Tag Archives: skills

What the World Should Know About________? Project

Posted on March 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

I teach a high school Social Studies class that emphasizes in developing English language development. We have started this project on creating info graphics that inform. Below is the nature of the unit and the general outline of the assignment.

 

The Technocratic Revolution: Science/Technology/Communications.

With the exception of communications-often coupled with transportation-this category of issues receives little attention in the earlier sources examined.  However, virtually all historical sources emphasize the role that science, technology, and communications have played in the lives of all humans.  The study of science and technology provides an ideal vehicle for social studies, as well as math and science learning.  Students will discuss both the pluses and minuses of the impact of science and technology on peoples’ lives (now and in the past) worldwide.

The communication cluster includes innovations, networking, freedom of use, the information revolution (access to, balanced flow, and censorship) and increasing speed coupled with decreasing costs.

While this unit is specifically directed at how science and technology are shaping the world, the significant study of past historical ideas and innovations can show us how change occurs in the past.


Background:

The history of human development is closely tied to ideas, technology, and the search for truth. This unit is an depth focus on the nature of those ideas and innovations that have contributed to transforming the global landscape as well as redefining human relationships. With technology and science as major agents of change, students will be asked to reflect on specific periods of scientific development in order to establish a broad perspective across regions and time.

Objectives

· Students will identify key contributions to scientific thought

· Students will explain human achievements to science & technology.

· Students will differentiate between what is positive and/or negative about science & technology

· Students will analyze a period of scientific growth in depth by forming an essential question and building a document based product that supports the question.

 Task 2:  Infographic on Innovation - 

  • Choose one of the following:  glass, textiles, paper/money, energy, communication and construct an infographic with a target audience that is global. The title of the infographic is “What the world should know about___________________” (or a better title if your the creative type).
  • Read Five Things To Know About Technology and consider how changes and developments over time have been agents of change. (energy for example, with steam powering the Industrial Revolution, demographics changes accelerated.)
  • Consider how visuals may be integrated to form new ideas.
  • Use the Coffee infographic as an exemplar.
  • Weave history, statistics, and anecdotal research into the infographic; pique interest of the audience
  • Consider the power of continuity and color contrast/combinations when designing the infographic.

See examples of infographics; Tools for making infographics; Consider organization (timeline, subject, theme)

Rubric

Copyright © 2012 Matthew Inman. Please don't steal.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in COETAIL 4 - Pedagogy

Tagged , , , , , , ,

T.I. is all about the process

Posted on March 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I think I blogged about this during the first course because at the time it was the relevant question on my mind as I began the course. I actually created a workshop called Mashing the Past that emphasized ways to integrate technology into a curriculum.  Teachers should have a sound fluency of the curriculum’s they are teaching in order to identify when technology can upgrade units. I think Heidi Hayes Jacobs, a leader of Curriculum 21, makes an excellent point that assessment is a logical place to start with upgrading units.

I have also found it useful to produce unit plans in google docs that incorporate specific tasks with web based resources. The tasks all utilize written reflection, exploration, construction, and collaboration. The technology is appropriate and students are encouraged to pursue their own interest in connection to the essential question of the unit. Below is an example of a unit plan from my General Psychology class.

 

I tend to bank on creativity, backwards design, and a large treasure chest of tools to shape my lessons. The technology more or less enhances traditional assignments, yet can seriously transform learning when the process is heavy in meta-cognition. As you can see from the unit plan above, the process takes a significant amount of energy and focus.

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in COETAIL 4 - Pedagogy

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

1:1…Productivity, Audibles, and an Open Message to Intl’ Schools

Posted on March 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I piloted my first 1:1 classroom in 2007 at the Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel. I had a basic laptop kit of Lenovo PC’s that, maybe, had 80 GB hard drives. It was a social studies class for English language learners and so the course was very literacy based. It was the perfect storm for 1:1 lap top integration.

Image from Gary Stein courtesy of Time Magazine

I have spent an enormous amount of thought and time in developing successful ways to run a 1:1 classroom. And I’m still experimenting.  I have been extremely fortunate to have attended the right professional development opportunities and stay connected with the mavens of technology integration in education. The most important consideration in turning your classroom into a 1:1 environment is that you are not adding a new academic tool (like an overhead projector), you are actually changing the context and philosophy of learning.

