EXCELLENCE & ETHICS

Updates from mseidel RSS

• 

  P2A Constructive Criticism & P2A Collaboration Continuum Tools Helping Students with Autism

  Margaret Seidel posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 9:57 pm on December 19, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  

  *Named change to protect confidentiality.

  Working with peers has historically been very difficult for *Sam.  He has Autism, more specifically Asperger Syndrome, and finds it challenging to connect with other students and work in groups.  This year we started by developing the foundation for group work experiences with the use of the P2A Collaboration Continuum and the P2A Constructive Criticism tools for the entire class.  By having clearly defined expectations of what group work will look like and sound like for all students, we have noticed improved productivity and overall quality of work for all.  Additionally, the level of participation in groups and the acceptance of constructive criticism have far exceeded any of our expectations for Sam, in particular.

  I sat one-on-one with Sam to discuss why things seemed so different this year compared to years past.  He was able to easily explain that having knowledge of the guidelines for his role and the roles of other members of the group makes it very easy to work together successfully.  He expressed that he knows that he can’t be the dependent member of the group waiting for the others to do the work.  Furthermore, when working in groups he can’t go off and work independently, although he prefers independent work.  In addition, Sam explained that in the past he didn’t like it when students disagreed with him on strategies to approach the group assignments.  He felt like group members weren’t letting him give adequate input to the final product.  Because each group work activity begins with a group brainstorm, Sam now feels that students hear his ideas and he is able to hear the ideas that others bring to the table too.

  In using the P2A Constructive Criticism tool throughout the first trimester we have also noticed improved delivery and acceptance of criticism for Sam.  During author’s chair each week we allow students the opportunity to share their writing with an added option to accept constructive criticism regarding their piece at the end of the session.  At the beginning of the year the adults in the room would hold their breath when Sam raised his hand to offer  criticism as it was usually very direct, and many times rude.  Having the language clearly spelled out on how to successfully deliver constructive criticism we have noticed students welcoming the suggestions Sam has to offer.  In addition, Sam is working on successful strategies to communicate effective constructive criticism that will be used in school and the work place.

  • Here’s how this tool added value to reaching and teaching this student:
    • The P2A Collaboration Continuum and the P2A Constructive Criticism tools provided a clear set of expectations/rules for group work and providing feedback to peers.
  • Here are a few ways that you could adapt or adopt it to meet your students struggling with similar (or other related) challenges:
    • Show students what ineffective group work looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vCrnYQbP4g
    • Have students create scenarios in which they illustrate effective group work situations based on the P2A Collaboration Continuum.
    • Create a rubric in which students can evaluate their role in group work situations or after providing constructive criticism to peers.
    • Use the P2A Collaboration Continuum poster and/or P2A Constructive Criticism poster to provide students concrete feedback about their work during the group work time.

   

  

   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  Name (required)

  Email (required)

  Web Site

   
• 

  Attiude and Effort

  Margaret Seidel posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 6:36 pm on October 21, 2011 | 2 Permalink | Reply
  

  Tower Activity to teach Attitude and Effort

  Recently I used the Tower Activity to teach the P2A Attitude and Effort tool.  Students were put into small groups and the materials were given out in large envelopes.  As we went over the differences in materials and physical limitations that would be assigned to each group, the grumbling among students began.  Students verbally expressed that they felt the activity “was not fair” and the body language among the groups ranged from excitement to dread as they learned about the limitations that each group would face.  After explaining the activity and starting the timer, all groups were able to create something that resembled a tower with the materials they were given.  The groups that had physical limitations, such as working with only one arm or working without talking, struggled to make the most of their available resources and many group members seemed “checked-out” of the activity.

