On teaching cool…
Some twitter folks may of followed bits of this scenario if they had been on twitter at all yesterday. If not, try to follow along. Here is how it started…
In that third tweet, I shouldn’t have used the typical teacher talk to refer to the classroom conversation as a ‘lesson’. For this post I will save you the details about the ‘conversation’/'learning experience’/'time together’, but I suspect bits and pieces will come out as I share my perspective.
Anyway, this tweet triggered a few replies. Through the early evening, we threw a few tweets back and forth. Eventually, I picked up a short conversation with @mindelei (that is the only name I know know her by.) As a brand new teacher, I like following and tweeting with Mindelei, because she is a pre-service teacher and writes well. We shared meaningful discussion and questioning on teaching about the ‘idea of cool’.
I claimed that it is important to discuss ‘cool’ with students. That everyone has their own unique sense of ‘cool’. Referring to the students, I tweeted about coolness as part of one’s ’self’. Everyone is cool in some way. I tweeted about modeling ‘cool’ and that students are shown many examples when we teach about hero’s, share best practices and point out ‘cool’ acts.
I wrote that, too often ‘cool’ equates with ‘popular’ and that is false. Coolness is not about social hierarchy at all. It is about strong values/morals/ethics, neat interests, talents, being real. To me it is about being calm, collected and with ‘it’. Again, this is my perception of the concept, if you don’t agree please share. I know this is not the general perception of cool.
Mindelei and I ended up seeing eye-to-eye, I think, and we concluded that the debate we were having was moot as it was hinging on semantics. I have invited her to follow this blog post to discuss further, if she wants.
Whoohoo, success. Learning is awesome! Thanks for making the connection between us Twitter! That is what these social tools are about.
But wait… it is not over.
I came across another recent follower that had a perspective to share. Unfortunately, he was critical of our discussion and tweeted without the @thekyleguy pre-fix to notify me of his issue with the discussion. I was taken back by these public tweets as they insulted my character and incited some further reflection. After a hike to clear my mind, I decided that blogging this to wider forum would create a learning experience. Bringing this issue to light here, ignites the topic of practicing digital citizenship and courtesy. I will share this followers’ perspective and subsequent questions that I am left with.
(Update: Chad admitted he may of mis-understood the discussion tweets and apologized through direct message this morning. I have accepted his apology but feel as though this scenario raises too many valuable topics that do not get discussed enough.)
I have copied & pasted a screenshot of Chad’s tweets from last night. Start with the tweet at the bottom.
Please, keep in mind these tweets on their own are out of context. We don’t know which which part of the discussion @cbrannon started reading my tweets. I want to learn more from this. We need to discuss further. As a sub, I want to learn about being a ‘real’ teacher. Assist me with these issues so I can carry myself better when I enter the classroom and the staffroom.
Often twitter is described as a large virtual staffroom where teachers from all over the world gather to share resources and talk. The problem here is that these patronizing tweets were shouted without direction to the whole staffroom, rather than being whispered about privately as they would likely be in a real staffroom. I come to the virtual staffroom to reflect upon and to question teaching practice and pedagogy, both my own and that of others whom I learn from.
I welcome criticism and questioning of my idea’s and thoughts, in fact I am always calling for honesty and feedback. Usually, I defend my stance or learn from the questioning perspective. In this instance, I don’t feel as though I need to defend myself against Chad’s tweets because we have determined that he mis-understood the discussion. I am, however, interested in the definition of ‘real’ teacher, the manner with which this issue has been raised, and thoughts on discussing the idea of ‘cool’ with students.
<INSERT THEME MUSIC>
Readers, I now pose the hard questions to you.
Is being ‘cool’ important to students?
Should ‘real’ teachers and students talk about the ‘idea of cool’?
Why hasn’t @cbrannon heard ‘real’ teachers talking about it?
Do you talk to kids about being cool, about bringing out their passions?
Isn’t this opportunity for authentic learning experiences?
Are substitutes, ‘real teachers’?
