“We have to do another practice analysis?”

My kids didn’t actually say this. They didn’t have to. I have learned to anticipate how they might respond to the work I put in front of them. So, as I was posting yet another “Analyzing Rhetorical Appeals in Advertising” practice tASK in Google Classroom, I imagined their voices, which prompted my going to the board to sort it out–for them, for me, for us.

I often find myself thinking on my board, trying to find the frame of things. Here, I wanted to frame–once again–the distinction between practice and performance in my room. I needed to first find it for myself, so I could frame it for my kids. Oh, it’s certainly not the first time I have done this; better is always about framing new findings from the Do-Reflect-Do Better cycle that is Project 180. My hope in such a cycle is to always find a better way to clarify our experience. So, this was the latest go.

Practice with Purpose

The purpose of practice in my room is to give the kids opportunity. It is here where I start them, give them direction, ask them to wade into the learning. At this point, unless they ask for support, it is a solo expedition. I never look at their practice. The agreement is completion from commitment, not compliance. So, it is never worth points. I trust they have committed. I have to. Otherwise, it’s compliance in disguise. I have to let them own it. And I tell them as much. And I have to remind them as much (they’ve had years of compliance conditioning before they get to me), so I remind them with discussions like this and the #MyRoomMessages and #DailyDiscssions I post each day.

Perform with Purpose

The purpose of performance in my room is support. This is where I formally and purposefully join my kids by responding to their work, giving them feedback for growth. It where the work becomes ours. It’s where I wade into teaching so we can swim around in the learning. The practice progresses into performance. It’s where the daily tASKs become learning checks (my name for assessments). And as the name suggests, we check their learning to activate my teaching. It is here where I become teacher. It is here in the feedback/response process where I feel I am performing my purpose as a teacher: supporting growth. And I tell my kids this. And I remind them of this. I am forever framing the experience.

Frames

Frames matter, especially for those of us who are braving better and daring different. It’s requisite. I discovered this as I began my own journey to better, which began with how I wanted to frame learning in my room, which led me to grappling with grading. And that is where Project 180 began: taking grades off the table, leaving only learning. I had to find a frame. And as I have moved through the years of Project 180, I find I am forever framing my work in and out of my room. And I am never more aware of this when I post on Twitter, and I realize how much depends on the frame, on the context.

I posted this yesterday morning as I was making my way through Year Four of the book, and I was reminded of a “cheating” aha I’d had that year. And, understandably, folks needed a frame, needed some context. So, I tried to frame what I meant by cheating, which took me to finding that framing is everything.

And I do think it’s all in how we frame it. But I also think it’s about discovering that we are always framing our work. We are forever framing. That’s the journey.

Happy Sunday, all. Sorry I have been MIA. Putting all my time and energy into finishing the book. Hope everyone is well. Happy New Year.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.