I still have to think of something better than 'New Classroom', any suggestions?
Over the past few post we have looked at what we could be able to do under a new system that focuses on a the new skills required for the 21st century. Now lets look at three concrete steps that would help facilitate such a system.
Mobile is where it's at (or at least where it's going)
Mobile computing is starting to hit its stride. It is becoming less expensive, more reliable and simpler to use. Those are three of the biggest hurdles to the adoption of a technology. Admittedly they are limited in their functionality when compared to desktop or laptop computers. However, when you think of what a student needs the most in school, access to the internet, word processing, audio and video recording/simple editing, audio and video listening/viewing, presentation preparation, email, etc..., these are all found on smartphones or tablets.
Now I don't see schools giving students smartphones, but I could see them getting each student a tablet computer, like the iPad. The idea of implementing a 1:1 ipad project may seem to be expensive, but over the course of a high school student's 4 years it would actually save money. A tablet in the hands of each student would dramatically reduce the need for paper. With the use of the good word processors available the student could complete a great deal of their work this way. Students with learning difficulties could take advantage of the many accessibility features found natively in many tablets or any of the numerous apps available to help them.
Give them a stylus and they can complete any of the worksheets you might have available for practice. Email or Dropbox become the main means of 'handing in' their work. A stylus in a teacher's hand allows them to edit written work and send it back to the student.
A tablet for every student also removes much of the need for computer labs. What is the main purpose of those rooms? For classes to do research and prepare some work that demonstrates what they have learned. Business classes use spreadsheets, history classes write essays, etc... Short of the computer programming or communication technology classes, most classes don't need the full functionality of a desktop computer.
Mobile computing can also spell the end of the textbook.....
More on that in my next post.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
The teacher and the student in the New classroom
So we have now moved beyond our current industrial education system and have a system based on mastery. Where does that leave us and our students? What new roles do we have? What does the student need to do to be successful?
This new system does not diminish the role of the teacher. In fact it becomes more integral. Just because we are no longer the absolute experts does not mean we do not have an important role. I believe that a teacher's true expertise lies in critical thinking and in making connections to previous learning. That is the essential skill which should have been honed through university and then in teachers college, and that is the essential skill that we should be trying to impart to our students.
I've started reading Howard Gardner's Five Minds for the Future. In it he states, what he believes are, the five essential skills, or Minds, that will be required by people to succeed in the future. I won't go into great details about the five minds, but I would highly recommend reading the book. The focus of the book seems to be that as teachers, and the book is not solely targeted at educators, we need to foster these skills in our students. We need to rethink the way we teach.
We should no longer focus on the content of a discipline, but instead we should focus on the ways of thinking in that discipline. For example the method of thinking is science relies on the use of the Scientific Method. Students need to learn to posit a hypothesis, devise an experiment to test it, record the data and then make sound conclusions based on that data. Beyond that they need to accept the possibility that their hypothesis was incorrect and not be disappointed by it, but see it as a way to learn more. As they progress through these exercises they will undoubtedly pick up the content. However, the acquisition of this knowledge will be deeper, because of the critical thinking that was involved in the process.
This teaching to the five minds will serve our students best because in the future, as in the present, the recall of information can be done more quickly and effectively with the use of any number of search engines or databases. The required skills will be exactly those fostered through teaching to the five minds. Students greatest assets will their abilities to think and not the 'stuff' they've learned and forgotten since.
The students have an important role as well. Probably the most important one of all. Ultimately, in a system predicated on mastery, the final responsibility lies with the student. They are the ones who must put forth the effort to gain mastery. In today's educational system responsibility has been taken away from the students. Many students are not interested or invested in their own education. They are not interested because they are forced to study what has little or no meaning in their lives. They cannot see how the french vocabulary sheet or the lecture on the pythagorean theorem affects their lives in any way.
They are not invested in their education because they have little or no control over it. They have very little choice in courses available to them, in assignments given to them or in the way the course is presented to them. By having no control over their education they have not invested in their own education. As such they often could care less what they are doing, as long as they are doing enough to get the credit. Is that what we want our students to get out of their education? If not then what should the students be doing?