What is your idea of ‘cool’?
and on a personal note, do I come off as an “expert without experience”?
*You can follow all of my twitter conversations in my archive.
Kyle (the_kyle_guy),
You keep right on doing what you are doing. When you step into that classroom, with those students, it doesn’t matter whether it is your first day or your last day before retirement, you are a “real” teacher. Now to the subject of “coolness”. I taught for 15 years in large urban board in Alberta and served another 4 as a district math/edtech consultant, so I’ve seen the front-line a time or two. This is one of those tricky subjects that few talk about because it is so ephemeral. This does not mean that it is not important. I think you were very close with the question about bringing out students passions. The word “cool” doesn’t really have to enter into the vocabulary, it will be understood. What is most important is being being genuinely interested in your students as people, being open, and honest and not afraid to laugh at yourself, or make the odd mistake. You can’t really “try” to be cool, students will spot that creepy tree-house approach a mile away, it will come about as trust levels build. Some may say that coolness is unimportant in classroom interactions. I beg to differ. I offer into evidence a snippet of conversation from a Facebook comment I ran across. (the names will be changed to protect the innocent)
The following is about the 12th comment in a chain of comments related to a particular teachers IB social class. Essentially the entire comment stream was a tribute to the coolness of this particular teacher, and as a former colleague of his, I would agree he is one cool cat.
Student D :We are so incredibly lucky to have had this class. Like I said to J, from what I can tell in my University classes, most people didn’t get half the Social Studies education we did. I don’t think I’ll ever have a better class in terms of how much I learned, and how much fun I had (and with almost no homework or tests! How does he do it?!?). Best class ever.
Wow, sorry to get all sentimental there. Mr.S would make fun of me so bad if he knew I was writing shit like that about his class, but he knows it’s true!
I couldn’t resist adding a comment ( I taught most of the same students in a different subject)
Me:Until Mr. S gets a facebook account, I’d be happy to make fun of you D;( in his stead…although I probably won’t do as good a job of making fun of you as Mr. S would…….sigh..). I have sent an extra large box of Kleenex (Triple Ply Extra strong, but oh so soft.) by Fedex so that you can wipe away the tears. I have also ordered a small Keg of wonderful “Dopplebock” from the Abbey brewery at Weihenstephan. This is a strong, rich colorful brew that is just the thing for those sentimental moments; its okay to cry if you are drinking a 12% classic dopplebock. Very filling as well, just in case you do not feel up to eating much. Lastly, I am in the process of tracking down some classic Oompah music to put into a podcast for you to play after a couple of mugs of dopplebock. (Lederhosen optional) I think that should about cover it, but if you can think of anything else to make the moment more special, don’t hesitate to ask.
And finally, the response from student D:
Ha ha ha ha! Wow, Mr. M, that is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Wow. You own Facebook, dude. Own it.
I think the fact that conversations like this can occur even when students are in the next phase of their lives is cool.
Kyle,
First, let me say that I admire your willingness to ‘learn publicly’. In publicly sharing the tweet story, I have to admit it made me cringe a bit… It’s well known that text can easily be taken out of context, and the fact that a conversation of 140 characters at a time can cause such distress is both disturbing and enlightening.
With the first 10 of my 20 years in education spent with 12 and 13 year olds, I know that the topic of ‘teaching cool’, is definitely part of the unwritten curriculum. Teaching students to respect the individuality of their peers, and to respect their own uniqueness, is something that is especially critical to the emotional well-being of teens and tweens.
I know that in my earliest years, it was easier for me to be seen as ‘cool’ as I was more readily acquainted with the culture of the youths in my classroom. We consumed similar media, from music to movies to television… and in a sense shared the world of the popular or cool. While being youthful was helpful in making connections with students early in my career, it was the open valuing of their individuality that most helped me form to forge effective learning relationships. (I recently podcasted about this ‘fourth ‘R’ in case you have 7 minutes to spare: http://thecleversheep.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=343593)
Knowing that today’s job marked for teachers in Canada is extremely challenging, with declining enrollments plaguing most areas of the country, I sincerely hope that spaces come open for educators who are still willing to learn and to recognize that they don’t have, and don’t have to have, all of the answers. I think that’s ‘cool’!
