Teaching to Strengths (Trauma-Informed Teaching)- a book-summary sketchnote

“Half the students in U.S. schools are experiencing or have experienced trauma, violence, or chronic stress.” – Teaching To Strengths (Zacarian, Alvarez-Ortiz, Haynes) That statistic came from a national study in 2012. Fast forward 8 years to mid-March 2020… and let’s update that statistic: “ALL students (and teachers) are currently experiencing trauma, and possibly chronic stress.” Welcome to life in a global pandemic. The book, Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress, cannot be more appropriate for a back to school year. The text starts out with the foundations of strengths-based (vs. deficit based) teaching theory, and breaks down key criteria for setting up not only your classroom, but creating a school community that fosters a strengths-based approach. Some major categories explored in the video:

Preparing for working with diverse learners
Creating a strengths-based learning environment
Scaffolding student-to-student relationships
Fostering family/guardian engagement

Want to learn more? Click the links below!

Slide Deck used in the video

PDF of Sketchnote Summary

Behind the Curtain… how was it made? Welcome to “hopefully” a new series of blog posts I’ll be sharing that go behind the scenes and look at the process, obstacles, and aha’s as I “learn in public”. I intend to use this space to hold myself accountable to sharing my new learning as I go, rather than only posting after the final product (so that you can see more of the raw trials and revisions, not just the select few I feel are “ready” for publishing. As a #recoveringperfectionist, this has been a New Year’s Resolution for some time now, but it’s all about action, not intent. So here it is… the first behind the scenes look!

1- Read

First I skim the book, making note of the table of contents and what’s to come. This makes for a sort of “mental filing cabinet” by knowing how the book is organized and what to look for in terms of major content and subtopics. It is easy to dive “too deep” by over highlighting and annotating so sometimes I intentionally skim first then dive deeper on a 2nd read.

2- Summarize

A technique I used to teach my 4th grade students to help with recall was to put a post-it on the first page of each new chapter BEFORE reading the book. This intentionally slowed them down from speed reading without taking time to process what they just read. So post-it served 1. as a physical barrier from starting the next chapter, and 2. as a small space to capture a few main ideas while it was fresh in their mind. When I know I am reading a book with the purpose of sharing the main ideas with others, I tend to use this post-it summarizing trick to help keep a record of the main ideas since it typically takes me a few weeks (or months!) to read through teacher texts such as this one.

3- Synthesize

Next, I take those chapter summary post-it’s and scan for major categories or main ideas. For this sketchnote, I opted for that WHY-WHAT-HOW categories in order to summarize the founding research and principles (“start with why”) then invest the majority (top half of the Sketchnote) on the how… the practical ideas and takeaways. This stage is when I often thank myself for taking the time to do those chapter summaries. I often look back to the text for quotes/details, not main ideas since I already documented them.

4- Conceptualize

This is where YOU shine in this process. Anyone can do a basic summary. Anyone can read and outline a text, but your creativity, your organization, and your icons/fonts/flair (if you’re sketchnoting) is where the true personality shows. Deciding how to conceptualize an entire multi-hundred page text in a “one page” sketch is difficult. You have to take an Essentialist approach in identifying the key gems and cut out the extras. For this sketch, I opted to take Doug Neill’s recommendation and try out the app, Concepts. I learned it in my Digital Sketchnoting online course and decided to try it out after learning about the “infinite canvas” ability that allows you to keep sketching in any direction. Usually I have to intentionally sketch within the confines of a page, and have to be intentional about size/layout so I don’t run out of space. This mind mapping app actually allowed me more flexibility, and I opted to start in the center and branch out in more of a radial approach. You can see more of my initial thoughts on the app/sketching process on my Instagram post.

