AVReading Newsletter December: Small Groups

The use of small groups within our classrooms has a number of advantages.  For starters, we know that students tend to learn more when they actively work to construct knowledge as opposed to when they are fed the information.  We have also learned that  co-constructing knowledge within a group tends to be even more effective and powerful.  Additionally, we have learned that mixed ability groupings offer a number of benefits, bringing together students with a diversity of learning styles and backgrounds for a common purpose.  And then there is the development of those “soft skills” of teamwork and problem solving, we often hear the business community and private sector tout as critical to their operations.  

         Still, using small groups can be messy.  Our Type A students aren’t often fans because they know that they could probably do the work in half the time if they could just do it on their own.  And more than a few students bemoan a grading system that might allow a slacker to benefit from the hard work of fellow group members.  

         None-the-less, students are pretty well accustomed to the practice of small grouping, especially those who have come through the STEM programs at VMS, where many of their big projects are based around the model.  

         Considering both the baggage and the benefits of small groups, it is probably best to be strategic with how we use them.  Here are a few ways I have incorporated them into my lessons.  

         Flex Grouping:  This is the practice of dividing students into groups based on their specific needs.  They differ from the ability grouping of the past in the sense that on any given unit, you might have different combinations of students due to the fact that they are struggling with specific concepts or skills.  Flex grouping works really well for subjects that have discrete parts that can be isolated and developed.  I might use them for grammar and writing units where I can categorize students by areas of need:  a group working on run-on sentences, a group working on capitalization, a group working on sentence structure, a group working on sentence variety etc.  

         Green Mitt / Red Mitt:  For this, you will need five or six pairs of green and red oven mitts.  (You could easily do this with little paper signs that say “agree” or “disagree” as a less expensive option.)  Break the class down into groups of four or five.  Give each group one green mitt (which will represent “agree”) and one red mitt (which will represent “disagree”).  You begin by asking the first group a given question.  They have a chance to answer the question.  The rest of the groups will discuss the answer and either hold up the green mitt or the red mitt.  If they hold up the red mitt, they must provide the correct response.  Points can be divided out to groups that answer the question correctly. You then move on to group two and ask a second question. 

         Reading Hats:  I like doing reading hats when I want a class to really read a text more deeply.  Here is how it works.  I assign the class a reading and divide them into groups.  Each member of the group is then told to read that same passage (on their own) using a different “hat”.  One person should wear the hat of “questioner”.  Their job is to develop five or six questions around the text.  One person wears the hat of “summarizer”.  One person wears the hat of “investigator” (their job is to answer the question, “what is missing from this text”).  One person is to wear the “organizer” hat.  Their job is to discuss how the author organized the text.  One person is to wear the “purpose” hat.  Their job is to identify the main idea, theme, or purpose of the text and provide evidence of it.  One person is the “style editor”.  Their job is to discuss the various shortcomings and strengths of the author’s writing style.

Slide Presentations:  I’ve frequently used small groups to present various concepts or ideas, but the affordances of Google Slides and iPads have made this so much easier to manage and execute.  I divide the class into groups and give each group a concept or idea to research / discuss and present to the class.  I then create one slide show with a slide designated to each group and share it through Schoology.  The slides will be a template of what I want them to cover in their presentations-- usually divided into four or five parts so that every group member has a responsibility.  I give them maybe 20 minutes to research / discuss and populate their slide before we begin presentations.  I used to do this with the big whiteboards (and sometimes still do when I feel that we need to put away the technology for the day), but the digital version is pretty slick and the slides are much easier to read. It is also easier to scaffold the structure and content of the presentations by doing it this way.  

Group Quizzes / Tests / Papers:  The logistics of this can vary depending on the situation, but sometimes completing assessments as a group provides a more unique and meaningful learning experience than if the student were to do it on their own.  In talking with Dan Seppala, the group test is used from time-to-time in pre-calculus.  They use the group test as the second part of an assessment, where the students are placed with others who have scored approximately the same as they did on the first part.  Students then work together on the group test, again making meaning and learning collectively.  I have also worked with students on group papers, where students are divided into groups, and then each one is responsible for one part of a five paragraph essay: one writes the introduction, one the first main idea, one the second main idea, one the third main idea, and one writes the conclusion.  