They need to care and be responsible for the choices they make. It is approaching exam time here at my school and teachers are pulling their hair out trying to help students achieve credits many could care less about. I've already touched on why students don't care, but why are the teachers so stressed out? It is the push for 'Student Success'. While it is a noble ideal it does little to make students responsible for their choices. We are 'pushing' many students through, again with just enough to pass, in the name of their 'Success'. If doing just enough is termed success than we need to redefine the term.
In a system of mastery, a student doesn't move on until they have shown exactly that. There is no longer any 'just enough'. On the student's part this makes them responsible for their true success or failure. I think failure is an important lesson that our students just don't get. No one is ever completely successful. Failure is a part of life. We try something and it doesn't work, we fail. But what students need to learn is to persevere through that failure and learn important lessons. A system of mastery allows that. You keep at it until you get it and can show it.
Not only do students get some control over the content, but also over the pacing of their education. If a student needs more time to grasp a math concept, no problem, but if they are accomplished poets why should they have to spend as long as others who struggle with them? In giving the students control over their education you engage and interest them. And that is the key to a responsible student.
This new system does not diminish the role of the teacher. In fact it becomes more integral. Just because we are no longer the absolute experts does not mean we do not have an important role. I believe that a teacher's true expertise lies in critical thinking and in making connections to previous learning. That is the essential skill which should have been honed through university and then in teachers college, and that is the essential skill that we should be trying to impart to our students.
I've started reading Howard Gardner's Five Minds for the Future. In it he states, what he believes are, the five essential skills, or Minds, that will be required by people to succeed in the future. I won't go into great details about the five minds, but I would highly recommend reading the book. The focus of the book seems to be that as teachers, and the book is not solely targeted at educators, we need to foster these skills in our students. We need to rethink the way we teach.
We should no longer focus on the content of a discipline, but instead we should focus on the ways of thinking in that discipline. For example the method of thinking is science relies on the use of the Scientific Method. Students need to learn to posit a hypothesis, devise an experiment to test it, record the data and then make sound conclusions based on that data. Beyond that they need to accept the possibility that their hypothesis was incorrect and not be disappointed by it, but see it as a way to learn more. As they progress through these exercises they will undoubtedly pick up the content. However, the acquisition of this knowledge will be deeper, because of the critical thinking that was involved in the process.
This teaching to the five minds will serve our students best because in the future, as in the present, the recall of information can be done more quickly and effectively with the use of any number of search engines or databases. The required skills will be exactly those fostered through teaching to the five minds. Students greatest assets will their abilities to think and not the 'stuff' they've learned and forgotten since.
The students have an important role as well. Probably the most important one of all. Ultimately, in a system predicated on mastery, the final responsibility lies with the student. They are the ones who must put forth the effort to gain mastery. In today's educational system responsibility has been taken away from the students. Many students are not interested or invested in their own education. They are not interested because they are forced to study what has little or no meaning in their lives. They cannot see how the french vocabulary sheet or the lecture on the pythagorean theorem affects their lives in any way.
They are not invested in their education because they have little or no control over it. They have very little choice in courses available to them, in assignments given to them or in the way the course is presented to them. By having no control over their education they have not invested in their own education. As such they often could care less what they are doing, as long as they are doing enough to get the credit. Is that what we want our students to get out of their education? If not then what should the students be doing?
They need to care and be responsible for the choices they make. It is approaching exam time here at my school and teachers are pulling their hair out trying to help students achieve credits many could care less about. I've already touched on why students don't care, but why are the teachers so stressed out? It is the push for 'Student Success'. While it is a noble ideal it does little to make students responsible for their choices. We are 'pushing' many students through, again with just enough to pass, in the name of their 'Success'. If doing just enough is termed success than we need to redefine the term.
In a system of mastery, a student doesn't move on until they have shown exactly that. There is no longer any 'just enough'. On the student's part this makes them responsible for their true success or failure. I think failure is an important lesson that our students just don't get. No one is ever completely successful. Failure is a part of life. We try something and it doesn't work, we fail. But what students need to learn is to persevere through that failure and learn important lessons. A system of mastery allows that. You keep at it until you get it and can show it.
