I imagine that when most people think about education in the 21st century, they would be moved to envision technological gadgets, virtual classrooms, and the like. Ironically, my vision for education in the 21st century does call for some radical changes in the learning environment, but has very little to do with accomplishing them via new technology. In today's society, students are accustomed to having information at their fingertips at all times. The "knowing of facts" has no practical use in a world where knowledge is only a Google search away. However, there are some serious issues facing society, and today's adolescents are going to be presented with solving some very complex problems that we have created for ourselves. Schooling, in my opinion, needs to address these changing demands. Students must emerge from our education system as confident, creative problem solvers with the ability to listen, appreciate opinions, effectively use resources, constantly question norms, and think critically.
A step inside most high school classrooms will reveal that, by and large, education has not renewed itself to reflect the changing needs of society. Especially in mathematics, teachers still tell students how to a solve problem before sending them off to practice 50 more just like it. In real life we are frequently presented with problems but rarely are we told how to solve them. Over the course of the next semester, I fully intend to provide students with problems/tasks that they have no idea how to solve....and let them try to figure it out. I imagine students will be very resistant to this idea. After all, they have been conditioned to believe that all math problems have a right answer. My goal is to show them that becoming a good problem solver is just as much about the process as it is the product.
As I learn to implement these types of problems into the classroom, I also feel that it is important to provide the opportunity for students to work on them in a structured groupwork environment. Success in society and the job world rely on the ability to work well with other people. As educators, we must prepare students for this demand by allowing them the opportunity to practice it in a meaningful context. Furthermore, groupwork can be designed to tackle some of the status issues that permeate much of societal relationships. Group roles, multiple abilities, and fostering confidence in our students can help level the very unequal playing field that we live in.
Lastly (at least for now), an action I would like to take during my early teaching career is designing methods of assessment that support this model of education. If we truly believe that arriving at the "right answer" is not the primary goal in problem solving, then it follows that we are more interested in assessing student processes. This becomes a very difficult task because of the subjectivity involved. Grading needs to be changed to reflect this belief. There are many ideas that I would like to experiment with: summative portfolios, rubrics designed around central unit themes, grading for progress, project-based assessment, and others. At this point in my teaching career (which officially has not even begun), I have no idea what will work. But, I honestly believe that there are better assessment methods than the unit test and I also believe that not all people can fully demonstrate their understanding through a test. Not offering these options is doing a lot of students a great disservice.
All of these actions require a change in curriculum, the role of the teacher, the structure of the school, and the assessment of the student. That is a lot of change in a system that heavily discourages it. But, believing that it can't be done would be the first step in ensuring that it doesn't.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Reading Response 6 - Bryan Meyer: Change Agent
You know, when I was reading the "Teaching as a Subversive Activity" selection, I couldn't help but think to myself, "maybe education just isn't ready for this type of change yet." I was really interested in the book, so I looked it up on Amazon and found out that the book was written in the early 1970's! I'm not pessimistic about the hope for the future of education. Believe me, I subscribe to the ideas of inquiry-based, student-centered, and collaborative learning environments more than you could imagine. But, I hope you can understand my confusion when I found out that these ideas about education have been around for almost 40 years! And still, there is little implementation of these grand renovations. What is it going to take to change education? Does research show which changes would be most beneficial? What should be the focus of public education?
I really have no clue what the answers to these questions are and I am beginning to think that we will never agree on a single "best" model for public education. In fact, I'm not sure there really is a single best model. But we will never know what works unless we try new things. With funding, politics, and testing, the public education system has become so rigid that nobody wants, or can afford, to experiment. There are some seeds of experimentation out there with schools that are trying new, innovative structures and curriculum. And for these tides of change to keep rising, these schools will have to show success so that others will follow. The problem is, these students may not perform as well on standardized testing, which has become the ultimate measure of a school's performance, because they have not been taught in a way that caters to testing. I don't know what I can do to help change education. That is a question I plan on investigating well into my career. All I know is that I will try my best every day. Hopefully I will change something. If it's not education, maybe it will be some kid's life.
