How To Start a Makers' Club in Ten Days

Today I gave an "idea talk" at the WVIZ Ideastream conference. Unfortunately, I got the "wrap it up" signal long before I was close to done... Here's my speech with all "ten days." Not great writing, but I wrote as though I was speaking...

Hellooooooo.  My name is Morgan Kolis and I am a special education teacher, intervention specialist, behavior intervention specialist, reading specialist…Though, I am currently being disguised by my district as a reading intervention teacher.  This is my 13th year of teaching in Ohio and, I am also currently studying to take the Board exam to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  My real passions, however, are special education and inclusive environments.

So, like I said, my district is currently utilizing me as a reading intervention teacher.  Reading intervention is important and crucial to students in elementary school and is… just not my dream job.  Again, there is nothing wrong with reading intervention. It’s just not what I believe I was made to be doing.

So, it was in this job as a reading intervention teacher that I have found my own need for more creativity and more fun in school.  You see, reading intervention is… well, a little dry.  Again, I truly believe that this is an important job and I’m sure there are people out there who love it. That’s just not, well, me.  By nature, doing interventions with kids is rote and repetitive and as engaging as we try to make it, it’s … a little lacking in creativity.

This is where the story really starts.

I started searching for something.  I wasn’t sure what that something was, but I knew something in my life was missing that used to be filled by my job as a special education teacher. And now it was gone.  

And in the way my life often works, there was some divine intervention and…I got an email.

I got an email from this guy named Sean Wheeler. Some of you might know him. He was the keynote here last year and he writes this great blog called Teaching Humans; and he’s now doing some incredible work at the Design Lab in Cleveland that everyone should be checking out immediately. I mean, after this talk, of course.

But I got this email from Sean.  At that time, Sean was working on starting a entire Makers’ School and got a grant to support that mission.  And Sean decided to ask a few educators he knew if we’d want to participate in a teacher makerspace to put ourselves in the place of our students, in order to remember what it feels like to be in a space where you’re not sure what you’re doing and you’re not quite sure what might come out of it.  He said “Let’s do a six week class where you learn to make some things and get to talk with other educators.”

Okay, I’ll bite.

Then he wrote “it’ll be a woodworking class at a woodshop.”

Huh.

Okay, I don’t know about you, but wood has not really ever been my preferred medium.  I’m more of a canvas, clay, scrapbooking, really great creative lesson planning kind of person.  But wood?

This was NOT my comfort zone.  I really do not engage in stuff I am not going to be great at.

I was really not sure about this, but, here I was, searching for something. And maybe this could help me find it.  

So, about ten people said they would join the six week class and we all met at this amazing community woodshop right outside of Tremont called Soulcraft. It’s in this old, creepy, factory like building where they used to do meat -packing called the Hildebrandt Building.  REALLY out of my comfort zone. And these two guys, the owners of this “community woodshop” offered to be our “teachers.”

So, we met there.  Some of us knew each other from twitter but had never actually spoken and some of us were total strangers.  Even more awkward and somewhat uncomfortable.

And there we sat on that first day at Soulcraft with all of these exhausted and inspiring and excited and terrified educators from all different districts and walks of life… educators like Tom Grodek and Julie Rea and Karen Wheeler and Jeremy Shorr and Vicki Turner, some of whom are even here today.

And then Peter and Jim, the owners of Soulcraft, started talking about the properties of wood.

And all I could think was “What in the hell am I doing here?”

So, long story short, it’s now been about 57 weeks since we started this six week course and about 5 of us make it back to the shop a few Saturdays a month to continue this experiment with “making” and talking. Lots of talking.

And I’ve gotten so much out of this experience that I was thinking, how can I bring this back to my own school?

And it was through this inspiration that I was able to start a “Makers’ Club” at our school where I currently teach… reading intervention.

So, during lunch time every Thursday and Friday, we host a Makers’ Club for the students at our school in second and third grade. And when I say “we,” I mean my awesome co-reading intervention teacher, Sharon Wiesler, who has graciously also given up her time to help me with this and has dealt with the great amount of “treasures” that we have collected for the club.  She really jumped in with both feet and I couldn’t possibly thank her enough for going with this...

