Comments by Ms. Jill Stedronsky

Going forward with our next writing piece

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 15:55:43 -0500

Because we can not spend endless time with one piece and need to publish these articles to our class magazine to send home to our parents for thoughts and possible resources as we continue in our inquiries, most students only created one thinking partner. There was at least 20% of my students who used the initial feedback and prompt and realized the wealth of feedback potential. Attached to their draft articles in Google, I can see who did that. Also, students wrote a very detailed reflection in Growth/Reflection Journals about this process. As we move on to our next writing piece which will be a conversation with a person in our lives where students will write an essay about their conversations and the observations they made about life, we will look to use the AI thinking partners again. It should be interesting to see what prompts they come up with for this piece because it will be all personal. My overall excitement still seems to be that thinking what to prompt the AI thinking partner with makes students think much more deeply about their writing and how to improve it.

Students growing in their personal writing assessment skills!

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 15:55:43 -0500

One of the greatest take-aways I have seen with using the writing thining partners and allowing and forcing students to create their own partner is that it makes them think about what type of feedback they want. When they don't get "good" feedback, they often realize they did not prompt the AI well. I modeled with my piece and we brainstormed all the things it could help us with like: (1) it could look for repetitive ideas (2) it could help us organize our ideas by outlining them which also showed us undeveloped ideas/thoughts (3) it could show us where an audience might challenge my ideas Just these few helped them think more deeply about their writing and realize their power. I was thrilled because as a NWP teacher, I have always tried to get my students to write a memo to their writing group to ask for the type of feedback they want - what areas they were concerned with. It was always super difficult and hard for them to do this--maybe because they couldn't think about their writing like this. AI partners and creating prompts REALLY helped this!

Article Ideas

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 14:29:15 -0500

As students work towards bigger end of year projects like a TED talk, we stop and say something to gather our ideas and force ourselves to say something about what we are reading. We initially used AI's thinking partner that Paul created to help us review our Book Thought Journals to analyze what topics it thought we might be interested in based on the thoughts we had about the books we were reading (students all choose to read what they want). Here are the basic criteria I posted for this article: At different periods of our inquiry and reading, we need to stop and say something about the knowledge we are gaining and the observations we are making. Basic Requirements: 1. You must stay in this range: 425-500 words. 2. Try to limit your use of "I think" or "I" or "we". 3. Make sure you refer to two sources of knowledge and correctly cite them (italics for books, capitals, authors). You may use your experience as a source, but you must be specific in the details and you will want additional knowledge to support it. Use the "words to introduce evidence" to weave in experts and statistics. You build credibility when you show people where your knowledge came from. 4. Organize your article so that it makes sense for our audience (your peers, parents and Youth Voices). Maybe your article has topics and subtopics, maybe it's a letter, maybe it's a traditional article--but all options have a structure and organization to help the reader understand your message. 5. Your thoughts should be yours, not AI's; although you can acknowledge AI came up with a root, branch or question for you. Voice comes from your passion for the topic. AI has no heart. 6. Have AI read your article to check for areas where you have been vague or repetitive. 7. Your article must be read aloud and clearly show the revisions and edits of being read aloud to a friend. 8. Under your article, include three sections: AI prompt, AI feedback, AI reaction to feedback. Make sure to bold these and space them, so the reader can easily see them. 9. YOU MUST INCLUDE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT THE PROCESS OF WRITING THIS on 1/3's week Growth/Reflection Journal. For example, comment on how you came up with the idea from the mapping/drawing day. Explain how your idea/writing changed as you drafted. Often, as we write, we discover or uncover a new idea or more clarity in what we are trying to say. Comment if this happened to you. Describe any craft choices you made. For example, did you use any analogies or metaphors to help your reader? Did you separate a line and give it its own paragraph? Why? What parts of the article did you struggle with? What do you understand about credibility? What do you understand about the writing process? What do you understand about you as a writer? 10. Title your piece!!

I shared two with you. Riya’s journal’s thought stay close the to book, within the text, and I want her thinking partner to analyze her thoughts and stretch her thinking to making observations about human nature and humanity.

