Zombie Day: Collaboration, Imagination

Sneaking through the woods, I stumbled upon a group of Grade 9 students, in a close circle, reading aloud from a zombie novel, while hiding from the threat of zombies. That strikes me as pretty rich learning. And this was the kind of experience I witnessed again and again throughout “Zombie Day”. The day itself, I think, begins to describe the power of collaboration, creativity and taking risks. Not just among a group eager and excited students, but also among a group of passionate and dedicated educators. In the end, the real story of “Zombie Day” is the power of shared time – the endless possibilities that exist when teachers are provided the opportunity to consistently come together and imagine learning beyond any of the stifling traditional limitations such as content driven curriculum and schedules of blocked learning (blocked! See what I did there?), within the four walls of a classroom, to meaningfully disrupt learning.

Last spring, a colleague approached me about collaborating across grade levels and curriculum in an extended study of zombies. At the same time, we were preparing to reveal the findings of a lengthy ongoing discussion among 9^th and 10^th Grade students in proposing a new program called “disruptED”, a re-imagined concept of what learning in Grades 9 and 10 look like, and how it’s demonstrated. In essence we were looking to knock down a few walls in disrupting time, space and curriculum (I’ll write an entire separate post about “#RNSdisruptED” soon). The concept was exciting but the implementation was daunting, and “Zombies” struck me as the perfect catalyst – if nothing else, zombies provided the opportunity for a bold statement of change. So, over the summer, I dedicated all of my reading to zombie novels, hoping to stumble upon one that would work as a modeling text in my Grade 9 English Class. I settled upon the “Forest of Hands and Teeth” and for the first time I truly ventured into teenage fiction (this, in itself, has been a powerful experience). The student’s describe the novel “The Hunger Games” with zombies. And yeah, the love triangle often dominates discussion, but also the extent to which it’s developed through prominent symbols and rich visual, auditory and tactile imagery. I’m ok with the novel and I’m really ok with level of engagement. Most importantly, the novel has become an anchoring force in a much larger exploration of zombies.

A key component in the implementation of “disruptED” (which this year begins with 9^th Grade and then graduates with those students into 10^th next year), has been the shared time among 9^th Grade teachers. The school has supported the program by providing us with a common “prep” and the possibility of, literally, hours together each week. My original vision with zombies was simply that all subject areas could come together in, perhaps, conceiving of a common expression of learning. And, early in the process, we had some ideas. At one point we were settling on a concept where students would create a comprehensive “RNS, Zombie Apocalypse, Evacuation Guide”. While it was clear that many subjects would be involved, it seemed like a lot of sitting around a computer. In my mind, at least, the experience LOOKED boring, and I could only imagine the product as something bound by criteria and expectations – a process of checking boxes as opposed to creatively exploring. But, because of our time together, we were able to struggle through these concerns and, in final 90 seconds of one particular meeting, we were able to collectively reshape our perspective.  We shifted from a discussion centred on a particular product to one that imagined a kind of experience.  Zombie Day! It was an epiphany. It was one of many epiphanies throughout the many hours of shaping the “script” of Zombie Day. And so it was a concept that was ever-changing. Again and again, it seemed, I would enter a meeting with an idea or direction in mind, and because of the unpredictable power of collaboration – in which ideas rapidly bounce and build – I was forever re-shifting and letting go.

Last Wednesday Zombie Day finally arrived, and it was awesome. At 845 the students were evacuated from their 1^st period class, led in a careful crawl beyond the school buildings to edge of the sports-fields -where the first of the bitten loomed – and then quietly along a path and into the woods for a full day of survival. They ran from bites and desperately searched for vaccinations. They carefully painted each other’s faces (the zombie disguise), composed tribal music as a means of communication (human voice attracts zombies you know). They found clues in their novels, left written documentation of their experiences, mapped and assessed trails, completed challenges in French, Math (calculating rate of spread),  Science (how to kill a Zombie) and Outdoor Education (fire building). In the end, it was, for the students, an experience that mirrored that of their teachers: discovering what is possible when positioned well to collaborate, problem solve and imagine. Yes, not all of the day ran smoothly and we missed clear opportunities for learning. We will debrief, and fine-tune and reshape as a concept moving forward. It was awesome because the school was especially alive (see the irony?) that day. The student’s are exhilarated, and so am I. It was awesome because we’ve begun to taste what is possible. This, after all, was only one day. The experience will no doubt be lasting, but the learning is more important.

And this is where you come in Cohort 21. Zombie Day was an experience and now I would love for them to capture and demonstrate their learning across all subjects. I also want something that captures their excitement without getting in the way of what they’re capable of imagining. I’ve decided to write this reflective piece. What will they do? Is it as simple as posing the challenge: “create something (anything!) that expresses your learning throughout your zombie experience. Work alone, in a pair, in a team.” Again, I don’t want an exercise of checking boxes, but I also want quality work that represents passion and creativity. Has anyone ever found success in being this vague with PBL? Does the blank canvas represent opportunity or complete disorientation? Does it ignite or stifle? Where is that fine line? Insights? Ideas? General guidance? Please help me!

Thank you!