I laughed out loud at this terminology because my husband is a basketball coach- and I pictured him yelling it from the sidelines. Hahaha! It's a novel idea to teach with an underlying intention, making things fun and purposeful while all the time developing skill sets that will aid them to succeed in other subjects and future classes. Sometimes we use escape rooms to reason through math challenges, but at the same time we use cooperative learning skills, team work, out- of-the-box thinking, problem solving and second-look skills. So yes, the math problem eventually gets solved, but the "head fake" leads to the sharpening all of the other above-mentioned skills.
I agree with Molly that I feel like I use a “head fake” a lot with coaching. I feel my approach with coaching is different than how I teach. Since it is a small group, I think that it is easier to reach out to them with some type of underlying message. But it is neat to see when the “ah ha!” Moment clicks for them! I feel a lot of my drills and team bonding ideas have these “head fakes” which have a deeper meaning. The team building games have them complete a task but they are working on communication, trust, problem solving, listening and so much more!
I really enjoy those "Ah Ha" moments... where you have been trying to get an athlete to do what they need to in so many different ways, then all of a sudden something clicks and success!
In class, we do a lot of team building activities, academic games, open ended math questions that students are asked to grapple with. Although students sometimes get upset and overwhelmed with the task at hand and might even start to shut down, I try to let them work it out as much as possible without jumping in. I think that they are growing in the area of perseverance because of it and we often meet as a crew to discuss how this challenge helped us and what strategies we could take away from this challenge and apply to a new one in the future for an academic or real-world problem.
Hi Kelsey! We all have students who get overwhelmed. I like that you try to interfere as little as possible to help grow their perseverance. Keep up the good work!
I spend most of my day speaking in a language that my students do not completely understand. That being said, the entire day can sort of be considered a "head fake". I feel like I do a fairly good job fooling them into learning Spanish. We spend our time checking out Spanish music to improve our listening skills. We keep journals full of our thoughts on diverse topics to improve our writing skills. We debate controversial topics to improve our speaking skills. We read fun Spanish legends to improve our reading skills. All of these strategies plus dozens more are infused with the language and the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. We play a lot of games that force us to use and improve language skills without even realizing it. We also try to use as much technology as possible to help us achieve.. At the end of the period it is not uncommon to hear my students surprised that class is already over. On these days I know that my “head fakes” have helped me to reach my goals and that my students are learning as they should:)
Jessica I would say your "head fakes" work! As you know you have my youngest is in your class this year, last year he hated Spanish and his grades reflected it. If he had his way he would have not taken any language in HS and be done with it. This year he LOVES your class and speaks often of it at home! Thank you, Thank you!!!
Thank you, Alicia, for all three of your beautiful children! It has been such a pleasure working with them:) I truly appreciate your kind words! I hope he sticks with it!
I recall using "head fakes" on a daily basis with my kids as toddlers. Toddlers can be so head strong and always seem to be on the verge of a melt down. In order to survive I resorted to "head fakes" all the time in order to get them do do what needed to be done with out them really knowing that's what they were doing. It was always a way to let them feel in control or that they had a voice in choices with out them knowing I was really still 100% in control!
I completely agree with Alicia! I feel that when I was raising my children through their toddler stages every day was a series of "head fakes". Getting them to brush their teeth was a head fake, getting them into their car seats, another one, getting them to eat, another.....
We integrate English, Math and Science into all of our CTE classes, which could be considered a "head fake". They think they are learning to be an electrician, an HVAC technician, an animator, a programmer or a nurse, for example, but at the same time they are learning trigonometry, geometry, physics, biology and technical writing, depending on the class. The same students who hate math class can build complex 3D models, use logic to program a game, or calculate the materials needed to build a house. The application of it instead of rote learning finally gives them the answer to the often asked question, "Why are we even learning this?"
Yes!! It is so rewarding when you can integrate certain subjects in with life lessons and vice versa. Children always want to know "why do I have to learn this?"
As a history and psychology teacher I often get asked, “Why do we have to learn this?” I have to admit, I ask a similar question when teaching some of my course content. At the same time I realize it is not the content, but the skill or life lesson I am hoping my students will learn. Through some less than exciting content, I want my students to learn perseverance, conscientiousness, and that some tasks simply need to be completed. These are my “head fakes.” I remember one students’s comment. My concern was he wouldn’t pass the regents exam in June so I used head fakes or psychology to get him to do his best. At the end of the year, after passing the regents exam with mastery, he commented that he “had shown Mr. Sellers,” by passing.
