Many of you who read David Warlick’s Blog would have been immersed in his writings about the new story. I am always interested to see what Dave is thinking on this topic as it really clarifies a few of my own thoughts on where education programs should be heading. In my position I have a vision that the learning programs that I write and present will become so cutting edge that educators that see how we do things will have interest sparked and begin to see how they can become better facilitators of learning.
An example of this that I have taken from David’s presentations and podcasts in the past is encouraging students to always ask questions about the answers they find. What an awesome concept that really begins to encourage learners to not just accept information as valid and true, but to test and deepen their understanding. Unfortunately, I don’t see this as a skill that is tested in standardised testing, something that is beginning to become too popular in my country.
Often educators can get caught up in the educational jargon that floats out in the philosophical realms of deep and meaningful educational thought. As we begin to present new and innovative ways to educate and develop students I believe we need to make sure that we avoid the jargon. The golden rule I use to use when explaining concepts to students was called the KISS rule (Keep it simple stupid!!). I believe that in order for this “new story” or innovative ways of education to be told and sold we need to evangelise to the parents of students. I would be interested to hear what kind of feedback a serial classroom podcaster like Bob Sprankle and his 3rd/4th grade students receive from parents, and what the parents feel about their students spending time on this during school. Furthermore, I wonder if our good friend Dave Warlick has had much time evangelising his new story to parents? It is great that he and many educators spend time sharing these new thoughts with educators, but what about the parents – the ones that ultimately determine government policy and direction.
I have also added to this blog my thoughts on Dave’s latest post
I really enjoyed this critique of the conversation and your thoughts on the story of the use of technology in our education world. The very thought that a “new story” needs to be told and spread through the powers that be worries me a bit, especially when we have a society that is controlled by media stories about the chaos that our schools are in when it comes to the “basics”…. or the 3 r’s. I think we have a dozen stories a year in our media blaming schools for the poor performance of the basic 3r’s skills. I can’t see how there will be much needed change in our school systems when our society seems to be up in arms about the lack of literacy skills amongst our students. I would be interested to hear what our parents of students are thinking about this “new story.” How well would this message be received by a parent world that is constantly told that test scores on standardised tests is all that matters?
I would spend a minimum of 30mins a year with each of my students parents, and an overwhelming number where more concerned with where their kid placed in the state wide tests rather than how they developed as a learner. I also remember the criteria we placed some years ago on students interested in competing in Lego robotics competitions. We decided to only allow the students who placed in the top % of mathematics and science exams!! What does this say to the creative learner?
Yes blogging, podcasting etc is exciting new tools or ways to enhance the learning, however, I feel that we have a need to help parents of our students have a mind shift on what matters. Parents are voters and governments seem to make the final decisions on these areas.
I think the whole point of our skypecast is that there is NO new story per se. It’s just back to working out what makes good teaching and learning. These new technologies add one aspect, though, that has been sorely missing: audience. These very tools are a great way to communicate with parents, not by sending them messages but by trying to involve them more in the education of their child, seeing and helping their children improve on the three Rs.
Sorry this is so long – actually a post from my blog
http://www.learningismessy.com/blog
The “New Story” hasn’t caught on because it is not a new story – it’s not even a tech story or a web 2.0 story. The New Story doesn’t catch on because it is not a story you can hear or read about and really understand. To understand it you have to work with a class of students that you really know. You know who knows how to do “traditional school”, who gets traditional work done, who doesn’t. Who is motivated and who isn’t. Who is outgoing and who is shy – even painfully shy. Who is in control and who is out of control – even spooky out of control. Who likes to please and who could care less.
Next you have to do things differently. You have to empower students in group decision making and social skills. Allow students to do work that brings out the hidden talents in the room – from artwork, creative writing, problem solving, “making things” and tearing them apart and putting them back together, etc. You have to teach them how to find and think about information and then give them permission to show what they know in various ways and “their way” at least sometimes. Then you have to come up with an idea for a project – as real world and community service based as possible is what I feel is best. Then turn them loose in cooperative groups to do it.
What happens next is often magic. Students who are out of control are not out of control (at least for longer than they usually are). Students that are shy might not be shy today – and might even blow your socks off with a flurry of outspokenness or leadership. Your unmotivated students might still be, but some will be among the most motivated in class. Those that know how “to do” traditional school (old school) might be lost – and might be watching or listening to a usually unmotivated or out of control or bullied student to find out how the heck to do THIS. Students that never get excited will FIND YOU and constantly report to you what they found or learned or did or didn’t do (even though you didn’t ask them to). Students will ask you or other students how to do something they don’t know how to do because they HAVE to know how to do THIS. And your classroom becomes a bee hive – there is a palpable buzz of activity and learning – what you became a teacher to experience.
But if you are an outsider observing in that room… And you don’t know THESE kids… then you might see a glimmer of the magic… but you don’t experience the magic or get the magic. You don’t know that when Molly is berating her group for getting off task and they listen to her… that all year she has been that dirty, quiet, strange girl that no one really pays much attention to unless they are making fun of her, but now her group is following her lead…amazing. Or that Darrel who… “he never does anything” has just spent the last 30 minutes helping a group member paint their dirt “Mars Red” because then they are going glue it down on the bottom of the greenhouse he designed and he needs that kids help. If you don’t know these kids you miss that (and many other things) and so you miss the value and the point.
You can’t plan for all the good things that are happening, you can just design projects that meet certain standards knowing that a whole bunch more are going to be met along the way… and some things are going to happen that aren’t standards but you know are just good things. Things that a well rounded person needs to know about – but doing nothing but small reading groups and keyword summaries and circle-seat-center and reading about science and social studies and art in reading groups but almost never doing them – aren’t going to be learned.
So where’s the tech? It’s there. It’s how much of the research was done. It’s how some questions were asked and some answers were received. It’s how product was produced and edited and questioned and talked about with peers and experts from anywhere. AND it’s how the work was presented and shared and discussed and questioned and tweaked and archived and copied and more – much more.
But if you don’t know those kids – you just might not get the whole story. That’s what we have to overcome to spread the word and activate change. We have to get more people to experience THAT.
Brian