5- Vocalize

Lastly, while a sketchnote is great, a static image is elevated so much more when you get to hear the commentary behind the visuals and text. I found that panning through/screen recording the mind map actually led to some serious motion sickness from the zoom in/zoom out needed. Instead, with this one I opted to screen shot and sequence the sketches by putting them in order on slides. This text was a required reading for the EDUO 9944 Compassionate Classrooms professional development course I taught this summer, so the initial audience was the 39 K-12 teachers in the class. In the hopes to share with a larger audience (my school district + PLN on Twitter), I decided to re-record and post to YouTube. This is newer for me to share my videos and work but I hope that the investment in reading/sketching/sharing helps YOU with taking a strengths-based approach with your teaching and inspires you to learn more about the topic!

To my fellow sketchnoters- what is your work flow for synthesizing big ideas? Do you have a preference in mind mapping or sketching apps? Share a comment below! 🙂

Enter the discomfort zone.

I like to listen to audiobooks during my commute or trail runs, and choose nonfiction books that are mentally stimulating, that inspire me, that make me look inward.

Can’t Stop Me by @davidgoggins is doing just that. It’s raw and honest. He reminds us not to settle for the victim mentality. There are no shortcuts, only hard work and effort. If you want to make change, you have to step outside your comfort zone and face reality. It’s about small changes each day… aka stacking tables or getting one step closer towards larger goals.

At @tbc_mountainview 🥊 tonight, our instructor Kim shared the same message. “Leave your excuses at the door.” “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” “Quitting is not an option.” “You get energy by giving energy.” One of the best parts of today was being in a class of strangers, high-fiving gloves while doing high knees between rounds. It was consistent and although between rounds is usually our active rest or break time, doing this simple act of giving each other acknowledgement was what I needed to recharge and know I could make it through the next round. To not give up. To know that it was only 3 more minutes of kickboxing until the next set of high fives.

Do something today that steps outside your comfort zone. Push yourself past your usual limits. Don’t just give in to your “feelings”… they often lie.

People don’t always want to hear it in our modern world where comfort and emotion often overrule reality and logic.

But take what you want. I’m going to challenge myself to do something that’s difficult… that extra run, share my writing I’ve been too scared for others to read, build that habit I’ve been pushing off…

Thanks for holding me accountable. Anyone want to join?

#discomfortzone #pathofmostresistance #canthurtme #impossibletask #accountabilitymirror

2019: How will you spend your 8,760 hours? Four books to kick off the New Year!

Ahh, January 1st. Maybe you were bundled up cozy in bed after an eventful New Year’s Eve. Or possibly you’re the go-getter type, and started day 1 of the year with a hike or healthy habit. Are you thinking of what made last year’s New Year’s Resolution list and is back on for a second, third, maybe even fourth time?!

With the days turning into weeks and the weeks turning into months, we’ve all looked back in shock wondering… how did another year go by in a flash?! But when you really nit pick… it didn’t. We had the same number of days, the same number of minutes, and the same chance as every other year to turn our decisions into habits.

In 2019, how will you spend your 8,760 hours?

Before you look forward, you must first look back.

Were you constantly feeling “busy” with a long to-do list, without actually getting much done?
Did you set goals for yourself only to find yourself falling back into the same poor habits from the prior year?
Were you dragging every Monday, stressed that another weekend flew by?
Did you miss out on opportunities for fear that you weren’t good enough, prepared enough, or ready for the challenge?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, I challenge you to read one of the books below.

They were among some of my favorites for 2018 and challenged me to look at how I spent my time and how I could change my behaviors in order to meet my goals.

Book #1- The One Thing by Gary Keller

Turn to your to-do list and you’ll see how you value your time. Like most of us, you probably put the easy things on the top, saving the important items for when you’ll have better energy. If you’re like my college self, you value the quantity over quality aspect, even putting on a few items you’d already completed just to convince yourself you’ve “done” a lot (Don’t lie, I can’t be the only one who has done that!)