And now I’d like to share with you How to Start a Makers’ Club in 10 days.

Day one.  Think.  What do you want your makerspace to be?

I knew immediately that I wanted our space to have very little structure.  Reading Intervention and special ed are VERY structured and I wanted a place that would be 100% opposite.

I also knew that I wanted to incorporate STEM activities, but I didn’t want the club to be solely based on STEM activities.  I wanted this space to be a place where kids make their own rules about what they create.

We have very few rules but we did need to set up a little bit of structure for second and third graders so they know what to expect.

First rule, you must share.  Second rule, be respectful.  Third rule, if you make a mess, you clean it up before you leave.  Last rule, be safe.  As the club has gone on, we’ve also made the rule that you may not create a weapon and if you do, it may not leave the room.

Day Two, get rid of your crap.  By crap, I don’t mean your physical crap.  I mean your own personal crap.  

Here’s an example of my crap: I was great at playing the game of school.  I could rock a test and loved to read.  But the other day, I was telling my friend about this “talk.”  And he says “Why are you worried? Have you ever failed at anything in your life?”  Okay, that’s exactly my “crap.”  I don’t typically put myself in situations in which I COULD fail, so NO, I DO NOT fail, I am actually TERRIFIED of failing. 

And I have to let that go for our club.  Because how dare I pass that on to our students?  Why would I give them my crap?  

Days Three and Four, start collecting crap.  Now you need actual junk.  Junk that people are about to toss away is perfect.  We collect popsicle sticks, toilet paper rolls, cardboard of every kind, leftover pieces from crafts that the class has done, scrap paper, plastic containers, straws, plastic forks and spoons, styrofoam… if you can think of it, we probably have it.  Ask for donations,  It’s amazing the things that parents will dig out from their basements to bring for you.

But PLEASE learn from my mistake here. Know where you will STORE these items BEFORE you start collecting them!  Currently, we have crap spilling from the reading intervention room out into the hall and down half the hallway...

Day Five.  Find a funding source. There will be stuff you can’t get donated.  Next week, we’re going to make “electric dough” also known as “squishy circuits.”  I needed to buy the items for this one.  At first, I didn’t mind just buying the stuff myself, but then I realized that between 40 and 60 students go through our room every single week, so I needed some funding source so that I didn’t end up broke.

Our funding source has mainly been our PSO and now our STEM department in the district.  I believe our principal also kicked in money from her principal’s fund as well. 

And just last week, we received a grant from our Schools Foundation for almost $2500 to buy items from LEGO education to introduce some LEGO Robotics.  Grants are all over the place, if only you can find them and write up a blurb about what you need and how it connects to learning.

Day Six.  Decide on some challenges.  You don’t need a hundred ideas, just two or three to get started.  There will ALWAYS be more ideas.  Someone will always share their thoughts with you, you’ll always have the internet, and you can always ask the kids, and I really don’t think Pinterest is going anywhere.

Day Seven. Decide on how you’ll share what the kids are doing.  This is crucial.  If you are doing great work in the classroom, that’s awesome.  But if you’re sharing what your kids are doing with the world, that’s even better. This is tough for second and third graders to do on their own.

One thing I try to do every week is remind the kids to keep “making” at home.  I let them take materials with them if they haven’t finished their project to be able to continue at home.  I ask them to take pictures at home and even send them to me.

I also take a million photos during the club and post them on our website and on our PSO Facebook page.  It seems like the parents really like this and parents comment that their children have already told them all about the project we did that day.

I’ve started to use my twitter page to share out actual quotes and thoughts from the kids.  This is almost more important to me because then I can reflect on what the students are telling me they need or want each week.

Days 8, 9, and 10.

Figure out how to INCLUDE ALL KIDS.

One of the main reasons I wanted to give this talk today was to talk about including girls in technology education. Last year, during THIS conference, did you realize that every single speaker was male?  Include girls in making.  Include girls in technology. Include girls in robotics and coding and in EVERYTHING that boys are doing.  