Not only do students get some control over the content, but also over the pacing of their education. If a student needs more time to grasp a math concept, no problem, but if they are accomplished poets why should they have to spend as long as others who struggle with them? In giving the students control over their education you engage and interest them. And that is the key to a responsible student.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mastery, Learning Objectives and Blended Learning
At my school this year we have unofficially adopted the motto: "Not all students will learn in the same way or on the same day". I think this is true and with the recent focus on student success and credit accumulation I think that institutionally we have come to understand this. However, we have not made any significant changes to support this. Students still have to be in class for a specified number of days and they still have to learn a specified number of learning objectives.
This means that a student who has difficulties still has to grasp the concepts within a prescribe period of time, even though we are insisting that not everyone learns at the same rate. The flip side to that coin is that a strong student must still move along at the same pace as the other students who may need more time to grasp the same concepts. So while we recognize that students learn at different rates, we have made no significant changes to support this.
If we were to make the necessary changes to support this what would they be? I think that part of it has to be the notion of mastery. The curriculum is currently divided into strands with both overall and specific learning expectations. This organization lends itself to the notion of mastery. To have learned something you need to show more than simply remembering the facts, you need to show that you understand or have 'mastered' the information. The students need to absorb the information, and then apply levels of higher order thinking. The next step is to demonstrate their 'mastery'.
So, what does this process look like in a classroom? We need to remember that we are talking about a digitized classroom with universal access to mobile devices. I think that learning objectives need to be listed and made evident and clear to the students. As teachers we need to find ways of getting some of the info (key concepts) to the students. This can be achieved through video tutorials, podcasts, notes, Keynote or Powerpoint presentations, teacher created websites, Prezis, etc...
We also need to have students find their own information. Let's remember that we are trying to get the students to think critically, not only about the information we provide them, but about the mass of information available on the internet. Our main function as educators should shift from being the 'sage on the stage' to being a guide towards understanding. As such we need to lead the students towards understanding. Part of this can be accomplished through Differentiated Instruction. When given choices students often respond with interest.
The accumulation of credits will proceed at different rates for different students. Classes will become much more 'fluid' in their makeup. Students will move from one group to the next as they demonstrate the appropriate levels of mastery. Much like swimming lessons, once you have demonstrated that you 'know' the required learning objectives you move on to the next, higher level.
We are already starting to see a similar model in Blended Learning. This is a class that combines students being in the classroom with students who are online. This model is starting to be used more widely in my board in order to deal with declining enrolment. It allows for students to take credits that may not be offered at their school because of low numbers. It also allows the 'host' school, for the credit, to run the course despite low numbers. Within the model I am proposing students would be placed according to their 'mastery level' and work with students of a similar level. This model is not age dependant. You could potentially have a student in grade 9 working on their grade 11 math by the end of the year, while still completing their grade 9 french.
In my next post I'll explore the role of the teacher and the student.
Friday, May 6, 2011
21st century education: What might it look like?
I feel like things are on the cusp. We are approaching a critical mass. Something has to give.
These are some of the thoughts and gut feelings I get when thinking about where I see education in five or ten years. Attendance is an issue. Submission of work is an issue. Student engagement is an issue. I don't think anyone will argue that our students are changing, or that life outside our schools are changing. However, not many can deny that we as educators are not changing.
Walk into any class and ask yourself how different it is from 15-20 years ago? My guess is that it is not very different. Sure there might be a few more computers in the classroom, most students have their cell phone or iPod touch, there might be SmartBoard or projector, but the structure of the environment is much the same. The teacher leads the learning, the student assimilate that knowledge and spit out some work that demonstrates they 'know' the 'stuff'.
This educational structure has been in place for a few centuries, since the establishment of public education. It is a structure that has served our society well. It can't be denied that such a structure is an immense factor in the high literacy rate, the industrial development and the wealth of our society. But we must understand what need that educational system served.
