Professional Development for Blockheads: Inspired by the O.B. - DJ DogByte and Ready For One Frame At A Time

Brian Vance aka DJ DogByte, the O.B.
(Original Blockhead)

Next week I'm running back-to-back workshops on informative and argumentative writing. Of course, the teachers have also requested more strategies for teaching narrative writing, too. Hearing administration and teachers, reflecting on K-8 work in other districts, I began to think about the earliest writers and the necessary scaffolding it takes to get a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade to develop their ideas.

It made me think of the digital writing workshops I've led and the importance of thinking in audio, visual and spatial frames. This made me pontificate how Kwame Alexander's illustrator, Tim Bower, helped set up the narrative of Acoustic Rooster. I realized I wanted to do an activity that asked teachers to "block" their own thinking so they'd be better able to "block" out thinking with students.

Of course, as soon as this idea came to me, Brian (one of my favorite students of all times, beside the fact he spells his name wrong) posted this photograph online. Brian was not enthralled with English class, but he had tremendous wit, work ethic, and integrity. We got along marvelously and I asked him if I could use his photo to help me make my case. All writers, which includes developing writers, need spaces to put their thoughts (I liken it to Dumbledore's pencieve). Such dumping grounds can be visually blocked as young writers try to sequence their thinking.

This couples well with the idea that language began as grunts, moved to cave drawings, found its way to hieroglyphics and sanskrit, moved into alphabets, and now, well, has evolved to html, QR codes, and emojis. We communicate in a variety of ways.

Still, story matters. Perhaps a flaw of CCSS is the way we are expected to divide up narrative, opinion, and informational writing, when all three typically can be found in all genres. I'm going to make my case by showing a few brochures and highlighting a couple of commercials, including one recommended by a literacy consultant at the school: The Subaru Dog Commercial.

To tell the story, the thinker must follow frame by frame. There's a narration here. Ah, but there's opinions coming through and the intent of the commercial is definitely to inform. Isn't the goal of all K-12 teachers to get youth to think critically?

I'm also armed with digital stories from work at other schools and can't wait to see how the two, 3-hour workshops are received. More fun, I suppose, will be when I do a follow up lesson with students later in December and January.

Oh, and it's Friday. I hope everyone is ready for the weekend!