We > Me

A Cultural Shift: Individual vs Group Mentality

While at The Boeing Company I was able to see and hear from many employees who spoke to the cultural shift from individual success to group success was a growing need. Over the next five years fifty percent of The Boeing Company's employees will be able to retire. And this poses a number of problems. One in particular is losing valuable knowledge that those retirees have. Creating that cultural shift of collaboration vs individual is no easy task as it is ingrained in the American culture as a core value. While I still see the value in individuals and I have always enjoyed the collaborative process.

At a massive company like, The Boeing Company being able to collaborate is key to their success in the aerospace industry. It is important the we as educators push all students to work with diverse group members to best prepare them for the every changing workforce.

In my classroom I find ways to constantly foster students outlook on the collaborative process. The growth in community from August to June is visible and palpable by November. I love that students discover each others strengths and areas to improve. And then with little effort from me they support each other in all areas and celebrate their individual and group success.

Quotes that I hear throughout the school year that make me smile:

"Wow, you have really improved your grammar."
"You guys we did it, this looks great!"
"You can do it, you just have to work hard."
"Wait Sara is really good at this, lets see what she thinks."

Ways I work to build a collaborative classroom  community starting the first day of school and beyond:

1. To succeed, we need: This is an activity that creates a class promise/pledge that will be present in our classroom all year. It is great because all students create it and are reminded when they are not adhering to it from their peers and me. I start by having students independently brainstorm what they need to succeed in our classroom on sticky notes. Next in small groups they compile their list with common needs they recorded. Then we create a class list compiling all ideas and students take those needs and write them on sentence strips in any style they choose; which will be posted to create our classroom pledge on butcher paper. We will recite this pledge throughout the school year to keep it alive.

2. Group Norms: Each group will create their own group norms no more than five that will aid in collaboration.

3. Snapping: When students share ideas or answers the class will snap for ideas they agree with or find interesting. Great way to build student self-esteem and active listening.

4. STEM and Problem Based Learning: They quickly learn when posed with a real-world challenges that they need the strength of others to develop a plan of action in order to solve a problem that may have multiple solutions. Through this process they in turn learn that everyone has something to offer.

I do think that it is important to find a balance as an educator between collaboration and individual tasks. There a fine line when students work collaboratively to ensure that collaboration is taking place as well as  individual learning and accountability. The key is getting students to see that everyone thinks differently and the power of actively listening to others in order to work in a collaborative setting that includes and values all members.

WABS STEM Externship

"STEM Externships provide teachers with a fresh look at today’s science, technology, math, and engineering workplace through hands-on work and mentorship. Our state is home to innovative, cutting-edge STEM industries yet we struggle to attract local talent to rewarding STEM careers. As a STEM extern, your increased exposure to educational and career possibilities can help you shape students’ visions for their future upon graduation."  (WABS)

As I was almost through the 2015-2016 school year I was thinking about what I would do with my summer as a person who likes to keep their mind working. I am always looking for ways to earn extra cash to pay down those student loans, so when I received an email in April seeking externs I was intrigued. Knowing that these opportunities can be hard to come by I quickly went to the link provided and began the application process. 
As I eagerly awaited the news if I wound have this opportunity or not my excitement grew. This was the first year that I taught a STEM kit (Hands-on Standards) to my students and they loved it. It was so real-world that the student buy in was beyond evident and the integration of skills was great! I have never seen my students work so hard and serious on a task before. 
In June I received my second email from Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS) stating that I would be apart of the 2016 Externship Cohort. I had no clue as I embarked on this journey the world that I was about to enter. 
A major part of this externship was being paired with a local company as a way to understand the workforce environment and the problems that they face. This would help guide externs in writing our own problem based learning task for our students.
I was paired with The Boeing Company for eight days of full immersion. And to stay I left filled with knowledge doesn't even come close. The best way I can express the way I felt at the end of each day was, it was as if I had just had a Thanksgiving fest completely stuffed, satisfied, yet wanting more. 
By the end of the eight days I was over flowing with ideas on how The Boeing Company connects so closely to what we are doing in our classrooms. And of course all the opportunities as a sixth grade teacher who can now say when I teach certain skills or topics that these are the same skills that The Boeing Company employees use and value daily. Not to mention all the perks that their employees receive such as pay, benefits, and a on site message therapist! 
Education can be isolating, meaning we as educators get very wrapped up in our own world and rarely get the opportunity to see other career paths that many of our students will chose to be apart of. It was great to be apart of the corporate world to bring back career pathways to my students. Additionally learning the skills they see young employees lacking such as soft skills (interpersonal skills) and the ability to problem solve is a somewhat "messy" unstructured manner.  
Without a doubt this experience has and will continue to impact my teaching. I encourage educators to take advantage of these opportunities when they arise as they will not regret it.