Monday, 17 November 2014
Podcast: Blogging and Pitch Day
In this episode, we talk about blogging, Pitch Day, and the power of the student voice. Listeners can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Search iTunes for Harmonized Learning in the podcast section and click "subscribe". You can also follow us on Twitter @melissahellwig4 and @dayankee
Friday, 14 November 2014
Educational Readings - technology, creativity and school failure
By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz.
This week’s homework!
Integrating technology into learning
UK academic Steve Wheeler - if you ever get the chance to attend one of his presentations, take it!
“Technology is not a substitute for good teaching. No amount of technology can replace a great lesson that has been delivered in a passionate, inspirational and focused manner.”
Digital reflections
Steve Wheeler continues …
“This post examines some of the categories of technology and the places they might occupy when they are integrated into the learning process. It's important for teachers to consider that integrated technology can provide a doorway to deeper learning, characterised for example in critical analysis and personal reflection.”
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD) is Actually Correlated with Creativity and AchievementFood for thought.
“Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs Would Be Diagnosed with ADHD If They Were Born In This Decade.”
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| Edison thought books would be obsolete |
“The latest movement to add more technology into classrooms is repeating the same mistakes, focusing on how tech can help teachers by churning out more data about students, saving time and raising test scores. Here’s a crazy idea: What if we focused less on selling technology to teachers by convincing them it makes learning more efficient, and more on how computers, like a bicycle, might make learning a little more dangerous?”
Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack
This document will keep you occupied …
“A global study of threats or deliberate use of force against students, teachers, academics, education trade union members and government officials, aid workers and other education staff, and against schools, universities and other education institutions, carried out for political, military, ideological, sectarian, ethnic or religious reasons in 2009-2013”
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Time to kick a sacred cow or two …
“Do you have research support for putting a verb in one category or another? Neither did Bloom. As far as I know, Bloom’s taxonomy was meant to be a theoretical framework and was not based on any sort of research.”
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| Authors |
“While it's easy to assume that student apathy is related to laziness or an attitude problem, it actually makes perfect sense that so many students don't care about what they're learning because they’ve never been taught how to care.”
This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:
Kids Do Well if They Can
Bruce’s comment: A four minute video that makes a lot of sense
One Dozen Qualities Of Good Teachers
Bruce’s comment: Take the focus off standards and think about 12 qualities of good teachers.
“Much of the discussion today about good schools, classrooms and teachers revolves around test
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scores, teacher evaluation formats, and the Common Core standards. In this commentary, I want to try to bring back the discussion to what is really important to think about with regards to good teaching and good teachers. Below is a list of twelve qualities of good teachers that don’t get discussed very often, yet are important and relevant to consider as we try to improve teaching excellence.”
Too Many Kids Quit Science Because They Don't Think They're Smart
Bruce’s comment:Gain insight into Carol Dweck’s research about why kids give up on learning.
“For most students, science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) subjects are not intuitive or easy. Learning in general—and STEM in particular—requires repeated trial and error, and a student’s lack of confidence can sometimes stand in her own way. And although teachers and parents may think they are doing otherwise, these adults inadvertently help kids make up their minds early on that they're not natural scientists or “math people,” which leads them to pursue other subjects instead.”All the Time They Need
Bruce’s comment: Teachers were taught about ‘wait time’ in the 80s – worth revisiting today?
“Waiting in silence for students to think before responding can, at first, be uncomfortable for everyone. But oh, the insights they'll share!”
From Bruce’s oldies but goodies file:
Bruce comments: Two popular blogs from the past. Looking at reasons for educational failure.
Educational failure - it is all about poverty“In the New Scientist article large scale UK research found, 'that babies born in the poorest areas have slower cognitive development, which compromises their education and prospects in earlier life....Overwhelmingly the poverty into which a baby is born is going to be a big influence.’”
Why do so many students fail to achieve at school?“School is irrelevant for too many students. The age of knowledge transmission is over - students need to be helped to 'seek, use and create their own knowledge' ( NZ Curriculum 2007)”
Bruce comments: And an answer – authentic learning. problem based learning.
Basing education around student inquiry.
“PBL is a far more evolved method of instruction. Well-executed PBL begins with the recognition
that, as in the real world, it’s often difficult to distinguish between acquiring information and using it. Students learn knowledge and elements of the core curriculum, but also apply what they know to solve authentic problems and produce results that matter.”
This week’s contribution from Phil Cullen.
What is Happening to Our Profession? Quo Vadis?
The end of teaching as a profession - what do you think?
“The money-hungry mongrels have had their way, we placid folk have capitulated and we are now
heading for a universe that has never existed before. Teaching is now just a job. Amen. Once high in the group of noble service professions, it is so no longer.”
