Fishbowl+with+Student+Panel

=**Fishbowl with Student Panel**=

Jayson Chandler - Class of 08 - Art Institute of Arizona - Graphic Design Anne Leavitt - Class of 08 - University of Chicago - Movies Derek Paige - Class of 05 - University of Maine, Farmington - Business John Poulin - Class of 08 - University of Maine, Orono - Computer Programming



= **In this activity- Educators should take a learner's posture. We are co-learners in this process.** =

**Student Fishbowl**  This activity requires 60-90 minutes. Fishbowl activities force participants to actively listen to the experiences and perspectives of a specific group of people. A student fishbowl gives pre-service and in-service educators an opportunity to hear the experiences, ideas, and critiques of current or past students while giving the students an opportunity to be active in the dialogue on education transformation. The only major resources needed for this activity are students. To prepare for the actual fishbowl dialogue, ask the fishbowl students to sit in a circle in the middle of the room. Your class or workshop participants, or the "observers," should sit in a larger circle around the fishbowl students. The following steps will set the ground rules, then initiate and process the dialogue for the student fishbowl activity:
 * Purpose:**
 * Preparation:**
 * Instructions:**

> > 
 * 1) One important ground rule must guide the participation of the observers: During the course of the fishbowl, observers are not allowed to speak. Their job is to listen and learn from the fishbowl students. Mention that the observers will have an opportunity to discuss any issues that emerge in later processing dialogue. Another ground rule is that students can not use names or degrade any teacher.
 * 2) The topics to be discussed by the fishbowl can be developed to be relevant to your course or workshop. For the most part, fishbowl participants should have an opportunity to take the conversation where they want - or need - it to go. If it becomes necessary to push the conversation along, possible prompts could include the following:
 * ===What are your favorite memories about school? ===
 * ===What aspects of the K-12 school experience do you feel should be improved? ===
 * ===How do you learn best in school?  Is that different from how you learn at home?  ===
 * ===Has your K-12 educational experience prepared you for college or not? In what way?  ===
 * ===Share a story about when one of your teachers did something that made you feel especially included in the learning process. ===
 * ===Share a story about when you felt you were especially excluded from your own learning process. ===
 * ===Think about your favorite teacher and the way he or she teachers? What makes that teacher your favorite? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Think about your least favorite teacher and the way he or she teaches? Why are they your least favorite? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What do you feel the role of school should be in a student's life? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Typically, who did most of the talking in your classes- students (with teachers guiding the discussion) or teachers (with students listening and taking notes? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How often did you get to choose what you wanted to learn about in school? Any stories to share?===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What role does technology play in your life as a student in terms of your learning? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How many teachers do you remember that used technology (other than PowerPoint) in their instruction ? How many allowed the students to use the technology during class to learn? Give examples.===
 * ===In your opinion, should teachers incorporate technology use in their classroom activities?===
 * ===Have you ever used computers to connect to subject matter experts, students in other countries, or to create a self-directed project in school? Have you done this outside of school?===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thinking back through your K-12 school experience, how often were you given a choice about how you would learn or how you would prove that you learned the material assigned? Any examples?===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If we asked you to design the perfect class for learning- what would it look like? What would the teacher be doing? What would the students be doing? ===
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you were the principal at a local school- how would you lead the teachers? Would anything be different from what you remember the principal doing and why? ===
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Make sure everybody in the fishbowl has an opportunity to talk.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Allow the fishbowl discussion to continue for at least 30 minutes. You can allow it to continue longer if time permits.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the fishbowl the facilitator will give a summary and engage the observers in a conversation.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To the observers: Was it difficult to not respond to the fishbowl students' comments during the fishbowl? Why?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To the fishbowl students: How did it feel to share your feelings about school, knowing that these teachers were listening closely?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To the fishbowl students: Do you usually have opportunities to share your perspectives on school and your education?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To the observers: Did you hear anything from the fishbowl that surprised you?
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To wrap up the entire exercise ask: What is one thing you have learned from this experience?