Using hexagonal thinking discussion with my Writing 121 class

 

I tried something new to me this term: a hexagonal thinking discussion as described by Betsy Potash of Spark Creativity. The idea behind it is to give students a number of hexagon cards on which are written titles, themes, characters, ideas, quotations (the possibilities are myriad). The hexagonal thinking happens when students make connections among the cards. They create a honeycomb-web of connected cards that they have discussed, arranged, rearranged, and re-rearranged. They can also add arrows and labels to show the connections or to show a particular direction,

I had wanted to try a hexagonal thinking discussion for quite some time but hadn’t been able to find the right opportunity. I decided to make it happen this term and happen it did!  

In my Writing 121 class, I hold periodic class discussions about the texts we’ve read and the commonalities they share. Then I have the students write discussion questions, which they discuss with their small-group workshop teams, and we decide as a class which questions to discuss. I figured that a hexagonal thinking discussion would be perfect for this. 

Because I wanted this discussion to encompass all the texts and themes we had discussed up to that point in the term. I created a list of those titles and themes. I then gave each team an instruction sheet and a set of hexagon cards. I demonstrated the discussion with a quick set of my own creation based on Lord of the Rings characters and ideas. (I use “Frodo” as an example all the time, so the students are accustomed to it.) Then I asked the teams to write the titles and themes on their set of hexagon cards to prepare for the discussion. (Betsy Potash describes several ways that words for the hexagons can be generated and the sets of cards made. This is just the method I chose.) 

The discussion itself took place during the next class session. I quickly did the demo again, particularly since there were several students who had been absent from the previous class session. Then I gave each team their sets of hexagons and explained how the discussion would run. They were to lay out their cards and work together to find the connections. They could move the cards as many times as they needed as long as they were discussing where the cards should be connected. After that, I let them talk…and enjoyed the experience as the engagement and energy buzzed. The discussion was rich, robust, and respectful, and it was clear that each team was immersed in the interactions with their teammates. 

The next step was to have each team visit the other teams’ hexagonal arrangements. One person stayed with their team’s shape while their teammates visited the others. This person explained the thinking to the visitors, much like a museum docent does. These discussions were equally rich and engaged. Each team also wrote down something that they noticed from the other shapes. Here are some samples: 

"I noticed that their honeycomb was very long and spread out but the connections were very strong. " 

"This team first based it on discrimination and then moved on from there." 

After everyone was done, the class debriefed. I asked them what they noticed. They were most struck by how different each team’s shape was and the different ways of thinking each shape demonstrated. They very much enjoyed doing this activity. They liked how it got them out of their seats and talking to each other. I hope we’ll be able to do it again. If I don’t do it with this class, I definitely plan to add it to my teacher toolbox for future classes.

 

The Mittelstaedt Monitor: Christmas 2023

  

 The Mittelstaedt Monitor

Christmas 2023

December's now here, and Jean at last said,

"Let's get this newsletter updatèd..."

Ted and Jean, 30th anniversary, August 7

Ch-ch-changes…and more

Ted had a big change this year. He closed his consulting company, Portlandia Cloud Services, and took a job as Director of Information Technology with CODA, Inc., a non-profit substance use treatment program. He oversees IT operations at the main office and at the various treatment and residential facilities around Oregon. He was ready for a change, and it has been a change! His work still involves some hands-on, but he is doing more with budgets and purchasing, equipment deployment, and personnel management. He's been there for six months now and is enjoying the work and his new colleagues. And he's actually taking days off now.  😊

I teach students about writing at Chemeketa Community College and at Linn-Benton Community College. Portland Community College. Fall term, just ended, I taught four writing classes and a First Year Seminar class. I'll have four classes for Winter term which begins in January. I also taught two classes of driver education last school year (see picture below) and will do one or two more in the spring/summer. I continue on Chemeketa’s Faculty Senate, where I maintain their Web site, among other duties.   

Mittelstaedts: The Next Generation

Ian turned 25 this year and just completed his program in the Automotive Service Technology program at the Sylvania Campus! We are very proud of him. He has been working part time for an auto shop in the area while finishing school and will begin working full time in January. He and his partner Ambrose live in an apartment close by with their two cats Morpheus and Freyja, so he is able to stop in occasionally for a hot dinner or to let Ruby out when we are out of town. He’s experiencing rent and budgeting and shopping and other Adulting topics and has become quite a good cook as well.   