This year I am using Mystery Science to teach Science in 2nd grade and I feel like every lesson is a "head fake". The students are being introduced to Science skills and don't even really know it! They think they are making 'cornmeal land' and dripping water on it, but really they're learning about erosion. They think they are making types of paper airplanes, but really they are learning about seed dispersal.
I interpret “head fakes” as tricking someone into learning; learning something but not realizing you are learning. I have used this type of indirect learning through the use of games. One of my main teaching goals is vocabulary. It can get very boring and tiresome really fast. I have my students play games on the computer (Quizlet, Kahoot, etc) or I will make games or have the students make games (Memory, Go Fish, Escape Room, etc). When my students play or make games to play they have fun and forget the daunting task of learning.
My students always ask me if we are going to use Kahoot and I always tell them I have no idea what they are talking about. I do use games however as a way to review. It does help keep things interesting.
Head fakes as a parent and teacher are common as we tell stories, involve them in games, get them to collaborate, participate in sports, labs, projects. Our goal is to get kids to cooperate, develop skills, learn content, and make positive decisions.
As a special education middle school teacher I have to use had fakes all the time. These are used to help the students learn information, without realize they are doing so. As well as coercing them into doing things they don't want to do. By the time they are in middle school many of them are sick of being in "special classes" and a new approach is always refreshing for them.
I use "head fakes" with my own kids at home. My 3 year old would much rather be playing and keeping up with his big brother than letting me help teach letters, etc. Just yesterday, I got out bingo dabbers and let him practice tracing letters using the dabbers. We then moved onto cutting out certain letters from magazines. He thought it was great fun, but we were really learning letters :)
I enjoy using "head fakes" at school and at home with my son :) When my son was younger he struggled with math - so I turned homework into a game, where he would have to teach mom how to do common core math because that wasn't how I did it when I was his age. By making him into the teacher, he discovered that he really did understand what he needed to do :)
I often use the "head fake" in class. I feel that there is always opportunities in my history classes to teach our students to be better humans. I often times weave these moral type lessons into the learning we are doing in the class. I can recall one time where I was discussing what makes so many exceptional leaders standout from their peers, and while discussing these leaders' willingness to do things out of the ordinary, to risk criticism from the crowd to achieve their goals, you can see the wheels in some of my kids heads turning. Very few times will kids directly connect it to their lives, but some have said to me later that they want to be exceptional in sports or music, and they now understand they need to do more. I usually smile happily.
As an English teacher, every time I set out to teach a short story or a novel, it is a head fake. While on the surface, it may tell a simple or interesting story, the deeper meaning often connects to life's lessons or experiences my students may not otherwise have. When they see a character in a situation and the results turn out a certain way, students can learn from characters mistakes or what they may have done in a certain situation. As a coach, and I think other coaches do this as well, I often turn conditioning drills into games. Breaking athletes up into small groups and competing in relays makes it more fun for them and they don't even think of it as conditioning.
Ha! Yes! I feel like almost the entire career as a teacher and a coach is a head fake? When I am teaching a youth cheerleader how to do a proper handstand - I am really teaching her how to do a handspring, and a layout, and a full in the future. When I am teaching her engage her core in a hollow body position on the ground, I am teaching her how to be a good flyer, and strong base. In the classroom, when I am teaching students about the primary and secondary colors, I am teaching them how to mix them someday when they paint with them. When I teach them how to draw their shapes, I am teaching them how to draw a face, and a fish, and a dinosaur - limitless things! When I am teaching them how to do a paper collage, I am improving their fine motor skills. The list is actually endless!
I laughed out loud at this terminology because my husband is a basketball coach- and I pictured him yelling it from the sidelines. Hahaha! It's a novel idea to teach with an underlying intention, making things fun and purposeful while all the time developing skill sets that will aid them to succeed in other subjects and future classes. Sometimes we use escape rooms to reason through math challenges, but at the same time we use cooperative learning skills, team work, out- of-the-box thinking, problem solving and second-look skills. So yes, the math problem eventually gets solved, but the "head fake" leads to the sharpening all of the other above-mentioned skills.