As mentioned earlier, it might be best to be selective in the use of small group activities.  Making good instructional decisions means that we consider whether the particular lesson fits that approach or whether we have just done group work or whether a given group of students would work better alone than in collaboration with others or even whether they need to learn to work with others.  Ultimately, having small group activities as part of our repertoire gives us more options for how to best address our students at any given time. 

See the entire newsletter here. 

AVReading Newsletter November Managing the Details

To continue our focus on classroom strategies for the year, this month’s newsletter will focus on managing the details of class.  Historically, we have called these “classroom management” strategies and practices, but my thinking has changed a little over time.  For starters, I am no longer really working to get absolute control over a class, to manage all of their choices and behaviors.  Instead, my objectives are to first, create conditions within the classroom where they are interested and engaged versus compliant; and second, create conditions where students learn to manage their own behaviors versus having me do it for them.  So in this context, “managing the details of the class” is more about the practices and structures we can employ to create those optimal learning conditions. 

Door Greeting

         In terms of perhaps the easiest, most powerful practice a teacher can employ, I would suggest the door greet.  The benefits are pretty tangible.  For starters, it ensures that you have -- even in passing-- at least one moment of connection with everyone who enters your room.  Let the students know that you simply see them, and that they are welcome in your space.  The act is so simple, but it communicates so much. It tells students, this is my space, I value it, and I am eager to share it with you.  My brother, who teaches middle school in Alaska, is actually required to stand in the hall between classes.  They are also instructed to shake hands, high five,  or fist bump every student as they enter.  

Hand-Out

         This is really simple, but it can expedite some of the business of class.  If you have a hand-out or reading for the first part of class, hand it to them as they enter the room. You later discover who snuck in after the bell as well!  :)

Structure of Class

         Another detail of management that I have continued to work on is how I try to structure the time I have in class.  My general template involves a “Welcome” or “Conversation Starter” with students.  Sometimes, it is just a quick joke. Other times, it is a whip around or a turn and talk.  I find that variety is the trick!  And I find that even just taking a moment to engage them in a little light banter allows them to first see you as human, before you jump into teacher mode.  Then I quickly move into a quick (2-3 minute) overview of the period along with some announcements.  Following that, there is typically a 10-15 minute mini-lesson / lecture which leads into work time (ie. writing, reading, or small group).  Then, the last five minutes includes a closing activity (circle up, exit slip, stations, author chair, share out, quiz).  Each day, I also try to get them up and moving at least once.  

Real Time Adaptations

         Classes that show little energy, I will often pull into a walk-n-talk.  I might also make use of music, to simply chop up the silence a little.  Sometimes I re-arrange lesson plans depending on the time of day.  For example, in early morning classes, I place things involving movement early in the class to get them more awake.  But in afternoon classes, I place it towards the end.  And sometimes, if I feel them losing energy, I’ll go ahead and do something in the middle.

Screen Casts

         Have you ever had a lesson that involves explaining a lot of details?  For certain lessons, I will actually make a 5-7 minute screen cast and show that to class instead of doing it as a lecture.  Here are the benefits:  I know exactly how long it will take versus trusting myself not to go on too long, I can be more specific with my word choices and use of visuals, I can post it in Schoology so that students can view it later, and students will sometimes pay more attention to me in video than in real life!  :) Use QuickTime!  It’s easy!  And keep the videos short!

         Good teaching is predominantly about creating a sense of community.  It’s about establishing personal connections with students.  It’s about nurturing a culture of learning and inquiry. But, it can also be about the techniques we employ along the way.  Although you could become easily overwhelmed by all of the different choices you can make, it’s important to consider which aspects of your class are the least productive or efficient, and how you can better deliver those lessons when you change the techniques you use.  If you would like to learn more about the strategies mentioned here, or perhaps you have a few you can add to the list, stop by my room or send me an email.  

 See the full newsletter here. 

AVReading October: Engagement Checks

Engagement Checks

         Engagement checks are effective ways of both getting your class involved and completing quick formative assessments.  None of these are particularly new, but some of them may have fallen off your playlist and are worth bringing back.

Get Up and Move:  I have signs on three walls of my class—Yes, I know it.  Maybe, I think I know it.  And No, I haven’t a clue.  On any given activity, when I sense that students are either tapering off (or just need to get up and out of their seats), I have them stand up.  I introduce a concept (ie. Developed versus Undeveloped Characters) and ask them to move to one of the three stations, and to talk with others in that group to review or learn the concept.  I then call on a few students from Yes and Maybe to discuss the idea.  After that I repeat the process two more times, and send them back to their chairs.

