Contingencies, Gradients, Anonymity, and FREEDOM.

PRE-LESSON.

META-Thinking.OR

• I have too many ideas I would like to share...so have to cut it down to what’s do-able to meet PLOs...

Contingency Planning.(What is it?)

• Pros• 1. Cuts work in half...in the long run.• 2. Enables quick application of ‘tiered learning’ at

multiple/most appropriate gradients (esp. important if ‘levelling’ is an issue).

• 3. Relieves anxiety and increases internal ‘teacher confidence’ (deportment, ‘facade’, appearance, external perception of professional ability.)

• 4. It’s a very ‘realistic’ way of approaching the ever-changing landscape of your classroom situations...

Contingency Planning.

• Cons• 1. Doubles/triples work in the short term!!

• 2. See 1.• 3.Go back to 1.• 4. Good Lord...(‘No Life syndrome' ensues...)

Enploying the Contingency Plan

• There are 2 ways I would normally approach a contingency planned lesson:

• 1. Assess the class condition (of individual students and what you know of their present mood and prior knowledge+interests. This is ‘totally on the fly'- but if you can do it successfully, it can’t be beat...) Choose what contingency seems to connect best. This might seem a bit ‘Zen’, but it works.

It’s also called ‘planned improvisation’!! Makes ya’ look Brilliant.

• 2. Allow students to VOTE on a number of options presented. This one can be tricksy - use with caution.

Here are Today’s Options.(Whatever contingencies you’ve prepared for...)

• For the High School Classroom...• 1. Class ‘Staff Meeting’. We go outside and have a cafe break and chat about our previous classes and

where we want to go from here...a rare day.• 2. Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene I. Reading and handout...• 3. Chris Poole Ted video and discussion of how internet ‘anonymity’ relates to whatever we are studying in

the currently prescribed curriculum.

For OUR classroom here, now, today......• 4. See 1 or 2 above.. • 5.META (assuming previous interaction with class members and informed understanding of their prior

knowledge and interests): In this case, something I wish to share with the class in the form of a TED video and GROUP POSTER activity.

• 6. Critical Thinking - META - Reading of final 2 pages of Keenan Malik “Man, Beast, and Zombie” and critical viewing of Zeitgeist “Moving Forward” movie. Discussion of ‘reading outside the curriculum’: If you are not, you are an automated unit in the public education ‘machine’ and without ‘freedom’ - if you do, you have ZERo free time, no life and thereby no ‘freedom’. How is -B-A-L-A-N-C-E- remotely possible in this environment?

Contingencies Vary!!

• According to context...• Must be properly connected to PLOs, and

subsequently to relevant formative assessment and feedback for authentic learning to occur *which enables students to succeed admirably in state prescribed forms of summative assessment.

• BAHAHAHAHA!!! It’s true.

• STAND UP EVERYONE!! JUMP AROUND A BIT!! TIME FOR A TED TALK!! YAAAAY!! In groups of 4-5, let's do a Mind Map poster for 'Social Networking' including pros, cons, issues, etc. “Talk amongst yourselves”. Start the poster during/after the video, as you prefer. In the event I was doing this with a high school class, some further (multi-tiered) scaffolding would be presented - for example – how to do a mindmap!! And. Is Chris right? Are we LOSING SOMETHING by throwing anonymity to the wind with social networking sites like FACEBOOK? (Specific Q+A handout for students.) This is highly relevant material in all our lives these days. Since we’re all friends here (or colleagues at the very least according to the X-axis on the latest graph), time is short, and

THE END (of term is nigh), let’s just get on with it!!

That’s enough of that.

Handout for students regarding SOCIAL NETWORKING - - - - - - - - - March 24, 2011. MINDMAPThis assignment could be scaled up/down to reach students from grade 9-12 – or our class at UVIC. I'm addressing the latter here, with specifics regarding some innovations for scaling down. Basically what we want to get at here is – is social networking 'safe'? How do we define 'safe' here?

Begin with 'social networking' or 'internet security' as your center. If you have another – GREAT!! If you want to use a different center, check with your teacher first please – keep in mind that your center has to be the central building block of your mindmap. A few examples for ideas: URL, homepage, facebook, myspace, hotmail (specific sites), organizations, government, business, or other, whatever keywords your group can brainstorm!!Pictures, colors, and specific links are Awesome!! RUBRIKS CUBE (Students already know what this means – their grading method:) A. At least 4 main branches off your center idea (25%). B. At least 4 specific URLs (25%). C. At least one graphic image (picture - 10%). D. Finally, the tricky one – a statement regarding your opinion on internet security must develop out of this. If it's not obvious from your various links, a few sentences at the bottom of your poster should do it. Is social networking safe or not? Why or why not? (40%). Assume we have the full class to surf the net and look at a number of sites pertaining to internet security. If you have laptop go nuts!! It would be good to do this one in a school computer lab if possible – booked ahead of time. Provide some URLs for students who don't know where to start – some doozys on the 'half page handout'...Name, Date, school name please.[not officially part of assessment – reminder]. COOL EXAMPLE OF A MINDMAP TO GETCHA STARTED:

Example of a MindMap for TIME....

Some possible English 12 PLOs for this lesson (these lessons):

•Any Questions?

There MIGHT be time at the end of class...If not,

See the complaints department - it’s DOWN THE HALL from the department of arbitrary verbal abuse...

Have a Nice Day!!

(Address of podbean site where this powerpoint can be accessed).