Messages

Communication is a tricky thing. It’s one of those skills that’s widely regarded as supremely important, and while many curricular domains cover “communication” broadly, it rarely seems to warrant its own dedicated corner of the academic landscape — at least at the secondary level. Communicating, to many, is merely a “soft skill,” a term that undermines its importance and undervalues how it can serve our kids in all of their scholastic and social pursuits. In my experience, I’ve found that it can be difficult to find authentic opportunities to allow students to cultivate their voice. Most of the communication in a math classroom like mine is technical — primarily focused on vocabulary and procedure. The language of the subject matter and how to apply it in context is critical, but it doesn’t usually offer much in the way of starting a meaningful dialog. That’s why I’m thrilled to have Genius Hour as a medium for my students to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas.

This article from Edutopia offers helpful advice about what to focus on in the realm of communication and how to support all students, even the quiet ones. I especially like the observation that, “what ‘good’ looks like depends on the context.” That is so true, and so far has proven to be the beauty of Genius Hour. It gives students the opportunity to convey their findings in a medium that’s most conducive to their topics.

This week, I’m trying something new as a Genius Hour check-in, and it takes me entirely out of my students’ direct line of communication. It could be completely epic or a total flop — who knows? Either way, I truly believe it’s worth the risk because I often find that some of the best ideas start this way. It happens to be the case that I have to miss a day of classes for a training pull-out one day this week, and — as it also happens — I desperately need to catch up with my students about the progress they’re making with their Genius Hour projects. I typically wouldn’t leave anything to do with Genius Hour as a substitute plan because I honestly just love it too much to share! It dawned on me recently, though, that involving someone else might open up a unique opportunity.

I’m going to leave a plan for the substitute to ask each student a few key questions about their projects and jot down some notes for me based on the feedback. Not only will this serve as an accountability check-in, but it will also help me to determine if someone who is far less familiar with the students, their backstories, and their projects is getting the same message about their progress as I am. By giving students a chance to discuss their work with someone who isn’t me — essentially negating that casual familiarity and shorthand — it gives them the freedom to share with someone that doesn’t have any defined expectations of what they have to offer. 

Communication is an integral part of this project, and — quite frankly — it’s an integral part of life outside of the classroom.  The way we convey our ideas is important. The way we talk about our work, frame our goals, and measure our successes and failures are all important. We communicate in so many ways, verbal and non-verbal alike. We communicate in what we say and the manner in which we say it. We communicate when we choose not to say anything at all. It’s so important to learn and to teach the value in that. There is no end-game there — even as adults, it’s a skill that we continue to develop and hone.

In this specific scenario, my students have a leg-up because the topics are ones they’ve personally chosen and, therefore, are at least theoretically eager to explore. They made their decisions based on interest and then found an outlet best suited to sharing their findings. In reality, of course, this type of personal ownership could potentially work against them.  They might assume that the person they’re talking to has some degree of background knowledge about their topic and gloss over key points when they should be providing a more thorough explanation. Alternatively, they might have simply petered out and not have as much to share about their projects as they hoped to at this point. Regardless of the overall outcome, I believe an outside perspective can be hugely impactful and provide both me and my students with some sorely needed insight. 

I often find myself thinking about the power of communication. It’s what draws me to quotes, it’s what fuels my passion for this blog and for reaching others who are curious about the same kinds of things that I am. Not long ago, after a particularly tiresome inservice presentation, I was debriefing with a colleague whose major takeaway was that the presenters that day had fundamentally missed the mark. It turns out, they didn’t adhere to the basic skills that we try to teach students about effective presentations: know your audience and keep it short and sweet. That resonated with me, and I try to keep that thought in mind in every communication that I have.  I try to reinforce that idea with my students as well. I want them to remember that what most people ultimately want is the bottom line. They want the upshot. How will they connect and buy in? Why is it important to you and why should it be important to them?  It’s an immensely valuable skill to convey your message this way, and I know my students are equal to the task because they do it all the time with me. The difference is that they already have the assurance of knowing that I’m invested and that I can read between the lines. What I’m hoping my experiment proves to them is that they’re just as capable when faced with an audience that doesn’t know them. I’m eager to see how it goes. After all, maybe a fresh set of eyes is just what we all need.