I really have no clue what the answers to these questions are and I am beginning to think that we will never agree on a single "best" model for public education. In fact, I'm not sure there really is a single best model. But we will never know what works unless we try new things. With funding, politics, and testing, the public education system has become so rigid that nobody wants, or can afford, to experiment. There are some seeds of experimentation out there with schools that are trying new, innovative structures and curriculum. And for these tides of change to keep rising, these schools will have to show success so that others will follow. The problem is, these students may not perform as well on standardized testing, which has become the ultimate measure of a school's performance, because they have not been taught in a way that caters to testing. I don't know what I can do to help change education. That is a question I plan on investigating well into my career. All I know is that I will try my best every day. Hopefully I will change something. If it's not education, maybe it will be some kid's life.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Reading Response 5 - "Deep Thoughts" on Chapters 6-8
“Giving Everyone a Part”
I’m still not too sure how I feel about assigning specific roles for students in cooperative groups. From what I have seen so far, students rarely adhere to the specifics of their assigned role. The idea of individual roles, theoretically, combats some of the status issues that students face when working in groups. While I definitely think that these issues need to be addressed, I also think that they can just as effectively be eliminated by simply teaching students interpersonal skills like listening, getting everyone involved, and understanding opposing viewpoints. At my last school site, there was one teacher in particular who used lots of cooperative groupwork with assigned roles. In asking some of the students in her class, most of them said that they disliked having these roles. They believed that they would have been just as effective as a group without them. Agreed, sometimes students don’t always know what is best for their development. However, the viewpoint is at least one that is worth considering.
Thoughts I Had While Reading…
What should a teacher do when the task that has been assigned is simply not engaging the students? I know we need to be flexible, but would a whole class ever have complete disinterest in a task? If that happens, what would you do?
How do we ensure that students are helping other students in ways that are beneficial? We need to make sure they are guiding each other, without simply giving each other the “answers.” With students who are so focused on grades and just getting assignments done, this seems like a challenging task for a teacher.
I’m still not too sure how I feel about assigning specific roles for students in cooperative groups. From what I have seen so far, students rarely adhere to the specifics of their assigned role. The idea of individual roles, theoretically, combats some of the status issues that students face when working in groups. While I definitely think that these issues need to be addressed, I also think that they can just as effectively be eliminated by simply teaching students interpersonal skills like listening, getting everyone involved, and understanding opposing viewpoints. At my last school site, there was one teacher in particular who used lots of cooperative groupwork with assigned roles. In asking some of the students in her class, most of them said that they disliked having these roles. They believed that they would have been just as effective as a group without them. Agreed, sometimes students don’t always know what is best for their development. However, the viewpoint is at least one that is worth considering.
Thoughts I Had While Reading…
What should a teacher do when the task that has been assigned is simply not engaging the students? I know we need to be flexible, but would a whole class ever have complete disinterest in a task? If that happens, what would you do?
How do we ensure that students are helping other students in ways that are beneficial? We need to make sure they are guiding each other, without simply giving each other the “answers.” With students who are so focused on grades and just getting assignments done, this seems like a challenging task for a teacher.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Reading Reflection 4 - Groupwork Ch. 4 and 5
Composing Groups
We have already spent a lot of time in class discussing the composition of effective groups, but I particularly liked this section because it solidified some of my thoughts/beliefs and answered some of the questions I still had. Here are some of the key points that I found most helpful/interesting:
- Groups should be heterogeneous in nature, but "mechanically insuring that each group has equal numbers of males and females or one or two students of color has the disadvantage of making the basis of your decision clear to the students." This actually encourages students to focus on their group member as a typical representative of that race and gender and is, consequently, counterproductive in breaking down stereotypes.
- "Allowing friends to choose each other for work partners is not a good idea. Students should think of groupwork in terms of work rather than play, and there is clearly a tendency for friends to play rather than work." This is a question I have often wondered about. I agree with the point made here and think that assigning groups is a way to increase time on task as well as a subtle reminder of your control of the classroom environment.