Give One / Get One:  I hand out a half sheet with five spaces for “Give One” and five spaces for “Get One.”  I tell students that they must identify five ideas, facts or details from the days’s lecture / reading / movie and write them out under “Give One.”  After five minutes, I tell them to stand up and visit five people.  For each encounter, they must “give” one of the details they wrote down, and “get” one from their partner.  I ask them to put names next to their “get” ones so we can trace the information back to others.  I also tell them that the ideas must be unique.  In other words, you can’t record a “get one” detail if it is one you had already written in “give one”. 

Fingers:  I use finger reads for a wide variety of occasions.  Sometimes I use a finger read to get a feel for the emotional levels of a class.  I say, “give me five fingers if this is the best day ever, four if you are feeling pretty good, three if you are doing okay but not great, . . .” etc.  I also do fingers on occasions when I want to see what options students are thinking of.  “Give me one finger if you plan to do option one today, two fingers for option two, and three fingers for option three.”  And sometimes, I use the finger activity to determine their understanding of a task.  “Give me five fingers if you are confident about what to do next, four if you are fairly certain, three if you think you know but are unsure, two if you are confused, and one if you have absolutely no idea what is going on.” 

Concept Checks:  Similar to the finger activity, I make a chart on a half sheet of paper with four columns.  In the first column, I list four or five concepts or ideas we have studied.  The other columns are blank, but top rows are labelled, “I Don’t Know It,” “I Know It,” and “I Know It So Well I Could Teach It.”  I have students indicate their current level of understanding by checking the boxes that best apply for each concept.  Then I have them turn and talk with a partner to share what they know (specifically from the “I know it” category or “I know it so well I can teach it” category).  Then I randomly call on three people to teach the class one of the concepts. 

Again, the beauty of an engagement check is that they both allow the class to become more active, but they also give you the means to generally assess their understanding as a class.  

Read the entire newsletter here.  

AVReading Newsletter September: Instructional Strategies

Welcome to a new school year, AVHS!  For those of you new to our building, the AVReading Newsletter is a monthly publication dedicated to promoting literacy.  Each year, the newsletters focus on a specific theme, and while I had one picked out this summer, I chose to change it last week, in response to an activity we did as a staff.  In that activity, we identified topics that we-- as a staff-- were most interested in studying, and instrustructional strategies was one of the most popular.  So for this year, the AVReading Newsletters will examine a wide range of instructional strategies.  This month’s newsletter, then, will focus on a general overview of what is to come.  

Before doing that, however, it is important to put instructional strategies within the wider context of what we do as teachers and as a school.  For example, an emphasis on instructional strategies assumes that we are constantly working to connect our content areas to the lives of our students.  Additionally, (as our administrative leaders this year have emphasized), a focus on the technique of instruction also assumes that we are working hard to foster healthy relationships with our students.   

Finally, working on instructional strategies assumes that teachers are working on the culture of their classrooms, thinking carefully about how our race, class, and sexual identity influence the way that we see others, as well as how we might be seen by students.  This is important because instructional strategies can be culturally bias as well. Take for example the way we like to turn lessons into fun games that fuel friendly competition. While these might be fun at times, not all students come from families or communities that thrive on competition.  So, continually incorporating a strategy like that within the classroom might actually do more to marginalize some groups of students than to engage them.  Without these other pieces-- building relevance, fostering relationships, studying culture--, not even the most fail proof instructional strategy will do much to meaningfully transform students.

Within that context, the power of making good instructional decisions is extremely important.  I remember having a student teacher a few years ago, and as I watched him take those initial steps into teaching, I became overtly aware of how much nuance there is effective teaching.  Watching him struggle, I wasn’t even sure where to really begin with my suggestions. There are just so many potential questions to ask.   How do I start a class? Should I sit or stand while I teach?  Who should I call on?  What types of questions should I ask?  How often or how long should I lecture?  How do I find a good reading? And how should I assess a student’s understanding of those readings?  The questions go on and on. And frankly, they can be overwhelming at times.  This is in part due to the fact that we tend to think of instructional strategies as either good or bad.  While educational research has certainly helped us determine that some strategies are certainly better than others (paired reading is definitely better than round robin reading for example), there simply is no magic wand of instruction that will be universally effective.  Instead, it is better to remember that all teachers are different, and all classes have unique qualities, which means that it takes time for teachers to find instructional strategies that fit their particular personalities and levels of risk aversion, as well as the given circumstances of any given set of students.      