I thoroughly enjoy having laptops in a classroom; however, to say I have never been frustrated by their use would not be true. Expecting problems, glitches, and technical issues would be most pragmatic. The benefit here is that individual experience in troubleshooting increases enhances the skills necessary addressing issues as they arise. The philosophical shift is now the teacher as the learner. Unfortunately, some teachers are uncomfortable with embracing this important 21st century ideal. My advice: swallow your pride, admit your human side into the learning process, and have some fun.

Here are some important reflections on learning in a laptop environment. The aim here is to share what I have found to be some basic approaches that support two key areas for teachers: productivity and pedagogy.

Productivity

Proper laptop use starts with a clear understanding of how the technology will be used in the class and the specific protocols for maximizing its potential.  I think an understanding based on productivity is crucial. We will use the machine to produce and at the same time, to be an active learner. Getting a container would be the initial way for teachers to model productivity. It can be a web site, wiki, or blog…..or Edmodo!! I love Edmodo because it allows me to be extremely productive in a variety of ways. It functions as a very sophisticated communication tool that carries a library feature that allows for organization of resources.  I use Edmodo in conjunction with Google Apps to power a productive classroom. Every student shares a Google document (only one) with me so I may check their progress in assignments or have them respond to prompts.  It’s primarily a paperless environment with the ability to constantly monitor progress.

Productivity should be a top priority for implementing 1:1 protocols and showing students what and how to make their systems more useful. Here is a shortlist of important productivity tools/concepts to use for managing a laptop:

  • Social bookmarking – I use Diigo.
  • Dropbox – cloud based with sharing capability of files.
  • Chrome extensions – Evernote, Screenshots, Diigo, Twitter,  etc.
  • Folder management
  • Google Doc management and collections
  • RSS Reader
  • Kwiki Cloak anti-procrastination tool
  • Instapaper for Twitter – to bookmark links to read later when the Twitter feed is too heavy
  • Picasa or Flickr – to build collections and for practicing visual literacy.
  • Teach Tagging…it’s a big deal
  • Create a Youtube Channel

screenshot

 Pedagogy

With the outstanding tools available for teachers and students, it is easy to get consumed and overwhelmed by the new blogging platforms and integrative resources.   I feel that here is great opportunity to communicate my thoughts on calling audibles in the school year. An audible is quick change in the course of an activity or initiative. Effective teachers are like QB’s in football….they can call audibles when the situation calls for it. I try and stick to big initiatives and carry them through the school year, while tucking away new tools for implementation next year. I plan to see what I can do with Google+ next year so for now I am sticking with what I’m using now. Smaller tools  and apps can, through backwards design, be implicated into a unit of study (sometimes easily, sometimes it’s a stretch).  Effective teaching strategies and clear communication of expectation will slowly, but surely, transform a classroom into a much more interactive and problem based classroom.

Here is a short list of what I have found useful as a 1:1 teacher.

  1. Join the Diigo Groups 1:1 and Classroom 2.0
  2. Put your unit plans on google docs…second smartest thing I have done with technology.
  3. If you use Edmodo, create a Teachers Lounge and add resources through feeds; then once a week remove/tag the resources (by subject area and section). By Christmas you will have a treasure chest of awesome.
  4. Create a Livebinder and start your own textbook. Share it!
  5. Build a Personal Learning Network. Smartest thing I have ever done as an educator. If you don’t have a PLN….then forget everything here.  The number one reason people leave positions is over the lack of Professional Development. A Personal Learning Network has been the single most important discovery of my career. You should know what people are doing in their classrooms, tech or no tech.
  6. Create a “Tools of Mind” list for giving students a chance to create their own learning opportunities.
  7. Have students blog and encourage their writing to address multiple formats with an emphasis on voice.
  8. Engage in visual literacy activities, critical thinking problems, and creative fun.
  9. Rubrics are everywhere so borrow them and adapt them. Even better, use generic rubrics that target key areas.
  10. Use the class time for active strategies involving verbal fluency, conversation, and individualized de-briefing.
  11. Social Media — encourage students to find relevant articles on thee material
  12. I do use a basic folder to have students cover up their screens on certain occasions. I expanded the use of the folder into a search reference tool, formative assessment tool, place to score blog entries, and relevant strategies for thinking analytically.