Dorothy turned 21 recently, just before beginning her junior year at Seattle University. A mechanical engineering major, she's been taking math, physics, and engineering classes. She moved to an off-campus apartment (see pictures above and below) and is now able to grocery-shop and cook for herself. She loves life in Seattle and enjoys exploring the area around campus when not studying. Her favorite place to visit is Twice Sold Tales, a bookstore with cats, and she regularly checks in with the dogs at Cal Anderson Park. She enjoys riding the light rail and visiting the International District with her friends. She is enjoying time at home over Christmas break and will return to Seattle in January for winter term. 

Ruby is 16 now and has slowed down somewhat, but you wouldn’t know it when she's out on the beach at Seaside (see picture below).  She still loves chasing squirrels and anything that will run away from her, and she is not above looking thoroughly starving whenever people food appears. She loves going for walks and for car rides, especially if they result in a nice treat from an obliging gas station attendant. Most days are spent sleeping, but she does enjoy patrolling the local schoolyard to make sure it's kept free of food bit so that the little children and their parents don't have to worry.  😋

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

Our personal lives are not quite as busy as our professional lives, but we still make time for fun. We celebrated our 30th anniversary in August and spent a nice few days at the beach (see picture at the top of this post) I still sing with the Chancel Choir at Westminster Presbyterian, although sometimes my teaching schedule necessitates a hiatus. I ride my bike when I can. Ted took up running in late 2022 and this year ran a 10K in February (see picture below), a half-marathon in July, and another 10K with his brother in September. We also enjoy walking through our very walkable neighborhood and watching whichever streaming program we have time for.  This year we enjoyed Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and Picard, and we're looking forward the the next season of All Creatures Great and Small in January. 

Our Seaside house has turned into a welcome and comfortable retreat that we enjoy visiting about once a month. We enjoyed Thanksgiving there and will be there for most of the Christmas break. It’s also proved popular with the vacation renters.   

And to all a good night...

                
Peace and love to all of our family and friends in 2024! 

The Mittelstaedt Monitor: Christmas 2022

 

 The Mittelstaedt Monitor

Christmas 2022

December's now here, and Jean at last said,

"Let's get these Christmas cards mailèd..."

Ted, Dorothy, and Jean at Magpie Mouse in Seattle

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon. All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails. Since the pandemic began, he has helped many of his clients get their employees set up to work remotely. While he still makes plenty of in-person visits, he thinks that Zoom often makes long drives to customer sites less needed. This also saves gas and wear and tear on the vehicles, which he also likes.  😊

I continue teaching students about writing at the Salem Campus of Chemeketa Community College and at Portland Community College. Fall term, just ended, I taught four writing classes, and during Winter term, I will teach three. In the spring, I will add Linn-Benton Community College to my freeway flying. I will also add Traffic Safety Education (aka driver education) to my skillset and hope to add at least one class in the spring as well. I started a second term on Chemeketa’s Faculty Senate, where I maintain their Web site, among other duties.   

Mittelstaedts: The Next Generation

Ian turned 24 this year and just celebrated his one-year anniversary as a tow truck driver for AAA. It's interesting and he likes it, although he plans to return to the Automotive Service Technology program at the Sylvania Campus in January. In the meantime, he serves the public and even his parent (he's towed Ted home at least twice--we drive "vintage vehicles" in our family). He and his partner Ambrose live in an apartment close by, so he is able to stop in occasionally for a hot dinner or to let the dog out when we are out of town. He’s experiencing rent and budgeting and shopping and other Adulting topics and has become quite a good cook as well.   

Dorothy turned 20 recently, just before beginning her sophomore year at Seattle University. A mechanical engineering major, she took calculus, physics, and metal shop during Fall term, where she designed and machined the metal parts for a clipboard. She loves life in Seattle and enjoys exploring the area around campus when not studying. Her favorite place to visit is Twice Sold Tales, a bookstore with cats, and she regularly checks in on the dog park also. She enjoys riding the light rail and visiting the International District with her friends. She is enjoying time at home over Christmas break and will return to Seattle in January for winter term, when she will take more calculus and physics classes. 

