How I Use FFTs With My Grade 3 Class
At the beginning of the pandemic, I heard Brene Brown's first podcast FFTs on Unlocking Us. Before I go any further if you don't listen to it, it is excellent, and I highly recommend it. So while I am entirely copying her by making my first blog post about FFTs, I'm hoping you will forgive me.
What is an FFT?
First of all, the title is NSFW and definitely NSFTG (Not Safe For Third Grade), but F**king First Time really does capture the feelings that surround first times. As this is about how I use it in my class, I have adjusted the acronym to Frustrating First Time. In her podcast, Dr. Brown suggests the alternative Terrible First Time. I just love the ring that FFT has to it. However, if I'm being perfectly honest, I forgot her kid-friendly acronym while teaching it to my class, but I digress.
Essentially an FFT is the first time doing, well, anything that puts you completely out of your comfort zone. The place where everything feels beyond challenging, and it may feel like you will never figure it out. Whatever it is.
At the beginning of this year, it felt especially important to have a label for this feeling. These students haven't had a full year of school face to face since Kindergarten, and I knew I was adjusting to being in the classroom, so it seemed reasonable to assume it would be an adjustment for them as well. It is one of the best ideas I have had in my classroom all year.
Below is how I adapted Dr. Brown's strategy to be more accessible to my students. The first time we talked about it was during a morning meeting. We talked about first times and how they feel. Then I introduced the strategy. Now that we have a good understanding of it, it is just part of the flow of our day.
Step 1: Name it.
In our class, this begins with naming it. In the beginning, I would look around at 16 scrunched-up faces and start the discussion with, "It looks like we might be in an FFT ." At this point in the year, it is more likely to be a student exclaiming, "IT'S AN FFT!"
Step 2: Put it into Perspective.
In the introductory lesson, I remind my students of everything they can do and ask them to think about some first times. The first time riding a bike works well, as most of them remember learning how to ride a two-wheeler. After, some students made connections to their own lives. I had a figure skater share how she hugged the boards the first time she went skating. We then compared how we felt during the first time to the present. We know the first time was hard, and maybe it felt like we would never figure it out. We might be feeling the same thing now. If we keep going, we'll get better.
Step 3: First attempts are going to be terrible.
I'll admit "Reality Check Expectations" is better. I found for my students, it was difficult to understand. The first time you try writing a new story. The first time trying to solve a new problem. The first time learning a new art skill. Work through this terrible part that feels icky and then reflect, revise, retry. Learn from your first attempt.
Putting It All Together.
The following is an example of a conversation I had with a student who was working on creating a poster for a research project. It was the first time they were creating something like this.
One student, in particular, was having a heck of a time creating the poster. He was sitting with his shoulders slumped forward, clearly stuck on what to do next.
"Hey Buddy, how's it going?"
"Bad."
"Bad? Can you share with me what you have so far?" I asked.
"I don't know what to do." He replied.
We looked at the requirements and went through the steps. It turned out that he had done much of what was needed to complete the poster. Found images, check. Planned his writing, check. Knew what supplies he needed, check.
"Do you know what you need to do next?"
"Ya, but I don't know how to do it. I don't know how to put it all together."
"Have you ever had to do something like this before?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Do you think it's an FFT?" He looked up and nodded.
It was here that I reminded him that our first times will always be difficult. We might not get it exactly right. It probably will look different from what we want. But until we do it once, we won't know how we could make it better for next time.
This conversation was enough to get him to create his first poster. And that has been the most unexpected consequence of teaching FFT to my students. The ability to get them unstuck.
Resources:
Brown, Brene. “FFTs.” Brene Brown, 20 Mar. 2020, www.brenebrown.com/podcasts/brene-on-ffts/.