Screenshot from my Website

Will students check emails and skype chat in your class? Maybe – but they won’t if they are busy and focused. What we are really educating with a laptop is self-regulation. Can a toddler-teenager-adult have the discipline to ignore the underlying distractions of the web? Ask your students and empathize with them because the teacher is just as likely in the same boat.

One last note about the 1:1 classroom

Being an international teacher with some degree of control over where I wish to teach, I can say, with the utmost conviction, I will not work at a school that isn’t 1:1.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in COETAIL 4 - Pedagogy

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Technology is not Additive; it’s Ecological

Posted on March 1, 2012 | 3 Comments

I have recently been hired as the K-12 Technology Coordinator at Ruamrudee International School in Thailand. I prepared a vision for technology in education that has seen it’s fair share of revisions and reflections. I share it now, for the first time. I use technology because history has showed me that the brightest minds in the world have embraced technology for it’s practical application. I’m sure the late Neil Postman would agree that people should know a few things about technology.

Some rights reserved by darkmatter

Education in the 21st century

Education in the 21st century is transforming at an unprecedented rate of change because the needs of learners have shifted toward skills that embody innovation and human experience. I see technology as a historical common phenomena that has peripherally (and continually) shaped the way people view themselves and the world around them. Science, travel, and commerce have evolved (while pushing boundaries) due to the simple implementation of a better, more sophisticated tool which has in turn accommodated progress and collective understanding. We are in a unique time in education and 2012 will most likely be a tipping year as tighter budgets and greater accountability force teachers into adopting new and better tools of instruction.

There is no escaping from ourselves. The human dilemma is as it has always been, and it is a delusion to believe that the technological changes of our era have rendered irrelevant the wisdom of the ages and the sages.

As a student of history, I have always shaped my understanding of human experience around three essential relationships: people’s relationship to their environment, to other humans, and to powerful ideas that have resonance and meaning. Human experience underlies all that we do as educators in preparing students for active participation in a global society. My vision for technology stems from my thinking about what I do as an educator in meeting the needs of my students. But I am not really supporting any real change if I am attempting to change the broken system called formal learning.

I believe:

1. The most up to date information is only accessible in real time. People are at a disadvantage when their information in outdated. This disadvantage can have a range of repercussions; more importantly, the formal learner must be equipped with the understanding of how to navigate the information available, appropriately use the information, and share their use with others.

2. The role of the teacher has shifted  to that of the learner, facilitator, and approximately nineteen other roles. Embracing the 21 roles of the teacher is an initial step toward identifying the value of new tools and ways of thinking in traditional classrooms.

3. Changing roles means changing personal/group habits, temporal/spatial structures, and (wait for it…..) philosophies.  If a teacher has not changed/modified their own philosophy, then everything else would be meaning less and lack motivation. Decision making demands input from all stakeholders regarding schedules, space, collaborative planning time, and data-driven instruction.

4. Former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch wrote, “If the rate of change outside an institution is faster than inside an institution, that institution is in peril.”  Here is the call for adoption of more progressive blueprints of instruction. Curricula are the most important factor in the success of learner. Good curricula makes a bad teacher effective, bad curriculum makes a good teacher ineffective. The call is for internal and external collaboration to streamline, implement, and celebrate mastery learning which is supported by innovative vehicles of social media and rapid communication

5. The commitment must be made institutionally and then recruit personnel that share the same values and vision. School leaders need to ask the right questions of their prospective hires and support a program of mutual sharing, collegiality, and celebration. I believe that traditional mindsets and external pressures weaken commitment to meeting students needs of the 21st century. I asked a Superintendent of a top school in NY if there were plans in his school to initiate a laptop/1:1 program and he cringed communicating the a general fear that students would misuse the computers. I believe that on many occasions we are only limited by our own thinking in what can be accomplished. It is criminal to pass this mindset onto the next generation.