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:32:24 -0500

(Continuation of summary) Austin’s journal starts to get into bigger wonderings. I would like his “partner” to truly find all the branches and roots of any and all the topics it is finding in his thoughts. Maybe we need a possible topic finder based on their thoughts. And then a root and branch expander once it has a topic/thought/question.

GPT result:

Certainly! It sounds like we're focusing on critical thinking and depth in reading comprehension, encouraging the exploration of broader themes and ideas derived from journal entries. Here are three questions designed to dive deeper into the text, promoting close and thoughtful reading. Remember, the goal is to use these questions to guide your own analysis without me providing direct answers. 1. How does Riya's journal reflect deeper themes of human nature or our collective human experience? - **Quote for thought**: "Riya’s journal’s thought stay close to the book, within the text, and I want her thinking partner to analyze her thoughts and stretch her thinking to making observations about human nature and humanity." - **Keywords**: Analyze (examine in detail for the purpose of explanation), Observations (the action or process of closely observing something or someone), Humanity (human beings collectively). 2. What "bigger wonderings" is Austin beginning to explore, and how could these lead to a broader discussion beyond just the content of the book? - **Quote for thought**: "Austin’s journal starts to get into bigger wonderings. I would like his 'partner' to truly find all the branches and roots of any and all the topics it is finding in his thoughts." - **Keywords**: Bigger wonderings (deeper or more significant questions or thoughts), Branches (extensions or different aspects of a central idea), Roots (the origin or the essential core of an idea). 3. In what ways might techniques like free writing, background research, and improvisation contribute to a deeper understanding of the reading material and the students' reflections in their journals? - **Quote for thought**: "There are a couple we could try: freewriting, background, improv… come to mind." - **Keywords**: Free writing (a prewriting technique in which a person writes continuously for a set period without regard to spelling, grammar, or topic), Background (information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem), Improv (short for improvisation, it is the creative process of spontaneously generating new ideas). Now, take a moment to delve back into the text with these questions in mind. Concentrate on the quotes provided, and then paraphrase them in your answers. This exercise will help you discover the answers hidden within the text and your interpretations. Enjoy your journey of re-reading and exploring the depths of the thoughts, topics, and questions that await!

Do you see what this might look like for my 8th graders?

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:32:24 -0500

To spark your 8th graders' imaginations and drive action using Possibility Thinking, consider the following analogies that convey 'what could be' from 'what is': 1. It is as if every student is an explorer in a vast galaxy. Possibility: In this limitless space, each 8th grader can chart new worlds, representing ideas or projects that are yet to be imagined or started. They can take action by claiming a 'planet' (a task or problem) and mapping out how to reach it (planning), exploring its surface (researching), and establishing a base (creating a solution). 2. It is as if the classroom is a time machine. Possibility: By envisioning the classroom as a time machine, students can examine past events or historical figures and 'bring them to the future' by considering their impacts on today's world or by predicting future outcomes. They can take action by creating projects that link past achievements with future possibilities. 3. It is as if each idea is a seed in a garden. Possibility: Just as a seed has the potential to grow into a plant, each idea has the potential to grow into a project or innovation. Students can take action by 'planting' their ideas (starting), nurturing them with research and development (growing), and sharing the results with others (harvesting). Each analogy encourages students to approach problems with a fresh mindset, and unintended consequences might include a surge in creative confidence, unexpected collaborations, or new interests. Now, which analogy sparks your imagination and which unintended consequences would you like to explore further? Let's nurture these seeds of thought and see what magnificent gardens of knowledge your 8th graders can cultivate!

I’m definitely going to do a whole think tank idea next week and would like for them to use their book thought journals and thinking partners to expand, broaden, their thoughts.

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:32:24 -0500

Kind of like: you should also think about, or this is related to, or look up this... I don’t want it to always stay on topic. It’s like almost finding all the roots and branches of an initial thought.

What does ML and NLP stand for?

