#20time Year End Shareout

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time this year to have my students do the TED-style shareouts about their #20time projects that I hoped at the end of this school year: other curricular demands at the end of the year made me second guess asking my students to put together a big presentation at the end of the year.

As I finished my two year loop with my students this year, they were working on a major presentation and paper that traced a theme through the units we had worked through in English and history class for the last two year. It was the right choice to not have another presentation on top of this, so there needed to be a way to share out the awesome that kids had created for their #20time projects.

We did a science fair-style shareout of projects: kids rotated sharing and informally describing and answering questions about their projects. The listeners provided warm feedback to the folks they were listening to.

Pictures and some small descriptions are below. Below that are a few thoughts I have on what #20time will hold next year.

Aiden wrote to sick children

Trey blogged about drawing

Mady, Kelly, and Shayna sharing about the run
they organized to raise money for breast cancer 

Jacob's refinished skateboard project

Ezra's DIY 3D printer

Eli's T-shirt creations

Emily raised awareness about marginalized students at our school

Tony sharing his snowboard project

A couple groups sharing their blogs

Jasa, a new sport, being shared out

So. Was it worth it, spending every Friday on not history? Absolutely! What changes for next year then? Glad you asked.  In no particular order:

• I want to start with the month-to-month goal setting much earlier – like from day one of #20time. I will have ninth graders next year. I think that the accountability will help some groups – it definitely helped my tenth graders this past year.
• We will be doing the TED style shareout at the end of #20time next year. There is no huge paper/presentation combination at the end of the ninth grade like there is at tenth grade. I am looking forward to emphasizing this presentation from day one: hopefully it will get kids to take pictures and collect artifacts along the way to share out at the end of the year.
• I think I will be instituting a critical friends type of grouping that will meet either every other Monday or the first Monday of every month. These critical friend groups will have two complete #20time groups in each set. A #20time group will share out – in two to three minutes – the work they completed on their #20time project the previous months and then will chart what they believe their next month’s work will hold. Then, the listeners will ask clarifying and probing questions about what the presenting group completed and then provide feedback and ideas for a path forward for the next group. I am hoping that this shareout will help keep groups focused but also let fresh but familiar eyes to see the projects and provide feedback.

I think that might be about it.  I enjoyed the year of #20time. I’m looking forward to more #20time awesomeness next year!