Disrupting Thinking and Habits of Mind ... a perfect combination

In a previous post, I talked about using the Habits of Mind in the library, focusing first on listening with empathy and understanding. Before I introduced this goal with my second grade students, I ran into a book called Disrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst. I first read about this book on Twitter in regards to their BHH Framework:

What's in the Book?
What's in your Head?
What's in your Heart?

So I started reading the book and found this inspiring definition:

 "Disrupting Thinking is, at its heart, an exploration of how we help students become the reader who does so much more than decode, recall, or choose the correct answer from a multiple-choice list. This reader is responsive, aware of her feelings and thoughts as the text brings them forth. She is responsible, reflecting honestly about what the writer has offered and how she has reacted, willing either to hold fast or to change, as reason and evidence dictate. And she is compassionate, willing to imagine, possibly to feel, always think about what others - author, characters, and other readers - are experiencing and saying so that she may better understand." - Debeers & Probst  (I added the blue highlights)

This is exactly how I want my students to read on their own and, also, how to respond when we are reading aloud in library. So, I combined the BHH framework with the active listening piece when I introduced it to my second graders.

Here's how it works:

First I explained active listening to the students. The purpose is to ensure that all students are participating in the discussion. I told them that we had too many students "coasting through library" rather than actively participating. I told them that no students would raise their hands for this version of active listening. Instead, I would call on students randomly and they would need to be ready to share.

That's when I shared with them the BHH Reading Framework. I have the poster displayed in the story time area with the prompts for thinking. I told them to focus on either their "Head" or their "Heart" when they responded to the book we were reading aloud. Then, I would call on a second student. That student would need to comment on Student A's response first, then add their own thoughts. Simple, right?

The first book we read aloud to practice this new system was The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt. This turned out to be the perfect book for two reasons:

1. Most students had already read the book, so they already knew what to expect for the plot.
2. There is basically something to react to on every page. Each crayon has a sad story to tell that can elicit any number of emotions or connections.

I was thrilled with the first experience the kids had with active listening and the BHH framework. Students who have never contributed to a conversation before made thoughtful and interesting comments. Even the students in the back row were engaged, waiting to be called upon to talk. And it cut down dramatically on the sidebar discussions. Is there room to improve? Of course, but it was an exhilarating first step on the journey!

I was thinking that if I start this with my second graders, by the time they get to 5th and 6th grade, these students should be well versed in responding honestly and compassionately to what the author is trying to say and how they feel about it.

As I continued my reflection, I ended up back at my mantra: What decisions am I making for my students that they could make themselves? And that helped me to see what my end goal can be. By the end of the year, I hope that I will be calling on the first person to reflect, but then that student calls on the next student and so on. This gives the students a little more ownership of the conversation and it's simulating a community of readers discussing how they think and feel about books. 

Digital Leadership Teams - Update

Our 5th grade digital leadership teams met to reflect on the first half of the year and then to begin to plan an upcoming project.

First, they took 5 minutes to discuss whether or not they had achieved their first goal (which was to ensure that classroom technology is properly handled and stored.) Both groups felt like they had done a fine job of remembering their schedule and being responsible with this. After a quick tweak to their schedules, we moved onto new business.

They were to discuss a possible project to work on for the next few months. The purpose of this project was twofold:

1. To Promote Digital Literacy and/or citizenship
2. Make a positive impact on the school community

Within about thirty minutes, we had four projects in the planning stages:

1. Group A wants to meet with a group of fourth graders to begin a Digital Leadership Jr. training course
2. Group B wants to teach the appropriate use of FlipGrid to other grade levels
3. Group C wants to write a letter about Good Digital Citizenship to share
4. Group D wants to teach primary students (k - 1) about taking care of technology

Almost immediately, Group B was called upon to set their goal in motion. I had just met with the 4th grade teachers in order to plan our initial FlipGrid topic (more on that in a different post!)

Once the fourth graders wrote their initial script for their FlipGrid and had it approved by myself or the classroom teacher, our Group B Digital Leaders sprung into action. They took groups of 2 or 3 kids and showed them how to make a FlipGrid video, including some of the technical aspects of success, like volume and background issues. They did a great job and really  helped us get through all our students in a short period of time.

Then, to take it a step farther, the 5th grade Digital Leaders volunteered to give the 4th graders feedback on their FlipGrid. Giving up their lunch recess, the girls worked to give quality feedback to the students to help them improve future posts. Well done!