ReplyDeleteWe just had a teacher try an escape room at school and it was awesome! Going to escape rooms is fun and an even better idea to bring into classrooms!
DeleteI agree with Molly that I feel like I use a “head fake” a lot with coaching. I feel my approach with coaching is different than how I teach. Since it is a small group, I think that it is easier to reach out to them with some type of underlying message. But it is neat to see when the “ah ha!” Moment clicks for them! I feel a lot of my drills and team bonding ideas have these “head fakes” which have a deeper meaning. The team building games have them complete a task but they are working on communication, trust, problem solving, listening and so much more!
ReplyDeleteThe "clicks" are what it's all about! So rewarding and inspiring for teacher and student alike.
DeleteI really enjoy those "Ah Ha" moments... where you have been trying to get an athlete to do what they need to in so many different ways, then all of a sudden something clicks and success!
DeleteIn class, we do a lot of team building activities, academic games, open ended math questions that students are asked to grapple with. Although students sometimes get upset and overwhelmed with the task at hand and might even start to shut down, I try to let them work it out as much as possible without jumping in. I think that they are growing in the area of perseverance because of it and we often meet as a crew to discuss how this challenge helped us and what strategies we could take away from this challenge and apply to a new one in the future for an academic or real-world problem.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelsey! We all have students who get overwhelmed. I like that you try to interfere as little as possible to help grow their perseverance. Keep up the good work!
DeleteMy comment is above, I accidentally forgot to change my comment name.
ReplyDeleteI spend most of my day speaking in a language that my students do not completely understand. That being said, the entire day can sort of be considered a "head fake". I feel like I do a fairly good job fooling them into learning Spanish. We spend our time checking out Spanish music to improve our listening skills. We keep journals full of our thoughts on diverse topics to improve our writing skills. We debate controversial topics to improve our speaking skills. We read fun Spanish legends to improve our reading skills. All of these strategies plus dozens more are infused with the language and the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. We play a lot of games that force us to use and improve language skills without even realizing it. We also try to use as much technology as possible to help us achieve.. At the end of the period it is not uncommon to hear my students surprised that class is already over. On these days I know that my “head fakes” have helped me to reach my goals and that my students are learning as they should:)
ReplyDeleteJessica I would say your "head fakes" work! As you know you have my youngest is in your class this year, last year he hated Spanish and his grades reflected it. If he had his way he would have not taken any language in HS and be done with it. This year he LOVES your class and speaks often of it at home! Thank you, Thank you!!!
DeleteThank you, Alicia, for all three of your beautiful children! It has been such a pleasure working with them:) I truly appreciate your kind words! I hope he sticks with it!
DeleteI recall using "head fakes" on a daily basis with my kids as toddlers. Toddlers can be so head strong and always seem to be on the verge of a melt down. In order to survive I resorted to "head fakes" all the time in order to get them do do what needed to be done with out them really knowing that's what they were doing. It was always a way to let them feel in control or that they had a voice in choices with out them knowing I was really still 100% in control!
ReplyDeleteI have learned over the years that toddlers and teenagers sometimes have a lot in common. ;-D
DeleteI completely agree with Alicia! I feel that when I was raising my children through their toddler stages every day was a series of "head fakes". Getting them to brush their teeth was a head fake, getting them into their car seats, another one, getting them to eat, another.....
DeleteSorry forgot my name above.
DeleteWe become so good at it as we see the need for our important messages to get through.
Deletehead fakes are just one of the many tools we get to use as parents :) And I agree toddlers and teenagers definitely share similarities
DeleteWe integrate English, Math and Science into all of our CTE classes, which could be considered a "head fake". They think they are learning to be an electrician, an HVAC technician, an animator, a programmer or a nurse, for example, but at the same time they are learning trigonometry, geometry, physics, biology and technical writing, depending on the class. The same students who hate math class can build complex 3D models, use logic to program a game, or calculate the materials needed to build a house. The application of it instead of rote learning finally gives them the answer to the often asked question, "Why are we even learning this?"
ReplyDeleteYes!! It is so rewarding when you can integrate certain subjects in with life lessons and vice versa. Children always want to know "why do I have to learn this?"
