A "Quiet" Super Bowl Sunday

Below is part of a post I shared with my staff tonight on our school blog.

It's Super Bowl Sunday. Did February come quicker this year than in the past? Maybe it just seems like that every year. I have chose to watch the big game at home. My kids are having a play date with family friends. There is also a Wisconsin Rapids Lions Club party I could attend as a member, but I decided to stay back.

Is that okay, wanting to relax in isolation? It is one of many questions addressed in the book I am currently reading, Quiet by Susan Cain. The subtitle says it all: "The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". She also has a blog and recently wrote a post about social rituals such as Super Bowl Sunday. Being an introvert, I can relate to how one might feel about being around groups when it is not in our comfort zone.

Related to school, Susan Cain discusses some of the drawbacks of collaboration, for both students and professionals. Sometimes collaboration does not foster the learning we want, because the more socially inclined tend to control the conversation. She states that there is nothing wrong with working in isolation (at times). It is at these moments that reflection and subsequently learning and growth can happen.

How do you foster both collaboration and time to reflect in our classrooms? In what ways do you allow both your extroverted and introverted students to learn as they prefer? Please share your thoughts in the comments.