Today we had 2(!) mystery skype sessions in school! Each was the first for two of my classes, periods 1 and 6. These are my classes filled with "debaters," they love a challenge! I had high hopes for how well they would do, and I wasn't disappointed, but I definitely learned a lot!
First, I learned from period 1 that one of the major points of emphasis during a mystery skype, and teachable skills, is teamwork. They also had to think on the fly, which proves to be quite different from steady, prepared discourse. I could tell almost immediately they were out of sorts. My energetic, lively, enthusiastic young learners looked a bit lost. And they are so hard on themselves. They knew it wasn't their best performance and they were internalizing that and making it the focus of the day, and not on the wonderful time they had! Despite a shaky start, we made great progress. Once again narrowing down the location to a state fairly quickly. We asked some great questions, but had to learn quickly that power of teamwork I mentioned before- some of my questioners weren't listening to their teammates and asking repeat questions, or questions despite information we had already learned to the contrary. With just a few moments to spare, the internet cut out and we lost our connection. After chatting with the teacher, we will pick up on Monday where we left off. I think this will give my guys some time to wrap up their nerves and come together more as a team. In terms of behavior, I think my kids were all exemplary. They were quiet, on task, and stayed respectful at all times. I think sometimes it's easy to forget that with a microphone, everything you say can be heard. What a great learning experience for the students to actually hear themselves live and see how other students behave, and how they sometimes might not want to come across...
Sixth period had a mystery skype as well, but this started with a snafu! They prepared a "guess the author" and we were prepared for a traditional location game. However, my guys showed true initiative and rolled with it- actually winning the first round, on the last question! They clearly had narrowed down our author, so I said give it your best shot because if you think you know who it is, this is it! Sure enough, they guessed right and we won! It was so much fun we tried to squeeze in another round, but alas we ran out of time... I was so impressed with this group. Not only did they think on the fly, but they managed to turn out a great session despite having no preparation. They had to hone their research skills since they barely knew anything about our author, let alone enough to ask questions on the other side! I was truly impressed, such a proud teacher moment, and they all left saying "thank you!" The research, teamwork, and critical thinking skills required to participate in such an activity are irreplaceable in the classroom. They are also learning communication and annunciation skills, as well. I can't wait to see where our next journey takes us...
What we learned:
First, I learned from period 1 that one of the major points of emphasis during a mystery skype, and teachable skills, is teamwork. They also had to think on the fly, which proves to be quite different from steady, prepared discourse. I could tell almost immediately they were out of sorts. My energetic, lively, enthusiastic young learners looked a bit lost. And they are so hard on themselves. They knew it wasn't their best performance and they were internalizing that and making it the focus of the day, and not on the wonderful time they had! Despite a shaky start, we made great progress. Once again narrowing down the location to a state fairly quickly. We asked some great questions, but had to learn quickly that power of teamwork I mentioned before- some of my questioners weren't listening to their teammates and asking repeat questions, or questions despite information we had already learned to the contrary. With just a few moments to spare, the internet cut out and we lost our connection. After chatting with the teacher, we will pick up on Monday where we left off. I think this will give my guys some time to wrap up their nerves and come together more as a team. In terms of behavior, I think my kids were all exemplary. They were quiet, on task, and stayed respectful at all times. I think sometimes it's easy to forget that with a microphone, everything you say can be heard. What a great learning experience for the students to actually hear themselves live and see how other students behave, and how they sometimes might not want to come across...
Sixth period had a mystery skype as well, but this started with a snafu! They prepared a "guess the author" and we were prepared for a traditional location game. However, my guys showed true initiative and rolled with it- actually winning the first round, on the last question! They clearly had narrowed down our author, so I said give it your best shot because if you think you know who it is, this is it! Sure enough, they guessed right and we won! It was so much fun we tried to squeeze in another round, but alas we ran out of time... I was so impressed with this group. Not only did they think on the fly, but they managed to turn out a great session despite having no preparation. They had to hone their research skills since they barely knew anything about our author, let alone enough to ask questions on the other side! I was truly impressed, such a proud teacher moment, and they all left saying "thank you!" The research, teamwork, and critical thinking skills required to participate in such an activity are irreplaceable in the classroom. They are also learning communication and annunciation skills, as well. I can't wait to see where our next journey takes us...
What we learned:
- I am torn, because they all want to be questioners, but the rotation gets hard. Sometimes the students forget their turn and it seems like wasted space.
- I need to use my own laptop. Unfortunately, our school technology is unreliable.
- When the students are looking at the screen and not just the webcamera it helps their confidence.
- Give out roles the day before so students (if they want) have time to really focus on learning their responsibilities.
- Allow at least two 30-40 minute sessions to prepare for the first time, once to talk mystery skype in general, rules and expectations, different roles. You may also want to split the class and do a practice round (I gave each team an unknown city and had them go up against each other). The second session should focus on putting them into their roles, allowing them time to practice and add questions to the sheet. Discuss how to communicate and good questions/bad questions.
- Finally, know your classes. Some groups can handle rotating roles and movement, others need consistency. I think period 1 would have benefited more from 2-3 questioners who were always asking questions and on camera, instead of rotating; whereas I believe period 6 really enjoyed the movement and had a chance to work together.
- However, the hardest part is the teamwork. Many students work great as individuals, or in small groups or pairs. These are easier to control; but when you have to work as a whole team, of 25-30 people, you are forced to consider different perspectives and constantly be paying attention.