DeleteAs a history and psychology teacher I often get asked, “Why do we have to learn this?” I have to admit, I ask a similar question when teaching some of my course content. At the same time I realize it is not the content, but the skill or life lesson I am hoping my students will learn. Through some less than exciting content, I want my students to learn perseverance, conscientiousness, and that some tasks simply need to be completed. These are my “head fakes.” I remember one students’s comment. My concern was he wouldn’t pass the regents exam in June so I used head fakes or psychology to get him to do his best. At the end of the year, after passing the regents exam with mastery, he commented that he “had shown Mr. Sellers,” by passing.
ReplyDeleteThis year I am using Mystery Science to teach Science in 2nd grade and I feel like every lesson is a "head fake". The students are being introduced to Science skills and don't even really know it!
ReplyDeleteThey think they are making 'cornmeal land' and dripping water on it, but really they're learning about erosion. They think they are making types of paper airplanes, but really they are learning about seed dispersal.
I interpret “head fakes” as tricking someone into learning; learning something but not realizing you are learning. I have used this type of indirect learning through the use of games. One of my main teaching goals is vocabulary. It can get very boring and tiresome really fast. I have my students play games on the computer (Quizlet, Kahoot, etc) or I will make games or have the students make games (Memory, Go Fish, Escape Room, etc). When my students play or make games to play they have fun and forget the daunting task of learning.
ReplyDeleteMy students always ask me if we are going to use Kahoot and I always tell them I have no idea what they are talking about. I do use games however as a way to review. It does help keep things interesting.
DeleteHead fakes as a parent and teacher are common as we tell stories, involve them in games, get them to collaborate, participate in sports, labs, projects. Our goal is to get kids to cooperate, develop skills, learn content, and make positive decisions.
ReplyDeleteAs a special education middle school teacher I have to use had fakes all the time. These are used to help the students learn information, without realize they are doing so. As well as coercing them into doing things they don't want to do. By the time they are in middle school many of them are sick of being in "special classes" and a new approach is always refreshing for them.
ReplyDeleteI use "head fakes" with my own kids at home. My 3 year old would much rather be playing and keeping up with his big brother than letting me help teach letters, etc. Just yesterday, I got out bingo dabbers and let him practice tracing letters using the dabbers. We then moved onto cutting out certain letters from magazines. He thought it was great fun, but we were really learning letters :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy using "head fakes" at school and at home with my son :) When my son was younger he struggled with math - so I turned homework into a game, where he would have to teach mom how to do common core math because that wasn't how I did it when I was his age. By making him into the teacher, he discovered that he really did understand what he needed to do :)
ReplyDeleteI often use the "head fake" in class. I feel that there is always opportunities in my history classes to teach our students to be better humans. I often times weave these moral type lessons into the learning we are doing in the class. I can recall one time where I was discussing what makes so many exceptional leaders standout from their peers, and while discussing these leaders' willingness to do things out of the ordinary, to risk criticism from the crowd to achieve their goals, you can see the wheels in some of my kids heads turning. Very few times will kids directly connect it to their lives, but some have said to me later that they want to be exceptional in sports or music, and they now understand they need to do more. I usually smile happily.
ReplyDeleteAs an English teacher, every time I set out to teach a short story or a novel, it is a head fake. While on the surface, it may tell a simple or interesting story, the deeper meaning often connects to life's lessons or experiences my students may not otherwise have. When they see a character in a situation and the results turn out a certain way, students can learn from characters mistakes or what they may have done in a certain situation.
ReplyDeleteAs a coach, and I think other coaches do this as well, I often turn conditioning drills into games. Breaking athletes up into small groups and competing in relays makes it more fun for them and they don't even think of it as conditioning.
This is Craig.
DeleteHa! Yes! I feel like almost the entire career as a teacher and a coach is a head fake? When I am teaching a youth cheerleader how to do a proper handstand - I am really teaching her how to do a handspring, and a layout, and a full in the future. When I am teaching her engage her core in a hollow body position on the ground, I am teaching her how to be a good flyer, and strong base.
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom, when I am teaching students about the primary and secondary colors, I am teaching them how to mix them someday when they paint with them. When I teach them how to draw their shapes, I am teaching them how to draw a face, and a fish, and a dinosaur - limitless things! When I am teaching them how to do a paper collage, I am improving their fine motor skills. The list is actually endless!