Monday, 10 November 2014
The Learning Goes On and On
Last year, Steve's 20% Time project was to develop a line of fishing lures. He had a lot of successes and failures along the way and his learning was amazing. He blogged the entire story at http://snbbassbaits.blogspot.com/. Later, he created a web store so that he could sell his lures online. That site is up and running here http://snbbassbaits.com/.
Earlier in the day, Steve's eighth grade science teacher, Patrick Dempsy, sent a message to me with a picture attached. The picture depicted a mold of a new lure that Steve created and printed on the school's 3D printer. The learning with these kids never ends. - Don
Building the Blogs
After editing blog posts, it was time to post them on the student 20% Time blogs for all the world to see. Kids were hustling all period to make their final edits and upload. When they were done uploading the post, they busied themselves by critiquing the design elements of the blog itself, deciding which gadgets they needed and wanted, and getting some peer feedback on their blog design.
"What if we don't even have our idea yet?" a student asked.
"You still have to blog. You have to tell the story of the decision-making process. What ideas do you have? Are they good? Plausible? Do you feel passionate about an idea?" I asked.
And so, whether or not each student had an idea for their 20% Time project, they still all blogged their journey to come up with an idea about which they feel passionate. "You can change the title of your blog later once you have your idea but people want to read about the thinking that went into arriving at that decision," I told the class.
The kids worked. Some kids struggled, both with their idea and the technology. After all, Blogger is a new tool for them. All in all, it was a busy day. - Don
"What if we don't even have our idea yet?" a student asked.
"You still have to blog. You have to tell the story of the decision-making process. What ideas do you have? Are they good? Plausible? Do you feel passionate about an idea?" I asked.
And so, whether or not each student had an idea for their 20% Time project, they still all blogged their journey to come up with an idea about which they feel passionate. "You can change the title of your blog later once you have your idea but people want to read about the thinking that went into arriving at that decision," I told the class.
The kids worked. Some kids struggled, both with their idea and the technology. After all, Blogger is a new tool for them. All in all, it was a busy day. - Don
Saturday, 8 November 2014
We Have Missed the Point
It is Saturday night and as I am sitting watching a movie with my kiddos, a thought for a blog post came to me. So here I go.....
I know I am luckier than most in my job situation. Though I didn't choose to go into education right away in college; I declared pretty early on in my college career. I have always known that I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and knew in education I could do that. Now at first, I thought it was going to be like the movies, "Dangerous Minds" or "The Ron Clark Story" and I was going to go into a school and inspire kids unlike anyone else before me. I, obviously, had my rose-colored glasses on, thinking I was going to change the life of every student I would come to teach. I still have the desire but I realize that even if I only make a difference in just one of my students' lives, my career was successful. I love my job, every minute of it, and don't regret becoming a teacher at any moment, but I do not agree with the current school structure, educational process, etc.
My current philosophy is way outside the box for a lot of people (I am definitely thankful for my partner in crime, Don Eckert) but I feel like I have to speak out even if I am constantly feel like we are constantly being disagreed with, looked down upon or dismissed about the way we teach in our classrooms. How are we meeting the learning goals? How do we relate 20% Time to the standards? Can you really give up one day a week to something that is not curricular? How do you convince your principal this is worth doing? What, you don't give the district assessments? In Don's infamous words to any of these questions, "You are missing the point". That's what I feel like is happening in education, "We have missed the point." We aren't thinking about what is best for kids. We might think we are, but we have missed the point. The educational system as we know it, is not preparing our current students for a world in which they are growing up. We are not equipping them with the skill sets they need to be successful. The skill set has changed for kids even from 10 - 15 years ago. We have to look at what our students need in order to thrive as adults and grow into educated, motivated, life-long learners. I just don't believe this is happening within schools because, you guessed it, they have "missed the point". This is not to say there are not some teachers who are doing awesome, amazing things but I would argue that most are struggling with letting go of a traditional style they have always known and used.
So, because of this (I am happy to sit down and talk more philosophy!) I feel so passionate about problem-based learning and 20% Time. I love seeing my students grow, problem solve, and get excited when they finally realize that after all of their hard work, they got the answer right. I love seeing the intrinsic motivators that get students excited about their learning. Do they struggle with this type of teaching? Absolutely. Do they get frustrated and annoyed with the process? Yep. But they understand that when you are growing as a learner, sometimes it hurts, even hurts to think because that means we are working our brains. The passion and excitement I get to see when they feel successful, lets me know everyday that I chose the right profession and the right teaching method. My passion continues to grow from year to year, as I continually change lesson plans, projects and even whole units because I know that I can just make them better. I feel that in my 9th year, I have finally hit my stride and sometimes always regret that my first five years of teaching were so blah, dare I say, awful! Now that is probably harsh, but I was finding my way, doing everything by thebook. Now I know the way I am teaching is what is best for students even if I am currently in the minority. I believe that the skills I am teaching will set my students up for continual success as they travel the path of their educational journey. We want to ignite the intrinsic spark for learning within each of our students and help build their drive for knowledge, and to do this, we have to quit "missing the point". -Melissa
Friday, 7 November 2014
Educational Readings - how much have schools changed for the good?