- Labels such as "problematic student" and "natural leader" should never been seen as permanent personality characteristics. With effective grouping and training, all students should eventually be able to fill leadership roles. This is a good reminder that although groupwork is helpful in aiding student understanding of content material, it serves a larger purpose as well. We help students increase self confidence and prepare for the real world when we teach them the skills they need to be a leader.
We have already spent a lot of time in class discussing the composition of effective groups, but I particularly liked this section because it solidified some of my thoughts/beliefs and answered some of the questions I still had. Here are some of the key points that I found most helpful/interesting:
- Groups should be heterogeneous in nature, but "mechanically insuring that each group has equal numbers of males and females or one or two students of color has the disadvantage of making the basis of your decision clear to the students." This actually encourages students to focus on their group member as a typical representative of that race and gender and is, consequently, counterproductive in breaking down stereotypes.
- "Allowing friends to choose each other for work partners is not a good idea. Students should think of groupwork in terms of work rather than play, and there is clearly a tendency for friends to play rather than work." This is a question I have often wondered about. I agree with the point made here and think that assigning groups is a way to increase time on task as well as a subtle reminder of your control of the classroom environment.
- Labels such as "problematic student" and "natural leader" should never been seen as permanent personality characteristics. With effective grouping and training, all students should eventually be able to fill leadership roles. This is a good reminder that although groupwork is helpful in aiding student understanding of content material, it serves a larger purpose as well. We help students increase self confidence and prepare for the real world when we teach them the skills they need to be a leader.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Reading Reflection 3 - Designing Groupwork (1-3)
Chapter 1 -
Group work (I still haven't fully decided if this should be one word or two) should not be seen as simply putting students in groups to complete their everyday classroom activities. It involves strategic grouping, delegation of authority to the student, and a cognitively demanding task. Students should be encouraged to make mistakes and, through their exploration, they will come to rely on each group member in order to be successful in completing their task. I think all too often we, as teachers, want to immediately correct mistakes our students are making. This is a great disservice to their development of problem solving skills.
Chapter 2 -
Effectively designed collaborative work has a number of intellectual and social benefits. Group exploration involves active participation in which students receive immediate feedback about their understanding, or lack thereof, about a given topic. It encourages students to problem solve and persevere through uncertainty. Socially, group interaction through subject specific content allows students to "perceive underlying similarities across racial lines." Most group tasks are designed around a central, cognitively demanding problem. I truly believe this is how education should be designed. Life always presents us with a problem, not the answers. The group work methodology recognizes that "rote memorization is insufficient for the challenges of modern social problems and modern technology."
Chapter 3 -
There are a variety of different status factors that can play out when students work in groups. Students with strong academic or social performance often have high status amongst their friends. There is a self-fulfilling prophecy that plays out because these students often end up leading student work in groups and, consequently, are looked at as having the most positive contribution to the group (reinforcing their status). This can have damaging effects in widening the education gap, reinforcing stereotypes that students have, and preventing all students from engaging in the curriculum. If one of the reasons we are using group work is to help students break down these stereotypes, we must be extremely careful in planning group work wisely.
**I am really interested in this book and am eager to find out how teachers can avoid some of these harmful side effects through intentional design and effectively teaching students HOW to work in groups.
Group work (I still haven't fully decided if this should be one word or two) should not be seen as simply putting students in groups to complete their everyday classroom activities. It involves strategic grouping, delegation of authority to the student, and a cognitively demanding task. Students should be encouraged to make mistakes and, through their exploration, they will come to rely on each group member in order to be successful in completing their task. I think all too often we, as teachers, want to immediately correct mistakes our students are making. This is a great disservice to their development of problem solving skills.
Chapter 2 -
Effectively designed collaborative work has a number of intellectual and social benefits. Group exploration involves active participation in which students receive immediate feedback about their understanding, or lack thereof, about a given topic. It encourages students to problem solve and persevere through uncertainty. Socially, group interaction through subject specific content allows students to "perceive underlying similarities across racial lines." Most group tasks are designed around a central, cognitively demanding problem. I truly believe this is how education should be designed. Life always presents us with a problem, not the answers. The group work methodology recognizes that "rote memorization is insufficient for the challenges of modern social problems and modern technology."
