More Than Meets the Eye

Over the last few weeks, parent volunteers engaged our students in a series of "invisible disability" awareness experiences sponsored by the Tri-Town Council's DASH (Disability Awareness Starts Here) program, including bringing in a special guest on Thursday at a fourth-grade assembly.  

In simple terms, an invisible disability is a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities.   - Invisible Disabilities Association

Through these immersive experiences, students' misunderstandings, false perceptions, and judgments shifted into opportunities for understanding, acceptance, tolerance, communication, and support. In other words, EMPATHY. This week's guest bloggers took some time to reflect on their eye-opening experiences. Here's what they had to say. #kidsbrimmingwithempathy 

Having an invisible disability is really just having a special ability. People with invisible disabilities can grow up to be very successful people, so never, ever judge a book by its cover.   - Kiwi222

People with invisible disabilties can look just like you but when you look closer, they are different in some ways, too. It is important to support someone with an invisible disability. If you know someone with one, you could ask them if they needed any help with reading. Little things like that can help a lot.    - Pineapple

If someone in my class had dyslexia, I would help them learn to read by breaking the words up for them. In writing, I would help them spell the word. In math, I would help them and teach them strategies.     - Galaxy

I learned that it's very frustrating to do some of the things that people with invisible disabilities have to do. Someone might seem "different" but really, they're just unique. Some people I know that have an invisible disability are some of the nicest people I know.   - PickleKitty

One way we can help someone with an invisible disability is we could ask them if they need help with anything that will help them do something better. We could also compliment something that they are doing well to encourage them.   - Wolverine12

It's helpful to learn about invisible disablities because people who don't have one don't know what it's like to have one. I think it would be really frustrating to have dyslexia because you would probably have trouble reading assignments and getting work done.   - Cheeto111

Some ways we can support someone with an invisible disability is to be kind and not make fun of them. We can actually stand up for them and encourage them to keep going when they want to give up.     - Soccer1234

I can support people with invisible disabilties by protecting them from other kids who don't really understand what it might be like. People with invisible disabilities can do a of things, so we just need to help them with the stuff they don't know or understand.    - Flash4

It is helpful to learn about invisible disabilities so that you can help people with them. For example, if someone had ADHD, it might be helpful to be quiet and not distracting because they have to work extra hard to stay focused. If you are someone with an invisible disability, you are really special and super smart. You might even be smarter than everyone else.   - Koala333

Learning about invisible disabilities is important so that you understand the reason why someone might be acting a certain way. Some people call them disabilities but in The Hive, we call them special abilities because they think differently and that's what makes them special.    - Horse321

"Since 1994, the DASH Program has been bringing Tri-Town parents, teachers, and students together through an innovative sensitivity awareness experience. With a focus on abilities, not disabilities, DASH teaches children to value their differences while encouraging mutual respect and fostering friendships without fear." - TTC.   

Deeper Learning With Hexagonal Thinking

Speaking of hives, honeycombs, and hexagons... 

Teachers get so excited when they discover new frameworks for discussion and critical thinking. When we recently stumbled upon the hexagonal thinking framework, we immediately recognized the potential it had to get our students thinking deeper about their learning and we knew we just had to find an opportunity to give it a try. 

Hexagonal thinking is a flexible, tactile approach to getting students thinking about connections they might never otherwise make, while making a conceptual understanding of ideas visible. Here's the gist. In small groups, students are provided with a set of hexagonal tiles, each tile containing different ideas or words written on them, which they work collaboratively to arrange so that related tiles are next to each other - essentially building a web of connections. This strategy is designed to get students engaged in discussion and negotiation of the tile placements. As they move the tiles around, it prompts them to consider connections that they hadn't previously discovered. This approach challenges students to demonstrate higher levels of understanding by explaining the relationships between ideas using evidence. 

Our first go-around with this experience was related to North America's geography. We saw some groups of students making deep connections to their learning and asking each other relevant and meaningful questions during their discoveries, while others seemed to struggle with the abstract. In a debrief, we shared our community experience and discussed ways to make this type of thinking work even better. Regardless of the successes or failures experienced, we all agreed that hexagonal thinking has the potential to be a very powerful thinking tool and we need the opportunity to try it again with more scaffolds in place to help ignite connections and get students thinking critically. This week's guest bloggers reflect on their experience with this. Enjoy. 

