Two Person Journal

One journal, one topic, one file, but two writers make a Two Person Journal. Students were partnered with a peer from another class. A folder with a file was created on the Laurelville server. The page was divided down the middle using a two column table. For the rest of the school year, students will write each day about a different topic.

This system has an advantage over a regular journal in that the writer has an audience. Everything written will be read daily. Also, with a peer to share ideas, comments, opinions, and information, it means more. Whether students write about books, school, friends, hobbies, family, or any other topic, they know a reader cares about what they have to say.

I originally did this project with composition notebooks that students shared. Now, with the technology available in Reading Workshop, students keep a common Open Office Word file saved on our file server. They can each write to the file from anywhere in the school. Because there is a computer for each student, they can access their file during class each day, read their partner's post, and respond.

This is a great motivator for students. After all, what does every writer want? To be read, of course.

Listen While You Work

"You can put on your headphones, play a CD, and listen to music as you work." Students almost fell out of their seats when I told them they could start doing this on Monday. They had never heard of anything like this. First it was singing in the class. Now, we are experimenting with this in language arts. Due to the fact that each students has his/her own computer, each has a CD ROM at their desk.

There are a few rules:

1. You put a CD in the computer at the start of class, and leave it for the entire class.
2. You cannot play it loud, or bother peers.
3. Once you hit play, you must work.

There are several benefits when students play background music while they study, read, or write:
1. increase attention levels
2. improve retention and memory
3. extend focused learning time
4. expand thinking skills

In the brain there is a band of white fibers connecting the right and left halves of the cerebrum called the corpus callosum. Very recently researchers have discovered that the corpus callosum increases in size when humans are exposed to music. This increases communication between the two halves of the brain which increases learning efficiency.

Yiftach Levy of the Department of Educational Technology at San Diego State University studied the use of background music in the classroom. This is part of his finding.

Davidson and Powell (1986) took up this exact subject in their study of American fifth-grade science students. They reported the observations of on-task-performance (OTP) of children in the classroom over 42 class sessions, with data recorded every three minutes (10 times) per session. Treatment, in the form of easy-listening music, was delivered in between two control observations (i.e., 15 sessions without background music, 15 with, and 12 without, in that order). They determined a significant increase in OTP for the males in the classroom, and for the class as a whole.

You can read the entire report HERE.

Students have the opportunity to listen to music as they work. How will they respond?

Why Do You Come to School?

Megan dipped into the conversation at the table beside us. This guy said, "kids should want to go to school because they want to learn." Megan gave me a funny look and said, "How many kids go to school because they want to learn?"

On Sunday afternoon, we were at the Millstone BBQ in Logan eating BBQ left over from last night's rush. Laura and I took Megan, our 16 year old daughter and our niece, Lauren. We had just ordered, and our conversation wasn't keeping Megan too engaged, so she dropped into the next table to see what they had to say. And that is when she overheard this guy talking about students and their reasons to go to school.

Naturally, Megan's question caused me to think about my students and their motivation. How many show up because it is a law? Because they have to? Or because their parents make them? Do they really want to be there? How many are there because they have a ticket on the love boat, and they just want to see their crush? I know a few guys just want to play B-ball at recess in the intramural tournament. Who is showing up just to see their friends? How many are coming just to hear their teacher's funny jokes?

So, why is a twelve year old, sixth grade student coming to school every day? And what are they getting out of our school, this reading workshop, and our time together?

Riddle me this, what makes school worthwhile?