Options, Student Variability and the importance of asking "Why?"

“Compliance does not foster innovation.” ― George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity

Creating Empowered Experiences, from George Couros’  “Innovate Inside the Box"

Don't we all wish our kids had a teacher like this?
In first grade my son had an amazing and intuitive teacher.  She did not know exactly what was different about my son, and she didn't have a label for him, but she understood that something was making school hard for him despite his deceptively large vocabulary, fantastic capacity for understanding deep messages in literature, and a chess playing brain.  School was tragically difficult for my then 7 year old.  She made a point to provide options for him and all her students, because her
background in counseling and social work informed her thinking. That was ten years ago!

Now this simple gesture, provide options, is becoming more common knowledge and validated as a strategy for working with students struggling with anxiety, trauma or other mental health issues.  It is a simple idea really, based on “know your students”.  In Universally Designed Learning, this is a central idea but I see it with a twist!  The twist is to understand that there is student variability!  At any given time or with any given student, even the ones you ‘know’, there may be something you cannot name, or simply don’t know, that can make school hard for students to access learning.

I keep hearing this with regard to Universally Designing Learning... When you ask a student to do something, make sure and ask yourself, "WHY?"  Is it important to the learning goal?  or can the goal be met another way?

"Relationship > Rules-  When you are inundated with initiatives and overwhelmed by the pressure and stress that come with being an educator, it can be easy to lose sight of our purpose.  But if we stop and ask ourselves, 'Why am I involved in education?'  the answer will never be 'to control my students.'" (p.10 Innovate Inside the Box)

The truth is that many of us as teachers rely heavily on compliance, and most teachers probably would not bat an eyelash at 3 expectations that often foiled my son's success.

1. Sit quietly, body in control, cross your legs at meeting, listen and speak respectfully
2. Follow directions that the teacher gives you, single or multistep.  
3. Everyone needs to behave according to our class rules, compact or constitution.
4. Students should write to explain what they know, to show what they read, to demonstrate learning...

I will admit, having started my teaching practice working with 5-7 year olds, I had to face my own issues around my ideas concerning compliance when I returned to teaching years later working with fourth graders.  Fourth graders are officially of the age, that "the teachers said to do it" matters naught.  At least for most of them, if not at the beginning of the year, then by at least half way through, they are pushing back in some fashion.  It was during these more recent years that I have really begun to ponder the "Why?" and try and be prepared to answer that question, with forethought and luck, before my students asked.

The following are "Why?" questions I have asked myself.  The possible responses that follow are related to thoughts or responses that come from the 3 following trains of thought.

• compliance:  because I have to
• engagement:  because I am interested
• empowered: because I want to and see value in creating a difference for myself and or others.

