Teaching a Dramatically Outstanding Class - Tension and Release

Yesterday I was talking to a very experienced teacher who I know suffers from the same syndrome I do and most of the teachers out there do. The how-can-I-reach-teens syndrome.

We all develop strategies, sometimes war strategies, we think and re-think ways that we could better engage our teens. The roller coaster is always on and the list of our trials and errors abounds:

- using tech in class
- making them move
- using topics that are close to their hearts
- songs
- giving some free time if they "behave"
- using games

And the list goes on. Some activities seem to work better than others. And my guess is that generally what ticks our teens are not exactly those sophisticated types of lessons that we spent hours preparing. Sometimes they surprise us by enjoying a very simple task you propose. Have you every considered the main elements of these moments of engagement are made of?

My insight tells me that no matter what we do, what makes an activity engaging is not the degree of sophistication or the main topics that will reach our learners or even the many hours you took to prepare it. Just today I read an interesting article that gave me a hint of what might make a class dramatically outstanding in which you feel that sense of flow and you know the students are there with you in the same wavelength. As stated in Wikipedia, you and your students turn into

"mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does."

How?

By unconsciously using the idea of "Tension and Release", by creating a moment in which you reach a climax of your class with an activity that the students feel compelled to participate, to "solve the puzzle", to be part of it. That's why storytelling is so powerful. It is just one of the many shapes you can build upon the idea of "tension and release" to create engagement.

Let's consider, for example, TV shows, series, Brazilian soap operas, films...What do they do to keep us there on the edge of our seats?! Tension and release! That moment before the disclosure where our heads spin, then the relief of seeing everything unfolding.

When was the last time you had this "tension and release" moment in your class? What made it special? What was your trick?

If we teachers can spot these aha "tension and release" moments in our classes, our how-can-I-reach-teens syndrome might be overcome.

What Yo Yo Ma Has to Teach Educators

As I write these words, I'm listening to Yo Yo Ma, a well-known cellist, who never ceases to amaze me.  First, I was totally taken by his music, empathy, charisma. I remember I used to teach using a book for advanced students who talked about Yo Yo Ma and his tribute to Sarajevo during the tragic war years in the region. It deeply touched me.

And he still does in so many ways.

I could spend hours listening to him. I always feel like crying as he is such a passionate musician who plays with his heart and soul. I could finish here, for Yo Yo Ma is an accomplished cellist and has given his contribution to the world of music. However, he is much more to teach us.

Just yesterday, I read an article about his visit to MIT (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/08/inspiring-as-well-as-educating/ ) in which Yo Yo Ma talks about

the ability to find that “internal switch,” fueled by passion and engagement, that helps players to transition from feeling like “I have to do it” to “I want to do it.” Great educators need to help students tap into that sense of involvement in the classroom, he said at the opening of a two-day symposium aimed at helping teachers use the arts to inspire passion-driven learning.

That's what I've been talking about for so long, and not only saying about passion-driven teaching and learning, but trying wholeheartedly to put it to practice in every class I teach.  Ma's idea of educators helping students find this switch is exactly what makes a difference in our students' lives and what distinguishes an ordinary teacher from a great one. And, I'm sure that if teachers are there for so long, it is because they all want to become and be great teachers.

I see so many tired, unmotivated, grumpy educators...And when I see those unlighted faces, I just wish they could listen to Yo Yo Ma and find ways to, first, turn on their passion switches that they once had, so that they can repurpose their career paths to become all that they once wanted to be as educators, inspirers of young souls.

But, where to start after so many years dragging our feet to get in the classroom? Yo Yo Ma again can give us some clues. He is one of the most eclectic musicians I've ever seen. He can be playing the Argentinean Piazzola or Brazilian Waldir Azevedo's Brasileirinho, after enchanting the audiences with a classical piece. So, his secret to keep the flow? Challenging himself with a variety of styles, rythms, cultural pieces, all to connect music and people, to communicate, to engage. How about you, educator? How can you give another meaning to you professional life? Which new rythms, flavors, pedagogical practices are you challenged to try out to bring new life to your classes, to illuminate those young-spirited faces around? How are you going to turn on you internal switch to fuel your  passions and engagement?

Start by listening to Yo Yo Ma to feel what I'm talking about...

Comics in the Classroom

Creating comic strips in the classroom is one of the easiest ways to engage students immediately. They are glued to the comics creators because they are in charge of their creation, they have choice, and they can fully navigate through their imaginative realms.

Every teacher should try to use comics in the classroom. There are a million ways to do it. Let your students be the remixer, creators, characters, voices of their own stories.

Some of our favorite comic strips creators?
Check them out:
www.makebeliefscomix.com/
http://www.dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html
www.toondoo.com/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/

And just came across this morning:

• Top 10 Sites for Creating Digital Comics

•  Free Animation and Cartooning Tools