Mrs. McAlister and her Sunsational Sixth Graders
  • Mrs. McAlister's Blog
  • Mrs. McAlister's Blog
  Mrs. McAlister and her Sunsational Sixth Graders

Join us on our journey through sixth grade

#StudentBelonging

8/28/2016

14 Comments

 
The new school year has begun. The room is ready, classroom supplies are in place, and we look around the room. If you’re like me, you’re excited and yet a little nervous. That nervousness comes from the desire to reach our students in a lasting way.

#Maslow
​
Abraham Maslow, in 1943, wrote about the “Hierarchy of Needs” that drive human motivation.
Picture

​As an educator, I’ve been drawn to the need of “belonging”. What makes a student feel like they belong in school? If students feel like they belong, won’t genuine learning take place?
​

#ActionResearch

I decided to do some action research. During the first week of school with my sixth graders, we slowed down the pace and took time to do some relationship building. Each day we participated in collaborative team building activities ranging from M and M discussion starters to the Marshmallow Challenge. We wrote a class mission statement and described the sensation of Pop Rocks popping in our mouths. On Friday, I introduced the term “Student Belonging.” As a class, we brainstormed what the phrase means to them as students. 

​Take a peek at the chart.
Picture
#StudentSurvey
For a group of sixth graders, they created a pretty extensive list. After the group discussion, we turned to our Chromebooks where students answered five questions on a Google Form. I purposefully left the form anonymous, so students would free to express themselves.


Take a look at the questions and responses.

       Question 1: What does “Student Belonging” mean to you?
  • Student belonging means feeling included and being positive about what you do in school.
  • To feel like I’m part of the school and not the odd one out.
  • Feeling comfortable and safe with all your classmates.
  • Student belonging to me is that a student feels like he/she should be there participating in school and social activities and becoming friends with one another.

    Question 2: Describe a situation when you felt like you belonged at school.
  • When I play basketball with my friends, I score a point, and everyone is congratulating me. That’s when I really feel like I belong.
  • When I say something in class and my classmates listen to me.
  • When we work together.
  • Once I started to develop relationships with more people, I felt like I belonged. I started gaining more friends and they just made me feel good about myself.

       Question 3: Describe a time when you felt like you didn’t belong in school.
  • A time I felt like I didn’t belong at school was when I was in second grade and I had a group of friends that left me out of all of their activities.
  • I felt left out when we were playing kick ball and I sat out because there was no room for me.
  • I feel like I don’t belong in school when I get stressed, sad, or mad.
  • I didn’t feel like I belonged when I first came to this school because I was speaking a different language and I didn’t know English.
       
       Question 4: How can a school or teacher help with student belonging?
  • A teacher can help with student belonging by being a good listener.
  • By intervening and including students in activities with other students.
  • A teacher can help by talking to you personally and let you express yourself.
  • When a teacher helps a student and gives them the most support they can, it can really make the student want to belong in school.
         
       Question 5: How can you and/or your classmates help with student belonging?
  • Encouragement.
  • We could help by accepting anyone from any place or race and include everyone.
  • My classmates and I can help with student belonging by collaborating more, talking to each other, and have a positive attitude.
  • I can help with student belonging by asking someone that feels left out to join the game we are playing.

#Trends
Some definite trends started to emerge as I read through student responses. One, student relationships with each other, even in elementary school, play a large part in how comfortable students feel in school. Two, many students want a personal relationship with their teacher. And three, students want to feel as if they are part of a bigger purpose than themselves. They understand that they are part of a group.


#EductorSurvey
The next phase of my action research was surveying educators. I created another Google Form asking respondents, on Twitter, to rank five components from one to five, with one being the most important and five being the least important. The five components were:
  • Peer to Peer Relationships
  • Student Relationship with Teacher
  • Student Voice
  • Student Choice
  • Feeling Safe at School

#Results
Of the twenty-one responses, 13 ranked feeling safe at school and 11 ranked peer to peer relationships as being the number one component to student belonging. Student relationships with the teacher was third.


Take a look at the data.
Picture
#Reflection
Reflecting on the two surveys, it’s evident that both students and educators place a high importance on peer relationships. As adults, we understand that these relationships will bond many of them for a lifetime. As trust is built with their peers, the struggle to fit in will be minimized and more time and attention will be available for learning. One of the differences between the two surveys was that educators placed safety as the primary component to student belonging. Going back to Maslow, we understand that safety and a feeling of security is a basic human need. My elementary school students, on the other hand, may not have grasped the depth of this need. Interestingly, student voice and choice were not seen as primary factors in student belonging. One respondent, from the educators survey, pointed out that it was difficult to rank the five choices because they are all important.


As we begin our school year, let’s place student belonging in the forefront of our minds. Creating lifelong learners is no easy task, but one we are privileged to be charged with.

