It's been a while since I posted. I know that every single one of you has been checking the site every day for new updates about my life out here, only to be disappointed with the same 25 page math article that I posted about last Sunday. I'm sure some of you have spent sleepless nights staring at the ceiling wondering why this is the case, and for that, I'd like to apologize. However, to make you feel a little better, I'm going to write for a really long time right now.
Not much has changed out here, but I mean that in the least boring way possible. After going through the last week, I'd say I'm averaging about four hours of sleep per night. Typical day: summer school, lunch in the car on the way back to campus, 5 hours of classes, dinner, 3-5 hours of homework, try to fit a workout/something resembling a social life in there, sleep --> repeat. We're really getting into the meat of the summer program now, with a lot of our final projects coming up. The first of those is on Thursday, and includes a 7 minute lesson in front of all our fellow cohorts in our section (mine is secondary math -- 19 people), our hardass classroom management professor and some of the higher ups from the UTC program. No pressure.
Apart from all the routine (for lack of a better word) things that are going on out here, one of the coolest things we have done throughout the course of the program took place last Monday. On Monday, we participated in something called "Daily Rap." Daily Rap is a way to build a community within schools in a creative way. If anyone has ever seen "If You Really Knew Me..." on MTV, it's really similar to that. If you haven't, this is what it is:
In Daily Rap, everyone present sits in a circle with no barriers in the middle. This can include teachers, administrators, students, etc. -- anyone who wants to talk, can, and everyone is treated as equals. School staff transforms from authority figures and directors to more of a guide or supporter. The is one of the main keys to daily rap -- creating a vibe that is seen as "safe," building relationships and trust with one another. One member of the staff takes on the role of leader of the group, who starts the conversation with something simple, such as, "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Everyone goes around the circle, says their favorite flavor (or whatever the question is) until the leader answers for him/herself. However, as members of the group gain comfort with each other, topics increase in intensity. Topics such as current events, concerns, achievements and other important things in students' lives are brought up, and depending on how the session goes, a much deeper level can be reached. For example, in our daily rap, we got to the question of, "What was the best day you ever had?" This got really deep, and really intense. I loved it.
The key to Daily Rap is to keep it consistent. It is likely that in the first session, people will not be willing to divulge all their personal secrets. They told us to expect that the conversation might even feel awkward, clumsy or uncomfortable for the first couple of sessions. The hope is that over time, Daily Rap will serve as a way for students to talk and get off anything that's on their chest. For that reason, the ideal Daily Rap "setup" would be to start it at the beginning of the year and set a time/day/location for every week when it would be held. The other really cool thing about Daily Rap is you can say however much you want -- you could say a one word answer or tell a five minute story. Whatever you would like to share is absolutely up to you.
I have no idea when and how I'm going to implement Daily Rap into my classroom yet, but I know that I definitely want to. Schools that have implemented Daily Rap have consistently shown gains in academic achievement and reductions in behavioral problems at the school. For anyone that would be interested in implementing this at their schools, or even for using it at work or a nice, old-fashioned bullshitting session among friends, I'd be more than happy to pass along some of the questions they gave us in the pamphlet. There's a ton, but if you want the questions, just let me know.
Because you made it this far, here's a picture of an albino zebra. Have a great night.
Because you made it this far, here's a picture of an albino zebra. Have a great night.
BD
"The key to Daily Rap is to keep it consistent. It is likely that in the first session, people will not be willing to divulge all their personal secrets. They told us to expect that the conversation might even feel awkward, clumsy or uncomfortable for the first couple of sessions."
ReplyDeleteIt's so true about consistency. So, many times teachers (new and old) get awkward or poor behavioral results the 1st couple tries at something new. You should always do yourself a favor and give it due process. Quite typically, the more cutting edge it is, the more sensitive you will be from the results. Give it time...and if it still doesn't work, laugh it off and say 'Well, THAT didn't work." Never quit going back to the creative well, because once you do the quicker you become more of a 'director' and less of a 'teacher'.
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