YouTube Preview Image

Technology in Education

Technology in Education should be explored and implemented to its innovative ends! Implementation of a one to one program requires appropriately support for effective use of the tool. While technology opens so many opportunities, I also believe that it is too often viewed as an end in itself rather than a means to an end—or both! Should technology simply replace all aspects of education for the sake of innovation? Who could propose such a preposterous measure? While teaching requires current instruments and connectivity to students, not all current instruments and student connectivity is enhanced by technology.  Like all good things in life, technology is yet another element to examine with an eye for balance. There is great educational and developmental value in students flexing such a critical eye on technology resources, determining effective and ineffective uses of technology in education and in life. There are a number of ethical issues just surfacing regarding technological innovations—issues of ethics that are far less supported by decades of moral and human values. These issues offer an opportunity for students to truly construct parameters for real-life ethical issues regarding how people use technology in the world, ultimately enhancing social awareness through the critical eyes of multiple students. My vision is that technology supports all three aspects of the human experience believing that teachers must evaluate the quality of their instruction through reflection and augmentation of the following:

  • Environment
  • Human interaction
  • Ideas

1. The focus is not technology integration, but transformation of the system based upon  connectivity, collaboration, communication, collegiality, community, and celebration. All words that start with the letter “C.”  The thinking that I support is one of personalized learning that  enables each student to take a customized path toward meeting high level standards. Flexible uses of time and space allow differentiated approaches to content, assessment, pacing, and learning style. This level of personalization, when combined with world-class standards, performance-based assessment, anytime/anywhere learning, deep student engagement and agency, and a comprehensive system of supports, is referred to as next generation learning (NGL); I whole-heartedly endorse choice in learning. This is how people refine their ability to dialogue, crowd source authentic problems, and innovate.

2. My vision supports an increasing emphasis upon practical and philosophical use of social media through pedagogy and project-based tasks that support a wide-range of 21st century literacies.  Everyone blogs in school and the blogs become a digital portfolio that allow for practicing of curation, construction, and written reflection. All important literacies can be supported and student writing will flourish through appropriate feedback. Institutionally, we shall support the Creative Commons mentality of sharing with proper attribution, while simultaneously contributing to specific learning communities. All teachers will develop a personal learning network for on-going professional development that continuously shares new resources and approaches while challenging existing thinking.

3. An emphasis on fast connectivity along with digital and technical support that minimizes breakdowns in classroom instruction and communication. Let’s double the bandwidth every year! Lets have a tech team within sections that have members representing each department. Super fast connectivity is vital for the uploading of media and information. I would like to see a schools become think tanks and centers of inquiry, where the intellectual challenges are practical and put the learner inside the dilemmas. New types of courses will emerge that will not only pique interest, but will require guest speakers, large amounts of data collection and storage, and creativity. Mental associations are the stuff of creativity and people must be given opportunities to be cognitively challenged.

4. Broadcasting & Vertical Initiatives will be much more pervasive in the future. Skill sets will become much more specialized and so a tiered system of service will most likely emerge. The best skill sets will earn premium wages for services. However, the services will stille be in great demand with the opportunities left available for those below the most sought after quite substantial. In addition, broadcasting will be far more reaching with specialization in a diverse and varied number of subjects. People will come to accept information from specific broadcast sources (youtube channels come to mind here), while the natural synthesis of ideas, interests, and subjects will create enormous opportunities for new areas of thought, exploration, and design. School wide programming where a common theme is shared and used to drive creative productivity and collaboration can happen with much more frequency in a connected learning environment where the school values are emphasized, supported, and aligned.

5. Ambitious Exploration and Experimentation should be encouraged and supported when ever possible. Teachers should feel free to try new methods and approaches to instruction if the methods emphasize challenging but engaging tasks. There are those that feel that some cultures do not embrace risk-taking, however that is a very subjective term. Anything novel requires some risk, other wise it would not be a challenge. There is a implied responsibility to address the needs of the whole student and experimentation and exploration are specific habits of mind that are generally valued by groups. I have blogged on this idea before but I am entirely certain that there must be opportunities throughout formal education for students to not only choose what they want to learn, but also plan how they will learn it. That is a pretty ambitious experiment for any teacher. The next generation of teacher should be able to integrate content, pedagogy, and technology CREATIVELY.

Some rights reserved by - Annetta -

It doesn’t matter if it is five, ten, or one hundred years, the developing mind will require a structure of learning that has leverage, is relevant, and is enduring. I will wager 50 bajillion Schrute Bucks that will include technology because technology has leverage, is always relevant, and seems to always pop up in the historical record as a major agent of change. Technology is not additive-it is ecological.

In short, we must prepare learners to critically embrace their futures, not our pasts!