With the development of our industrial society, we needed literate individuals who could follow a process and be part of an assembly line. It was important to know specific, and limited information by heart. A worker needed to know what was coming down the assembly line and what was needed at the next stop along that line. Our education system developed to produce people who fit into that model.
We no longer live in an industrial age. There can be no denying that industry and manufacturing are still a vital part of our economy and our lives, but much of that manufacturing is being automated or being sent to other countries. Our economy is becoming one that depends on information. Our society reflects this. We live with a constant stream of information bombarding us, the new jobs of our economy will be ones that make sense or manipulate or manage all of that information. Mobile technology is also changing the 'when' and 'where' of those jobs. Why does something need to be done between the hours of 9am and 5pm anymore? If we have constant access to information no matter where we are, then hours of operation become more flexible.
If this is the world we live in, then we need to prepare our students for that world. We need to rethink our model of education. We need to change. So what will this change look like? I don't know, but I can hazard a few guesses.
When working with information the most important skill is to think critically. Working with information requires higher order thinking. You need those skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the information you are working with. So those are the skills that our students need to develop. I have noticed a shift in focus towards this over the past few years. However, we need more, it needs to be a core element of every class. We need to move beyond simply asking students to regurgitate information, they need to understand it and make judgements on it. The internet and the digitization of most of our information has made the need to mentally retain information less important. In the past it was beneficial to remember as much as you could, it was faster than looking it up in books. The innumerable databases and Google has made the search for information much faster. At work if you need some information you can look it up quickly. Efficiency and effectiveness in the work place are no longer dependant on the retention of information. Instead it lies in the ability to sift through information and make sound judgements and decisions.
Collaboration is another crucial skill that will be required. This is perhaps where new technologies will have the largest impact on the shape of our classes. If students are to collaborate, they get together. New mobile devices and social media allow them to collaborate without physically meeting. In a sense it alters the meaning of time and space in an educational setting. Students can work at their convenience. While deadlines should not be lessened or not stressed, some students may choose to work in the evenings, or on the long bus ride home.
Students arrive at school and have a good understanding of using social media. Our task would be to harness that basic understanding and refine it. Just as they need to be taught how to think, they need to be taught how to work effectively in a group.
My next post will look at the idea of mastery and learning objectives.
These are some of the thoughts and gut feelings I get when thinking about where I see education in five or ten years. Attendance is an issue. Submission of work is an issue. Student engagement is an issue. I don't think anyone will argue that our students are changing, or that life outside our schools are changing. However, not many can deny that we as educators are not changing.
Walk into any class and ask yourself how different it is from 15-20 years ago? My guess is that it is not very different. Sure there might be a few more computers in the classroom, most students have their cell phone or iPod touch, there might be SmartBoard or projector, but the structure of the environment is much the same. The teacher leads the learning, the student assimilate that knowledge and spit out some work that demonstrates they 'know' the 'stuff'.
This educational structure has been in place for a few centuries, since the establishment of public education. It is a structure that has served our society well. It can't be denied that such a structure is an immense factor in the high literacy rate, the industrial development and the wealth of our society. But we must understand what need that educational system served.
With the development of our industrial society, we needed literate individuals who could follow a process and be part of an assembly line. It was important to know specific, and limited information by heart. A worker needed to know what was coming down the assembly line and what was needed at the next stop along that line. Our education system developed to produce people who fit into that model.
We no longer live in an industrial age. There can be no denying that industry and manufacturing are still a vital part of our economy and our lives, but much of that manufacturing is being automated or being sent to other countries. Our economy is becoming one that depends on information. Our society reflects this. We live with a constant stream of information bombarding us, the new jobs of our economy will be ones that make sense or manipulate or manage all of that information. Mobile technology is also changing the 'when' and 'where' of those jobs. Why does something need to be done between the hours of 9am and 5pm anymore? If we have constant access to information no matter where we are, then hours of operation become more flexible.
If this is the world we live in, then we need to prepare our students for that world. We need to rethink our model of education. We need to change. So what will this change look like? I don't know, but I can hazard a few guesses.
