Some thoughts and ideas...

...disconnected I know.

1. A great quote from TeachPaperless here.

   The fearful are afraid that formative assessment might actually be demonstrated to be more powerful than testing.

2. I remember reading this early on in my teaching and I think we are even further away from being a critical thinker. In fact, it would seem most students think more critically these days than adults. Most adults believe what they read or are unwilling to look at a different viewpoint. Most students are labeled as uncaring, unmotivated, etc. I am beginning to think that they don't buy into our old media and equally old (and flawed) values.
3. Big picture thinking which is difficult in high schools, is a reason why interdisciplinary and authentic work is harder to find. A great post here on the territoriality of courses in high school brings to light some problems.

CoSN report findings

This post from the Strength of Weak ties quotes portions from a CoSN report on Leadership for Web 2.0 in Education: Promise and Reality.

Does Finding 7 surprise you?

“While there was broad agreement that Web 2.0 applications hold educational value, the use of these tools in American classrooms remains the province of individual pioneering classrooms.” (p.11)

and, Finding 8, which is troubling, but probably has been true for a long period of time regarding technology, not just Web 2.0:

“Web 2.0 is outpacing K-12 education’s current capacity to innovate.” (p 11)

And then, Finding 9:

“District administrators, the persons responsible for decision making on Web 2.0 in schools, are more passive than active users in the Web 2.0 space. (p 12).

Changing Finding 7 and Finding 8 begins with changing Finding 9….

It would seem that pockets of innovation are tolerable and those can be held up as being shining examples. True reform and excellence however would look much different.

On life

This talk from Steve Jobs is worth a listen over and over.

I was reminded of it through this post at Open Culture.

It is all about the pedagogy

Last night in an Ok2Ask wiki session (Guided Wiki Walk) led by Teacher's First, I had a sense that people look at tools like a wiki as being what is the change.

It is not. It is just a medium.

After all, it is not about the tools, it is about the pedagogy. Ryan Bretag's post sums up this thinking.

Pedagogy not tools. Technology that supports a learning environment. Technology itself does not change it. We have had promises for this in the past.

It is time to define what learning is. It is time to value real learning.

We must be doing a lousy job...

After all, in one week this last Spring, the following has crossed my eyes and ears:

1. Jack Cafferty at CNN lobbed the following on the news: Why have high schoolers made little progress in reading and math since the 70's? Of course on air he ends his question with the fact that unions cannot fire the horrible teachers. Way to paint a great picture, Jack. There are poor professionals in every profession but there are wonderful teachers out there. The system that is broken is not the union, it is the system itself. Perhaps all critical thinking has left our society. If we have been testing all this time and the scores haven't gone up, perhaps it is because of the testing. Really. What matters is not valued anymore (it is tough, it is not easy for students to do, and it is not easy to measure.) What is easy to measure quickly erodes the state of education. A comment from Nick in Orlando says it this way:

   I myself am in high school (grade 10) and honestly I believe it has to do with the state test, in florida we have the FCAT. All year long we spend all this time on learning “fcat material” alot of which is basic math, english, and science. All this money is wasted in fcat prep courses instead of new material, new techniques for teaching, new innovations. Instead my county (orange county district 8. ) settles for money to be spent on paper, paper, paper, for the Fcat. The FCAT is not fundamental to our actual learning, I may be young, but I certainly know when things do not work. And stopping the learning proccesses to sit around all day and work on a test that is easy and always passed, however if it is not passed, teachers, principles, administrators lose there jobs, this is why I believe for at lease florida THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS BROKEN AND IS IN NEED OF SOME SERIOUS CHANGE. Eliminate state testing, cut programs that dont work, pay teachers more, treat them like the people they should be treated as, good teachers have quit do to under pay and 100 percent county/state control that is not working, at least in florida. If Britney Spears, can make millions a year not singing, not writing music, just being a good looking professional, then teachers should all be as rich as Bill gates, and the bush family. Thats all I have to say on why we have not advanced since the 70s. P.S I am 16 years old and yes I have a very strong opinion on this topic, and maybe you think I am just the everyday juvenile delinquent that hates school and wants to trash it. The truth is I would love to learn, can my country, the country I love and support, please help me out? After all jack, I am your future.

2. Add to it this wonderful paragraph from Deborah Meier (read the original article) brought to my reader inbox via Weblogg-ed:

   As long as we use test scores as our primary evidence for being poorly educated we reinforce the connection—and the bad teaching to which it leads. If by some course of action we could get everyone’s score the same—even by cheating—I’d be for it, so we could get on to discussing the interactions that matter in classrooms and schools: between “I, Thou, and It.” I’ve spent 45 years trying, unsuccessfully, to shift the discussion to schools as sites for learning. Such a “conversation” might not produce economic miracles, but it would over time connect schooling to the kind of learning that can protect both democracy and our economy. Because that’s where schools are (or are not) powerful.

3. And the fine mess that education is in via big business written by Clay Burrell over at Education.change.org. He looks at reports on lost economic value. Some real reasons to decline from change in tax funding over the years to corporate involvements to what we are really comparing when we look at other countries. I really cannot do the justice that Clay does. Spend some time on his blog.
   