→ 3 Comments

Posted in COETAIL 4 - Pedagogy

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Psychology Behind Reverse Instruction

Posted on February 28, 2012 | 3 Comments

You have no idea

It is not a secret that reverse instruction alters the traditional landscape of education. I mean, what kind of teacher just assumes that a video or screen cast can effectively deliver instruction the way a trained professional can? What happened to the human element in education? Are teachers an endangered species as a result of reverse instruction?  Will Khan Academy threaten my future?

Please! Where do these irrational questions come from? Are teachers predisposed to the role of devil’s advocate? The first understanding of this approach in education is that it is not very innovative or revolutionary. I teach high school aged students and my colleagues would agree that at some point these learners must begin developing habits that allow them to be responsible for their own learning. Actually, in the 21st century, it is earlier than high school. Try Kindergarten.  What I find most practical is that reverse instruction acknowledges the transformation of what we used to value in education (knowledge) to what the world values (information).  Technology may have enhanced and facilitated the forms and resources for learning, but the Socratic method is quite alive in the flipped classroom. The best part of the flip, hands down, is that the students can finally drive the class.

 

The Flipped Classroom Model Full Approach

 

I teach IB Psychology and some of the concepts and theories students must master in the course are quite sophisticated. Schema Theory particularly can blow your mind. The cognition necessary to build conceptual understanding cannot be derived from someone else’s mind. The brain doesn’t work that way. It is impossible to share a mental framework with another student and thus “plant” information in their minds (I also don’t believe narratives do this, but they are entertaining). Reverse instruction of sophisticated material requires student engagement and inquiry. The in-class agenda becomes predominantly deep discussion with Q & A time allowed.  In-class activities can engage students in research, organization, and further extensions of the learning with emphasis on the specific meaning connected to the information. This is the flipped classroom: jumping “head first” into a new and interesting concept, while the teacher “life guard” throws the life line when necessary. I cannot lecture on notes, I cannot present lectures embedded into power points. That is a waste of time and the learning moment is seriously marginalized.  Interestingly, I suppose it doesn’t matter if the students utilize videos, notes, articles, textbook; what matters is how those students are expected to relate to the information. What they need is an essential question to guide their understanding outside of class so that they do not lose focus. Once in class, their responses can be challenged or shared. Ultimately, the classroom experience should allow for thinking time, peer reflection/discussion time, creative activities, and student feedback. It would be difficult to schedule these important experiences in a forty minute lecture.

If you have an hour of time, it may be worth it to listen to Eric Mazur discuss how moving away from lecture has transformed his teaching.
YouTube Preview Image

 Psychology & Reverse Instruction

I feel there is some sound psychology at play in reverse instruction.  Cognitive and behavioral sciences have elicited a number of interesting ideas about learning, decision making, and motivation:

  • I think the motivation factor is one easily addressed in reverse instruction, particularly if there is variety in the forms of resources and reasonable time expectations. I also believe that if students actually feel more confident about their cognition, then they will try more difficult tasks and become better at self-regulation, abilities inherent in not just academic success, but future success.
  • Moving from conventional to conceptual understanding does not happen in lecture. It comes from time and attention, deep processing, and articulation.  Importantly, when students do well with conceptual problems, they do well with conventional problems. This cognitive effort works the slow thinking system that is less intuitive and demands more information and time.
  • A major part of the flipped classroom should engage students in abstract and integrative thought processes. Mental models of information and associative memory are extremely vital to success. In fact, creativity has once been described as “associative memory – that works extremely well.” Creativity and systematic understanding can be fostered through inquiry and constructive (or connective) activities. Teachers can facilitate a classroom that move away from favoring cognitive ease by giving less of the information and providing more of the challenge.
  • Teachers should train students to self-prime for their individual self study. Priming techniques are powerful, yet can be extremely subtle. Experiments have shown that simple visuals or words can prepare the mind to learn or behave in particular way. Using priming in reverse instruction significantly enhances the students engagement outside of the classroom.

Reverse instruction also conditions learners to build organizational skills, seek help and assistance, and construct their own personal learning environment. Technology has greatly facilitated learners by allowing them to crowd source information (like using wiki’s or sites), apply and construct visuals that enhance understanding, and share those materials with others. I feel that if teachers communicate the value of using information over  the acquisition of knowledge, then learners will seriously reexamine their roles and responsibilities.  With reverse instruction, what we really expect are students that perform at a high level, not regress to the mean, as so often happens when certain units favor their abilities or piques their interests.