During the hexagonal thinking activity, I enjoyed making connections. I got really into finding ways to connect the words and ideas. It was sometimes challenging, but learning is not fun without a challenge.     - @WowWriter

Hexagonal thinking helped me make deeper connections to what I was learning about by talking it out with my classmates.    - @WaterBottle1

My group could have been better at communicating during the hexagonal thinking activity. We could have been better at listening to each other and letting each other share their ideas. In the long haul, you should listen and respect everyone's ideas. By doing that, you will be a better human being.   - @Pineapple

The hexagonal thinking activity helped me understand that Mexico is not just a tropical place but a tropical place with a lot of interesting history! I enjoyed making connections with the words.       - @Venom

My group did not do well with the hexagonal thinking activity. I think if we had let other people share their ideas and let other people build on them, we would have been more successful. We were kind of stuck.     - @Cheeto111

My group started out not working really well together, but we eventually worked it out and then it started to feel more like a team. Doing the hexagonal thinking activity helped me get a deeper understanding about the geography of Mexico.     - @PickleKitty

What I enjoyed most about the hexagonal thinking activity is that we could connect one idea to another. This made learning about Mexico more interesting and enjoyable.     - @Blocky

The hexagonal thinking activity helped me better understand Mexico because when we were putting connecting words, I was understanding more and more about the country.      - @Giraffe

What I enjoyed about the hexagonal thinking activity is that we were thinking hard and we were fixing our mistakes. The best part was working together and collaborating.      - @Flash4

I enjoyed seeing how other people were thinking because it get you some ideas and you give some. The hexagonal thinking activity helped me understand more about the country I chose.     - @recycle14

I think we could have done better by letting others think and share their ideas. We were just taking apart our own ideas and not caring about other people's ideas.    - @Swagger-25

What I enjoyed most about the hexagonal thinking activity was working with a group. I enjoy working in groups because you can share and learn from your group members.     - @Strawberry

A couple of things that I enjoyed about the hexagonal thinking activity is that it showed how other people think about what we are learning about and that you needed to have good teamwork and collaboration to make it work. My team worked well and understood each other. It was like we were sharing the same mind.     - @Wolverine12

My group had a fun time working on making connections in the hexagonal thinking activity. There was no chance that this was a boring activity.    - @NonCat

The hexagonal thinking activity helped me understand the country I was learning about because we made simple connections and it made us remember some things that we already knew and could relate to. This activity definitely helped me better understand the country I was learning about.    - @TheBeeGuy101

I think my group didn't do their best. I felt like not everyone was focused and we could have compromised and listened more. Also, when someone disagrees, we should at least try to see if their idea works instead of saying 'no'.  - @EarthySmurf

If I'm being completely honest, our group was not very successful. I'm saying this because my team wasn't good at listening to what others had to say. I felt frustrated and others may have been feeling this, too.  It would have gone better if everyone was open to listening.    - @Ham

During the hexagonal thinking activity, I enjoyed making connections. I also liked working as a team. It felt like I was putting my head on the table. I like seeing how other people make connections.    - @GoatLover

Nurturing a Strong Community

At the heart of every classroom are the trusting and caring relationships that are nurtured within it.  As teachers, we strive to create safe learning spaces where students feel comfortable learning and growing and where they feel valued and a sense of belonging. Classroom community meetings go a long way in achieving this. 

Beginning our day with a morning meeting routine helps students feel welcomed, relaxed, confident, and ready to learn. Similarly, ending our day with an closing circle allows a learning community to reflect on the day's experiences and to take the time for special shout-outs, to share positive experiences with one another, and to discuss opportunities for optimal personal and academic growth. These meetings provide opportunities for students to interact and make connections with their diverse group of peers, to actively listen to others and learn about each others’ lives and perspectives, and to practice empathy and problem-solving. It's these small but deeply meaningful experiences that foster a strong sense of community and facilitate positive student learning outcomes (academic, social, and emotional).

This week's guest bloggers reflect on their community meeting experiences. Enjoy.

