the second group reported the number of gates, then made a plan for how they could improve the number on the second round. The instructor continued with many variations: each gate was worth five points; some players became gate blockers so others had to dribble around them; gates were moved closer or farther apart. The exercise was fun, and we were steadily developing our skills.
The other group, however, continued to dribble, one by one, through their gates. Each group practiced dribbling, but one group dribbled in an environment similar to a game: multiple players moving about, dealing with defenders, and avoiding collisions, which required dribbling with their heads up. I noticed that all players in the line drill dribbled with their heads down—and they didn’t get much time actually working with a ball.
Why would you have students practice dribbling with their heads down when they have to dribble with their heads up in a real game?!
In the Developmental Designs approach, teachers practice bridging—helping students connect what they do at school with the rest of their lives. As a math teacher, making math relevant was often a challenge. I knew they would need to use math in the future, but adolescents live in the moment. My most successful strategy was to capitalize on projects and situations where we needed to use math for real, just not on a worksheet:

• The bulletin boards in the hallway need to be covered with paper. How much will we need?
• How much crepe paper will we need to decorate the gym for the dance?

No lectures The instructor concluded the coaching clinic with some comments about soccer requiring real teamwork. Many of the soon-to-be coaches complained that they needed more details about what players should do in specific situations.

The instructor replied, “I’m not with them on the field when they play. They have to figure it out in real time, so they practice making decisions on the spot. Soccer is a messy game, so practice can be messy too.”

I could relate to his point.
In the Developmental Designs approach, teachers use the Power of Play to help students build relationships with one another, practice social skills, and learn or review academic content.

Many games provide opportunities for them to develop strategy. For example, in Team Red Light, Green Light, students are given a few short directions about the goal of the game and a couple of guidelines for how they can move. The rest is up to them to figure out. Year after year, students came up with unique ways to be successful at the game.

I have to admit, I wasn’t excited about attending the coaching clinic. Maybe I was expecting laps, lines, and lectures, too similar to what I experienced as a soccer student. But I left truly inspired.
I’m so excited to start coaching!

Join the conversation.
Please share your thoughts—click Comments below.

About Erin Klug 
I taught intermediate and middle grades in Minneapolis for more than a decade before taking a position as Professional Development Specialist and Consultant for The Origins Program. I currently develop workshop programming, contribute to Origins publications, and provide direct service to area schools through consulting. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Education from the University of Minnesota. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org.

How Teaching is like doing Laundry

by Erin
Klug
The other day I had a moment of satisfaction when the laundry was finished. It had taken my family an entire week to wash, dry, fold, and put away clothes in dressers. Yet just as the laundry was supposedly finished, I was reminded of more dirty clothes, bulging from the hamper, awaiting the washing machine.
Truly, I’ll never be done with laundry—like so many things in teaching.

---

We often hear “I’m done” from our students. In our response, we try to get them to probe deeper, check their work, add detail. We extend the assignment to help them understand that an assignment may not be done, even though the work is completed.
It’s good advice for us educators, too. It’s easy to become complacent. We land on the “best” way to do something and forget to keep reflecting and adjusting as needed. After all, students are always changing and growing, and routines can be abandoned, learning forgotten. So we roll up our sleeves and dig in to keep them moving forward.
Come spring, teachers and students stretch for the finish line. It’s a time to complete, to recognize achievements, reflect, and celebrate. But we know that teaching and learning (and laundry!) will continue.
As you look back over your year, use your insights to plan for the fall. In the Developmental Designs approach, we call this the Loop—an endless cycle of reflecting and planning. In my teaching experience, I have found that planning for the upcoming year can be very rich when the current year is fresh in my mind. My thinking is looser and more agile when I am not in the grip of that beginning-of-the year pressure to get everything ready.
A veteran teacher once told me that this phenomenon of constant tweaking and changing is what either keeps a person in teaching or drives her out.
"Perhaps this challenge is what I love most about teaching: keep searching. Find something that you haven't tried, and try it. If it works, keep using it, but be careful, and be ready to make adjustments," another teacher shared.
For me, this dynamic nature is what keeps me in the field of education. What about you?
Join the conversation.
Please share your thoughts—click Comments below.