When working with information the most important skill is to think critically. Working with information requires higher order thinking. You need those skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the information you are working with. So those are the skills that our students need to develop. I have noticed a shift in focus towards this over the past few years. However, we need more, it needs to be a core element of every class. We need to move beyond simply asking students to regurgitate information, they need to understand it and make judgements on it. The internet and the digitization of most of our information has made the need to mentally retain information less important. In the past it was beneficial to remember as much as you could, it was faster than looking it up in books. The innumerable databases and Google has made the search for information much faster. At work if you need some information you can look it up quickly. Efficiency and effectiveness in the work place are no longer dependant on the retention of information. Instead it lies in the ability to sift through information and make sound judgements and decisions.
Collaboration is another crucial skill that will be required. This is perhaps where new technologies will have the largest impact on the shape of our classes. If students are to collaborate, they get together. New mobile devices and social media allow them to collaborate without physically meeting. In a sense it alters the meaning of time and space in an educational setting. Students can work at their convenience. While deadlines should not be lessened or not stressed, some students may choose to work in the evenings, or on the long bus ride home.
Students arrive at school and have a good understanding of using social media. Our task would be to harness that basic understanding and refine it. Just as they need to be taught how to think, they need to be taught how to work effectively in a group.
My next post will look at the idea of mastery and learning objectives.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Technology in the Classroom - Prezi
I was introduced to Prezi on Monday. I met with other innovative teachers and we discussed using graphic organizers. One of my colleagues (Hi Chris) introduced me to this.
I got to playing with it today and came up with this(Click here for link to Prezi). I think it does a decent job of explaining some of my thoughts on the use of technology in my classes.
Enjoy.
I got to playing with it today and came up with this(Click here for link to Prezi). I think it does a decent job of explaining some of my thoughts on the use of technology in my classes.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The wiki wave
I find myself riding the wiki wave lately. I've started using wikis a lot in my classes this semester. I teach french as a second language and have very small classes, so small in fact that I have to combine three classes into one. I have a grade 9 Extended French, grade 10 Extended French and grade 11 Core French combination. The Extended french program starts in grade 5 and has students speaking french for half days until grade 8. Once they get to high school they have to take 7 credits in French. As you can guess it's not the largest program. So I've been forced to combine classes in order to offer them.
That means that I am running two novel studies simultaneously. The wiki is great, because I've set one up for each novel. For each chapter the students have to read it and then write two comprehension questions. Once all of the questions have been posted to the wiki they choose three to answer in the comments section. This wiki is run through our board's server, which means the students have to logon to access it and this keeps track of who made what changes and comments. In terms of assessment and evaluation this is very handy. I can easily scan through, see who was contributed and assess their work accordingly.
In my grade 9 french geography class we are also using a wiki. Except in this case the wiki is our textbook, and it's the students who are creating the content. This is the project that is really exciting for me. This is a different model for teaching. Instead of the teacher being the sage on the stage, I am their guide. So far we've talked about higher order thinking and different types of questions. We've come up with different research strategies and way to get information for the textbook. Our next step will be to evaluate that info and talk about what should make it into the textbook and what should be left out. All of this would have been very difficult without the wiki and the iPads. For this class I have 12 iPads dedicated every day.
The only unfortunate things is that the wiki can't be edited with the iPad. You can submit comments, but not edit the page. Luckily I have two desktop computers in my class, so the kids can do their research and prepare their info on the iPads, email it to themselves and then go on the class desktops to edit the wiki. It's a pain in the butt, but it is what it is.
That means that I am running two novel studies simultaneously. The wiki is great, because I've set one up for each novel. For each chapter the students have to read it and then write two comprehension questions. Once all of the questions have been posted to the wiki they choose three to answer in the comments section. This wiki is run through our board's server, which means the students have to logon to access it and this keeps track of who made what changes and comments. In terms of assessment and evaluation this is very handy. I can easily scan through, see who was contributed and assess their work accordingly.