NOTE: the "honeycomb' as the kids call it, is our community gathering spot in The Hive. 

I feel like I can share my feelings in the honeycomb and I feel safe. It feels better to share instead of keeping it inside my head. I feel like The Hive is my safe zone.   - @Horse321

Our classroom meetings are helping us be a stronger community. We could still be doing some things better though, like when someone is alone at recess, we could invite them to join our groups. Also, when we're sitting at our lunch tables, we could try to have conversations with new people. If we try to include others all the time, it will be fun. Trust me!    - @Koala333

I think our classroom meetings help us to share how were are feeling. I love hearing about how other people are feeling, too. When I share my feelings, it makes me feel good and I have good feelings all day.   - @Dream

The morning meetings that we have feel like a first confession that I would have at church. It feels good getting something off your chest. I feel like I can trust sharing my feelings in this space. I feel like I can share things I don't normally share with people and that I can trust my classmates and teachers with the stories I tell.    - @Elizabeth-Schuyler

Our morning meeting helps me feel like I'm a part of an important community because nobody ignores me when I talk and I feel like people really do care about what I have to say. I just feel like I'm not left out. But most of all it feels like this big huge family that cares. That's THE HIVE.   - @Cheesy

I think the effect of doing our morning meetings and afternoon circles will make us more likely to sit next to people that we don't normally sit next to. Sharing about our day with each other is very calming and it's a great way to have an open mind and think about things differently. An open mind is the only kind. This is the best way to start and end our day!   - @TheBeeGuy101

I think that the morning meeting helps me feel calm and makes me feel like I'm friends with everybody. I feel like it's a good way to start my day, especially when I have a hard time getting ready for school in the morning.   - @G-Money

I really like having our morning and afternoon meetings. Other conversations that we could have during these meetings could be about what could have happened during the day or what we wanted to happen. More conversation leads to more sharing of our feelings.    - @Chickadee

I am hoping that our morning and afternoon meetings will encourage people to continue working on being polite and calm. I hope that these meets continue to be just as nice and pleasant as they are now.   - @Honey

When we do our classroom gatherings and people share, it helps me be less shy. Also, it helps me start and end my day on a good note.    - @Blocky

The morning meetings that we are doing really help me slow down my day and that's a good thing. It also shows a calm result to the end of the day. In the mornings I can get really stressed about whether or not I'll miss the bus and if I'll remember to bring my homework or something like that. Our meetings make me realize that lots of people care and feel a similar way as I do. It helps me feel like I am not lost in my emotions.   - @EarthySmurf

Our morning meetings help me feel like I'm in an important community. The fact that others are sharing their feelings, thoughts, and shout-outs makes me feel like I can tell anyone anything. To me, that is really important. When people share these things, we become closer friends and classmates.    - @Ham

During our afternoon circle, I want us to give each other lots of compliments. In our morning meeting, I like that we greet each other. These meetings make kids feel good and included.    - @Flash4

Our class meetings make me feel important in The Hive because I know that I'm listening to my classmates and that they are listening to me.   - @Pickle03

I think our morning meetings are very calming and they help us to lift each other's spirits. Our afternoon circle ends our days with a joyful heart. These meetings change our thinking about how we can make a good day into a great day.   - @Wolverine12

Our community meetings are important because we get to share our ideas and tell each other what we are thinking. It's good to slow down and go one at a time and be silent while each person is sharing. When others share and encourage others to share it makes me feel more comfortable sharing. It makes me want to encourage others to speak, too.    - @Kiwi22

Our morning meetings help me feel like I am important in my community. When everyone gets to participate it feels good and it makes people feel included. If everybody felt that way all the time, then BA-DA-BING! We'd have the strongest community ever!    - @M&M

Whether you feel like you've gotten up on the "wrong side of the bed" or you are stressed about something in your life, when you come into The Hive, that all goes away. It is amazing that just making eye contact with your teachers and classmates can make you feel needed or loved. It makes you feel happy sitting next to someone that you've never sat next to or just saying "hi" or "hello". It's the same feeling you get when you do a good deed. All that from just a simple "hi". It may not seem like a big thing, but it's a fantastic way to start and end your day.   - @Pineapple