Starbucks My Room: Last Bell Before The First Bell

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

I had no time. I was stressing out. I watched others get it done. I was in awe.

I was not ready in June. Neither July. Nor August.

I had doubts, fears, and obstacles...

I told the world I'm doing it and I wasn't sure till the very end if I'll be done.

And now - I Am Done!!!

I spent about 6 hours at school finishing it all today. As I was leaving my school parking lot at 2:30, I wanted to scream.

It is Labor Day Monday and I just finished "Starbucksing" my classroom.

If you followed #StarbucksMyRoom you know what I'm talking about.

If the idea is new to you, here's the scoop: I've decided to "Starbucks" my high school chemistry room at the end of the last school year, which means that I've set out to get rid of the traditional student desks and replace them with coffee house type seating and decor. Here's the post that started it all - I’mma Starbucks My Classroom: My 21st Century Manifesto.

Take a look at what my room looked like in mid-August:

And before this weekend:

And this is what the students will see tomorrow:

I have a pretty relaxed, spontaneous, and somewhat unstructured lesson plan for tomorrow. Yet, I've never felt more ready. I AM READY.

I Want My Students To Know That...

I Want You To Know That...

I Want To Know That...

Better Is Possible.

You Have The Power To Change The World. Use It Often.

Metacognition: Hack Student Performance And Increase Motivation

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAM! Radio Network & Teaching Channel Blogger

Marie Forleo I love you!

I know. I'm a married man and I should not be exclaiming such things to 1000s of people.

Relax. I love my wife more.

What I'm talking about is the insight, inspiration, and ideas I get whenever I open my email and watch a new quirky, goofy, never boring Marie TV episode. The latest one "The Secret to Staying Motivated — Especially When You’re Not Seeing Results" inspired me to write this post and create the infographic on Hacking Performance below.

As the school year started for some and quickly approaches for the rest of us, I thought it'd be fitting that we talk about student motivation and performance.

If you're a teacher you undoubtedly encounter students who despite their best efforts have a difficulty staying motivated or reaching learning goals you set for them or they set for themselves. They are capable, but underperform. They can do it, but struggle to find meaning in "doing the work." They have what it takes, but don't produce...

There are many pieces to this puzzle, the completion of which requires the "whole child approach," and today I want to give you a big fragment I hope you'll find useful in helping students perform better, find more meaning, and reach learning goals.

It's all about the approach. And Metacognition. And it works with adults too. Check it out!

I suppose Metacognition translates to a "Psych" in student lingo. A "psych" is a way to mentally figure something out and put yourself in the right frame of mind to perform to your best ability.

The Hacking Performance strategy above really is a "psych" then, because you are tricking your mind into thinking big deal projects aren't that big if you focus on the process - doing one small chunk at a time.

Does it work? Research says it does!

So...

Do it with your students. Psych them out!

Because You Have The Power To Change The World. Use It Often.

Oskar

PS. And later, when you see results, say this to them, but only in your mind: Psych!

PS2. If you appreciate metacognitive learning strategies such as the one above, consider buying my book "Crush School: Every Student's Guide To Killing It In The Classroom" available for Kindle on Amazon. It contains 24 metacognitive strategies to help students learn anything and will change the way you teach forever. And, if you don't find it useful, contact me at oskar.cymerman@gmail.com and I'll give you a full refund.

"Crush School" Book by Oskar Cymerman - $9.99 on Amazon

Cornell Notes on Steroids Notebook Bundle of 6

$18.00

The Cornell Notes on Steroids Notebookis a 8.5"x11" 120-page academic notebook that contains an organizational method that improves on the Cornell Note-Taking System. BUNDLE & SAVE.

Color:

Select Color 6 Black 6 Blue 6 Purple Rainbow (2 of each color) 3 Black/3 Blue 3 Black/3 Purple 3 Blue/3 Purple

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Who Am I Project: Build Classroom Community From Day 1

Hey!

I think I did it backwards. Or maybe not - you be the judge. Either way, no harm done. I'm flexible.

If you saw my Class Intro Infographic I released on Tuesday you saw how I plan to introduce my chemistry class this year. The lesson is still the same, so check it out, but I realized that I don't want to talk about the class at all the first day or two. At least not on my own initiative. If students ask? I'll answer. Otherwise I'll stay mum.

Instead, I'll wait with the Class Intro Infographic and show the Who Am I one below instead.

You see, it's important to me to find a little bit about my students right away. Let them take center stage and create an infographic or a different "beyond PowerPoint" digital piece about themselves and put it on the class blog the first week of school.

By doing this each student creates a permanent product that features him or her as a member of our class community. As a result, community building starts on day 1 of class. Students get to learn about each other in a more profound way.

Think about it. If I spend 10 minutes talking about myself, how much will the students remember? If I do some sort of an icebreaker, have them walk around with a sheet of paper and fill it out etc., how much will they remember about others they've talked to?

Not much I conceive.

But... I've decided to Starbucks My Room this year. The space I teach in is flexible and optimized for collaboration (or will be soon - furniture and paint is on the way!). That gives me more options in how I structure learning and allows students to choose how they learn. And I have to use the advantages the space offers from day 1.

So, instead of beginning the year talking, I'm starting with a project. Each student will make their own "Who Am I." Then we'll throw each product onto the blog. And then share it with the world (families, staff, and everyone else who stumbles upon our little piece of Web real estate.

Hey, this will be a year of a lot of firsts for me. First time for #StarbucksMyRoom. First time 100% blended learning. First time running a class blog. First time trying Genius Hour. First time...

I'm deliberately placing myself out of my comfort zone. No, that's wrong... I'm expanding my comfort zone.

It's because life is too short to last long (anybody else think that song lyric is somewhat redundant? - just sayin').

Thanks for looking and reading. I hope you can use a few ideas I present here. If you'd like more or want to see the Syllabus Infographic SIGN UP for MY NEWSLETTER as I will feature it soon!

And Never Forget: YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD. USE IT OFTEN.

Cornell Notes on Steroids Notebook Bundle of 3

$9.00

The Cornell Notes on Steroids Notebook is a 8.5"x11" 120-page academic notebook that contains an organizational method that improves on the Cornell Note-Taking System. BUNDLE & SAVE.

Color:

Select Color Black Blue Purple Rainbow (All 3 colors)

Add to cart

Click on the Image to Buy the "Crush School" Book by Oskar Cymerman