Team Building with Purpose

Unless your students are very different from ours, when asked, "What is teamwork?", most of them will automatically think of sports teams they have either seen or been involved with. When you take this a step further and ask them what teamwork looks like in a classroom or work environment there is typically a moment of silence followed by an outstanding dialogue where the facilitator can guide the students through the basics of group development. This dialogue is the beginning of group dynamics training in Geometry in Construction.

Team building in sports is fairly easy to accomplish because there is always a common purpose for the team to unite around, usually based in competing against another individual or team. This differs in a work environment slightly because we are usually not competing against anyone. The teamwork here revolves around getting all of the people in class, typically 40+ students, to unite in the common purpose of:

1. Working together to make every member a better math student
2. Teaming together to construct a complete house during the year

In addition to class projects which emphasize teamwork like the group quizzes in math and the balsa wood house construction, we also lead the classes through icebreakers and team builders throughout the first quarter of the year. One of the common misunderstandings regarding team building is that they are a bunch of "fluffy" games with no meaning. This opinion is typically the result of attending poorly facilitated group trainings. In fact, if facilitated correctly, team building can become the most powerful portion of the Geometry in Construction program. This is how you create a group that thrives together toward a common goal and is willing to do whatever it takes to become successful.

Below is a brief list of helpful reminders for facilitation success:

It takes time! Do not skip or shorten the investment of time during the beginning of the year regardless of how much curriculum you feel like you have to cover. The investment of class time done early in the year will strengthen the group and will provide an anchor for you to refer back to when there are difficult times in the program.
The first team building exercises are mostly designed around getting to know you/name recognition. These are very "low risk" activities for students.
The first few days are especially heavy on team building activites. Probably 50-80% of the construction time is allocated for these activities during the first 1-2 weeks.
All the activities are "just games" unless you as a teacher/facilitator process the activity. Once a game is over, ask questions of the group and make sure to allow plenty of time for responses. In observation, the most common pitfall here is that we as teachers ask a question and then jump in to answer the question when there is silence. Discipline yourself to not do this by participating in the activity with the students.

Good questions can revolve around feelings, obserations, and most importantly how the activity relates to the class/capstone.
The math teacher should be a willing participant alongside the students. The only time that the math teacher backs out of the activity is if there is a need for pairs and you make the number of participants odd.
After the first 1-2 weeks, you still need to do one or two activities a day. Process, process, process.
Remember that when the math teacher starts unit 2, the construction teacher will be starting balsa wood houses. The balsa wood house is a team builder. Students must struggle through the balsa wood house. If they can not build a balsa wood house as a team, they sure can not build a "real house" as a team.

Quick and Dirty Checklist for Effective Cooperative Groups

When you attend a Geometry in Construction 5 day training, a small portion of time is devoted to establishing effective cooperative groups. It is a vital part of the curriculum. This training is sometimes forgotten so here is a review written from a math teacher’s point of view.

Many teachers tell us that they do “Cooperative Groups” but in reality they do nothing more than put students together at a common table and hope for the best. So, now is a good time to evaluate your groups, to decide are you, as the teacher, making the most of this highly effective teaching tool. Below is a quick checklist of some of cooperative strategies.

1. Where does the teacher spend his/her time? During homework time in class there are teachers that use this time to sit at their desk, catching up on that pile of papers to grade. So, the question that must be asked “Is the teacher’s time better spent at the desk catching up on papers or is it better spent roaming the classroom, in a designated path, answering student questions”? I am a big proponent of some things on a teacher’s plate must decrease in order for the valuable things to happen. If roaming the classroom to answer student questions is sacrificed to take care of paper grading, then something is wrong. When I have student teachers, I never allowed them to sit while in class. There are too many positive things that are accomplished by roaming the classroom such as classroom management, informal student evaluation, answering student questions, showing the students that you care by circulating, etc. By-the-way, the construction teacher should be roaming as well. He/she may not be able to answer questions but they can help with keeping groups on task, build relationships, and most importantly, show a united front of both the math and the construction teacher to the students.

2. So, when students do ask questions, are you limiting their questions to one per table? This forces students to work together to decide what is the one question that needs the teacher’s attention. Many of the easier questions will then be answered by the group. I suggest that you answer one question at a table, and then move on to the next table. I even go as far as setting a path for going from one table to the next.

