Ideas That Fell off the Wall:
The Big Ideas literally fell off of the wall every time there was a noticeable change in the weather that caused the classroom heater to come on overnight. As winter pressed on, I would arrive at school early in the morning, often to find that some Big Idea posters were dangling from a single corner by a valiant piece of tape while others had fluttered to the floor.
At first, it was frustrating to keep fixing the ideas back on the wall, but it eventually caused me to wonder, “Is this idea worth keeping on the wall? Is it important enough that I post it every day?”
There were several Big Ideas that appeared briefly on our wall but did not survive over time. They were important for a season but did not appear to have a profound, lasting truth that had the potential to daily impact our classroom community.
Many Big Ideas came and went. Every single idea that appeared on the wall was important. Even the ones that seemed important but faded out later helped us learn something useful.
The ideas that came and went do not appear in this book. However, among the many Big Ideas that are detailed in this book, there are two that nearly fell off of the wall right away, but ended up being useful for different reasons. Big Idea 2 and Big Idea 3 were nearly taken down.
Big Idea 2: Addition and Subtraction Are Connected. Big Idea 3: Multiplication and Division Are Connected.
Big Idea 2, in particular, never truly became part of our classroom culture. It was a content-based example that did not seem to speak a lot of truth into the messages that I communicated to my students. However, its practicality seemed to ground the other ideas, especially early in the journey. There were several winter mornings when I found this idea on the floor and was tempted to not reattach it to the wall. Yet, it seemed to hold a different kind of importance because of its history with Big Idea 1 and the fact that it was the idea that truly started the momentum. So it stayed on the wall as part of the story.
Big Idea 3 nearly came down for a similar reason. It seemed too specific. However, the more we studied multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, ratios, and other mathematical concepts, the more profound this idea became. It seemed to work especially well in combination with other Big Ideas, such as Big Idea 17, which encouraged us to grow our ideas.
Even though these two ideas dangled tentatively for a time, they eventually found a very solid place on the wall for reasons that were different than the others.
The fact that some of the ideas literally fell off of the wall — and the fact that I had to keep reattaching them to the wall — led me to ask some important questions. What is it that keeps a Big Idea attached to the fabric of our learning community? And how can I keep the Big Ideas attached to the classroom community which they are intended to serve?
The answer is quite simple. Refer to them. Mention them often. Point to them. Weave them into the fabric of the conversation. Then listen.
The Big Ideas that easily and naturally find their way into discussions in the classroom, with parents, with groups of students, and with individuals, are the ones that are becoming firmly affixed to the fabric of the classroom culture. The Big Ideas that are part of the classroom dialogue are the Big Ideas that remain firmly attached to the learning journey.
When a student says, “I just learned from my success. I went back and looked at my thinking and I discovered something new …”
Or “I already knew the answer, but I wanted to go back and find another pathway …”
Or “I remember when that seemed to be impossible …” Or “I just grew my idea …”
Or even when a student simply reaches for a journal at an unexpected time during a lesson and begins writing, I know that these Big Ideas have become firmly attached to my students’ hearts and minds.
The Big Ideas that are seldom mentioned or demonstrated start to slip off the wall. When a Big Idea begins to metaphorically dangle by the last corner of meaningful attachment to the wall, then its purpose may be nearly complete for the time being. It is perfectly fine to take it off the wall. I have learned that I do not have to wait for another Big Idea to replace it. I do not have to take it down ceremoniously. I can simply remove it.
But which ideas survive the test of time? If you review the Big Ideas in this book, you will notice that they all speak directly to the concept of learning, directly to the assets of learning, or directly to the learner. The ideas that open opportunities for us to learn more about learning itself stay strongly affixed to the wall of our classroom culture. Those ideas pass a simple test: Big Ideas worth keeping help us to learn about learning, and they help us to learn about ourselves as learners.
In June of 2007, I moved to a new school district. The time had come for me to take the Big Ideas off of the wall that they had lived on for so long. Carefully, I took them down and packed them up along with the many items I had accumulated during my first twelve years of teaching. For many reasons, moving out of a classroom is an emotional, draining experience.
Behind me, I left an empty wall.
Several weeks later, as I stepped into my new classroom, I took some time to simply look around, to take it in. So much was new to me, and I had a great deal to learn. But that was not what was on my mind.
I was scanning the walls, and I quickly found it. There it was. The perfect space.
There is a blank space on your classroom wall right now. If you look around your room, you will find it. It is waiting for you to fill it with an important message. It is waiting for you to fill it with a Big Idea. What would you like to write in that space?
As you near the end of this book, I have a challenge for you. Like many of the Big Ideas I have presented here, the challenge is both simple and profound. I encourage you to actively seek out both of those layers in this challenge.
I challenge you to post at least one Big Idea on your classroom wall, to teach your students what it means, to let that idea challenge you personally, and then to share your experience with fellow educators.
To help with this process, I have detailed seven key steps below.
Select an important idea.
When you share your ideas with others, your classroom community will benefit. You will gain additional insights and you will likely receive a multitude of perspectives that otherwise would never have occurred to you. Sharing your ideas is a significant growth step that will deeply impact you and will reach into your classroom community, where it will further benefit your students.
Share with a mentor, share with another teacher who is using Big Ideas, or share with your staff. If you are presenting at a conference, choose one or two Big Ideas to weave into your presentation. Share your journey.
I also encourage you to share your ideas with other educators around the world using social media and digital platforms. Join the ongoing conversation on Twitter at #TWOTCW (The Writing on the Classroom Wall).
Sharing your ideas will sharpen and refine them. You will discover that when a new school year begins, you will be ready to share several Big Ideas right away with your new class. In that moment, a new classroom community will begin to emerge, and it will be informed by the experiences of the students from the year before. Likewise, your new set of students will have experiences that will eventually inform the group of students that you will work with the next year.
You have a rich opportunity to begin a new learning journey. I challenge you to take the first steps. Choose a Big Idea, write it on your wall, and let the journey begin.
Give yourself permission to learn more about learning itself and to share that learning with your students. Then, when you are in the thick of instruction or are wondering deeply during a time of reflection, glance up at the space that used to be empty, the space that you chose to fill with a very important idea, and discover what you can learn from the writing on your classroom wall.