麻豆传媒入口

At the start of a recent class, my students gathered a bouquet of good news: a trip to Ireland, an end to recent car troubles, an upcoming visit with a friend. These were highlights they shared during our start-of-class routine, the rose and thorn check-in.

In this quick activity, students participate by sharing roses鈥攕omething positive going on for a student that day鈥攁nd thorns, which are聽negative, or at least less than positive.

Students can choose their level of vulnerability: A rose can simply be 鈥渢he weather is nice today.鈥� A low-stakes thorn might be 鈥淚 feel tired.鈥� Yet many students choose to share more personal items: 鈥淢y rose is that even though I鈥檓 stressed out, I got all my homework done鈥� or 鈥淢y thorn is that my dog is sick and I鈥檓 really worried about her.鈥�

Going around the classroom, each student states one rose and one thorn. I share mine too. The whole process takes five minutes or less. Yet though this fast activity may seem simple, the rose and thorn check-in is an essential part of my classroom community-building.

Benefits of the Check-In

Students know that every voice matters: The rose and thorn check-in gets every student鈥檚 voice into the room at the start of each class. Although students can always say 鈥減ass鈥� instead of sharing, each student has the opportunity to be heard, every single day. The check-in is also a great opportunity to practice active listening, turn-taking, and following group norms.

Students develop awareness of others鈥� emotions鈥攁nd how to respond to them: When students share their roses and thorns, they give their classmates a snapshot of their emotional state. And if I hear a student say that their thorn is 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 sleep much last night鈥� or 鈥淚 feel like I can鈥檛 focus today,鈥� I can adjust my interactions with that person accordingly.

Students increase their comfort with vulnerability: Rose and thorn check-ins are opportunities for students to practice being emotionally vulnerable with their peers. This comfort level translates directly into the ability to share opinions and take academic risks in other contexts.

Facilitation Tips

Acknowledge each person鈥檚 contribution: My colleague John Milton Oliver, who also uses this strategy, suggests saying 鈥渢hank you,鈥� followed by the student鈥檚 name, and then turning your attention to the next person in the circle. This models acceptance while also keeping things moving.

Discuss how emotions impact learning: Before or after the check-in, invite students to consider how their roses and thorns might affect their ability to participate in class that day. Ask students to brainstorm how they might support a classmate who shares a big thorn or how to celebrate a friend鈥檚 exciting rose.

Model authenticity: While remembering your role and professional boundaries, try to authentically share: 鈥淢y rose is that my class last period went really well,鈥� or 鈥淢y thorn is that I鈥檓 a little behind on giving feedback on your papers, and it鈥檚 stressing me out.鈥� Show students that it鈥檚 OK to be vulnerable.

Tending to Challenges

Here are some tips for making this activity go smoothly:

• Practice, practice, practice: Depending on the skill level and existing cohesiveness of your group, it can take many tries to get the hang of the routine. Don鈥檛 give up鈥攁nd make sure to keep it quick and consistent.
• Monitor time: My younger students are often eager to negotiate with me: 鈥淐an I please have three roses and two thorns?鈥澛燝ive students think time to write or draw what they will share.
• Make a plan for following up on concerns: Occasionally, students may share something concerning. Make a plan for how you and the class will respond. Many times, this simply means following up individually with a student to offer support. For topics that could use a whole-class discussion, consider building in opportunities for group processing, such as a weekly community-building circle.聽

Help Your Garden Grow

When your class gets the hang of the rose and thorn check-in, feel free to modify it. For example, I taught one group of students who reframed it as Harry Potter and Voldemort.聽Let your students take ownership over how to make the check-in feel meaningful to them.

As students get better at sharing, you can add a third part to the share: the rosebud, something that they鈥檙e looking forward to in the near future. Students can develop other variations or components as well.

If your group is too big to do a full share, my colleague John suggests a lightning round, in which the roses and thorns are condensed to two or three words: 鈥淭horn: sick dog! Rose: sunshine!鈥� You could instead create small groups of three or four students each聽who share their full check-ins with one another instead of the whole class.

As teachers know, there鈥檚 never enough time in a class period to accomplish everything we鈥檇 like to. The rose and thorn check-in may feel like 鈥渙ne more thing,鈥� but I see it as an investment in my classroom community. Making time to hear each student鈥檚 voice demonstrates that I care enough to prioritize listening.