Each month, I will offer a variety of strategies within a given area, starting in October with engagement checks and taking on class management in November.  In December and January, I’ll move to small group activities and stations.  Movement will be the focus of February, while we will look at reading strategies in March.  Behavior, differentiation, and questioning will close out the year. Obviously, taking on so many different types of strategies means I will only be able to scratch the surface of each one of these.  However, doing so increases the likelihood that everyone should be able to find something useful at some point in the year. 

As Drew mentioned in his opening remarks to the staff, teaching is immensely complicated.  It falls somewhere between an art and a science.  It is a vocation and a calling.  A perpetual search for improvement and balance, rigor and relevance, technique and relationship.  Having a well-stocked toolbox and a rich pallet of strategies can guide us along the path.

Find the entire newsletter here. 

AVReading Newsletter June: Book Review-- The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys

Closing out our year on educational research, I’ve decided to review an immensely thoughtful book entitled The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys.  This text is not expressly research.  However, it does reference a large body of research from within the field of equity and race, and then complements it with testimonies from teachers (both of color and White), commentaries by researchers, and commentaries by many others who have been impacted or involved in the systems of school.  

                  The title of the book itself is pretty catchy-- some might say provocative.  But the authors decided to be very upfront with who their audience would be and what their purpose was.  In the opening chapters they construct an argument that establishes the tremendous inequities that exist in our system-- specifically if you are a young Black boy.  The authors intentionally use the term “boy” over “men” to emphasize their youth, in a world that often depicts them as much older and -- in many cases-- much more menacing and dangerous.  The book examines the disproportionate numbers of students of color who are suspended, expelled, or “pushed out” of schools, their over representation in special education classes, and their under representation in honors and AP classes.  They provide research showing that by the time Black children attend school, they have already had “unfavorable, demeaning experiences with White people, leading to feelings of holistic inferiority.”  And they provide the most recent data indicating that 82% of all teachers are White, and 62% of all teachers are White women.  The book argues that spotlighting White women teachers is important for a number of reasons.

                  First, as mentioned above, White women are collectively the largest single demographic of active teachers.  Therefore, any type of broadscale change will rest on their collective shoulders.  Second, as author Heather Hackman explains, the historical relationship between White women and young Black men / boys is one of the most complicated in our nation’s history. They explain a little about the way that both groups have been marginalized and how the intersection of sex and race was used to not only objectify women, but to cast young Black men as predators.  And third, the authors explain that ultimately the types of thinking that will go into the process of teaching Black boys will “scale up” to the general population as well. 

                  The book prepares the readers early on for some of the harsh realities it spotlights later.  It states that the purpose of the book is not to blame White women-- or Black boys-- for the current state of education.  It is not saying that White women are bad people. In fact, it expressly states, “We assume most teachers are good people who want the best for their students.”  So the issue is not one of overt choices we are generally making, but rather a host of things we say or do that communicate a general narrative which might be heard and understood differently by students.  

                  Among other concepts, it addresses some things we have discussed before in our own school.  Concepts like “colorblindness,” or the belief held by some that we can treat all people the same regardless of their race.  Of course, it is a noble goal.  Unfortunately, a wide body of research indicates that this simply is not the case, even when we say it is.  In fact, an inability to recognize the identities of our students, some of which are embedded in race, can render them invisible. Another concept that we have discussed before, but which bares further study, is that of white saviorism, or the deeply held belief that people of color need to be saved.  It’s a trope that has been popularized in movies and literature-- from Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds to Hilary Swank in Freedom Writers to Sandra Bullocks in  The Blindside.  We must be careful of the intentions behind our choices, as well as our choices themselves.  

                  The book is so full of studies and research that it provides a lot for us to contemplate.  I would often cringe as I read it.  In many instances, I would read of practices or situations in the book and thought, “Oh, I’ve done that before,” “I’ve said that before,” “I’ve thought that before.”  And in doing so, it helped me to become more aware of some of these pesky assumptions and biases that I had not fully realized. Or in some cases, I made observations that allowed me to better understand how harmful those choices could be.  As the authors explain, the best antidote to addressing what it is we don’t know is to read, to stay vigilante in our work as anti-racist educators, to study ourselves and our practices, and to continue in our growth as educators striving to create an environment where everyone can be successful.  