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:41:14 -0400

Sentence 1: "I was starting to use the notion of a Thinking Partner persona as ML/NLP expert." - This sentence is important as it introduces the idea of using Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to facilitate self-growth through learning a subject one has no experience with. Sentence 2: "... these tools and the inductive way of thinking they promote (for the moment) are going to be become how we evolve and adapt to the ever-expanding information environment we are clearly living in now…" - This sentence is important as it summarizes why using ML and NLP is important, describing how they are going to facilitate adaptation to our ever-expanding information environment. Background knowledge: ML and NLP refers to the application of Machine Learning algorithms and techniques to Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. ML’s ability to learn from data makes it useful for multiple NLP tasks, including natural language understanding, speech recognition, text classification, and pattern recognition. Together, they can be used to produce efficient and effective solutions to complex NLP tasks. To gain a deeper understanding of this text, it's best to re-read it in the context of the background knowledge provided here. You may find new insights and points to make upon deeper inspection!

Why is education the way it is?

Tue, 23 May 2023 09:52:28 -0400

The text reveals the harsh reality of the educational system that often fails to recognize each student's individual needs and challenges. In the text, the writer reflects on the patterns of behavior from educators that impacts young people in ways that are not beneficial for learning and development. Through this turning point, the writer demonstrates how the educational system fails to address the needs of the students. Everyone should come away from this realizing that changes should be made, so that learning can become a more positive and engaging experience. By re-reading the text, we can bring awareness to how the educational system affects young people and explore ways we can create a more equitable and tolerant learning environment. As teachers, this is especially important to consider when designing lesson plans and creating an overall classroom and school culture.

Every Stage Offers something

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 13:58:43 -0400

And, every stage of life is learning, so I would not skip any chapters of my life.

Or Not

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 13:21:42 -0400

I have found that we have taught this idea. However, I truly find we can allow our path unfold and use our skill sets for many fields.

Listen to us

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:08:26 -0400

I think this is what most students feel like. When I met with the students writing an article about AI, this was the same sentiment. We probably don't listen to students enough and value their thoughts. If we did, we would probably start changing the subjects and how we teach instantly!

Appreciate

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:56:20 -0400

I think that is a lifelong skill we all need -- appreciating the moment we are in.

The reverse.

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:54:16 -0400

If I actually could be a kid again, I wouldn't because I have my confidence to be me. If I could take that confidence back with me, maybe I would.

Childhood

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:49:25 -0400

I always think about the 18 years you are a child and it is about 1/5 of your life if you are lucky. Use that time that you are physically strong to do anything.

so true!! You get to just learn. But, I don't worry about grades anymore.

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:43:40 -0400

limitation

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:43:04 -0400

That's so true. What is your biggest limitation?

Having the wisdom to not care about what others think.

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:40:19 -0400

As I got older and trust my experiences, I have the wisdom to know that there are 8 billion people in this world with 8 billion different experiences in life. I can value and trust my experiences. However, I am also open to changing and shifting my opinion because part of the wisdom is knowing that there are 8 billion different views to the world. I think we are all just trying to find a peace and contentment with our thoughts and a way to live on this earth that makes sense for us -- and others.

Commandments

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 07:28:02 -0400

As a teacher, I don't want to police my students or their writing. I think the use of AI might force more authentic and personal topics for writing assignments" in class because it will be tempting for many students to use it if teachers assign general topics that already are common knowledge to experts. We need to think about how AI can be part of a student's writing circle, and not a paper generator. And, that means schools need to make sure students are invested in topics, are able to include their opinions and can write about touchy and debatable topics -- some with no solutions or even hard evidence yet!

Writing counterarguments

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 11:12:32 -0400

I think this can be one of the more interesting ways to use AI for writing because it helps a person make sure their writing addresses all threads of a topic. To fully understand any topic/issue, we need to know all sides. This could be beneficial for students.

This year I really delved deeper into a self-reflection journal for students to note their "enduring understandings" they have about reading, writing and critical thinking.

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:39:33 -0500

I am not sure if or how I get to transformative. I love doing it and reading the kids' thoughts and seeing how they believe they are growing. I want to expand on this idea and would love help.

I find that having students create infographics for their TED talks helps them organize and uncover new ideas.

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:39:33 -0500

I have used technology like Kami, Book Creator and Parlay to connect with other students.

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:39:33 -0500

I definitely love the tools and how Covid kind of allowed even more outside school connection. My students read chapters of Stamped via Kami and seeing their thoughts with another school was fascinating. I have also used Book Creator to do year-long projects with Bangladesh and Spain. The real audience changes the motivation!