Sincerely,

Marilyn . . .    
14 Comments

#ITookTheChallenge . . . StarbucksMyRoom

8/9/2016

6 Comments

 
I’m so excited to start the year! Back to school is always fun, but this year is even better. You see, I took the #StarbucksMyRoom challenge. My Twitter friend, Oskar, lead the charge by encouraging teachers to create comfortable learning spaces under $150. With the help of a grant, some lucky finds, and some paint, I took the challenge.

Let’s see what happened . . .

#MindSet
First of all, I needed to have a vision, a plan, a “why”. Last school year, I embraced voice, choice, and collaboration. That’s my “why”. I wanted to create collaborative work stations. You see, providing students options of where to sit lowers their affective filters, shows respect, and provides students a bit of autonomy. I heard this saying recently, “Maslow before Blooms.” Flexible seating taps into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which opens the doors for the application of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

​
#WorkTable

The one item that I knew for sure that I wanted was a wooden table. I found the perfect one at IKEA. It’s a pine table with a fold out wing and two wooden benches. I fell in love with it immediately when I went shopping. The table was just under $200 and the two benches were $89 each. (These items are grant items.) My husband put a varnish on it to seal the wood. When he did, the beautiful markings of the pine appeared. The addition of plastic place-mats from Target completed the look. I want students to use the mats when they bring their devices over to the table for Station Rotation.
#SmallTables
Flanking the sides of my projector screen are sets of small tables and chairs. On most days, students work on their chromebooks, group projects, and math activities with a partner or in groups. These small tables will be a perfect option. The table and chair sets were $60 from IKEA. (Grant items)  Again, the pop of color from the place-mats are both cheerful and functional.
#WoodenStools
​
Last year, my students and I painted four wooden stools. They are prized possessions in class. Since the stools are mobile, they make their way all around the room. Another popular use of the stools is as portable tables. Students will sit on a small stool and use the large stool as a work surface. On most days, students will pull the stools up to my work station to be closer to the instruction.
#LaPrincessaTable
​
During the summer, I like to do crafts. This summer I decided to repurpose a table. My husband and I went to the Salvation Army and upon entering found the perfect table for $20. Oooh, the things I could do!!! With a little paint, a stencil, and lots of love, the La Princessa table took shape. Originally I was going to use it as my teacher table, but when I put it in place I wasn’t feeling it. Honestly, the table could not be seen under the ELMO, projector, and other supplies. I decided to move it to the perimeter. Several students can comfortably work at the table.
#Podiums
​
Another summer project was painting two podiums. I already had one podium. I knew there was another one in a storage closet so I had a janitor dig it out for me. I decided to coordinate the colors of the podiums so that they would be a set. With the addition of some growth mindset statements, I hope the podiums will be a hit. Students will use them as standings desks. The back of my room has a strip of tile where students can roll the podium to work with their group or even on their own.
#AdditionalOptions
I have two other work-station options for students. One is the office. My teaching partner and I have an adjoining office between our rooms. It’s set up with two tables with chairs and a large rug. Students love to work in the office. This is the one place that has to be earned. In order to work in the office, students have to show consistent ability to stay on task and work collaboratively with their peers, since there is less teacher supervision. Two other rules with the office is that it’s either all boys or all girls and that the door must be kept open. (I sound like a parent.)

​
The final place students may work in outside. Last year, I bought a bistro table and chairs. It sits right outside our office window. It’s the perfect place to have a relaxed conversations with classmates and get a dose of fresh air.
#ThankYou
​I had so much fun with the #StarbucksMyRoom challenge. And I have a few people to thank. First of all, I’d like to thank Oskar, Stephanie, Alana and all the amazing teachers on Twitter that inspired me to embrace flexible seating. This year was the perimeter. We’ll have to see what next year has in store. I’d also like to thank the El Centro Education Foundation for sponsoring the grant. Thank you for making it possible for teachers to meet the needs of students in creative ways. A sincere thanks also to Steve and John, my fantastic janitors, that built the tables together after hours. And to my loving husband, for driving me to the San Diego IKEA, encouraging me during my painting sprees, and putting the varnish on the pine table.
#Who’sNext?
The challenge was a lot of fun. As I start the year, I’m going to be intentional about creating experiences that involve voice, choice, and collaboration. I’m eager to see my 6th graders interact with their peers in meaningful learning. I hope they like the space as much as I do.

Sooo . . . who’s next?

Marilyn . . .
​
Take a peek inside. 
Picture
6 Comments

    AuthoR

    Welcome to my blog.  I'm an 80's girl embracing being a 21st century tech-girl with the help of my amazing sixth graders.  Join us as we journey through sixth grade.

    Archives

    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.