Last Friday, I hooded my first doctoral student, Dr. Kristiaan Rawlings! Dr. Rawlings is an amazing student and teacher, his dissertation was called “Collaborative Writing: Applying the Building Thinking Classrooms Approach to the English Language Arts Curriculum.”
Collaborative work has become a hallmark of promoted practices in secondary education, with techniques ranging from project-based learning to students learning through productive struggle. A collaborative math instructional strategy, Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), has also gained prominence in classrooms nationwide. The following qualitative study reveals insights into the BTC approach when adapted for middle school English Language Arts (ELA) students. Six students, including English Learners, participated in semi-structured interviews for this research work. One teacher-researcher, in consultation with a curriculum consultant, department chair, and school administrators, administered the study by modifying two sections of seventh-grade Honors (high ability) ELA and one section of eighth-grade General ELA classes to fit the tenets of the BTC approach. The researcher analyzed the study using heuristic inquiry, and examined the interviews with portraiture as the qualitative research method.
Or, ChatGPT’s version for a 1st grader:
This paper is about a teacher who tried a fun new way to help middle school kids, including kids learning English, get better at writing. Instead of writing all alone, the kids worked in small groups every day and used big whiteboards to share ideas and write together. The teacher wanted to see if this helped them learn more and feel more excited about school. After trying it for a whole year, many kids said they liked working with others and felt more confident. Some kids even got better at reading and writing, and they felt proud that their different languages and cultures were included in the lessons.
Pictures?
Pictures, you might ask? Well, I had some fun with AI creating versions of graduation pictures…and what I found deserves its own post. But for now, here’s some that I created. Stay tuned for more!