Read more about a Developmental Designs practitioner who thrives on continual change and growth.

About Erin Klug 
I taught intermediate and middle grades in Minneapolis for more than a decade before taking a position as Professional Development Specialist and Consultant for The Origins Program. I currently develop workshop programming, contribute to Origins publications, and provide direct service to area schools through consulting. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Education from the University of Minnesota. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org.

---

Ending The Year with a Growth Mindset

by Anne Ericson
Every now and then, a word starts popping up everywhere. Mindset is that word for me these days. Mindset was the main topic of a lively discussion in my neighborhood book club. Mindset is the focus of my school book-study group, dinnertime conversations, and countless faculty lunchroom discussions, and readers of my previous blog indicated that the topic was on their minds. So why do mindsets resonate with so many people both in and out of schools right now? Maybe it’s because many of us struggle with maintaining a growth mindset, whether we’re parenting, teaching, or interacting with colleagues. Maybe it’s because as educators or parents we inherently want to believe in the space of possibility for the growth of our kids. Maybe it’s because the end of the school year can be exhausting, and we find that maintaining that space of possibility for growth is getting harder. How do we keep our minds focused on growth in our students and ourselves when we get tired or discouraged?
As I near the end of another school year, I find myself reflecting on the kids at my school. I think about students such as Aaron who blurts, Seth who shuts down, and Tasha who wanders and distracts. I find myself slipping into a fixed mindset with these students and thinking, “It’s May and that kid will never . . .” or “I can’t believe she’s still . . .” But then I think about the actual, if unsteady, growth they have had this year.
Aaron raises his hand more often. Seth grabs his lab materials and gets started on the latest experiment. Tasha stays focused and engaged for the whole class period. These things are happening, and that means my students are growing! Growth mindset doesn’t tell us that our students will be perfect. What growth mindset tells us is that they are learning and improving. It’s so important to remember growth when Aaron blurts again—he’s not perfect, but this time he caught himself and quickly raised his hand. A colleague shared a note a student gave her that said, “Even though we’ve had our ups and downs, you’re always there for me and never give up on me.” This boy felt the impact of his teacher believing in him and pushing him, an affirmation of a growth mindset and its positive consequences.
Just like our students, teachers aren’t perfect either. We can slip back into fixed mindsets, especially at the end of the year when we’re tired, our students’ standardized test scores aren’t what we had hoped, or we’re feeling overwhelmed. However, now is the time we need to dig deep and look at the good things happening in our schools.
We might think about some of the following: What changes have we seen that tell us our students are ready to move to the next grade? What classroom routines that we had to lead in September are now led by students? Let’s take a minute to talk with a colleague about changes we’ve seen in our students. Let’s jot down a few positive changes we’ve seen in our most challenging students this year. Let’s make sure our students know that we’ve noticed those changes and that we see their growth—it might encourage faith in their own growth mindsets.
And, as we investigate our students, let’s take a minute to look at our own growth this year. What are we better at now than we were in September? Let’s find a buddy teacher and share how we’ve seen each other grow this year. Take a minute to praise each other and ourselves for all our hard work and effort.
Please share some of your ideas on how you keep yourself focused on growth mindset in these final weeks of the school year. And for another time, let’s think about some of our most challenging students and how “our village” works for them as they struggle from one year to the next.
If you enjoyed this reading you should check out"Wrap Activities Sprout Surprises" by Scott Tyink
 Additional Resource; Mindset Works

Join the conversation.
Please share your thoughts—Post a Comment below or subscribe to the RSS Feed.

About Ann Larson Ericson For more than nine years, I've been using the Developmental Designs approach in my school. I am currently the 7–12 Instructional Coach at Community of Peace Academy, a public charter school on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota.  Before starting my new position, I taught high school chemistry and physical science at Community of Peace Academy. Since 2011 I've spent my summers as a Developmental Designs facilitator of professional development. Previously, I've taught science at urban and suburban schools, served as a director of gifted and talented education in a rural Wisconsin school district, and taught English in Shanghai, China. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College and a Master of Arts from St. Catherine University. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org