Interesting. I too was a substitute for many years. I spent three years subbing K-12 just to find my niche with kids. This still is one of the best learning experiences of my career.
At my school we have a great character education program where we discuss everything including how to act around others and how to treat self and peers. I treat all “teachable moments” as valuable and talk about anything and everything in my classroom.
My misuderstanding was that I thought Kyle was worried about being cool. Clearly, off base and not following all of the twitter banter! I don’t know of any good teachers “real” or not that worry about being cool in the classroom.
How do I define “real” teacher? One who does it day in and day out…basically, one who has to worry about the direction of the school, curriculum, the whole child and more. A sub usually does not go to meetings and contribute to the creative process of the direction of the school. There are many teachers at my school that are there everyday that don’t care about kids or the school. With that said, many of our subs do a better job than some of the “real” teachers.
No, you do not come off as an “expert without experience”. That was me expressing frustration with the amplitude of twitts that are in the education field that haven’t taught in years or have never taught.
I teach middle school and it is all about being cool there…the smart and more mature kids get it!
I really enjoyed our discussion on twitter! I was taken aback by @cbrannon’s comments as well. However, I think that we’ve all ironed that out at this point. I would think that students self-reflections would be a rather popular discussion amongst those who are already in the field. In all honesty, I find it surprising that that may not actually be the case. I’m sure we’ll continue this conversation on and off as time goes on.
[...] new things to read! I love it! Gobble gobble! And then I stumbled on our class online moderator, Kyle’s blog where he recounts an online tiff that has raised some questions for him. It got me thinking about [...]
Hi Kyle! I think you have brought up a valid point in the beginnings of the teaching profession.
I believe that the idea of “cool” is especially important to students, especially grade 8 students. What you initiated as a substitute was an important conversation. I believe that it is easy to overlook what is important to younger age groups because we do not view it as important. Now, I haven’t taught in a grade 8 classroom yet, but I have done a lot of work with students of that age range. I think you were taking an opportunity for students to learn authentically.
It is those kinds of conversations that students remember, it is those experiences. I can see from your explanation that what happened was taken out of context. But I think what happened when you were the sub of that classroom is great. Self assurance is something students that age crave, whether they demonstrate it or not.
Trevor,
Cool becomes understood as one matures and observes within their world. Would you agree that having these type of conversations/moments depend upon infinite variables; age, time, place. I am at a point where I avoid the treehouse as much as the students, our conversation was authentic. I agree that always referring to the concept would become tedious and lame. Real conversations are important and I am glad you shared yours.
Rodd,
You have contributed articulate insight. While writing this post I was cognizant of the cringe effect, even slept on the first draft in order to review perspective and word choice. I truly attempt to write with honesty and integrity. If you would like to share specific points of cringe factor I am all ears. Shoot me a DM or skype.
Cool is part of the unwritten curriculum is not really something that can be captured. It has to be organic. I value your points about respecting our uniqueness. I am of the perspective that unique traits should be celebrated as well.
and I concur with this.
“I sincerely hope that spaces come open for educators who are still willing to learn and to recognize that they don’t have, and don’t have to have, all of the answers. I think that’s ‘cool’!”
Looking forward to the podcast! Thank you.
Chad,
thank you for sharing your perspective and clarifying. I have not subbed for very long but am surely learning from the excitement. The experience seems like an adventure as I visit classrooms with little background of situations & never really knowing what to expect around the corner. Relationships with students are short and initial authority is of lesser value than the regular teacher. Teachers in the typical classrooms do have additional responsibilities and different challenges to contend with. Again, it is in the context, the adjective “real” can mean so much.
Perhaps there are concepts within your character ed program that would be valuable to teachers everywhere. Would love if you would share more about it sometime.