                  The book is not necessarily an easy read.  At times, you can hear the anger and frustration spill out of the pages.  At times, you might cringe at the stories or become defensive.  However, facing these moments is extremely important for White teachers.  In those moments, we must remind ourselves that we are not responsible for the past racial sins of our country, but that we can address the inequalities of today.  We don’t have to blame ourselves for the way that we have been socialized into our understandings of race, but we must be ever diligent in our reading, reflecting, and listening in order to become more aware of the way we might be perpetuating systems of inequality.   

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Find the entire newsletter here. 

AVReading Newsletter-- May "Technology in the Science Classroom"

Our focus this year has been on disseminating educational research.  And so this month, I have chosen a recently published study (Journal of Research on Technology in Education,  2019) on the use of technology within science classrooms.  The study is worth examination for a few reasons. First, it is a qualitative study, which produces a type of knowledge allowing us to better understand the lived experiences of others.  In this case, we have the opportunity to examine the teaching practices of high school science teachers and their use of technology in a way that quantitative research cannot quite get at.  Second, I wanted to learn a little bit more about innovative or interesting technology uses in the classroom. And finally, I was interested in finding something specific to science.

                  The study, completed by Ceren Ocak (University of Georgia, Atlanta) and Evrim Baran (Iowa State), followed the practices of four high school science teachers at a private school with a one-to-one computer padlet program similar to our own.  Researchers conducted a pre-interview at the outset of the study, video recorded classes, and held a post-interview. The object of the study was to examine how technology was being used, reasons for its use, and an examination of the effectiveness of that use.

                  The study indicated that the most frequent use of technology fit into a number of categories.  Some of them were more low level uses-- like using technology to plan curriculum or to develop lesson plans.  Some were technologies that have become common place in science classes, like the use of videos to help students visualize complex concepts.  

In other cases, the uses were more sophisticated, like incorporating a smartboard, filing sharing between devices and cloud computing.  They were employing a course management system as well, which allowed them to communicate to the class, along with running a digital gradebook.  Some of the teachers encouraged students to use digital notebooks, where students could organize and maintain their notes for science an added benefit of which was being able to insert and annotate images.  The more savvy teachers were employing programs for simulations. For example, there was a physics simulation that allowed students to manipulate variables of an animated falling object, in order to examine the relationships between those variables.  There was also one teacher who made use of virtual labs, which would supplement or replace more costly and time consuming physical labs (with beakers, burners, and various chemicals). 

The study identified a few interesting observations about technology use and preparation. First, the school invested not only in the technology itself, but regular and ongoing professional development to help teachers better use the tools they had been given.  Second, early adopters -- or those who were more adventurous when it came to using technology-- admitted to practicing their lessons before they did them with live classes. 

Some of the file sharing steps and use of cloud computing seems a little bit dated.  Whereas the teachers would “push” a file, picture, or document out to everyone’s tablet, it would seem to make more sense to simply post those items in the course management system (ie Schoology).  The teachers also appeared to use more online assessments, which had the potential for more immediate feedback.  They also spoke of the benefits of reducing paper.  

The teachers also identified a number of problems associated with the technology.  In reading them, it was actually interesting to see that they had many of the same concerns we have experienced as well.  For starters, they talked about the struggles of students using the devices for other purposes-- mostly related to gaming.  They also talked about students coming to class with a device that was dead.  Or that they would have struggles with connectivity.  As a side note, the teacher’s solution in that case was simply to tell students that they would have to do it later when they could get connected.  However, without an adequate back-up, it feels like the student has little ability to make productive use of their class time.  The school did have software which allowed teachers to take control of student screens.  However, it appeared that either teachers were not using it or that students found ways around that feature. 

Overall, the varying uses of technology indicated in the study served a broad range of  purposes.  Some of them seemed very practical and meaningful, others (if used too frequently) seemed like they would have made the learning experience much more passive and sterile.  I think of the use of virtual labs, which I’m sure are great because they require less set-up and organization, but which also take some of the needed “messiness” out of the learning process.  Having the devices, as the teachers seemed to conclude, did not mean that they needed to be in use for every lesson.  But rather that the devices would be used to enhance, extend, or even enrich the current practices in order to create a more meaningful learning experience.  

