As many of us are getting ready to get a new year rolling, or are just beginning, it seemed like now could be a good time to share some of the “tips and tricks” you’ve found for establishing positive routines and good habits around using 123 in your classroom.
While every year is a little bit different, and each student group is unique, there are always things we can try to incorporate from one year to the next to help set us and our students up for success. Here are a few tips and tricks that worked for me as I introduced a new group of students to 123:
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Allotting extra time for questions and curiosities about robots. I always had a plan around using the Meet Your Robot book as an introduction, but inevitably, at the mention of ‘robots’ there were a wide variety of questions and “insights” and experiences around this topic. I learned over time not to rush through this to get to my plan, but to try to leverage this moment to gear up engagement.
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Asking questions that give all students a voice - even if they have no prior knowledge of robots. Introductory conversations can be crucial to setting the tone in a positive way for what you are going to do and learn with 123. But not all students have a “favorite robot” or even a clear mental picture of a real robot - so asking more open ended questions to gauge students’ prior knowledge can be really useful. Like instead of “What is your favorite robot?” ask “If you could design a robot, what would you want it to do?” Then you can ask the follow up question, “Do you know of any robots that do something like that?”
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Practice routines at least 2-3 times as many times as you think you need to
. I often found that JUST when I thought we ‘had it’ around a classroom routine, and I started skipping the routine recap, that was just the moment when I realized it wasn’t quite as solid as I thought. The seconds you ‘save’ by not recapping expectations for new routines is nothing compared to the time and energy saved when a routine is solidly established. -
Make rules together with students, and practice them. This one kind of goes without saying, but when students have agency over elements of their classroom, like rules for using robots, they are far more likely to remember and follow those rules. So take the time to make it a shared endeavor. Then role play scenarios to put the rules into action. The joy that comes from watching your teacher “forget” how to put away a robot is a great community builder!
What are some other pro tips that you have found that you want to remind yourself of, or share with other 123 teachers? I’ll tag a few people to try to get the ball rolling - @Laura_Mackay @James_Nesbitt @Desiree_White-Price @Anna_Blake