3. If you are unsure about questions being discussed prior to your arrival at the table, here is a handy tool. Instead of responding to the person with the question, ask the other members of the group what the question is. If they do not know, then the group probably is not working as well together as you would like. It is okay to pass by and let them know that you will be back to answer the question once everyone has discussed it.

4. Do you have your groups arranged such that there is at least one high ability student in the group? It is important that each group has a resource person. You do not need to publicly identify the person….the group already informally knows who it is. Also, you may elect not to have a high ability person at the table but instead have someone who is gifted with being able to explain. Many times the patient person is more valuable than the high achiever.

5. Do you reward good group behavior? Remember that you need to reward anything that you value. Set daily goals for students. One way to do this is to set a goal for students to get to on their homework/classwork. This is as simple as stating a problem number that students should get to in class. If they are successful, or you feel they did their best, reward their accomplishment. We stamp their paper using a rubber stamp of something unique. The students collect these and can turn them in for extra credit. There are various versions of this routine…the important thing to remember is your students need daily feedback from you on how they worked in class. Reward students that worked hard, that took time to explain a problem to someone at their table, that participated in an activity, etc. The construction teacher can be the one to do this task.

6. Do you make use of group quizzes? Some teachers feel this defeats the purpose of quizzes. There is some truth in that. However, for me in the classroom, I believe quizzes have 2 purposes. First, the quiz gives me a reading of the student’s knowledge. Second, and equally important, the quiz is to be a learning tool. Some of the most intense learning times have occurred during group quizzes. I know that someone is thinking “What about the student who copies?” My argument is:

a. Are the points assigned to the quiz a significant entry (enough to make major changes) in the gradebook?
b. You still can move the copying student to work alone without penalizing all students.
c. It takes something off of the teacher’s plate so you can do more important things in the classroom. Reference #1 above.
d. I can grade a group quiz right in front of the group and give instant feedback….a great learning tool for students.
e. I can ask higher level questions (Quadrant D Learning) with a group quiz.
f. By roaming, I can still get a reading on student’s knowledge.

I hope this provided a brief review for you. Self evaluation is a valuable tool in teaching. In the near future we will provide some notes for you to evaluate team building principles.

Washington Teachers' Hard Work Pays Off

Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington hosted a 2 day “Infusing Math into CTE “ workshop January 21 & 22. There were 28 people in attendance with 7 school districts represented from all over the state of Washington. Below are some of the highlights of the lessons developed by CTE-Math teacher pairs.

At the middle school level, teachers of Project Lead the Way from Evergreen Public Schools developed and engineering project for kids. The students will be designing and building boomerangs, collecting flight data, and then analyzing the results graphically.

In addition, other teachers from Vancouver developed ideas for pulling the rigorous math out of the robotics unit in PLTW by examining gear ratios.

Boat building was the focus of another pair of teachers. Rick Rosenow, Lake Moses High School, and Andy Davis, South Whidbey High School, began developing an intriguing lesson involving cutting of aluminum sheets in building of the custom boats. Discussions of tessellations, nets, reflections as well as collecting data to build data tables to streamline the cutting process ensued.

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Electrical theory was the core of the lessons developed by Dave Kester of Bremerton High School. As an automotive teacher, Dave examined the current flow of parallel circuits in autos. By conducting experiments, students will be collecting data on fuse capacities as additional lighting needs are added to a vehicle. With help from Scott Flanders, Lake Stevens High School, they looked at the linear functions that could be used to predict fuse sizes.

New Market Skills Center teachers Crystal Leigh and Matt Gordon delved into crane capacities. Collecting data, they discovered that the lifting capacities of cranes depends on the location along the boom that the load is placed as well as the angle of the boom. Exponential functions can be used to model the lifting capacities.

Numerous other lessons from the field of construction were developed using rafter lengths, site preparation, shed construction, polygonal vent construction, residential wiring, and structural testing. It was a pleasure to work with all the teachers who participated to bring additional relevance and rigor to their classrooms.

It is increasingly apparent as teachers begin the process of infusing rigorous mathematics into CTE and infusing CTE relevance into the math classroom that the HOW of STEM education is beginning to take flight. Teachers and administrators see the need to reexamine the instructional methods they are using. The high level students need the application of their mathematics while the struggling students need the rigorous math skills. As assistant principal Wes Allen of Mountain View High School in Vancouver Washington said “This just makes too much sense not to do it”.