See the entire newsletter here. 
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MCA Practice Test

Here is the online practice for the MCA Reading test. 

AVReading Newsletter April-- Evaluating Sources

            Since the 2016 elections, and the ensuing investigations over the proliferation of fake news, we have seen a renewed interest in teaching students how to evaluate the information they access online.  This month’s Reading Research Quarterly (Spring 2019) included a study that looked at how students process the credibility of information on the internet.  

            I found the study to be insightful for a number of reasons.  First, getting students to read their source materials with a critical eye is extremely important, and I wanted to know if there was something new (or if I had forgotten something important) on the topic.  Second, the study used a mixed methodology which means it had both quantitative and qualitative measures to collect and interpret data.  Finally, it examined the habits across both middle school and high school-- which I found to be interesting.

            Essentially the study looked at the ability of students to evaluate information they were to use for a presentation on climate change.  They were offered four pieces of evidence (each about 150 words in length), and they were prompted to examine the relevance of the material for the topic, the readability of the information (how easy or complex it was), the credibility of the author, and the currency (or timeliness) of the text.  In one version of the experiment, they had students read the texts and respond in written form. They were asked to both numerically rate the texts  and write free responses in the various categories mentioned above.  In a second experiment, students were asked to first read the texts, then answer questions orally with an interviewer, and then take the written survey.  For the second experiment, the data was also segregated by age group (middle school versus high school students).

            The findings  indicate that students probably do not examine texts as deeply as what they should.  In the first experiment, it showed that even though one of the texts clearly was not related to the topic, students typically rated it about equally credible as the other sources within the study, which were topically relevant.  This is a problem because means that students weren’t discerning whether the material truly applied to the topic at hand.  In the second study, examiners found that students were actually much more accurate with their evaluations of text when they completed the interviews before they did the surveys.  They also indicated that in three of the four categories of evaluation, high school participants were no better at evaluating texts.  However, older students were more likely to evaluate an author’s competence, by discussing when the credentials of the author did not match the field for which they were writing.

            Here is the lesson that I think we can learn from this research.  We should continue to challenge students to read their texts more critically, looking specifically at whether the material they are reading is truly relevant to the topic at hand, the general readability of the text, the credentials of the author, and its timeliness or currency.  But beyond that, the study misses a key component.

            The study is framed by the argument that people today are more likely to spread fake online news.   That argument assumes that these people spread the fake news because that news item is convincingly real.  However, I don’t think that’s the problem.  Fake news spreads when it strikes a chord with people.  It seems to confirm or support something they already believe.  In that sense, the problem isn’t the news story.  It’s our willingness to so readily believe something that isn’t true.  And when confronted with facts or details that clearly contradict or disprove our beliefs, we are much more likely to double down on our original position, than we are to change it.  So I’m wondering if we should be teaching students both how to detect less credible news items and how to confront their own confirmation biases.  Finding fake news is only a valid lesson plan if we are willing to admit that some of the news we are reading. . .is in fact fake. 

            I also would like to point out that adolescents might be more critical news consumers than their older counterparts.  A study published in Science Advances (January 2019) found that people over 65 where seven times more likely to pass along fake news items than teenagers.  It just reinforces the idea that as a community, our need for education never truly ends. 

Find the entire newsletter here. 

Sr. Speaker Materials

Guidelines for Writing a Commencement Address

The draft you write for consideration does not need to be a final version, but should give the panelists a clear idea of what you plan to say in your speech.  The traditional commencement address has had content which reflects back on the class's experiences and also gives advice or guidance for the future.  The tone should be one which inspires and motivates the listeners.

Although the Commencement Address is directed at the graduating class, the message needs to be meaningful and appropriate for the adult audience present as well.  Content, language, or style which parents or grandparents might find offensive is not suitable for a Commencement Address.

Humor can be an effective minor element of a Commencement Address.  The predominant message, and consequently the predominant writing style, should be serious, thoughtful and inspirational. 

Format:  This might be helpful.  It is an all purpose formula.  It is not required.  Feel free to be creative.  But as a starting point, you might want to observe the following steps.

