Research Question
How can kindergartners begin to develop their sociopolitical consciousness through play?
Theory Of Action
If we, as teachers provide opportunities for students to explore issues of equality through open-ended play, then students will begin to develop their sociopolitical consciousness.
Equity Goal
Kindergartens will recognize, grapple with, and generate solutions for unfairness through unequal distribution of resources.
Content Goal
Kindergartners will compare the number of objects in a group to identify equal shares.
Social Emotional Goal
Students will self-identify their emotional state, and begin to independently problem solve and self-regulate.
Lesson Study Cycle 2
Our lesson study group worked together to plan a sequence of lessons that help students identify how unequal shares make them feel.
A lesson study is a group of educators coming together to spend some time deeply crafting a lesson to answer a research question and test a theory of action. The results of the lesson are found through close observation of student experiences. Our lesson study group included three teachers, named Bailey, Addy, and Becca (me).
Our team reflected on the benefits of play and the amount of time we allocate for play in classrooms. We reflected on the opportunities students have to play in school and at home. We considered all the ways we could use play as a structure to develop sociopolitical consciousness in school. We considered the naturally occurring conversations we could use to launch a discussion around equity. We settled on the most common issue young children encounter in a play structure, fairness.
Our research started with play. We were intrigued with the ways play can help students connect with each other, content, and the challenging problems that arise in the world around them. We researched the need to have conversations around socio-political issues with young children, structures of play, children's attraction to fairness, and proof that play helps build cognitive skills. To learn more about the development of these ideas through research, click the links to the right.
Planning
Our research took us on a journey to build a lesson that satisfied our passion for play and socio-political consciousness. We realized that our content goal and equity goal were not enough the students we would be teaching. After careful consideration of the students in room 5, we chose social emotional goals for this lesson as well. We identified 3 focus students that reflected the needs of the group a whole. The SEL goals required the most scaffolding.
In the weeks leading up to the research lesson, Addy, the host teacher, had the students deeply explore the zones of regulation and practices to self identify their zone. They regularly reflected on their zone and it would serve as a connecting feature to begin the discussion of unequal shares the day of the research lesson.
We chose an anchor text that was very open-ended and left the instructions vague to encourage a more self driven guided play. We wanted the students to feel ownership about the way they chose to use the blocks.
Students use these tools to help them self identify their emotional states throughout the day.
Focus Student Assets and Goals
Students self reported they were in the green zone at the start of the day.
The Lesson
On the day of the lesson we each observed one focus student, recording low inference notes on a note catcher for use in our debrief later. I shadowed Focus Student 2. Our goals for FS2 were to see him collaborate to create fair distribution despite having a resource advantage.
The lesson started with a book in which children use their imagination to build structures from different materials to recreate famous structures. After engaging with the story students were told they would be building also. They went to their spots to find distributed piles of blocks with their names on them. They grappled with the experience of having unequal amounts before they were called back to the rug.
At the rug Addy asked the students to reflect on how they were feeling. They shared how they were feeling according to the zones or regulation, as Addy graphed their responses. She called their attention to the responses, asking what the problem was and what ideas they had for solutions. Students shared ideas as a turn and talk before sharing with the group. Students suggested sharing them all or splitting them equally.
They returned to their tables to grapple and apply one of these strategies. After grappling with redistribution, the students returned to the rug to report if their zone had changed. They made a new chart with the reported zones and Addy called attention to changes before and after problem solving.
Students share strategies with the class.
Students share thinking during a pair share.
Low Inference Observations of Focus Student 2
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Focus student to looked closely at each pile sat down at his table and began building
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Focus student did not raise his hand to share his zone.
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Focus student shared his suggestion on how to solve the problem. Focus student suggest everybody shares blocks together
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Focus student returns to table and continuous building
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student next to focus student asks if he wants to share blocks
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Other student tries to place a block of their own on the focus student structure. Focus student stops her from placing the brick and hold out his hand to take the brick that she was trying to place.
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The other student hands him blocks one at a time as the focus student as he places her bricks onto his structure
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The other student masks the other two kids at the table if they want to all build together.
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Focus student says guys "Do you want to share?"