In the end this is about good pedagogy. When the brain learns something new the first time, there is a lot of work involved in regard to neural activity. Anyone who learns something new (a procedure, information, language) must devote an appropriate amount of time and attention to that new learning.  That makes the learning part of education quite difficult. In the words of High school chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam ,

 “Good teaching, regardless of discipline and age, should always limit passive transfer of knowledge in class, and promote learning environments built on the tenants of inquiry, collaboration and critical thinking.”

This doesn’t sound like reverse instruction, but forward instruction. As for the questions at the beginning of the post,  isn’t exaggeration a truly wonderful literary device.

 

For more on the flipped classroom check out the following resources and articles:

Should you Flip your Classroom?

Flipped Classroom Livebinder

→ 3 Comments

Posted in COETAIL 4 - Pedagogy

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Finishing on a High Note….

Posted on April 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

My project/unit plan for my course final is a very basic research assignment that asks students to explore a topic of interest and develop a systems-based understanding of how that topic of interest has changed in the last 30 years. I have taught world history for 15 years and absolutely love the systems history approach as it allows for a deep understanding of the connections between people and ideas, their geography, and other people. I also chose this project because it is at the end of a modern world history course and very rarely do most history classes (except for token “current events” days) ever address recent or contemporary change. Like MTV or Reality TV.

The research process is the key here and ninth grade students are expected to establish research skills along a continuum with their senior year demanding extended essays or English papers. I have embedded opportunities to practice search skills, visual literacy, organization, content-analysis, and ultimately presentation/design elements. My students will be constructing a slideshow with exactly 15 slides that change every 20 seconds, a presentation technique referred to as Pecha Kucha (pronounced “pa-kach-ka”) . After five minutes the audience will have heard a research based “story” about the last 30 years that demonstrates understanding of systematic change. We will employ a PERSIAN chart for their research plan, video examples, and ultimately a tool box of appropriate terms used specifically by social scientists. The assignment will be be four class periods with one class for presentation. Rubric link is embedded into the lesson plan:


 

FINAL REFLECTION

Well, after two months of exploration, organization, and autonomous thinking about the craft of teaching and what is happening, I am left with a number of very real questions and dilemmas about the systems we still use to educate young people.  If I trace the genesis of my beliefs regarding education I end up with the birth of my son (and two years later, my daughter) and the very real concern that I (still) have that he is allowed the freedom to learn and grow socially with other members of his cohort. That my children are able to think critically about the world around them and that direct instruction in skills will be made available along with the opportunities to shape their own learning. This course is a beginning in allowing me to facilitate a change in mind set: that education is a journey employing all the senses and brain functions in order to understand and shape our environments. It never stops. Our focal point as educators is the tendency to be age-restrictive (roughly ages 4-18) and that preparation is the paramount responsibility. I think this is a very narrow view of teaching and in general ignores the real roles of teachers (which are approximately 23 different roles).

Blogging is great because I get to say what I want.  Current teachers must consider collaborating on a regular basis, consider upgrading stale and disengaging curriculum, and above all stop complaining. I hear so many teachers complain about so many different matters that it is very uninspiring and difficult to be collegial. Current parents need to be much more engaged and informed on what is happening in their children’s class rooms. Know the curriculums and question when they appear stale or lacking in 21st century skills. Administrators must be involved as well in evaluating classrooms and begin to push their schools in a progressive direction that emphasizes higher level skills, rigor, and pride.

My favorite excuse for not keeping up with the times is “I am a traditionalist.” (whatever that means) I literally throw up in my brain. All I can promise is if my son or daughter ever has a “traditionalist” for a teacher, all I can promise is that it will be one very long year and they better get used to seeing my face. I read Nurture Shock;  plus, I know how the brain learns.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in COETAIL 1 - Info Literacy

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

8 things I have come to understand (about high school students). Part 1

Posted on March 13, 2011 | 1 Comment

Top ten lists may still have its place on David Letterman but since I have lived overseas I rarely get the chance to end my day with Dave. I’m a big fan of lists (not as much as my wife) and feel that they have enormous value in the classroom; especially the attendance roster – I am convinced that class rosters are the most important list for an educator and in my 15 years as a teacher I have perused countless rosters. In this time I have come to develop some basic suppositions of high school students based on interactions and experiences in and out of the classroom; as individuals and in groups. Whether from Upstate New York, Tel Aviv- Israel, or Bangkok, Thailand, the average teenage high school student, globally, is remarkably salient. While I am in no way generalizing or attacking young adults (or even worse stereotyping), I will point out what I have come to understand about high school age students and how educational change on mutli-levels would benefit them. This was part of a faculty presentation I gave on 21st century learning and now it is the premise of my first COETAIL blog entry.