• Why do I want my students to sit up rather than lie down at circle?  
• COMPLIANCE-  All the kids need to sit up and pay attention to what is happening.  If one lays down they all will.  It looks lazy, or it makes me uncomfortable that they aren't doing what I said.
• ENGAGEMENT-  If I am charismatic and entertaining, or use puppets and other tools they will stay sitting up and pay attention because it will be fun.  
• EMPOWERMENT:  If I can pinpoint the goal as being a good listener, and be ready to share your own ideas as well, I will realize my goal isn't for them to sit up or sit in a particular way, but to be alert and attending to the conversation appropriately.  I may begin to teach them how their brains work, that lying down will tell their brains it is time to rest not to learn, kids can begin to attend to how they feel in certain positions.  If I provide options for sitting up that meet the needs of my students, chairs, cushion, bench, carpet they can begin to make appropriate choices to help themselves attend to meeting.  If we role play what it feels like to have kids in different postures while we are sharing ideas, we can see how our posture effects how others feel around us and begin to understand there is a meaningful purpose to sitting up and facing the speaker.
• Why do I want my students to listen to and follow directions?
• COMPLIANCE-  Students need to follow directions in order for me to establish order in the classroom, or in order for them to know what to do or pay attention to at any given time.
• ENGAGEMENT- If I motivate them with the prospect of a fun engaging activity they will be more likely to follow the directions.  
• EMPOWERMENT-  I understand that at any given moment I may have a student who will miss or misinterpret a verbal instruction.  Maybe their mind wandered to something happening at home, or something they are inventing, or they had to use the restroom or were out sick.  If I can provide written instructions, audio instructions, or visual cues  or videos for instructions, more kids will understand or be able to access the instructions, and I will have those tools available to use for the student who is absent today, or for next year.  They will also begin to understand their own needs as learners and how to best access instructions for themselves.
• Why do I want my students to follow the rules?
• COMPLIANCE-  Without rules there is chaos.  People will think I lack the ability to control my class.  I need to feel in control, I am the adult.
• ENGAGEMENT-  I know if kids are having fun and doing fun, motivating things like entertaining lessons, music, body breaks and so on they are more likely to behave.  
• EMPOWERMENT- My students understand that school is a place to learn, and that the ultimate why is about them, their safety, their learning and their responsibility in their own future.  I understand their behaviors as communication, and know that when inappropriate behaviors are popping out, it is most likely someone's needs are not being met, maybe their basic needs (food, love, rest), maybe their learning needs (purpose, connection, meaning)
• Why do I expect my students to complete assignments?
• COMPLIANCE- I need to show that we got through the expected curriculum.  The students need to show they were there for that lesson.  I need proof that they understood.
• ENGAGEMENT- I hope they will enjoy the learning, and want to do it, I can give them options like colored paper, special pens, or access to computers...  
• EMPOWERMENT-  If my assignments are driven by Massachusetts frameworks, and learning goals are tied to frameworks, the learning goal is the why.  I can free my students to show what they know in ways that work for them.  Some students for whom writing is hard, will benefit from the option of recording their ideas in audio or video format, maybe they would rather use a graphic organizer, or just type rather than hand write.  Some days a student may choose a graphic organizer, while another day the same student may feel like creating a video will work better for them.  When I don't assume I know what is best for my students, I am allowing my students to discover what works best for themselves, it is the first step of self advocacy and thus empowering.

Is there one place in your day?  In your classroom?  Where you can make a shift from teacher directed interactions involving compliance toward engagement, or can you push a place of engagement toward empowerment? 

This week, I moved from offering options in learning and representing, to options in goal setting.  As an interventionist, I wasn't sure how or if this would work (isn't it my job to identify and target specific goals), but in a particular instance this week it made sense to say to a student, "I can see there are a few things we can work on, but I would like to know if you have an idea about where we should start."  The child responded in a thoughtful way, and so has set a goal for himself.  Heartened by this experience, I tried this again with two students in another grade, I talked about what I knew and have discussed with their teacher, but then sent it back to them to identify a possible goal, the two students acknowledged a goal that I hadn't pointed out directly but was thrilled that they acknowledged as a worthy goal.  I am finding this is an exciting step in my adventures in Universally Designing Learning within the confines of Essential Skills.

UPDATE!!! 1/25/2020 

After 2 weeks of hard work, one of my goal setters has reached his first goal!  I sent him home with a certificate of award for his accomplishment, to "Get better at long division, and remember all the steps" Although I offered videos, and online options, my student chose "to just do lots of long division problems", so he came in and gave it a go.  He completed problems, every day becoming more proficient at recalling the steps, I intervened when necessary, but encouraging independence as we went along.  Monday we (he) will be setting a new goal for himself!
My two readers have jumped right into their goal, which requires completing an entire book.  They set this goal for themselves, so much more powerful than me sitting over them saying, "You must finish this book!"  These kiddos tend to do a lot of 'book choosing' and 'book hopping', and they knew it!  It is a perfect goal combined with some student choice, to allow me to entice them into an author/genre that might just jumpstart their reading progress.  We are using a graphic novel for a Reader's Theater style partner read.  The best part?  They are both enjoying it! I hear from them:  "It's fun!  Like acting it out! I love it!"