Category: online learning

New Year? 4 “Essentials” We Need for Education

New Year? 4 “Essentials” We Need for Education

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On the last day of 2020, I am struggling to meet my goal of publishing my 200th blog post. I have 77 partial posts in the queue but it has been so hard to string my thoughts together during this year that it felt impossible to complete any one of them.  There are just so many things that I feel befuddled by and have been contemplating and processing. I know that I am not alone. We all have had to put one foot in front of the other, but wondering if we are going in the right direction with so much uncertainty. 

In the past month, here in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the courts have been arguing if education is an “essential service”, as people seek to define what education is and get approval for reopening schools. Since March of 2020, schools have been closed in our area, and to get a ruling on this is an important precedent. 

That is an interesting topic to debate: is school an “essential service” to our society? And if it is, to whom? To businesses? To our governments? To the families? To the students themselves? 

Are schools factories? Do we mean to provide nationalistic pride and values? Or are we glorified baby sitters? Or instead, are we levers and fulcrums to opening up an individual’s potential and creativity? 

What IS our “essential service”? 

My 11-year old daughter told me it is to “learn” (not to “teach”, interestingly) and I think that no matter the stakeholder, they might agree with her. But to learn WHAT (content, skills, values) is exactly where definitions would diverge and split into self-interests. 

Throughout this year, I have had 4 concepts that I have been grappling with, going right into the heart of this idea about “essential service”. 

Power and Influence

I cannot speak for every country, but it is widely accepted that the purpose of public education in America was to spread Christianity and its values. Later “progressives” recognized that education was the key to democracy and hence “standards” were created in order to provide a fairly educated mass of citizens in order to make informed decisions. However, content knowledge was curated by those in power, and morals reflected those interests so that the narrative continued to benefit those of influence. It has only really been until Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement that we are opening up to new conversations around how information is shared and differing perspectives have been censored. 

White supremacy isn’t just a bunch of white-hooded men spewing hate speech, it has been a prerogative of so many power dynamics today and has hurt so many people; from the emotionally wounded parents of the Sandy Hook mass shooting massacre (because we value guns over our children) to the Chinese factory workers who live under polluted skies in order to manufacture consumer goods for the western economies. To deny that this willful greed isn’t at the heart of all this violence and environmental degradation is to deny reality itself. Thus, as educators, we cannot be merely sympathetic but actively engaged in raising our sociopolitical consciousness in order to involve our students in lively discussions about why things are the way they are and encourage students to see themselves as agents of social change and transformation. 

I believe that post-pandemic, providing learning experiences that challenge students to question structures, beliefs, and norms of power and influence is an “essential service”, in order for the history of inequity and oppression to not become our global future. 

Standards

You can’t expect standards from over 20 years ago to remain relevant and meaningful for today. We have to really be looking carefully at our national standards and be asking bigger questions. Even the Common Core standards are a decade old–think about how much has changed in this year alone!–isn’t it time to re-examine the whole concept of a “standard” and if we are trying to use these “standards” to create “widgets” or compassionate humans? I’ve written before about the Post Pandemic: “New Normals” Worth Developing and looking at what we want students to achieve at certain ages needs to go beyond simple knowledge and skills. Benchmarks need to include our hearts along with our heads ad hands.

Recently I heard Jan Mills speak at the IB Global Conference about the initiative in the PYP to reform our scope and sequence documents. As I leaned in to listen, I felt a spark of energy for this project, not only because it called attention that curriculum documents need a constant revisiting but also because she spoke about learning progressions based on the Approaches to Learning (Atls), in which knowledge alone no longer takes the center stage. 

In my mind, this is an important transition into not just focusing on what students know and can do, but to really grasp what it means to be thinking and communicating through the lens of a mathematician or writer or historian, or musician. I think this could be an exciting change in how learning happens in our classrooms.

I believe that post-pandemic, providing an expanded definition of “standards” is an “essential service”, in order for students to grow into creative thinkers and compassionate humans. 

Truth (and Media)

There was a time in which we believed that facts were facts. Information was reported and information could also be censored. However, now we talk about “disinformation”. Where did this concept come from?

During all my binge-watching on Netflix, I came across The Social Dilemma. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. In my mind, it is a call to arms to us educators. 

I have never before felt so adamant about ensuring that our students can actually understand what is real and not real information. Moreover, they have to understand the algorithms that create these personalized realities and the echo chambers that exist within them. Students need to recognize when they have limited their access to alternative viewpoints and sources of information.