Ruby sniffs along the Necanicum

Ruby is 15 now and has slowed down somewhat, but you wouldn’t know it when we get her out to Seaside down near the river.  She still loves chasing squirrels and anything that will run away from her, and she is not above looking thoroughly starving whenever people food appears.  She loves going for walks and for car rides, especially if they result in a nice treat from an obliging gas station attendant. Most days are spent sleeping, but she does enjoy patrolling the local schoolyard to make sure it's kept free of food bit so that the little children and their parents don't have to worry.  😋

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

As always, our personal lives are as busy as our professional lives. I still sing with the Chancel Choir at Westminster Presbyterian, although sometimes my teaching schedule necessitates a hiatus.  I ride my bike as much as I can. I rode Bridge Pedal again and spent time when I could this summer exploring the many places that Portland offers for riding a bike. Ted and I also spent an enjoyable afternoon recently tasting wine at Chemeketa Cellars in West Salem. We also enjoy walking through our very walkable neighborhood and checking out new sci-fi programing on streaming like The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Picard, and The Orville. 

Our Seaside house has turned into a welcome and comfortable retreat that we enjoy visiting about once a month. We will be there for most of the Christmas break.  Ruby enjoys rambles along the Necanicum River, which we can see from the house, and chasing birdies along the beach. It’s also proved popular with the vacation renters.   

And to all a good night...

                
Peace and love to all of our family and friends in 2023! 

The Mittelstaedt Monitor: Christmas 2021

 The Mittelstaedt Monitor

Christmas 2021

December's now here, and Jean at last said,

"Let's get these Christmas cards mailèd..."

Yes, this picture is definitely older. One of these years we'll manage to get everyone together for an updated one. In the meantime, enjoy.

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon.  All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails. Since the pandemic began, he has helped many of his clients get their employees set up to work remotely. While he still makes plenty of in-person visits, he has also discovered that Zoom often makes long drives to customer sites less needed. This also saves gas and wear and tear on the vehicles, which he also likes.  😊

I continue teaching students about writing at the Salem Campus of Chemeketa Community College and at the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College.  I typically have two or three writing classes a term, although sometimes I have as many as four or five. Like my colleagues around the world, for most of 2020 and 2021, I learned to teach remotely. I taught several terms of students who I never met face to face, which was hard, but at least I was still teaching. I returned to the physical classroom this fall with two classes. I’m not very fond of teaching while masked, but I’d rather do that than teach while Zoomed. I am concluding my third year on Chemeketa’s Faculty Senate and might run for a second term. I’m also on the Center for Academic Innovation Advisory Board and a couple of boards for my state professional organization. These professional activities keep me busy; most weekends are spent planning and grading.   

Mittelstaedts: The Next Generation

Dr. Everett V. Scott, A Rival Scientist

Ian turned consecutive numbers this year (23).  When the pandemic began in 2020, his Automotive Service Technology program at the Sylvania Campus was temporarily suspended. He elected to strike out on his own in the job market. At various times, he worked at Valvoline, Napa Auto Parts, as an auto mechanic for a small garage, and as a shop mechanic at a truck-building company. Currently, he is a tow truck driver for AAA, which he’s done since September. He even towed Ted home once recently! He hopes to get a position training in elevator repair. He also flew from the nest in early 2020, moving in with some friends and then later with his partner to their own apartment. He’s experiencing rent and budgeting and shopping and other Adulting topics. They became engaged in July and hope to marry sometime in the next few years.  

Dorothy turned 19 and finished her senior year at 

Franklin High School remotely and in person. She was a TA for her shop teacher and helped him to navigate the intricacies of the learning management system in addition to keeping the shop clean and organized. She graduated in June at a real, live ceremony.  She is currently a freshperson at Seattle University and just completed fall term. She took calculus, acting, World War I history, and introduction to mechanical engineering. She’s getting used to sharing a room for the first time in her life but is loving life in Seattle. She visited home in November, riding Greyhound all by herself from Seattle to Portland, to read her short story at the Portland Book Festival. The story was published in the Writers in the Schools anthology, and the event was to mark the book’s publication. Needless to say, we are very proud of her! She is enjoying some down time over Christmas break and will return to Seattle in January for winter term, when she will take calculus and mechanical engineering classes. 

Ruby sniffs along the Necanicum

Ruby is 14 now and has slowed down somewhat, but you wouldn’t know it when we get her out to Seaside down near the river.  She still loves chasing squirrels and anything that will run away from her, and she is not above looking thoroughly starving whenever people food appears.  She loves going for walks and for car rides, especially if they result in a nice treat from an obliging gas station attendant.  During the darker winter months, she loves chasing her laser pointer around the local schoolyard—good way to keep her exercised in the winter.