1.They have difficulty solving complex problems. (So that’s what we give them)

One of the comments I have heard a number of times from past students is that I “make them think too much.” I always say “thank you.” I take it as the greatest compliment a student can give a teacher (or coach, or anyone since a state certification is not required to pass on understanding.)  Divergent & critical thinking opportunities need to be embedded into our student face time more than ever. I am reminded of the “uses of a paper clip” exercise in a 6 +1 writing traits course. Throw a problem into the center of your class and walk away. I am always amazed at the results, and more importantly, the process students go through when considering creative solutions. This is the origin of innovation and we need young people with the cognitive fitness to embrace such challenges.



2.They love to communicate…but on their terms. (So put their communications on your terms)

Kids love to talk (or text) and they always have. My four year old and I have wonderful conversations and I am afraid that will change as he enters formal education in its current form with traditional top down emphasis on teacher talk time (TTT).  Talk as process and talk as performance strategies emphasize verbal fluency and increase student talk time (STT) which is directly supported by current brain research as essential for retention and higher order processing. Getting kids to talk about things they generally would not talk of is the key; a teachers ability to utilize elevator pitches, paired verbal fluency, group talks, podcasting/screencasting, the back channel tools, and other technologies can allow them the opportunity to demand higher quality products that emphasize voice, preparation, and other ELA elements that communicate a depth of thinking. At the same time, the students executive function portion of the brain (pre-frontal cortex) is charged enhancing individual verbal fluencies and complex vocabularies.

3.They demand very specific directions (also called “hand-holding”) while avoiding risk. (So let them figure it out and reward risk taking)

Consider the difficulty of tasks when constructing problems for students and give explicit guidelines for a product and then stop there. Encourage them to visualize a solution or product that addresses a problem. As a teacher one of the hardest instincts to ignore is a student with a need and that is good. But there is a difference between ignoring a student and not getting in the way of an opportunity to learn through experience. Reward the risk takers and more importantly the EFFORT. Emphasizing effort over performance is supported in recent behavioral studies and the opportunity to choose their own path to learning affects the cerebral cortex — the seat of executive function. The world needs risk takers as they have historically been the agents of change.

4. Many still expect you to tell them what to learn and how. (Ask them what they want to know….their answers may surprise you.)

It is called the Tools of Mind program and it’s results have been outstanding. I will probably devote an entire blog entry to it but let me just say that it supports a very important paradigm shift in institutional learning: the handing over of learning to the individual and away from the teacher (or curriculum). I read the book Nurture Shock last October and was profoundly changed as a result. It resonated on so many levels with what I had been observing in high school aged students for years. The discipline issues, the poor organizational skills, and general lack of self-control I had observed in high schools in three different continents could now be linked to the general lack of empowerment in their own learning an experience started in Pre-kindergarten. Self-control, empowerment, and confidence are three pretty strong life-skills that we better be teaching in our classrooms and it starts with courage to allow students to learn and explore not only what they want to learn about but how they want to demonstrate that understanding.  Re-shaping and upgrading curricula to emphasize these skills should be articulated in every schools long term strategic plan. Putting students in the center of their own learning is the critical component of constructing life-long learners.

YouTube Preview Image

The video above has been viewed 3.5 million times….I have watched it probably ten times as there are several ideas worth dwelling upon. The re-thinking of educational design with the student in the center of their own learning is not only progressive but vital to our future; Sir Ken Robinson provides effective insight into the origins of our current system where it may be headed. It’s inclusion is to remind me of why I’m taking this course. In the next few days I will post part 2 of the list and I’m hoping motivate others to consider what they have learned about their students.

Does your clock look like this? (Can I get one for the classroom?)

I am intrigued, driven, and invested in re-shaping education to empower learners.  Who’s with me?

 

Part 2 after the jump.

 

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in COETAIL 1 - Info Literacy

Tagged , , , , , ,