And just buying pink duct tape is NOT what I mean.  

We had the high school robotics team visit and there was ONE girl.  Where are we losing them?

Surprisingly right now, girls are the majority in our Makers’ Club each week.

So PLEASE INCLUDE THE GIRLS!  Make an extra effort to get them in.  If one girl comes, tell her to bring two friends the next week.

But also, INCLUDE YOUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS!

INCLUDE them. 

PLEASE include them!

You will find out so many things about so many kids through this process. 

You’ll find your makers.  You’ll find the problem solvers.  

You’ll find the leaders and the followers and the kids who HATE doing projects like this, but HATE going out to recess even more.  

You’ll find the gifted kids who can’t problem solve but rock the “game of school.”  You’ll find the students who naturally help the kids with special needs.  

You’ll find the kids with special needs who stink at the “game of school” but who ROCK at making and problem solving.

But, realistically, how can you include ALL of these kids?  Well, some kids will need to come with their aides.  

And some of these kids will need a visual schedule.

And some will need to know about the project ahead of time.

You may have to put in a few extra minutes, but including ALL kids will make all the difference.

I’d like to end with MY OWN PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:

I’ll tell you a short story about one of my favorite kids on the planet.  His name is Luke.  He is funny and playful and smart and curious and empathetic (always saying “Miss Kolis, don’t be sad.” if he notices I am not over the top happy).  He’s brave and he’s amazing.

He’s in third grade, and he also happens to have autism.  He was my student for Kindergarten, first, and second grade and since then I’ve been tutoring him privately.  

He comes to Makers’ Club every. single. week.  His amazing parents talk about it with him at home the night before.  I tell him, during our Thursday night tutoring sessions, what the project is that we are making.  And one week, I needed to give him a visual timer so that he would know how many minutes were left in the club.

But, here’s the great thing about Luke.  Until he started coming to Makers’ Club, even after knowing him for 5 years now, I didn’t know that Luke cared much for other kids.  He never seemed to notice them and he certainly did not appear to care who was around.  He’s always been verbal, but he’s never necessarily been conversational about other kids without some kind of prompting.

Now?  Luke joins me for lunch before the club so we can chat about school and prep for the project.  Luke repeats “Hello everyone.  I’m waiting for the kids to come” over and over throughout the lunch.  He LOVES the other kids!  He can’t wait til they all get there! 

Every week, on Thursday, Luke asks “Makers’ Club on Friday?”  And my heart is broken if we ever have to cancel a session and I have to say no.

Luke is my proof that Makers’ Club is working.  He is the reason that I believe this club is successful.  Because every kid can get what they need from coming to our club.

Some kids need some freedom.

Some kids need to have an outlet during their week.

Some kids need to engage in the creative and problem solving process.

But some kids, like Luke, just need to be around the other kids.

And there it is, How to Start a Makers’ Club in 10 days!  You can do it too!

Please tweet me or email me if you do!

Reflections of Summer Vacation 2010

It's the night before school and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a...

Well, that's a lie.

The washing machine is running on overtime as my sister (a HS guidance counselor) and I are trying to do loads of laundry.  The dishwasher is buzzing because, well, you can't start the school year with a dirty kitchen.  The dog is on edge because he knows something is about to change.  The fridge is full of healthy lunch choices (because I vowed to stay away from the school lunch line this year).  The toenail polish is freshly drying and the meditation DVD is set and ready for a few hours from now.

It's the night before a new school year; my 8th school year as a teacher.

And I'm excited.  Or anxious.  Or excited and anxious...

I've been trying to reflect on what I've actually done this summer; laying in the sun, cleaning out the garage, reading fiction novels, doing yard work, watching reality TV shows, attending the Reform Symposium from the comfort of my own bed, visiting friends in Marblehead, walking for the Easter Seals Zoo Walk in July, walking in the Buddy Walk sponsored by the Upside of Downs of Greater Cleveland, playing with the dog, eating ice cream, building my PLN, consistently writing blog posts, learning loads of new technology that will fit nicely into my classroom, reading blogs, articles, and books about technology, web 2.0 tools, and special needs, exploring new teaching and assessment strategies, and trying to relax.