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The other student says "If you guys don't share your blocks with us we won't share our blocks with you."
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The other team says that the focus students team has more blocks than them.
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focus student says "I'm counting the blocks"
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The focus student counts that his team has 29 blocks and the other team counts that they have 14.
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The focus student says "sorry but we're not going to share blocks."
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A student from the other team chose to tell Addy.
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Addy comes over and ask some if it feels fair..Focus student says “she doesn't want to share." The other students says “I didn't say that."
Focus Student building independently.
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Addy helped them count their blocks and use the number chart to find the number of blocks they have.
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Addy supports Focus student in trying to grapple with redistributing his teams blocks.
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Focus student is invited to go on a break but reluctant asking his partner to make sure things are shared fairly.
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Focus student goes on a break.
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Focus student returns while students are gathered at the rug.
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Focus student leaves the room and stands in the hallway outside the door.
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Focus student returns and stands at the edge of the rug.
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Student joins his partner on the couch then rejoins the group.
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Focus student raises his hand for feeling like he was in the red.
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Focus student stood in the center trying to talk to Addy well she instructed the group.
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Student went to the library.
After the focus student took a break the group tried to split the blocks 4 ways with support from Addy.
Observations from our Equity Commentator, Curtis
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Celebration: the lesson was well-designed and had components of math and SEL- well executed.
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The first thing to look at in a culturally responsive classroom is the environment - this classroom is loving and caring as evidenced by Addy’s actions toward students’ needs.
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During the story launch, Addy chose 1 black students, 4 Latinx students, 4 white students, 0 Asian students. Lots of diversity in who was sharing.
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Nice connections to the book and reminders of the expectations.
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During building time, a diverse group of students were able to share their thoughts.
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The period of time given for frustration felt short before regrouping to problem solve.
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Problem-solving: teacher counted for the groups at times but otherwise you pushed the cognitive load onto the groups.
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Sample questions that Addy asked: “How can we check if this is fair?”
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FS3 was really grappling - trying to figure out this sharing and fairness questions. A lot of other groups were having productive struggle.
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Question: Would love to have heard a question about unfairness / connections to beyond school - would have allowed them to take in what they experienced in the lesson .
Findings
Our team was able to identify 3 major take aways.
1. We need to carefully plan the lesson debrief when we invite children to grapple with issues like equity, and justice. There is emotional work that happens in these lessons and the work to create a safe space is before and after.
2. We can continue helping students navigate their emotional states and assess their reactions. Students can grapple and feel discomfort, however their emotions need to be identified before they hinder their opportunity to grow from that experience.
3. We need to help students, families, and ourselves celebrate the hard work, the partial successes, and the growth that comes with experiencing that discomfort. The brain is growing when make mistakes and we should help people see their growth from the climb.
Reflection
This lesson study experience was very interesting for me. I was excited about the opportunity to explore play and feel I passionate about learning how to take advantage of naturally occurring conversations around social justice issues. I felt like our lesson was scratching a the surface. We had lofty goals and I wonder f we had a more narrow focus, if we would have been able to go more deeply into one of those goal areas.
I also had an interesting experience with observing a focus student. My focus student met the class equity, content and SEL goals. He was still working toward his personalized goals. I was so invested in him meeting goals he had no idea he was working
Two students reflect about the experience.
toward, that I felt disappointed at the end. I saw so much amazing grappling from him and his peers, yet I shared an account that sounded deficit as I reflected. I wondered if I was hungry or sick. I thought back to the last lesson study cycle and I was just as invested in that focus student, even doing a small dance when he met his goals.
Thais investment made me wonder about the role of the observer. Had I misunderstood my role or was I not able to consider a studnets needs and goals from an unbiased perspective? Is it bad to be invested in students goals? It did not change my relationship with this student. I was not mad at him. I wondered if I would have the same reaction to a lesson study that was not connected to my perceived success in graduate school. I wonder if my disappointment was also me grappling with what success in a lesson looks like. In reflecting on my focus student's experience, and reframing my observations I was more able to see the immense growth that happened for that student. I was also able to see the growth I had from this mistaken perspective and reflection.