More videos...because someone asked

Video part two, inspired by the request on the SOMOS facebook group.

Lesson: Somos Unit 100 (level 2), La Muchacha y La Ardilla
Class: 8th grade Honors/ Spanish 2


Here is a video of me introducing vocabulary, teaching gestures (well, sort of- the camera got pretty wonky), doing translation activities, and finally asking the story.

This lesson is protected under all relevant copyright protections.

Shared with permission.
If the video doesn't start playing when you press the arrow, try opening it in another window.  I am trying to troubleshoot this. Sorry!  

Deskless Year 2: thoughts and ideas

On sharing a classroom:
     I share my deskless classroom with a desk-full classroom teacher.

     I never in a million years thought it would be as easy as it is, but it is fine.  She has tables that stack like a very complicated jigsaw puzzle in one corner.  She has one wall of whiteboards and when the tables are set up, she orients toward that wall.  There are windowsills for storing her stuff, and a couple of small tables- like coffee tables for her overhead projector and computer.  Each that she teaches, the kids come in, un-stack the tables, and set them up.  She stops about three minutes early and they re-stack, then set up the chairs for my class.  It is pretty seamless.
     My only minor complaint is that if I have left something in my bike bags, I can't easily get to them because the tables are pushed right up against my bike!  But really, that's just a matter of me being more organized and taking stuff out of my bag before her class starts!
     It also means I see another adult regularly and, as this teacher is also the middle school director (and therefore my direct supervisor) I have the opportunity to observe her and learn from her.  It's really pretty great.  Last year, when I was hyperventilating about having to move my classroom and having to share, I never would have thought it would be this easy.

On why I went deskless: 
I recently had a conversation (ok, a messaging conversation via a social media website) about going deskless and why I did it.  Here are some highlights:
How did you get to the point that you knew you needed to make this transition? 
       I was constantly feeling stifled by the lack of space- I wanted kids to move and act out stories (my first year with TPRS) and I wanted to move around to the kids, but I was super constrained.  Plus, I was constantly tripping.  Especially with backpacks!
      When I had the opportunity to keep my desks in the hall for a week due to testing, I tried it and felt like I could do so much more to make my class feel different- more language acquisition than language memorization and grammar.
      I think my class sends a powerful message to kids: memorizing and spouting facts, grade grabbing and ignoring the teacher don't work out here.  Being present, laughing, being yourself, and listening to understand are the values.  If that means we sit with stuffed animals sometimes, or a group of " toros" runs after the people to demonstrate runs from and runs to, then so much the better!    I also hate taking time to do things like seating charts and cleaning desks and stacking chairs...I think that I should be spending my time planning awesome lessons or recovering from my challenging job!

Can you describe what some of the challenges are with being deskless? Parent/admin by in? Challenges with students?
     Admins were behind it, parents either like it or have no opinion.  Again, it helps set a different tone.
     Challenges: some kids hate having to lean down and get their stuff.  (They can only bring in pencil case, notebooks, and whatever they need for the next class.) so they whine.
     But, as soon as I let them spread out and work where ever they want, they stop whining.  I also have a couple of TV trays I got at a thrift store, and one table that the kids can use if they are doing independent work.  They manage it themselves - for the most part.  Really, I can't think of any real challenge with it.
And- no desks: fewer germs, so I have been sick a lot less since I went deskless!

Do you start the year deskless or transition?
     I start the year deskless. I hand out these laminated character cards  and tell them to find the seat that matches their card.  From then on, that's how it works.
     I also teach them to line up outside my door so I can greet them each day, give them their card, and hear the password.  Then, they come in, find their seat, and get to work on a starter.

In short, I can not imagine teaching with desks.  Ever again!

Going Deskless

After reading a few reflections and posts from other TPRS teachers about going deskless, I really wanted to try it.  At the end of my first year teaching MS Spanish, the students had some big test to take.  All the desks from my classroom had to be moved to another classroom, and that just seemed too good of an opportunity to let slip by.  

The students (mostly) loved it, I loved it, and I resolved to convince my administrators that it would work.  Luckily, I have a great deal of support to try new things, so I started the new year with nothing but chairs and hope.

Also, some very thoughtful planning and reasoning.

Here's how I do it and what I've learned:

Policies that Support the Deskless Classroom

• My largest class is 16 kids.  That makes it MUCH easier.
• We started a no backpack policy this year.  
• I use interactive (ish) notebooks rather than binders.

Furniture and other things that help

• For writing, which we don't do a ton of, I have small whiteboards and a few clipboards.
• There is one round table for those who really need it when we do independent work.
• Spike tape.  It's high quality cloth tape that costs a small fortune, but is worth every penny.  Theatre professionals use it and it can be found in most theatrical stage supply shops.  Spike tape comes in several colors, comes up easily, will not leave a mark on the floor, and is practically indestructible. It works on carpet, tile, wood, laminate, etc.  (I've even used it on 100 year old church rectory floors- no problem!)  I put mine down in late August.  Every single piece is still down!!!

Spike Tape Markings-"spikes"

Managing it all

• Instead of creating several seating charts to reflect the different configurations, I printed up a set of these fantastic character cards (Thanks, Martina!) for seating and taped them to the backs of each chair.  Part of my beginning of class ritual is to greet each student with a handshake and a smile, so handing out these cards is easy.  Random seating EVERY DAY!  Where it breaks down somewhat is when I have 16 seats and only 8 kids, but I'm probably going to assign seats for that class for a variety of reasons anyway.  One class job is to collect the cards daily.
• Tape on the floor to indicate the configuration, and a matching sign.  One student gets to move the sign as we move chairs.  Who knew that flipping a sign was so motivating? 
•  I use azul, morado, círculo, and semi-círculo to indicate verbally what the chairs should do.  (Blue, purple, circle, semi-circle).  I think this week I am going to teach them herradura- horseshoe instead of semi-circle.
• Practice.

What does it actually look like?

So, my classroom is laid out very oddly.  It's not a huge room and I share it with a part-time teacher.  There is a large whiteboard and two bulletin boards on one wall, a wall of windows, another whiteboard that is used by the other teacher at the "back" of the room, and a smartboard/projector that is located at a 90 degree angle to the whiteboard, or "front" of the room, across from the windows.  Since I use the smartboard daily (though really only as a very expensive projector), there are two main focal points of the room- the smartboard and the whiteboard.  At the beginning of class, students need to see the smartboard.  At the start of the year, I knew I wanted a formal chair set up for assessments facing the smartboard, a theatre-style set up for story telling facing the whiteboard, and a more conversational circle for whatever else I wanted to do.  Last week I realized that the formal set-up didn't feel the way I wanted it to feel, so I got to work with more tape and arrows on the floor and created a horseshoe shape that allows me access to about half the whiteboard, but has the students focused on the smartboard BUT ALSO on each other.   Why did it take me so long to figure that out? I blame the wrist surgery + painkillers that kept me out of the classroom for the first three weeks of school.  Right?  

Horseshoe Formation