  After the allotted time had passed, the class reconvened and we discussed how the activity went.  Many students felt that the activity presented challenges that prevented them from creating a “great tower” and that they needed either more materials or less physical limitations to achieve the goal.  When I asked the students if they brought their best effort to the challenge, most responded “no”.  When asked to provide feedback as to why this occurred, many explained that the inability to communicate, use both hands, or have adequate materials prevented them from achieving maximum success.   When I asked the students if they brought their best attitude to the task, half of the students responded “no”.  When I asked why this occurred, many responded that they felt the challenge was unfair and that the range of materials gave an unfair advantage to the groups that could verbally communicate or use both hands.

  I followed up the activity with two video clips and asked the students prior to watching the clip to look for evidence within the clip to support the questions: (1) Do you think the individuals in the clips bring their best attitude and best effort to their everyday lives? (2) Do you think the attitude and effort of the featured individals plays a role in their everyday success? After watching the clips students were able to articulate that fair is not equal and that attitude and effort do play an integral role in the day-to-day successes they will achieve.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFke91pbfUo

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuOyBFEAylU&feature=fvsr

  I followed the video clips up by asking the students what they could take-away from the tower activity.  Students responded:

  • I need to stop comparing myself to my twin/sibling/classmates and stop asking why it seems like others have it so easy.
  • I need to improve my attitude by changing my thinking.  Thinking that everything isn’t fair and complaining isn’t helping me to reach my goal.
  • I need to improve my effort by making better use of what I have and stop focusing on what I don’t have.
  • I need to stop giving up before I have even started, especially when I feel like a challenge is going to be hard or something that doesn’t come easy to me.

  Although I don’t think that this activity will result in the creation of perfect attitudes or effort for every student, I do feel as though students have a visible idea of what bringing your best attitude and effort to every challenge means.  They now understand what it means when we tell them to exemplify Kyle Maynard and leave the excuses behind.  They understand what we mean when we tell them to be a problem solver and make the best use of their resources like Patrick Hughes.  I closed the lesson with the statement, “Talent will only get you so far; the attitude and effort you put behind that talent is what will ensure you achieve your goals.”

  

   
• 

  Successful Collaboration

  Margaret Seidel posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 8:35 am on February 25, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  In order for successful group work to occur within the context of the classroom, or anywhere for that matter, there are several integral pieces that need to be put in place.  One important piece of the puzzle is the utilization of effective collaboration.  Most students are aware of the “idea” of collaboration, yet when asked what that will look like within the context of an assignment, many times they are unsure.  In the past when I have asked students what is meant by successful collaboration, I would hear cliché statements like, we need to work together or teamwork.  Even though they had the right idea, the actual lack of collaboration that took place proved that they weren’t clear about what it takes to truly collaborate.

  This year while working with students early on, I made sure to spend a significant amount of time focusing on the notion of successful collaboration using the P2A Collaboration Continuum.  The time spent has proven to provide incredible returns on its investment.  The students in my room are aware of the different types of group members: dependent, independent, or interdependent.  Furthermore, they have role played being the dependent group member:  “Success depends on everyone else in the group”.    They understand what it feels like to be the independent member of the group too:  “Success depends on me”.  Additionally, they know and understand the benefits of interdependence within group settings: “Success depends on us”.  When students are intentional about collaborating with others they gain the true benefits of group work.

  After going to a local “team building” ropes course I was able to truly see the importance of this tool in action.  After being given a task to complete, all group members began discussing different strategies to achieve the desired outcome.  In past years students would argue about different strategies which would typically result in one person beginning the activity while telling the others how to complete the task.  All the while, a few students would stare into space, while others were waiting to be told what to do.  This year was very different.

  Although there were occasional arguments, students were more aware of the purpose for our trip; to practice the skills needed to work interdependently during group tasks.  The students understood that interdependence was contingent on the entire group.   “Success depends on us!”  This statement was made several times throughout the day.  I also attribute their ability to pull the group back on task to their understanding of collaboration.  As the group would begin to stray or lose focus, you would hear at least one student ask, “Are we working interdependently?”  This helped to tighten the focus and encourage students to focus attention back on the task.