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

As always, our personal lives are as busy as our professional lives. After an 18-month hiatus, I was able to return to singing with my church choir at Westminster Presbyterian. We sing with masks, but we sing! We returned to rehearsals and singing in worship in September and will participate in 2 Christmas Eve services. And I ride my bike as much as I can. I rode Bridge Pedal for the first time in several years.  I also spent time when I could this summer exploring the many places that Portland offers for riding a bike.  As for what we do together, we don’t see as many movies in the theater, especially since the pandemic closed many of them down, mainly relying on our Disney+ streaming. We did get to see Summer of Soul and Dune—both were amazing. We eagerly await the next Downton Abbey movie in theaters and The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, Picard, The Orville, and All Creatures Great and Small. 

Our Seaside house has turned into a welcome and comfortable retreat that we enjoy visiting about once a month. I was able to teach many of my classes from there. We spent Thanksgiving there, and we will be there for most of the Christmas break.  Ruby enjoys rambles along the Necanicum River, which we can see from the house, and chasing birdies along the beach. It’s also proved popular with the vacation renters.   

And to all a good night...

                
Peace and love to all of our family and friends in 2022! 

Christmas 2019

‘Twas midway December, and at last with a sigh,

Jean got the cards mailed as Christmas drew nigh…

The Mittelstaedt Monitor is here in its 21^st century incarnation!  We hope you enjoy reading about what we’ve been doing this year.

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon.  All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails. This month, he’s assisting with the IT installation of a new methadone clinic in Seaside, which should open in January.  

I celebrated 10 years of teaching writing at Chemeketa Community College this year, and 2020 will bring 10 years at Portland Community College.  I typically have 2-3 writing classes a term.  I usually teach at Chemeketa’s Salem campus but am mainly at the Polk Center this year.  And I am based at the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College, where I teach Writing 115 and 122.  It’s a good thing I drive a car with good gas mileage.  I also joined PCC’s Advancement of Educators Committee, which works on behalf of both part-time and full-time educators.  And I was elected to a three-year term on Chemeketa’s Faculty Senate.  My professional activities keep me busy; most weekends are spent planning and grading.   

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

As always, our personal lives are as busy as our professional lives.  I sing with my church choir at Westminster Presbyterian.   I ride my bike; I participated for the first time in the Petal Pedal in July, and I rode Bridge Pedal in August.  I also spent time when I could this summer exploring the many places that Portland offers for riding a bike.  We don’t see as many movies in the theater, but we made sure to see The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4.  Of course, we’re looking forward to Frozen 2 and The Rise of Skywalker.  Ted and I both remember seeing A New Hope in the theater when we were kids, so the last movie in the saga will be exciting and bittersweet.

Our Seaside house has turned into a welcome and comfortable retreat that we enjoy visiting whenever we are able.  We spent several weekends there this summer and fall as well as longer excursions as time permits.  We will be there for most of the Christmas break.  Ruby enjoys rambles along the Necanicum River, which we can see from the house, and chasing birdies along the beach, which we’re two blocks from.  We have listed it with a vacation rental company, and we’ve had a few bookings already, including someone who’s clearly planning ahead to the next Hood to Coast in August 2020.    

Mittel-Nearly-Growns

Dr. Everett V. Scott, A Rival Scientist

Ian has reached the big 2-1, but he’ll always be my boy.  He has been a student in the Automotive Service Technology program at the Sylvania Campus and hopes to finish in 2021.  He recently reached his 1-year anniversary at Valvoline, which is very accommodating of his school schedule.  He is a hard worker and gets to apply what he’s learning in school to his job.  Sometimes it seems like he eats, sleeps, and breathes cars.  He and Ted often have discussions about the best ways to fix something or the merits of this or that vehicle.  I smile and nod.  He still rides his motorcycle occasionally but seems most content to drive to and from school and work in our wonderfully rainy Oregon winter weather.  

First day of junior year, 2019

Dorothy is a junior at Franklin High School and has another ambitious course load.  She is taking AP US History, AP Physics, and precalculus.  She has continued with her metals class and is learning to weld this year.  She and Ian helped the metals teacher to win a teaching award from a local credit union.  Dorothy wrote a letter for him and Ian contributed a video he had made in high school.  She continues to work on her driving skills, although now she has to learn to drive an automatic shift car.  And she is still learning German; she took German 101 and 102 at Sylvania this summer.  She would have taken 103, but it overlapped with the start of school, so she might finish that next summer.  She will take WR121 at Southeast Campus this winter term.