After reading about the great lessons developed in Vancouver, what are your possibilities for relevance in the math classroom and rigor in the CTE classroom? Workshop planning has already begun for the 2010-2011 school year. As you are budgeting your Karl Perkins allocation, curriculum monies, and stimulus funds, contact us for opportunities to bring a custom workshop to your area. We will work with your group in a variety of CTE areas, customizing the outcomes to meet the needs of ALL students.

Agriculture and Geometry in Construction

The Unstoppable Machine: Strategies to Gain Momentum and Support for your Contextual Program

During a recent workshop in California, one of the participants asked us how we gained so much momentum in such a short period of time. To recap, for those of you who haven’t seen us in a little while, the Geometry in Construction program began with two teachers who had a big vision and a little support 6 years ago. Today we have a thriving program with 180 current students with an even balance between young men and young women. Including our 22 sister locations, the program has served nearly 1000 students nationwide.

An advantage to teaching Geometry in Construction is having only one prep, instead of multiple preps. We accomplished this despite great opposition at times, ever-increasing academic accountability, and diminishing budgets over the years. Needless to say, over the years we have learned a few things about building support for a program.

As many schools return to the 2009-2010 school year with registration taking place in the near future, we have assembled and written the strategies we used to create the unstoppable machine we now call Geometry in Construction. These ideas have all proven to work for us, and we believe that regardless of the program you lead, this list can help you move your program from good to great.

Unlock the Entrepreneurial Talent in You: Seize the Market

To fully understand the process, you have to first analyze how to attract and recruit students to your program. Students have so many more options and choices for involvement. According to Dr. Glenn DeGuzman, Executive Director of Berkeley’s Center for Student Leadership, research studies indicate that this generation of students, otherwise known as millennial students, want as much variety, information, and entertainment as possible in their lives – especially in the classroom. As he analyzed the Geometry in Construction program, three factors contribute to the success of the program.

1) Geometry in Construction appeals to students who like to learn in small groups. Millenial students show that they prefer to learn in small learning communities where they have the opportunity to collaborate with others on a regular basis.

2) Millenial students tend to get bored easily when they are not challenged to learn in many different ways. They are used to giving and receiving information quickly. This is why students are able to pay attention in class while maintaining one or more text conversations with friends or listen to their I-iPods simultaneously. Geometry in Construction allows students to activate multiple learning strategies so participants engage with each other and with the academic material in ways that are meaningful and academically rigorous.

3) This generation of students has a much greater affinity to give back to the greater good over previous generations. They desire to be involved in large-scale projects where they feel they can make a difference locally. The Geometry in Construction program meets this need by providing a meaningful capstone project, which provides transitional housing to low-income and homeless families in their local communities.

Teachers can learn a great deal from academic research that is useful in creating these types of programs. Although we didn’t know any of this when we started, it really did make sense during our conversation with Dr. Deguzman.

As teachers we are usually pretty good at attracting students to take our classes; however, if you limit your marketing effort to just students, you are selling yourself short of your true potential. In order to avoid this common pit fall, we encourage you to reach out to a wider population and educate everyone including students, parents, fellow teachers, administrators, counselors, the community, and business leaders.

For math and core academic teachers, this is not a normal part of a traditional teaching position. However, CTE counterparts can vouch for the struggle to keep an elective program alive during times of increased academic requirements. Our advice comes from firsthand experience in building initial support for our program as well as how we continue to maintain that support. As each of you continue to build your programs please remember that the marketing effort needs to be pushed from ALL collaborators communicating the same message to students, parents, and the community. Each one of you plays a crucial role in the program’s success.


Gaining Support from Students:

Visit your feeder schools and/or classes. The math teacher is usually more effective in this outreach because there is a bigger audience. We visit all Algebra I classes that feed our geometry program. In order for this to happen, the construction teacher may need to provide coverage for the math teacher while s/he visits with each feeder class. The visit is scheduled to occur early during the registration process and prior to students making up their minds about what they will take. It is easier to steer a moving car than a parked one! I usually spend 15 minutes discussing the options for geometry. It is important to highlight the following:

• Show the capstone project. Show a photo of the past capstone or a drawing of what you think the capstone will be.

• Provide a brochure to each student who wants one. A sample is included in the general information folder that you received at the Geometry in Construction training.

• Highlight that Geometry in Construction is a rigorous math class. It is not the easy way out. Show data if you have it or discuss the national data to support your statement of the rigorous nature of the class. In our district, students can take Geometry in Construction and then continue on to Honors (pre-IB) Algebra 2.

