So here’s the scene.

I tell the kids to clear off their tables and get out, oh maybe a piece of paper and a perhaps a writing utensil of their choice. “I’m not sure what you’ll want.”

The vaguenesss causes them to tilt their heads at odd angles at me.

I tell them I want them to read the statement on the board as I write it and then simply do it. I write it slowly….
(At the beginning of class, one of their I can statements they write in their conversation calendar is the following: “I can TOTB during a class activity.” I don’t tell them before we start that this is the goal of the lesson…)

And here’s what the classroom looks like and sounds like for the next two – three minutes. #awkward #sleepinducing #soINsidethebox

We looked back at the phrase on the board at the end of class. It hadn’t changed….so what had?

We looked at the room. It had changed.
We reflected on their energy and enthusiasm level. It had changed.
We reflected on their creativity. It had changed.

The kids loved this way of thinking and viewing the world. Endless possibilities. Individual expression and creation. Option for teamwork and collaboration. Compliance keeps kids inside the box. We must open the box lid and let kids know we want them to jump outside of it and explore the world….and we must jump with them as lead learners. 🙂