  At the end of the day, the head of the ropes course came over to our group to share an amazing compliment.  He explained that he hadn’t seen a group work together as well as my students had in all of his 25+ years.  He was so interested in what we had done to prepare for the fieldtrip.  As I explained to him I said, “This year is different.  We have taken some valuable time to teach tools such as the P2A Collaboration Continuum in an attempt to make the curriculum move more efficiently and effectively.  As you can see, it’s working here and in the classroom too!”

  

   
• 

  P2A Constructive Criticism Tool the Key to Successful Peer Revisions

  Margaret Seidel posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 11:56 pm on January 23, 2011 | 2 Permalink | Reply
  

  Over the past few years I have struggled to have students effectively peer revise/edit as part of the writing workshop model. When given the opportunity to collaborate and make revisions to their work, I would often overhear students say things like: “I really like your piece!” or “You’re a great writer!” Although these comments were great for one’s self-esteem, they did little for improving the actual quality of student writing.

  Year after year I have remained hopeful that a new group of students and a new plan would in turn produce improved results. I have continuously revised my approach by adding check lists, allowing students to study “model” peer revision/editing sessions, while continuously praising students that were able to obtain any feedback, all to no avail. Although I knew that there was a way to have students at the center of their learning within the writing process, I wasn’t able to produce anything but courteous comments that had little or no positive effect on the final product.

  This all changed this year as I introduced the P2A Constructive Criticism tool to my class. I began by having my colleague and co-teaching partner model the tool using a piece of art. As an accomplished artist, I allowed him to be the person giving the constructive criticism while I was on the receiving end. We began by having him take a look at one of my sketches that I had done on the chart paper for the class to see. Although most students know that destructive criticism is harmful, rude, and not helpful we made sure to start there. As my colleague looked over my artwork he started to laugh at the house I had drawn. He told me that the door looked foolish and that it was drawn in the same proportion as the windows and therefore looked like a “doggie door.” When we asked the students what they observed as they watched our conversation, they were quickly able to identify that the criticism was not helpful, but in fact they were hurtful and only created negative feelings towards my work and abilities. We asked the kids to observe once again as we continued our conversation. As I started to describe my drawing once again my colleague listened carefully. When the time came to critique the drawing he explained that he liked the colors I had chosen for the flowers in the yard, he told me house was pretty-good, and that he thought the overall picture was nice. When we asked the kids what they saw, they were able to articulate the fact that the information provided was polite, but it wasn’t truly effective in helping me to improve my drawing. As we started the final session it was clear that the students knew where we were going. As they watched our conversation they noticed clear differences from the first two examples. This time my colleague listened, nodded, and showed his interest by asking questions. When I finished the explanation he let me know that he liked the colonial style house I had chosen for my drawing. He continued by explaining that I might consider increasing the size of the house, the size of the front door, and moving the windows up in order to help with the overall proportions of the house. He continued by explaining his fondness for the trees and that if I wanted them to appear behind the house I could set them higher on the paper so that they would appear further back. We stopped our conversation to ask the group what was different about the third conversation that was just modeled. Over and over the students continued to talk about the specificity of the feedback that was given. The students were able to articulate that the information that I was provided with was useful, specific, and helpful. They noticed that the compliments were coupled with specific ways that I could improve my drawing.

  So how does this fit with writing? When given the opportunity to peer revise/edit students now understand what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to give constructive criticism in a way that will actually improve the overall quality of the writing. They are giving each other feedback that is helpful, specific and useful. Now when I circulate around the room during a peer revision/editing time I hear things like: “You might want to use a simile in this sentence; it would really help your audience see what you are talking about in this part.”, “You might consider making this a new paragraph because you have changed to a new scene.”, and “This section is so good; you might want to slow down your writing because it feels like it moves really fast.” Finally, students are giving each other feedback that can actually have an impact on their writing! And for some reason, not only is the feedback seeming to stick, it is generalizing into all areas of writing at a much faster rate than when it came from just “the teacher”!