4. There are many more but that is enough for today...

What is scary is the emphasis on the results of tests and how they are being used. I am not sure where this is all headed but very much doubt we are on the right path. Longer school days or years, emphasis on comparing the apples and oranges of successive years on tests, standardizing curricula, focus on content that is meaningless without context...

Learning styles

An interesting idea of learning styles:

“Learning styles” seem to be very popular these days in education. However, the notion that each person learns differently is likely a myth (Olson, 2006; Feldon, 2005; Willingham, 2005). It is not a different learning style students enter instruction with, but different prior knowledge and experiences. In fact, when students receive instruction within their “style” of choice, they often perform more poorly on assessments (Salomon, 1984). The explanation for this discrepancy is that students exert less mental effort on tasks they prefer due to perception of ease. Therefore, the students are not as actively mentally engaged in the learning activities. Additionally, we must consider the biological nature of learning. Human beings, in a physiological sense, are not very different and learning is a chemical/physiological process occurring in the brain. Why should we think one person’s brain works fundamentally differently than another? We do not think this about other organs. Perhaps, instead of focusing on students’ “learning styles” we should focus on what representation best suits the content being learned. Instead of thinking some students are “hands-on” learners while others are not, we must realize that all students will benefit from concrete representations of concepts.

I think presenting ideas that students have learned in formats that they like is the way to go. I agree that you cannot present information to students in all these ways. However, spending time tapping into what they already know, identifying misconceptions, and focusing on metacognition is meaningful for learning.

Why just looking at outcomes is not a good thing

Note: A few years ago I almost left education and was renewed by the use of technology to change a classroom. I am again caught in the whirlpool of doubt. Not of changes that have been made, but where we seem to be going. This is a rant so bear with me.

We are missing the boat. Understanding by Design still is very powerful and a way to plan effectively for learning. I have taught for 21 years. I remember OBE. It has many of the same points as UbD. The problem is still the focus on outcomes.

I know we need to know where we are going to plan for learning.

But, when we worry just about outcomes we lose much of the process. That is where the learning happens.

There are also so many outcomes, it cannot be navigated effectively.

In the quest to the outcome, wemany times still do not get quite there.

The process is more important. Adam Savage from Mythbusters gets this. Here is his TED talk about his passage to unexpected learning. Most will not understand or appreciate the story. It is a rare person these days who can see this process and be excited by learning.

My son gets it. I was playing World of Warcraft one day. Solo. Without him (I tagged along his character for months as I learned.) My character died three times in 10 minutes that day. I felt like a failure. He said: "That is learning." My son is a teacher. (Note: My son may not fill his day with activities, but he fills his day with learning in a variety of tech and non-tech formats.)

Chris Lehmann writes here:

I've been feeling this for a while, lately... that the conversation at the local level is moving in the right direction in a lot of places. The tools are (not) new anymore, and many places have pockets of innovation and now many folks are asking how to do it systemically. And more and more administrators are looking at school change beyond just the test scores. We're not ignoring them, but I'm hearing principals and superintendents say things like, "Yes, we need to do well on the test, but we also need to do what's right for kids."

I want to believe him (and should, he is a role model for many and have had this vision long before me.) What if we don't see admin rolling up sleeves and working with us? What if test scores still reign supreme and there is no talk that anything else is important? For many, those specific outcomes are driving all the discussions. Talks of anything else are not happening. They are considered that other thing that is nice to saqy we do.

I know in my heart that driving the curriculum towards test outcomes is absolutely the wrong thing to do. I think most educators would agree and can feel it deep down. When did those voices quieten and our expertise and training no longer matter? What makes policy makers viewpoints on what should be learned more important? It is like watching a slowly occurring train wreck. It is painful to watch, and yet we are on it.

I know there is a big educational system bent toward this end of measured outcomes.

It is unyielding... deaf...

Some people want change but it is a foreign concept. I am beginning to think the concept of innovation that works is one where it "kills the mother ship."

A quote that crossed my path...

...from Andrew Sullivan's blog. Though this is about a specific topic, it really sums up the basic underlying problem that we have right now in many facets of our lives:

Uniformity of opinion breeds complacency, close-mindedness, and a tendency to mistake attitudes for arguments.

Education, scientific literacy, environment, understanding of any viewpoint...these are all running through my head.

Disruption of education...

...as we know it.

Chris Lehmann recently posted about the book Disrupting Class (Chris needs to know he is not the last to read it, mine is still unread.)

Two posts I am reading today reference ideas related to this book.

One from Tim Stahmer:

…the current educational system – the way it trains teachers, and the way school buildings are laid out – is designed for standardization. If the US is serious about leaving no child behind, it cannot teach students with standardized methods.

While people have spent billions of dollars putting computers into US schools, it has resulted in little change in how students learn. And most products that the fragmented and marginally profitable education software industry has produced attempt to teach students in the same ways that subjects have been taught in the classroom.

The reason for this disappointing result [little or no improvement in learning] is that the way schools have employed computers has been perfectly predictable, perfectly logical – and perfectly wrong.

and

…when disruptive innovators begin forming user networks through which professionals and amateurs – students, parents, and teachers – circumvent the existing value chain and instead market their products directly to each other, … the balance of power in education will shift.