By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz
This week’s homework!
Am I the only person thinking this about the teaching profession?
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| Why do we follow the US not Finland? |
“I've been wondering.... wondering if we're becoming so obsessed with professionalising teaching we're losing sight of the individual teacher. This may be controversial. But I think if someone is not willing to stop and challenge this road we seem to be travelling, we may go too far down the road of no return.”
Why the Best Teachers Don't Give Tests
Alfie Kohn - say no more…
“When teachers test their students, the details of those tests will differ from one classroom to the next, which means these assessments by definition are not standardized and can't be used to compare students across schools or states. But they're still tests, and as a result they're still limited and limiting.”
The Myth of Chinese Super Schools
The battle for education is truly international.I was sent this link by Antonio Dias de Figueiredo, from Portugal.
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| Diane Ravitch |
“The United States is already ensnared in the testing obsession that has trapped China. It is not too late to escape. Parents and educators across the nation are up in arms about the amount of instructional time now devoted to test preparation and testing. Yong Zhao offers wise counsel. We should break our addiction to standardized testing before we sacrifice the cultural values that have made our nation a home to innovation, creativity, originality, and invention.”
The cerebral life of schools
A warning that we shouldn't disregard teacher expertise in school development:“The revolution of the ‘rational’ could give birth to an equal or greater absurdity than the ‘irrationality’ it usurps. Let us make sure that the best of what already exists in our system, our schools, our classrooms and our minds always forms the basis of what is to come.”
My alternative school – proof you don’t need grades and the curriculum
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| Josh Chapman |
The Value of Connecting the Dots to Create “Real Learning”
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| Testing and grading not learning. |
Neophobia (fear of the new) - not new but it's damn annoying
“Neophobia, fear of the new, is not new. No doubt some wag in some cave was asking their kids to ‘put those axes away, they’ll be the death of you’. From Socrates, who thought that writing was an ill-advised invention, people have reacted with predictable horror to every piece of new technology that hits the street. It happened with writing, parchments, books, printing, newspapers, coffee houses, letters, telegraph, telephone, radio, film, TV, railways, cars, jazz, rock n’ roll, rap, computers and now the internet and especially social media. The idea that some new invention rots the mind, devalues the culture, even destroys civilisation is an age-old phenomenon.”.jpg) |
| Geoff Marshall ACER |
“First, the countries that have been pursuing this strategy tend to be the countries that have experienced the greatest declines in student performance over the past decade. Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, and Sweden have all seen their school results decline despite the introduction of market-based policies.”
This week’s contributions from
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| Bubble science |
Bruce's comment: Some excellent science activities to excite your class.
Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives
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| A must read! |
“The consequences of believing that intelligence and personality can be developed rather than being immutably engrained traits, Dweck found in her two decades of research with both children and adults, are remarkable.”
Teachers told: spend less time marking books to cut excessive workload
Bruce’s comment: Sounds like common sense.
“Ask any teacher and they’ll give you at least two more examples like that: whether it’s having to highlight their lesson plans in five different colours or inputting every pupil’s marks into countless different spreadsheets in countless different ways at regular points in the year.”
Why Daydreaming is Critical to Effective Learning
Bruce’s comment: Is multi tasking a myth –and how to achieve quality work.
“Many people believe they are skilled multitaskers, but they’re wrong. Neuroscience has shown that multitasking — the process of doing more than one thing at the same time — doesn’t exist.”
From Bruce’s ‘oldies but goodies’ file:
The Right to Learn - an agenda for the 21stC; challenging the status quo.Bruce’s comment: The right for all students to learn – but to do so schools have to change first.
“As we enter the second decade of the 'new' millennium what has changed in education? Not much.We can do a lot better. What is needed are fresh perspectives.So far reforms have not changed the basic assumptions of traditional schooling. A new vision is required.”
Dysfunctional Schools
Bruce’s comment: How school practices (like streaming/ability grouping) harm schools.
“I don't think teachers like to face up to the fact that schooling actually harms many of their students but it is clear , reading Kirsten's Olsen book, it does.Obviously this harming is not done intentionally but it is all too easy to blame failure on dysfunctional students. Certainly too few students leave school with their joy of learning alive and their unique gifts and talents strengthened - not even the so called successful students.”
Podcast: Harmonized Learning 25
In this episode, Don and Melissa talk about blogging and the challenges of getting the kids to tell the story behind their 20% Time project. Listeners can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Search iTunes for Harmonized Learning in the podcast section and click "subscribe". You can also follow us on Twitter @melissahellwig4 and @dayankee
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