In my grade 9 french geography class we are also using a wiki. Except in this case the wiki is our textbook, and it's the students who are creating the content. This is the project that is really exciting for me. This is a different model for teaching. Instead of the teacher being the sage on the stage, I am their guide. So far we've talked about higher order thinking and different types of questions. We've come up with different research strategies and way to get information for the textbook. Our next step will be to evaluate that info and talk about what should make it into the textbook and what should be left out. All of this would have been very difficult without the wiki and the iPads. For this class I have 12 iPads dedicated every day.
The only unfortunate things is that the wiki can't be edited with the iPad. You can submit comments, but not edit the page. Luckily I have two desktop computers in my class, so the kids can do their research and prepare their info on the iPads, email it to themselves and then go on the class desktops to edit the wiki. It's a pain in the butt, but it is what it is.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mobile Technology: Altering Time and Space???
I know the title seems laden with metaphysical implications, but I think there might be some truth to it, in a manner of speaking. Let me explain:
We are now in exam week. Our first semester is coming to an end, students are panicking about exams, and finally handing in much needed assignments. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my grade 11 Ancient Civilizations class has been using our school's new iPads to research and prepare a board game and write a research essay. The iPads are a class set, 24, that for the time being remains in my class. For almost three weeks my students have used them every day. It was a good exercise in classroom management for me and self-control for them. Facebook is such a tantalizing distraction for so many of my students.
To get back to my point about time and space. I've been thinking and reading a great deal about iPads or any mobile tablet computer and how to best use them. I've come to a simple conclusion: Every student should have one. Fraser Speirs make an excellent case for this in his latest blog post (http://speirs.org/blog/2011/1/21/how-the-ipad-wants-to-be-used.html). He is a teacher at a private school in Scotland, and has just instituted a 1:1 iPad to student program. Granted he works at a private school and I work at a public one, but the argument for them is no different. A mobile device, like the iPad allows students to complete their work on their own schedule.
An excellent example of this happened last weekend. My history class had been working on their research essays. They were due on Friday, but I extended the deadline to Monday. I received an essay from a student on Monday morning at 1:35 am. That's right I got it in the middle of the night. The student wasn't coming in to school on Monday but was still able to send in his work. This gets to the core of my post. He could do it because he had access to a computer and the internet. Many of us take this for granted, especially those of us who live in an urban area. My school provides for students who live in a rural area. High speed internet is not always an option, and some students can't even get dial-up! One potential solution to this is to get those students a Wi-Fi+3G iPad, and come to some agreement on the data plan. This would go a long way in eliminating the digital divide in our area.
We are now in exam week. Our first semester is coming to an end, students are panicking about exams, and finally handing in much needed assignments. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my grade 11 Ancient Civilizations class has been using our school's new iPads to research and prepare a board game and write a research essay. The iPads are a class set, 24, that for the time being remains in my class. For almost three weeks my students have used them every day. It was a good exercise in classroom management for me and self-control for them. Facebook is such a tantalizing distraction for so many of my students.
To get back to my point about time and space. I've been thinking and reading a great deal about iPads or any mobile tablet computer and how to best use them. I've come to a simple conclusion: Every student should have one. Fraser Speirs make an excellent case for this in his latest blog post (http://speirs.org/blog/2011/1/21/how-the-ipad-wants-to-be-used.html). He is a teacher at a private school in Scotland, and has just instituted a 1:1 iPad to student program. Granted he works at a private school and I work at a public one, but the argument for them is no different. A mobile device, like the iPad allows students to complete their work on their own schedule.
An excellent example of this happened last weekend. My history class had been working on their research essays. They were due on Friday, but I extended the deadline to Monday. I received an essay from a student on Monday morning at 1:35 am. That's right I got it in the middle of the night. The student wasn't coming in to school on Monday but was still able to send in his work. This gets to the core of my post. He could do it because he had access to a computer and the internet. Many of us take this for granted, especially those of us who live in an urban area. My school provides for students who live in a rural area. High speed internet is not always an option, and some students can't even get dial-up! One potential solution to this is to get those students a Wi-Fi+3G iPad, and come to some agreement on the data plan. This would go a long way in eliminating the digital divide in our area.
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