Another from Will Richardson offers this one sentence from Schlechty that sums it up beautifully:

Schools must be transformed from platforms for instruction to platforms for learning, from bureaucracies bent on control to learning organizations aimed at encouraging disciplined inquiry and creativity.

First I need to read this book, and second need to continue to tinker what I do to become closer to this. I have come a long way, but this will be an interesting year as we are purchasing question banks to help students do better on the state science assessment. There is a whole lot wrong there with that last sentence. Though they need help with questions, the emphasis on content and not process is still problematic and more of the same failed system.

Leadership and 1:1

On Wes Fryer's blog The Speed of Creativity, Dawn Danker's guest post has some incredible language that caused me to pause. Oklahoma's State Superintendent Leadership conference offered a panel of wonderful thinkers.

The basics from her post are the 5 pillars of success for 1:1. They include:

1. Leadership - the comment especially that everyone is a leader and that technology must be part of the actual culture of the school.
2. Professional development - Please go to her post, I feel like I am beating a dead horse discussing stepping out of comfort zones, collaborating, and creating ongoing and meaningful PD...
3. - 5. Hardware/Software infrastructure - This has to be individual for the needs of each 1:1 school. An emphasis on open source is unmistakable:

All the panelists agreed that web based applications gave them the most flexibility with minimal in-house support.

She quotes Steve Shiever from early in the session and a great thinking and discussing point that every district should be engaged in:

Let the curriculum drive the technology.

This is followed by words from Scott Parks:

“Think about creativity, think about authentic assessment, think outside the box and be prepared to make a positive change in your schools.”

It sounded like a great opportunity and many great discussions that should be occurring everywhere.

We need a L-E-A-D-E-R

It is not the technology or the tools, it is how they can be used in creating significant change in how and what our schools are about. For Leadership Day 2009, here are a few thoughts.

What we need:

• L: Learner. Model what a learner is and does. Be one. Demonstrate how this happens everyday and how PD can be more personal and reflective.
  
• E: Encourage innovation. It takes a lot of guts to do something different and this should be supported. Many leaders ask for us to change but are not there for support.
  
• A: Atmosphere. An atmosphere of care should extend to everyone in the school culture. Create a place where everyone feels safe to stretch.
  
• D: Dare. Dare to encourage a new vision of what learning should look like. Once that is seen, the path is clear.
  
• E: Expertise. Use the expertise and talents of those around you. Just as we learn from our students, much of what we have to say has value too.
  
• R: Remove. Barriers, that is. The right people are here already. Learn from them and bring them together. What is the shared vision, how can we move everyone there, and what can we do to make great changes?

Tags: leadershipday09, Scott Mcleod, #leadershipday09

Imagine

Imagine...if every teacher led by becoming a learner.
Imagine...if we all took responsibility and did the best we have with what we are given.
Imagine...if we focused on being the best and serving every student.
Imagine...if we inspired others to do their best.
Imagine....if we did something different instead of the same thing. What could we achieve?

@Teachpaperless had a wonderful post:
"If you keep doing what you’ve always done… you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got!"

If there is one thing I would encourage in education, it's not technology for technology's sake. It's not content for content's sake. It's certainly not more testing. It's autonomy. Autonomy for all teachers, public or private. And with that autonomy should come responsibilities. Responsibilities to the students. Because effective teachers aren't teachers who make test scores go up; they are teachers who raise their students up.

Thinking critically...

We know that when it comes to discussing diseases and many other health concerns, students are more apt to believe someone from the medical community instead of their teacher.

However, this is disturbing: There have been many celebrities and parents groups denouncing the use of vaccines and their role in the "outbreak" of autism. without getting into the controversy of what causes autism (though honestly, as we learn more about it, the definitions get broader leading to an increase in defined cases of it.) Because of the refusal of parents to vaccinate their children, there have been outbreaks of measles, mumps, and meningitis that are significant and are discussed in this article.

The article also goes on to discuss the failure of scientists to hit these other sources of information head on. Why is it this way? Why does the American public not look at scientific information differently?

Is it because

1. For the last 10 years, scientific information has been twisted and denounced by the government and non-scientific agencies?
2. Do most people not understand the most basic principals of science that would cause one to think more critically about issues?
3. Many people are easily swayed by others they identify with and most do not identify themselves with the scientific community?

It is disturbing as there are many important issues that affect our personal and global futures.

Animals as best friends

Sometimes the furry critters are your best friends. (I know many don't understand.)

No matter what you do or think of yourself, they see the real you.

Your family and friends may not be liking you.

The world in which you move may be hateful and unyielding.

You may find that you are swimming upstream or running into walls.

It doesn't matter. Your furry friend is always there for you and waiting for you. Mine was my savior these last two years. These last two years have been the roughest in my life on many levels and he was the one constant I had who held no judgments. (I know many have worse.)

Despite enjoying NECC with my son and delivering a good poster session, I just wanted to hug my furry friend but he is no longer here. I miss him terribly. (Too many emotions buried deep just keep surfacing.)