But, like most times, you never get to the core items due to being tired from all the menial tasks that were simply busy work. Flip that model around, and The One Thing by Gary Keller teaches you to evaluate your priorities and find, “What is the ONE THING such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

“It’s not that we have too little time to do the things we do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things with the little time we have.” – Gary Keller

Most of my life I’ve taken pride in being a busy-body, a multi-tasker, someone who was always working. It wasn’t until I was on the brink of burnout with last school year that I realized how important prioritizing my time was for my health. Like too many of us in this modern fast-paced world, most of my to-do items revolved around my work, rather than seeing all of the other areas in my life I needed to give attention as well. So essentially, it is not a “What is the ONE THING such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary…” for work alone, but all the essential aspects of life as seen below:

What is the ONE THING for my…

Spiritual Life?

Physical Health?

Personal Life?

Key Relationships?

Job?

Business?

Finances?

My favorite quote from the book has helped me see why it was so important to re-evaluate my priorities in where I was spending my time and energy:

“Work is like a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

– Gary Keller

This quote rung a bell. How often had I put all my time and energy into my students, my lessons, my grading (aka “work”) — only to be left sacrificing my own health and having to skip out on being fully present with my own family and friends? Like the first post of this site, Your mask first, you must first take care of yourself in order to take care of others. Work– the people, the responsibilities… it’ll bounce back. It’s just like how much time and energy goes into a sub day, only to realize that the class was able to carry itself fine without you (hopefully due to all the prep in setting up those routines and autonomy in your students! Not there yet? Go check out 40 Hour Teacher Workweek from Angela Watson)!

But your health? It’ll “shatter” due to inattention or inactivity.

Your family and friends? They’ll stop inviting you after too many times of you saying “No,” or “Sorry, I’m too busy,” (sadly had to learn this one the hard way).

Your integrity? I’ll answer that with one of my favorite quotes from the late John Wooden- “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Your integrity matters as much as the rest of the more tangible aspects.

In closing, The One Thing by Gary Keller helped expose a lot of my misconceptions about productivity, reminded me to diversify my time with the multiple areas for goals rather than hyper-focusing on what I had spent my time on– work, and helped identify my ONE THING each day to make the rest of my to-do list easier or unnecessary.

How will you spend your January? Simply busy? Or productive?

A year later from first reading the book, I can’t say I’ve “mastered” the ONE THING mentality, but like any new habit, it takes intentional practice, which leads me to my next book…

Keep posted for Part TWO, coming soon…

Book #2- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

(Here’s a sketchnote sneak peek!)

What books/videos/experiences did you learn from in 2018?

Share in the comments below!

And don’t forget to like and subscribe so you can get Part 2 delivered straight to your inbox.

Why you should get a Twitter account. Today.

Screen Shot 2018-07-06 at 9.28.40 AM.png — *An example of a simple tweet that went viral.*

Already on Twitter for professional learning?

Congrats, skip to part two below.

Part One:

Not on Twitter yet? Now is the time to dip your foot in.

Be honest. How often has your recent school/district professional development really met your needs? Have you sat in the back of a one-size-fits-all training thinking, “I could have led this myself?” There are schools leading great PD, and then some (just like our classrooms) are having a hard time meeting the needs of all teachers. It’s tough- you have the new teacher who needs training in the fundamentals, another teacher who has their routines down, and a few others in the mix who already have researched and tried a lot on their own. Enter the Twittersphere. The most up-to-date form of ongoing professional collaboration that will push you to think beyond your classroom/school/circumstances.

When I first started using Twitter at the encouragement of a district tech coach, I did it resentfully as I didn’t want to get sucked into the trap of meaningless social media of people posting about their every daily move… (no I don’t care about the Kardashians in 140 characters or less). But boy was I wrong. There was a whole playground of teachers “meeting” and “chatting” about really exciting ideas! It was the professional development I’d been searching for, all at my fingertips. If you’re just getting started, you can decide your role on Twitter. Will you be a “PD Detective” (only looking for others ideas), will you be a “Classroom Poster” (sharing your lessons for others to check out), or a “Frequent Reply-er” (quick to comment and start #TwitterChats), or a combination! Start small and comment on a few chats and you’ll be gaining momentum in no time.

