JUNIOR HIGH

USING TRANSFORMATION DAYS TO TRANSFORM ENGAGEMENT

By Hope Winburn, Junior High English

“What is going on?” Music pulses over the loudspeakers as a blue glow and fog permeate the hallways. Students excitedly chatter as their bright eyes sweep across the lockers, taking in the rogue footprints and fingerprints plastered across every available surface.

“There was a murder in Room 603.” Uncertainty and anticipation are palpable in the air, a feat for any junior high at 8:00 a.m. No yawns, no sluggish sleepwalking to first block. Instead of another dreary Monday, the adventure and mystery of Detective Day await students in every classroom. They will be asked to use inferring skills to unravel the clues of a murder mystery in English, complete a scavenger hunt in Science, and unwrap the riddles of complex equations in Math. Transformation days draw students into the learning experience, permitting their imaginations to reignite. When students are engaged and eager to participate in the lesson, learning can go beyond standards and objectives. Curiosity is awakened, critical thinking is sparked, and the door to student ownership is opened.

Transformation days can take all forms and serve many different purposes. Last year, there were three transformation days in the Junior High, including National Dessert Day, Exercise Your Mind Day, and Future Teachers of America Day. National Dessert Day served as a day to lighten the mood during the cold days of winter and provide students with a well-deserved reward for a strenuous semester. In Science, candy was used to represent different parts of the body during an anatomy lesson. In English, students had to use descriptive, sensory imagery to describe their favorite dessert without naming it. While students did enjoy the treats and effort that went into making the day special for them, the novelty of the day also created increased investment in learning.

Transformation days draw students into the learning experience, permitting their imaginations to reignite. When students are engaged and eager to participate in the lesson, learning can go beyond standards and objectives. Curiosity is awakened, critical thinking is sparked, and the door to student ownership is opened.

Conversely, Exercise Your Mind Day came in the spring, when students needed to be reenergized and remotivated to finish the year with as much enthusiasm and drive as they had in August. Teachers dressed the part in athletic gear and lessons were centered around movement and competition. When students entered the building and heard the bass blasting and saw all the sweatbands, their interest was instantly piqued. Throughout the building, across content areas, when whistles were blown, students were racing to answer questions and complete problems.

Incorporating a variety of learning formats ensures that all students not only have the opportunity to be successful in the classroom, but to become leaders in the classroom on days when the lesson is best suited to their aptitudes. Transformation can take minimal preparation with maximal impact. All it takes is a few decorations, a clever outfit, and a creative lesson. With a little extra effort, teachers can add an element of wonder to any lesson. The lights and sounds of transformation days beckon students to immerse themselves in their learning. More importantly, transformation days serve as a bridge to bring that same level of engagement on days when there aren’t cookies or obstacle courses around every corner. Thus, student transformation and investment grows beyond a single day and becomes an intrinsic and continuous part of every school day.