This afternoon, Jerry Craft Zoomed into our classroom coummunity. From the start, students were captivated. Jerry was drawing at the same time he was sharing his journey to writing and the stories of the characters he created. Line by line, students saw a vision come to life.
I saw one student take out a notebook. I couldn’t tell what he was doing from the start. I nonchantly walked over. He was doodling and looking at the screen simultaneously. Others caught on. They began to emulate Mr. Craft. They were so engaged, so in tune with what he was sharing, and drawing their own creations at the same time. Their vision came to life.
This got me thinking. For my own brain, I really can’t multi-task. I can’t listen to music while I work, I can’t talk while I do another task. If someone’s in the kitchen while I am cooking, chances are the meal won’t come out that great and the person who I am conversing with won’t get the attention they deserve. It doesn’t work for me. But for others, it does. For others, it even supports their thinking.
How can we tap into these brains more? So often I feel like these students hear, “Your humming might be distracting to others. Save the doodles for later. Try tapping quieter.”
How can we help students think about what works best for them? How can we help students advocate for those needs? A vision is coming to life.
Allie Writes 