When we met for our post-observation on October 31st, Principal J and Kim explained to us that we were going to participate in an activity called a Microlab. We were split up into groups of 3s and each given a number (1, 2, or 3). Then either Principal J or Kim asked the whole class a question and picked a number to decide who, in each group, would answer the question first. The rules of the Microlab states that only one person can speak during a timed period. When the time is up the individual with the next sequential number takes their turn to answer the question, and so on and so on until everyone in the group has had a turn to respond. The intention of the Microlab is to get other members of the group to actively listen, without interruptions. This allows participating individuals to focus on and absorb each group members' response. It is an activity that allows even timid students to participate and contribute to the conversation, in a low stakes environment, where there are no wrong answers. It also gives participants extra time to think about the question before answering.
The following week we were accompanied to District C by PE/ Health Education students. During our pre-observation meeting we participated in a protocol that my class had already been introduced to back in September, called Connections: (For an in-depth explanation of this protocol see my September 30th blog post.) What differed this time from our previous experience was the size of the group participating in the activity. In our last session, because our class is so small, I feel there was more pressure to participate. By the end of the timed session everyone in our small group had contributed at least once. However, this time the number of people participating in the activity was tripled and many chose to remain silent.
This recent experience with Connections got me thinking about different ways to utilize protocol activities in a classroom setting, probably because our guests made the group closer in number to an actual classroom size. I had already envisioned using Connections as a beginning of class "transition time" activity but that's as far as I had gotten. Now I found myself thinking of a number the different ways to use these protocols:
- To introduce class content/ topics as a prior knowledge activity.
- To informally quiz students' understanding of previously covered material as a lesson review activity.
- To alleviate the pressure of participating for struggling students, who could participate in these activities: by "actively listen" to their classmates responses; and/ or by utilizing the extra "think time" provided to formulate their response.
- As a way to initiate conversation about behavioral issues or conflicts between students, in such a way that classmates must listen to one anothers' emotions, feelings, and/ or concerns without fear of rebuttal or confrontation.
Whether it be a Microlab or a Connections session, my experiences with protocols thus far has definitely made me agree with a statement Dr. H made on our bus ride back to RIC after our Microlab session, "I love Protocols."
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