Introduction--

* Attention getting anecdote

* Establish a theme -- Past speakers have used themes likethe qualities of Eagles or the symbolic importance of bridges

* Set purpose or message

Body--

* Reflect on events of past 4 years

* Reflect on present status

* Reflect on  where things are headed

Conclusion--

* Re-emphasize message

* Closing thoughts and anecdotes

A few helpful suggestions:

Though you may want to fill your speech with inspirational quotations, and heartfelt thoughts of hope, be careful of overusing clichés.  Because they have been used so often, clichés do not always hold much power within a text and tend to be easily forgotten by an audience.

On the other hand, the most memorable speeches are those that tell some type of story.  Typically, speakers will use either brief anecdotes or longer narratives to convey their message.  As opposed to citing bland clichés that are easy to forget, stories tend to stay with people and carry a stronger emotional and intellectual impact. 
Here are some samples of past commencement addresses. 
2018
2017
2013
2012 

March AVReading Newsletter

In our yearlong examination of current educational research, I found a very interesting study published in this month’s issue of American Educational Research Journal published by AERA.  The study was entitled “‘Despite the Odds’: Unpacking the Politics of Black Resilience Neoliberalism” completed by Kevin L. Clay of Rutgers University.  There were two things that initially caught my eye about the study.  First, the title seemed to question that idea of resilience, similar to the study that Jae Cody wrote about in last month’s newsletter, and secondly, it was action research-- a type of research that positions the researcher not only as a scientific observer but as an advocate, implementing an action step of some sort.  Action research is not a new methodology, but it hasn’t always gotten the same attention as the other forms of educational research.

            In this case, the researcher, working with eight high school students in an Upward Bound program, set out to help them “destabilize” the idea of Black Resilience Neoliberalism in order to “reconstitute empowerment”.  Ok, that sounds really academic and heady.  However, the argument of the study is much more accessible.  The gist of the study is that students have internalized a narrative about Black resilience. The narrative tells them “despite the odds,” they can succeed.  On the face of it, that might seem like a good thing, right?  We want our students to believe that no matter their circumstances, hard work will pay off.  And the author certainly states that he doesn’t want anyone to be discouraged from working hard and doing their best in the face of adversity and White supremacy.  However, the Black resilience narrative has consistently been used throughout the educational community as well as throughout political dialogue on race, as a means of decentralizing the larger story of structural racism that has created the need to overcome adversity in the first place. 

            As an example, Clay uses the rhetoric of former Presidential candidate Ben Carson, who is African American and who often talks about how “exceptional” people-- and specifically exceptional Black people-- will be successful no matter their circumstances, so everyone should be exceptional and overcome their obstacles.  Clay argues that this type of rhetoric has a number of extremely negative effects.  First, it normalizes structural racism.  It essentially argues that the system can’t be changed to become more equitable, so instead individuals simply have to rise to the occasion and overcome racism.  Second, it leaves those who are struggling to overcome those obstacles feeling inherently broken.  Stories of Black exceptionalism-- people who have succeeded under extraordinary conditions-- when overused are “leveraged as a critique of Black folks who, for whatever reason, cannot summon the will and long-suffering demonstrated by their enslaved, maimed, and generally despised ancestors to mettle their way through all manner of state-sponsored obstacles, dehumanization or terror.”  

            What is at stake, Clay furthers, is “a desire to centralize ingenuity and triumphalism in a story that is at its core a testament of the state’s perpetual violence against Black people.”  In working with his action research, he found that this group of students-- all of whom were students of color-- had embraced many of the aspects of this Black resilience narrative, and as a result had internalized beliefs that if someone didn’t succeed, it was simply because of their own shortcomings.  Furthermore, they come to think of these oppressive obstacles as character building.  As one of his students wrote in a journal, “I believe everyone has the chance to reach their riches in life.  If anything, where I live [a segregated community] pushes me to fulfill my every dream.”  In other words, she believes that her experiences in segregated spaces actually toughens her for the fight ahead.  Within her world view, the inequality has become normalized and unchangeable.  It is no longer the problem.  Not having enough resilience and toughness is. 

            Clay concludes that the shift should be to exploring more narratives of “collective transgression” on the part of the Black community.  Instead of focusing on stories of individuals who have overcome the system of White supremacy, stories and narratives should highlight the success of “organized deviance” undermining structural racism.

As mentioned in earlier letters, educational research has the capacity to challenge and encourage schools and educators beyond their current understandings.  In a state which still has the largest racial gap in student performance, we need to continue to critique and question our choices and to work more diligently to address the way we have institutionalized narratives that perpetuate the problem.

Full newsletter here.