Chapter 3 -
There are a variety of different status factors that can play out when students work in groups. Students with strong academic or social performance often have high status amongst their friends. There is a self-fulfilling prophecy that plays out because these students often end up leading student work in groups and, consequently, are looked at as having the most positive contribution to the group (reinforcing their status). This can have damaging effects in widening the education gap, reinforcing stereotypes that students have, and preventing all students from engaging in the curriculum. If one of the reasons we are using group work is to help students break down these stereotypes, we must be extremely careful in planning group work wisely.
**I am really interested in this book and am eager to find out how teachers can avoid some of these harmful side effects through intentional design and effectively teaching students HOW to work in groups.
Monday, February 8, 2010
School Reform at Lunch
So, I know that everyone is already aware of this school, but I just checked it out more thoroughly for the first time. Really cool. Look at the "Pool Hall Junkies" project they are working on.
High Tech High: http://www.hightechhigh.org/schools/HTH/
High Tech High: http://www.hightechhigh.org/schools/HTH/
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Reading Reflection 2 - BPHS
THREE practices at BPHS that had the most impact on the school....
1. Teaching - As aspiring teachers, I am sure that all of us would like to believe in the impact of powerful teaching. As this chapter noted, research is on our side. Statistics indicate that quality teaching is one of the highest indicators of student success. At BPHS, the idea of teaching and curriculum are almost inseparable. They describe their teaching as "challenging, authentic, and collaborative." Teaching or curriculum? Either way, it is having a huge impact.
2. Assessment - Somewhere in the history of education, assessment became a means of assigning a grade rather than a way to measure student learning and guide instruction. BPHS seems to have avoided this pitfall. Most of their assessments are formative, they encourage students to self-evaluate, offer students multiple ways of demonstrating their competence, and honor the process as much, if not more than, the product. That is far from a unit exam, and far more beneficial.
3. Climate - Upon graduating from BPHS, Carlton Jackson said, "I didn't go to a high school - I created one." This speaks volumes about the climate at this high school. Students at this small school are able to build relationships with staff, make connections to their community through school projects, make decisions about what they study, and have a voice in school governance issues. How can you not be motivated to do something which you, yourself, chose to do?
TWO practices from Second to None that I experienced in CPI...
1. Providing Comprehensive Support for all Students - This may be a stretch, as this is not exactly the "support" mentioned in Second to None, but my CPI school had many support programs for the academic success of their students. Free after school tutoring programs were run by the teachers to help students accomplish their academic goals.
2. Establishing Comprehensive Assessment System - My CPI school was very consistent, if not entirely comprehensive, in their assessment system. There were not varied ways for students to demonstrate their understanding, but each assessment was consistent between classes.
ONE best practice that I believe is no longer in place at the school...
Size - In the first years at BPHS, I imagine it was easy to keep numbers small. Students and parents alike were probably extremely reluctant to attend such a cutting edge academic program. As success grows and people feel more confident in the BPHS system, attendance is likely to swell. Their first graduating class had only 100 students. It would be interesting to see what attendance is like now.
1. Teaching - As aspiring teachers, I am sure that all of us would like to believe in the impact of powerful teaching. As this chapter noted, research is on our side. Statistics indicate that quality teaching is one of the highest indicators of student success. At BPHS, the idea of teaching and curriculum are almost inseparable. They describe their teaching as "challenging, authentic, and collaborative." Teaching or curriculum? Either way, it is having a huge impact.
2. Assessment - Somewhere in the history of education, assessment became a means of assigning a grade rather than a way to measure student learning and guide instruction. BPHS seems to have avoided this pitfall. Most of their assessments are formative, they encourage students to self-evaluate, offer students multiple ways of demonstrating their competence, and honor the process as much, if not more than, the product. That is far from a unit exam, and far more beneficial.
