Showing posts with label common core. Show all posts
Showing posts with label common core. Show all posts

Saturday, April 06, 2013

3 Things I learned at the Deeper Learning Conference

Friday's Keynote speaker Tony Wagner likened our current state of educational reform and accountability to Charles Dickens opening to A Tale of Two Cities.  We are in the best of times. We re in the worst of times.  Well, I think that all depends on what we educators do with the hand we are dealt.  Here are three big ideas that resonated with me while at the Deeper Learning Conference this weekend at High Tech High San Diego.



1.  Iterate, Iterate, Iterate.
Tony Wagner told is this was his new favorite word and it's a great way to look at schooling and life. Mary Hendra from Facing History described her online PD program as being on the 6th year of "pilot".   Basically, it will always be in pilot. Do you know what is no longer in pilot?  The horse and buggy, the Yellow Pages, the CBS Evening News.  Therefore, iterate ... or become obsolete, or as Scott McLeod says, "Irrelevant".

2.  Authentic, Authentic, Authentic
Many school tasks are "So What" tasks.  They are done for the teacher, read only by the teacher and end up as landfill. It turns out projects are not immune to this syndrome. While learning about Challenge Based Learning (CBL) I was reminded of the  supremacy of the authentic task. Pseudo context, as Dan Meyer has pointed out on many occasions ain't fooling anyone. Student work should be for a real audience who would benefit from the end product.  Whether you are writing a friendly letter or creating a multimedia infomercial the purpose and audience must be crystal clear and... authentic.

3. Innovation and Accountability Need to Be Introduced to each Other
The energy at the Deeper Learning Conference was high. Much like Educon, these are the true believers of educational reform who have jumped in with both feet to make education relevant and meaningful for children. So, one question remains for those of us who believe there is a better way to do school.  Can we innovate in the era of the Standardized Test?  I think we can, but the burden is on us to articulate the skills, knowledge, and dispositions our students are acquiring in this different model.  It was encouraging to attend to several conversations with those who were wrestling with low test scores in a project based environment or networked digital professional development.  Assessment in this environment is messy and more subjective than those beautifully hard and fast numbers that actually mask a lot of important details.  So, if we believe that standardized test scores don't tell the whole picture -and they don't - then we need to tell the rest of the story.

So are these both the best and worst of times?  For me the glass is not only half full but overflowing. If we take the bull by the horns and write our own narrative it will be the best if times if not a renaissance in education.  However, if we let others define our role and outcomes, we just might end up on the other end of a guillotine.  Our kids our counting on us to lead the way.  Let's get 'er done!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Boy Do We Need Argument

My wife and I recently had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Europe - without the kids - for an amazing vacation.  Besides, the plethora of historical landmarks and unique cultures we encountered, there was one more discovery we made that was earth shattering.  Watching the BBC in London we came across a story on Palestine that did something rarely - if ever - seen on US television.  It was a story that understood that the issue had two sides!  Imagine that!  The story was told of Palestinian families who have suffered from the actions of Jewish settlers and the Israeli leadership.  However, the show fully acknowledged that these Jewish settlers had a compelling point of view and logic for their own actions.  What was most revelatory about this show was it's clear objectivity and desire to simply understand the various points of view and stories that were represented in this conflict.

One of the elements of Common Core Standards that I heartily embrace is the emphasis on argument, including the ability to marshal evidence in support of a position, and especially the ability to understand counterarguments and address those facts and opinions clearly and explicitly.  Unfortunately, our children have some huge barriers to overcome, namely adults who can't do this AT ALL.  We are a biased and unthinking lot at times, led by talking heads who scream at one another and listen not one iota.  Chris Lehmann underscores one clear example of how we have an aversion to healthy debate and differences of opinion.  So, educators, embrace this opportunity to train a new generation of clear thinkers and reasoned debaters.  The opportunity to improve our community life is right before our eyes if we truly embrace the spirit of argument.  Our students will benefit from learning to carefully consider all sides of an issue and make determination based on the facts and a clear sense of logic and reasoning.  

Saturday, September 08, 2012

Challenge

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/s_mestdagh/

I've been thinking a lot about challenge lately.  The Common Core Standards place a premium on students struggling with challenging content.  Some of the Common Core Apostles have disparaging things to say about scaffolding and providing background knowledge for close reading of texts because students need to struggle through unfamiliar territory and persevere.

While I agree that struggle and perseverance are important, there is a danger of trying to create struggle and instead creating abject failure, frustration and surrender.  This got me thinking about some things I've said in the past in praise of failure.  You can see those here, here, and here. In reality, failure has its pitfalls.  What would be better than failure would be success - even if that means temporarily lowering standards for Not Yet Proficient  (NYP) students so they can reap the benefits of learning at their instructional level and moving up the food chain to greater successes.

This thought was confirmed when watching a video of Phil Daro of America's Choice one of the architects, of the Common Core math standards.  He stated that the standards in Singapore are not higher than those of the United States.  What is different is that there is a smaller gap between what Singapore students achieve and their standards than we have her in the US.  Therefore, our high standards, in the name of high expectations, are actually leading to lower levels of achievement.

True and lasting learning and growth in our students is best achieved by finding out where our students are currently performing, providing them instruction at that level and pushing just a little forward - indeed challenging them - a challenge that is attainable with sustained effort, practice, and expert support.

Teaching and learning will thrive in a setting where every student is facing "just right" challenges and enjoying the added motivation of meeting those challenges and moving on to the next one with enthusiasm and increased confidence.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

What Should Kids Read?

Everybody seems to have an opinion on the matter.  First, there was this report by Renaissance Learning (of AR fame), which showed the book levels per the ATOS scale from students who are using AR in grades 1-12.  The report has opinion pieces from several different YA authors like Dan Gutman and Dave Pilkey, one of the authors of the Common Core Standards, as well as a librarian.  Renaissance thought only to give one teacher a voice in the discussion.  Sandra Stotsky, Professor of Education Reform,  University of Arkansas added her opinion in the New York Daily News.  Finally, Robert Pondiscio chimed in at the Core Knowledge Blog.  Of course the Common Core Standards have answered the question by telling us that students should be reading a lot more non-fiction, an idea that I think has a lot of merit.  So, what should students be reading?  Where is the proper balance between student choice and teacher choice?