Here are my top 5 highlights from the summer of 2010:

1. I started to build a PLN.  This personal learning network is helping me to learn new things every single day.  I read their blogs.  I read their tweets.  I participate in discussions with them on Nings like the "Educator's PLN."  They are from all over the country and even the world.  And they are bringing new ideas to education every single day.  This year, on the days when I feel like my ideas are ridiculous and my beliefs about education are in the minority, I can sign on to Twitter or read these blogs, and know that I am not alone.  I can share ideas, borrow ideas, think through new strategies, and be part of a group that helps me grow.  I am so thankful to have found this world, these people, these blogs, these ideas...

2. The class swim party I had at my house was awesome.  I invited some students from past years, along with my class for the 2010-2011 school year.  In all, 10 of my students, past and present came, along with 9 of their siblings and at least 10 parents.  Our key club helpers also came, along with two of our special education aides.  My sister could not believe how many people were here!  We had so much fun!  The kids were so happy to swim and thought it was exciting to be at the "teacher's" house.  The parents got to chat, meet one another again, network with each other, see the other students, and catch up.  The new parents got to see how our classroom works and how supportive everyone is.  The principal even showed up!  It was a great night!

3.  I read two fantastic books this summer (I actually read 3, but only 2 were fantastic.)  House Rules by Jodi Picoult is one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson was also a great book, much different than my usual read, and I can't wait for the movie!  I also wrote a blog post about House Rules...

4. I taught my dog to swim. (Well, it couldn't all be school related or intellectual, could it?)

5.  Thanks to the PLN that I've been working on, I've found some awesome blogs to read that inspire me.  First, the blog written by "Teacher Tom" is just incredible.  This man has ideas that I couldn't even dream about.  Imagine how he empowers students!  Another blog, "Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning" has helped take my lesson plans for this school year to a whole new level.  While I've read hundreds of blogs this summer and added at least 20 to my Google Reader, two more worth mentioning here are "What Ed Said" and "Connected Principals."  I, finally, got my boss to read the "Connected Principals" and he even thanked me for it (although he did note that he reads only 1/10th of the blogs that I actually tell him about).

So, I didn't take any grand vacations or any wild road trips this year, but I did gain a whole lot of knowledge.

I did, indeed, spend a lot of the summer working... My plan was to keep learning and working all summer so that I won't feel so stressed during the school year...

And if this plan works, it will all be worth it.

Maybe it was all worth it anyways...

Sharing My Toys...

While I have started this blog to reach out to the professional community and attempt to build a Personal (and/or Professional) Learning Network, I had started a blog about a year ago to improve communication with the parents of the students in my class with moderate to intensive special needs (autism, Down syndrome, cognitive disabilities, genetic disorders like 2q37 Deletion syndrome, hearing impairments, etc.).  My students currently range in age from 5 to 9, grades Kindergarten through Third.  I have been able to share articles, information, reminders, photos, and more with this Classroom Blog.  I'd like to share it here:

Miss Kolis' Room 5 Blog

While I feel that our classroom blog improved parent/grandparent communication, I was also searching out an easier way to communicate websites to my students and special education aides without continuously programming them into each computer's bookmarks, writing them in the lesson plans, posting them on notes near the doorway, etc., etc.  In order to do this, I created a homepage where our students access links (on the left side of the page) and our aides access links (on the right side of the page). I'd like to share that here:

Room 5 Homepage

Lastly, I created a page of links for a series of technology classes that I taught to our district's (Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools in Brecksville, OH) teachers this summer.  I'd like to share that as well:

Teaching (and Differentiating) with Technology 2010

Please use these links as you like!

Can You Help Me With a PLN?