HOW TO:

Many people have posted how-to resources for getting started with Twitter. I suggest checking out Twitter for Teachers: A Beginner’s Guide from Scholastic. It explains the common lingo (“what’s the difference between a Twitter handle and a hashtag?”) as well as how to get started.

Part Two:

Already using Twitter or ready to start finding people to follow? One of the easiest ways to begin is by simply following people who inspire you.

Here are some of my favorites to get you started:

@burgessdave– Dave Burgess. Author of Teach Like A Pirate. A strong Twitter participant who has helped a lot of teacher-authors get published!

@jmattmiller– Matt Miller. Author of Ditch That Textbook. One of my favorite teacher authors for authentic ways to make learning engaging. Matt is very responsive on Twitter and I appreciate how he’ll reply and retweet posts! He’s helped me connect with other educators online.

@gcouros– George Couros. Author of The Innovator’s Mindset.

@Teacher2Teacher– Teacher 2 Teacher online community. Whoever is behind this site has one of the quickest response times I’ve seen on Twitter. Tag Teacher2Teacher and they’ll connect you with other educators for fantastic discussions! It is an easy online space to be vulnerable, ask questions, and share ideas.

@sylviaduckworth– Sylvia Duckworth. #Sketchnote master. She’s sketchnoted more Ted Talks and current research than most. I’ve used her presentations in getting started with Sketchnoting for Students. Enjoy her fantastic resource here–> Sketchnoting for Beginners

@TeachThoughtPD– Teach Thought PD. A comprehensive professional development resource highlighting some of the latest research in education.

@coolcatteacher– Vicki Davis. Tech guide central! Fantastic website for tech resources by device and grade level.

@kathyschrock– Kathy Schrock. Another leader in EdTech.

@TaraMartinEDU– Tara Martin. Creator of #BookSnaps, a way to reflect about books using Snapchat, Bitmoji, and other engaging tech tools.

@mburnsmath– Marilyn Burns. Math guru. Retweets a lot of teacher applications of lessons from the “math bible”: About Teaching Mathematics

…and don’t forget to follow me!

@AlishaZ143

Want more specific suggestions for a topic or grade level- contact me or leave a comment below!

Book Look- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

Today’s “Book Look” focuses on The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. You may recall her name from the New York Times Bestseller, The Happiness Project. She’s back with a new book focusing on the four personality types categorized by how we respond to expectations.

The Gist:

We all respond differently to expectations. Some of us jump to command when there is an outer expectation- something others place on us (like an appointment or deadline at work). And others do well with inner expectations (like sticking to a diet or exercise plan). Every decision and behavior then boils down to how we respond to expectations based on our “tendency”.

*I found out that I’m an “Upholder” which is probably why I’m choosing to create a blog during my summer vacation. I like to meet outer expectations from others, and the inner expectations I place on myself. While that comes as a strength to simply getting stuff done, it also places me at a high risk for burnout, because I’m always striving to do more. Hence… the reason for this blog.

What is your personality type and how does it affect YOU in and out of the classroom? You can find out your Tendency by taking the QUIZ.

Classroom Connection:

Our whole day is about setting expectations. You are expected to follow the standards and expectations set by your state/district/administrators. You expect your students to follow the procedures for the lesson. But what happens when you get the kid(s) who aren’t motivated to do the work? What tasks are you able to do at work but not uphold at home? That’s where The Four Tendencies comes into play.

Schools are typically made for Upholders and Obligers, just as many of us teachers came into the profession because we were “good students” willing to meet expectations placed on us. But how do we meet the needs of the Questioners and the Rebels who just need a little say in how they learn? I know quite a few adults who did not do well in school but are some of the most curious lifelong learners I know. When I start back in the fall, I’d like to add a level of assessment to my beginning of the year data. I’d like to figure out the tendencies of my students. Not to label or box them in. But to understand them. To figure out what motivates them. To adjust my classroom and my teaching to provide the best opportunities for each student to thrive. How will you get to know the tendencies of your students?

Side note- check out #BookSnaps by Tara Martin for more information on how to annotate your thinking as you read!