• Discuss career paths that involve construction. Most students understand the connection with the trades but often do not realize that a connection also exists for white collar jobs such as civil engineering, architecture, drafting, interior design, construction management, landscape design, etc.

• Discuss the philosophy of the class that the math will be given relevance. Illustrate a 30 second example of studying area by looking at blueprints or studying Pythagorean Theorem by looking at roof rafters.

• Celebrate the differences of the guys vs. the ladies. The guys are naturally good at framing for example. The ladies shine in the trim and finish work. Discuss the use of battery saws and the use of palm nailers….tools that level the playing field between the sexes. Some of our freshman boys benefit from these tools. It is assumed that males can hit the head of a nail but in reality neither sex has had much experience in construction.

• Involve the host teacher by giving him/her program t-shirts, brochures, or copies of data. Invite them to visit your classroom. Open the communication between you and them.

• Invite students to visit the job site when they are able. This can build excitement. Sometimes we have had whole classes stop by for a visit.

Parents:

• Send, by mail, an introduction letter and a brochure (samples are included in the general information folder that you received at the Geometry in Construction training) to each home 1-2 weeks prior to registration. Be sure to highlight all of the points mentioned above. Include your contact information to answer any questions.

• If your school has an evening where parents/students are invited in to view programs, activities, or classes make your presence known. This is a great way to market your program.

Counselors, Administrators, and Key People:

• Many teachers tell us that it is not their responsibility to get students into their class…that is what the counselors get paid for. Regardless of the truth of that statement, we strongly suggest that you take control of the situation.

• Invite your counselors, administrators, and key people to a lunch hosted by you. We provide either pizza or sub sandwiches. For our first year, we paid for the lunch out of our own pocket. During this meeting, we visit all of the points that we highlighted for students and their parents. We provide each counselor with several brochures just like the ones that are given to the students.

• Give the counselors, administrators, and key people a t-shirt, brochures, or copies of data. Build those bridges when you can.

Community:

• Begin talking with your advisory board. Do not approach them for money but for support. Arrange them to contact key people in your district. Build the excitement with them so they can spread the word.

Gaining Support for Your Program After Students Enroll

Students:

• Follow through on what you promised during enrollment time and always remember that you want the students to know you are on their side.

• Two weeks prior to the start of the year we send out a letter to parents and students talking about how excited we are that they are registered for the upcoming program which welcomes them to the Geometry in Construction Team/Family. We carefully choose words like Team and Family because we want them to feel like they are part of a small learning community rather than just another number in a large high school.

• Mistakes made making the capstone need to be corrected but realize that students do not purposefully make mistakes. In other words, do not yell at students when they cut a board incorrectly.

• Provide ample tutoring in the geometry class. Times that we use are before and after school as well as a tutor night (1 hour) the night before a test at a local restaurant. Moving the location from the classroom to a restaurant is a nice change for your students.

• Provide an avenue for students who do not do well on the geometry test. We provide an option for a retest. This is a big plus for gaining support from all parties.

Parents:

• We send a weekly email to all parents. This takes 15 minutes once your email address list is built. The topics include the math assignments for the upcoming week, quizzes and/or tests, any special activities such as guest speakers, any unusual construction days such as dressing appropriately for painting or weather, etc.

• Establish 2-3 “Bring your Parent to School” days. Usually we have these on Saturdays scattered throughout the year. We have the students work alongside the parents. This is a great opportunity for students to show off what they know and what they have accomplished. This also provides an opportunity for parents to see how the teachers interact with the students.

Counselors, Administrators, and Key People:

• Invite your counselors and your administrators on field trips. They enjoy getting out of the office, they build relationships with you, and most importantly, they will see what your program is really like. We are strategic when choosing which counselors are invited on which field trip. For example, the counselors who value student relationships are invited on the ropes course while the counselors with a college focus are invited on the field trip to the local college engineering lab.

Community:

• Invite local media to some of your first activities. Be sure to invite when your capstone is taking shape. Emphasize that a Geometry class is doing this….not a construction class. The media is looking for extraordinary and interesting topics to report. A construction class building a house is ordinary, whereas a Geometry class building a house is unique.

• Invite the district administrators to your class whenever you have a unique activity. They especially like being part of the class when the local media is coming in.

By employing some of these ideas into your current or future projects and programs we believe you can’t go wrong. Best of luck and please keep us posted about how your programs continue to go from good to great.