So I'm really getting into this whole notion of having a PLN (Personal Learning Network).  Having a PLN almost seems like a necessity now that I am truly understanding and learning and reading about it.  I was already using Twitter, Facebook, Glogster, Wordpress (http://staff.bbhcsd.org/kolism), this blog, and other tools, so why not reach out to some people and offer suggestions while taking some advice in the process?

I am pretty sure I was already doing this by following larger organizations like Autism Speaks (@autismspeaks), Mayer-Johnson (@MayerJohnson) and the Upside of Downs of Greater Cleveland (@USODNEO) on Twitter and Facebook and then reading the articles that were posted.  I was doing all the learning, but not contributing much.

What I learned is that, I can follow regular people who tweet and retweet their own blogs.  I can tweet my blog too, and hope that someone will find my messages worthy of retweeting as well.  I can keep learning about the digital tools that we can use and ask for advice and it's okay.

You see, in our district, asking other teachers for help is a weakness.  You never show this weakness.  Collaboration is almost nonexistent.  Sure, we are united for common causes.  We always pull together for charity and philanthropy.  We are friends outside of school.  We are cheerleaders for each other when something great happens.  But when it comes to your class or your students, we are closed door.  They are MY kids or YOUR kids.  It is MY room and YOUR room.  It is MY program and YOUR program.  There is certainly a minority of people who TRY to collaborate, but it is not commonly accepted.

And so, this notion of networking to become better is what I crave.  I crave this network of "strangers" to help me with ideas, to nurture what I can share with them, to understand that I can offer something without trying to boast or be any better than them.  I am so passionate about this work and want to know people who truly feel the same and want to share it.

So, here is my search for a PLN.  I'm on Twitter (@Room5Friends AND @morgank18).  I'm trying to friend lots of people and organizations.  I'm trying to stalk others' "followers" to see who I can follow with similar interests.  I joined The Educator's PLN Ning.  I invited teachers from my school and district to do the same.  And... now what?

So what are my interests?  I LOVE teaching special ed., I love kids with autism, with Down syndrome, with genetic disorders, and all kinds of special needs.  I love trying to integrate technology into the classroom.  I love trying to figure out how to integrate web 2.0 tools with special needs kids.  I love attacking 21st Century Skills for kids with special needs.  How can we get them to problem solve?  How can we get them to critical think?  (while still working on functional living skills and basic reading skills and math skills...)  I LOVE this work. (Oh yeah, and I like long walks on the beach, candle light dinners, etc., etc.)...

And again... now what?

10 Things Special Ed. Teachers Should Be Able To Do...

After reading the post What Teachers Should Be Able To Do on the "What Ed Said" blog tonight, I got to thinking...

If I made a list of 10 things that every special ed. teacher should be able to do, it would go something like this:

10. Write a legally defensible IEP using the IEP writing software provided by his/her district. (i.e. When learning the new software, do not ask, out loud, how to log in to the computer.)

9.  Give a reasonable learning objective for every activity planned throughout the course of the school day.  (Sure, you might see my student playing Wii Bowling once a month, but I have at least 5 objectives tying to his IEP objectives, developmental stages, and academic content standards that explain why.)

8.  Proofread an IEP written by someone else and ask questions/provide suggestions/find errors.

7.  Explain and/or demonstrate how he/she stays up to date or gets the latest research or information on best practices in special education.  (Can you say PLN?)

6.  Describe how your students can use at least one new piece of technology in making life/communication/ social skills/ social situations/ academics easier.

5.  Relay the relevant background information and likes/dislikes of each student on your caseload without having to look it up.

4.  Describe, demonstrate, or provide evidence of the research based strategies/ interventions/ methods used in your classroom.

3.  Describe or demonstrate assessment and data collection for each student on the caseload.

2.  Create student schedules, special education aide schedules, therapy schedules, and a personal daily schedule from the school master schedule keeping in mind the exact minutes of pull out or inclusion each student has listed on his/her IEP.  Execute and tweak that schedule.

1. Communicate with parents!  Blog, twitter, daily reports, Friday folders, progress reports, notes home, phone calls, emails, etc., etc., etc...

But yikes, this list could go on and on and on and on....