Mr. Downs’ Student-to-Student MGCs

Dear colleague,

It's that time of year when I share some special things that have come into my mailbox over the course of the school year. Last time, we looked at Mandy from Brooklyn's use of the Five Key Beliefs as a guide during a hard transition. This time, we'll look at Mr. Gordon Downs from Missouri's efforts to apply Tracking Moments of Genuine Connection (Strategy #1 in The Will to Learn) to student-to-student connections.

This is what I heard from Alicia Fessenden, who leads a school I've been partnered with this school year.

Here's Alicia:

Hi Dave,

I wanted to share what a teacher is doing in his classroom. Mr. Downs is one of our 7th grade social studies teachers and he is having students track MGCs with other students.

He started it out like ice breakers for students to get to know each other and is attempting for every student to have several MGCs with each student in their class.

I thought this was a cool way to help students understand the importance of valuing, respecting, and seeing their classmates.

And here is Mr. Downs elaborating on what he did:

I started having students interview classmates several years ago. I haven't been as consistent lately as I used to be. I give each student a class roster. Typically, I give my students a small break (around 2 minutes) in the middle of the class period. If I announce “Your Break”, they may talk about whatever, with whomever. If I announce “My Break”, they have to find someone that they have not interviewed yet and ask them “pre-determined” questions.

Some of my goals were:

• Learning to look someone in the eye (that you may or may not know) and have a conversation with them.
• Learning to really listen and not simply wait for your turn to speak
• That no student could go through the year without someone talking to them.
• That maybe, just maybe some of them might make new friends.

Some of the students are already “well polished” in the art of conversation, some need practice.

When I taught 6th grade, it usually followed a predictable pattern. Students would start with interviewing their friends. Then the boys would interview other boys that they didn't know very well and girls would do the same. Finally, boys would have to interview girls and vice versa. Those interviews were generally a little more awkward (and amusing) with the girls consistently taking the lead in the conversations while most boys would be looking down at their own feet.

And here is a tracker Mr. Downs has his students use:

My Two Favorite Things About This Colleague's Work

I have two favorite things about what Mr. Downs is doing:

1. That picture of a teacher saying “My break” and students knowing what to do and getting after knowing one another.
2. The fact that this is Mr. Downs' final year in education, as he will enter retirement this summer. What a wonderful example to all of us of finishing one's career with strength and purpose.

Sharing in case it helps someone else!

Teaching right beside you,

DSJR