Ruby sniffs along the Necanicum

Ruby is 12 now and is slowing down a bit, but you wouldn’t know it when we get her out to Seaside down near the river.  She still loves chasing squirrels and anything that will run away from her, and she is not above looking thoroughly starving whenever people food appears.  She loves going for walks and for car rides, especially if they result in a nice treat from an obliging gas station attendant.  During the darker winter months, she loves chasing her laser pointer around the local schoolyard—good way to keep her exercised in the winter.

And to all a good night...

                
Peace and love to all of our family and friends in 2020! 

Christmas 2018

‘Twas midway December, and at last with a sigh,

Jean got the cards mailed as Christmas drew nigh…

The Mittelstaedt Monitor is here in its 21^st century incarnation!  We hope you enjoy reading about what we’ve been doing this year.

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon.  All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails.  Many of his clients have been with him for years, but he has acquired some new ones since going independent.  It’s a busy job with constant challenges, which means it’s never dull!

I will celebrate 10 years of teaching writing at Chemeketa Community College in Salem in 2019.  That’s actually the longest I’ve worked anywhere!  I also teach at the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College.  I typically have 2-3 writing classes a term.  This fall I taught a First Year Experience class as well.  Next term, I will teach at three different campuses!  It’s a good thing I drive a car with good gas mileage.  I am also a member of the Boards for two of my professional organizations:  Oregon Council of Teachers of English and Two Year College Association of the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve created new Web sites for each of them, and each will have a conference in April that I will present at.   

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

It’s been a busy year!  While Ted and I have been pretty busy with work and the kids busy with school and their interests, we try to have fun when we can.  I sing with my church choir at Westminster Presbyterian.  I ride my bike; I participated in my eleventh Cycle Oregon Weekender in July in Eugene at the University of Oregon.  We don’t see as many movies in the theater, but we made sure to see The Last Jedi and Solo.  Dorothy is looking forward to Frozen 2 next year, and we all anticipate Toy Story 4.  They can’t possibly top Toy Story 3…or can they?

Our most exciting adventure this year was the purchase of a house in Seaside.  Ted and I looked at it on our 25^th anniversary in August, and we closed on Dorothy’s birthday in September.  Ted has been painting and moving furniture every weekend, and we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving there.  We’re looking forward to having a quiet retreat in the winter and a fun place to host barbecues and gatherings in the summer.  Ruby is looking forward to staring at and salivating over all the wildlife she can see from her balcony and yard.

Mittel-Nearly-Growns

Dr. Everett V. Scott, A Rival Scientist

Ian, who reached the big 2-0 in August, has tested the waters in several places this year.  He started as a student at the Sylvania Campus.  He acted in several roles in Sylvania’s winter term production of The Laramie Project.  He returned to Valvoline after a couple of other stints elsewhere.  They keep him pretty busy—he averages 40-50 hours a week.  He was also accepted as a cast member of the Clinton Street Cabaret, which participates in weekly showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local independent theater—continuing a proud tradition that his parents engaged in during their misspent youth.  He also bought his first car after owning several motorcycles (still has a bike). 

First day of sophomore year

Dorothy, who turned 16 in September, had some new waters of her own.  She is a sophomore at Franklin High School and is taking an ambitious course load, from AP World History to intermediate metals to robotics engineering.  She participated in her school’s poetry slam competition earlier this year, writing and performing a poem that was in both English and German.  Her interest in languages continues; she’s teaching herself Mandarin in addition to German.  She also got her learner’s permit, so she’s been learning to drive and will enroll in driver education next summer.  She’s developed an interest in scrapbooking and spends many weekends adding new pages to her memory books.

 

Ruby at Cannon Beach

Our dog Ruby turned 11 in August and still greets us with delighted exuberance whenever we get home, even if we only went out for 5 minutes.  When she’s not trolling for food or snuggling under a warm blanket, she is staring at the squirrels in the front yard.  She loves going for walks through the neighborhood and for car rides, especially to places where she can get a dog biscuit.  During the darker winter months, she loves chasing her laser pointer around the local schoolyard—good way to keep her exercised in the winter.

And to all a good night...

                
Each year we are reminded anew of all the blessings we enjoy as a family in this crazy, mixed-up world of ours.  We wish the same blessings to all of you, our beloved family and friends.  May you all have peace and joy in the holidays and into the New Year.