3. Climate - Upon graduating from BPHS, Carlton Jackson said, "I didn't go to a high school - I created one." This speaks volumes about the climate at this high school. Students at this small school are able to build relationships with staff, make connections to their community through school projects, make decisions about what they study, and have a voice in school governance issues. How can you not be motivated to do something which you, yourself, chose to do?
TWO practices from Second to None that I experienced in CPI...
1. Providing Comprehensive Support for all Students - This may be a stretch, as this is not exactly the "support" mentioned in Second to None, but my CPI school had many support programs for the academic success of their students. Free after school tutoring programs were run by the teachers to help students accomplish their academic goals.
2. Establishing Comprehensive Assessment System - My CPI school was very consistent, if not entirely comprehensive, in their assessment system. There were not varied ways for students to demonstrate their understanding, but each assessment was consistent between classes.
ONE best practice that I believe is no longer in place at the school...
Size - In the first years at BPHS, I imagine it was easy to keep numbers small. Students and parents alike were probably extremely reluctant to attend such a cutting edge academic program. As success grows and people feel more confident in the BPHS system, attendance is likely to swell. Their first graduating class had only 100 students. It would be interesting to see what attendance is like now.
Reading Reflection 1 - Rethinking High School
What resonated with me in this chapter and why...
There were two things that particularly "stuck out" to me while reading this chapter. The first came when defining "best practices" in high school via the national curriculum standards. We talk a lot about standards in our classes. Well, at least we talk a lot about content standards. I find it interesting that the national curriculum standards are often overlooked, things like student-centered instruction, experiential learning, authentic assessment, collaborative work, and challenging curriculum (as outlined by associations such as NCTM). It seems obvious that education has chosen to place a much greater emphasis on the content itself versus how that content is delivered and/or received. The other concept that struck me during reading was this whole concept of change and experimentation. The inauguration of BPHS is treated as a major breakthrough in education, partly because it actually is. To me, this is the unfortunate part. In order to improve and learn about the way all students learn, experimentation is a necessity. Unfortunately, this type of change is just not welcome in American schools.
What was not such a great measure of reform?
Most of their ideas seem pretty original. Their idea of "professional development" might need a little clarification. Professional development is in place in almost every school that I know of. I think the key here is whether or not the development is being used effectively. Are they focusing on the things that will continue to foster growth in their teachers?
What "Second to None" components were present?
Is this a trick question?? They are all present.
A concept that I would like to investigate further...
I find the idea of challenging, inquiry based curriculum really intriguing and I would like to know more about how they institute this. There are very few resources out there that provide materials for this type of instruction. Consequently, if you wish to teach in this way you have to invent most/all of the curriculum to be used. I would like to know more about how to create some of these materials and the methods they use at BPHS.
There were two things that particularly "stuck out" to me while reading this chapter. The first came when defining "best practices" in high school via the national curriculum standards. We talk a lot about standards in our classes. Well, at least we talk a lot about content standards. I find it interesting that the national curriculum standards are often overlooked, things like student-centered instruction, experiential learning, authentic assessment, collaborative work, and challenging curriculum (as outlined by associations such as NCTM). It seems obvious that education has chosen to place a much greater emphasis on the content itself versus how that content is delivered and/or received. The other concept that struck me during reading was this whole concept of change and experimentation. The inauguration of BPHS is treated as a major breakthrough in education, partly because it actually is. To me, this is the unfortunate part. In order to improve and learn about the way all students learn, experimentation is a necessity. Unfortunately, this type of change is just not welcome in American schools.
What was not such a great measure of reform?
Most of their ideas seem pretty original. Their idea of "professional development" might need a little clarification. Professional development is in place in almost every school that I know of. I think the key here is whether or not the development is being used effectively. Are they focusing on the things that will continue to foster growth in their teachers?
What "Second to None" components were present?
Is this a trick question?? They are all present.
A concept that I would like to investigate further...
I find the idea of challenging, inquiry based curriculum really intriguing and I would like to know more about how they institute this. There are very few resources out there that provide materials for this type of instruction. Consequently, if you wish to teach in this way you have to invent most/all of the curriculum to be used. I would like to know more about how to create some of these materials and the methods they use at BPHS.
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