I agree the smart and more mature students often get it. It still remains an elusive concept that concerns all students. In my eventual classroom I hope to talk about tough concepts. Conversations incite learning and exploration and reflection.
Thank you for challenging my perception. I appreciate that you have taken the time to acknowledge this.
Mindelei,
Thank you for challenging my thinking on this. It was important in my self evaluation and reflection of the experience. Tweeting about it was the first step, continuing the discussion is what makes changes.
Lindsay,
Your response strengthened my thinking on this. I agree that self assurance is something that makes people feel better. It was a short chat but I think it left an impression with them. I am interested in going back to that class, really a great group.
Hi Kyle,
Though I don’t profess to have experience in the middle school to high school years, I do agree with your definition of ‘cool’:
“I wrote that, too often ‘cool’ equates with ‘popular’ and that is false. Coolness is not about social hierarchy at all. It is about strong values/morals/ethics, neat interests, talents, being real. To me it is about being calm, collected and with ‘it’.”
I believe that being cool, as you have defined it, is strongly linked to positive self-esteem. As a family literacy educator and pre-service Arts Education teacher I work with parents and small children (birth to 10). Based on my experience and knowledge, individuals are not born with good self-esteem, but rather it is created and supported through various ways as they grow.
Coolness is not just an issue in middle years or high school either. I’ve met Kindergarten students who are concerned with being ‘cool’ or othewise being popular. As parents, teachers, and concerned adults in their lives, I believe that we have the opportunity to redefine cool so that it highlights the best of the individual rather than the popularity of the group.
As for the definition of ‘real’ teacher, I believe that when we have something constructive to offer another person, we become a ‘teacher’. It is the presentation, facilitation, opportunity, and potential that creates the teachable moments.
Thank you for the presentation of this informtion, facilitating the discussion, providing the opportunity for myself and many others to reflect and build on our own definitions, and the potential to become better teachers.
Have a glorious day.
Is being ‘cool’ important to students?
Most.
Should ‘real’ teachers and students talk about the ‘idea of cool’?
I think for most kids, being cool is about not “losing face.” It should not be in such a negative context, but often is.
Why hasn’t @cbrannon heard ‘real’ teachers talking about it?
Don’t know her. Real teachers? I thought we all were. I find those teachers that engage the students talk about a variety of subjects, cool being one of them. Some just get through the content, sadly.
Do you talk to kids about being cool, about bringing out their passions?
Not in the context of “cool”, don’t like the word. Prefer, self esteem and self worth. Again, in then cases I have seen, it takes time to “unlearn” the “cool” perception.
Isn’t this opportunity for authentic learning experiences?
Discussions on anything to do withthe self, perceptions and interactions, are authentic in my view.
Are substitutes, ‘real teachers’?
If in real you mean flexible, talented, adaptable and valuable, yes!
What is your idea of ‘cool’?
Being me, encouraging others, saying what I think and respecting others….engagement of kids on their level!
and on a personal note, do I come off as an “expert without experience”?
No, you are reflective which will gain with experience.
I am so glad I stumbled upon this feed, it has been inciteful and something that I’ve thought about off and on for many years.
Thinking back to my days in both high school and elementary school, there are still teachers who stand out as the “cool” ones. I remember trying to define what made them “cool” before, and I never could do it… still might be be able to do it now. These teachers made me want to come to class every day with all of my energy focused on soaking as much as I could out of their experiences. Ages were unimportant, as a few people have noted, it was the experiences that each teacher brought to their classes which made them “cool.”
I think Tam nailed it when she said that being cool is “strongly linked to positive self-esteem.” Having good self-esteem tends to make a person more charismatic; charismatic people tend to draw interested audiences; interested audiences tend to walk away satisfied. I would much rather learn from a person, be it a teacher, student, or colleague who brings his/her real life to the table, unafraid of the judgements that will stem from those experiences, than a person who keeps a thick wall up between him/herself and the audience the speaker wishes to reach.
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