I believe that post-pandemic, providing authentic and relevant digital literacy is an “essential service” in order for our digital natives to become discriminating consumers and competent with discerning information.

Technology

There is really so much I want to say about this. Over the course of my years, I have grown weary of reading books about how technology is rotting our intellect and dissipating our attention. Technology is not at fault, just like a car cannot be blamed for more accidents just because it replaced the horse and buggy. It’s always been the misuse of something, not the thing itself, that is the culprit. This is the year in which we have finally learned how to embrace it as a necessity and begin to appreciate that not all screen time can be considered equal. 

This is completely accurate when it has come to online and distance learning. Teachers who attempted to replicate their traditional methods realized how ineffective it was with boredom and student disengagement becoming so glaringly obvious, not to mention the worry of low student achievement and critical parents providing their opinions.

So any teacher who still debates whether technology should be infused into our lessons and is recalcitrant to use blended learning structures in this classroom after this pandemic, cannot remain in education. Pining for the “good ole days” of traditional teaching would be an absolute affront to all the professional development that has transpired over the last year. Moreover, we have to improve our methodology and effectiveness in order to release control of learning to our students.

I believe that post-pandemic, improving our use of technology in instruction is an “essential service”, in order to democratize our classrooms and engage digital natives at higher levels of learning. 

So, there you have it–my 4 “essentials” that I think we need to change. Although I know that my list is actually longer and will continue to grow, as I move into 2021, I wonder if this will truly be a “new year” for us in education. I pray that it’s not just another go at the ideas and approaches to learning pre-pandemic (likely circa 2000). If we, as educators, are a genuine “essential service” to our society, then let’s embrace innovation and be committed to developing the personal best, not only from our students but of our humanity. 

Post Pandemic: “New Normals” Worth Developing

Post Pandemic: “New Normals” Worth Developing

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What is education?

Childcare?

Job Training?

Citizenship Development? 

It seems like so many countries are grappling with the purpose of education, trying to balance the risk of bringing kids back to school. It is a critical moment in time when we really can evaluate our guiding principles in our societies. In so many ways, globally we are undergoing a “dark night of the soul”, deep in introspection as we reflect on all the incongruent “normals” in our educational systems. 

I digress for a moment……

I like to explore the word education semantically for a moment. Its Latin origins, mean “to bring out; to lead forth”.  The root implies that our intelligence is innate and can be developed.

When I think of this definition, I wonder what this global crisis has revealed about our educational systems? 

Inequity between public and private education–YEP!

Teacher-Driven models of education are not sustainable or appropriate online–YEP!

Misguided or completely absent set of values in our systems?–YEP!

Inadequate training and professional development of our teachers, particularly in using technology in our instruction–YEP!

More care and concern are focused on our current-day economy than designing a more equitable future?–YEP!

But the most disturbing is the lack of organizational leadership and creative problem solving since the best we can do is hole ourselves up in our homes until this thing blows over. This fact right here is the absolute reason why we have to look carefully at our educational systems and make changes as we create more agile and dynamic schools. We can’t keep educating our future generations to look for answers outside of themselves–we need an “all hands on deck” approach that involves integrated and collaborative communities of problem-solvers. 

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you do not blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need more fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You look for reasons it is not doing well. You never blame the lettuce.

-Thich Nhat Hahn-

Now is the time to seize upon this opportunity to make constructive changes in our schools and educational systems. When we look at our current crop of “lettuce”, I feel a powerful and urgent need of changing minds and hearts when it comes to reconstructing education. 

Purpose: Develop our Humanity

The International Baccalaureate is one of the few frameworks that actually defines who we want our students to become as a result of their learning. In a nutshell, we want to make “good humans”.

This shouldn’t be an exception, but should be a rule in ALL of our schools.

Yet so many schools still reflect a factory-model, industrial age approach to learning. In which when the system “spits them out” at the end, they have a conforming pattern and standardized base of knowledge. This is in direct opposition to what we know about our human design. Every aspect of who we are is unique and essential.

As educators, we must question the directives of our national and local authorities in order to change these definitions. We must demand to infuse our policies to account for improvements in our humanity, rather than look at defining our systems by creating subordinate and compliant masses who keep our economies chugging along.

But even if we can’t get change within our higher authority, we must be willing to be way-showers and make changes in our schools that move away from these vestiges of this outdated paradigm.

This graphic is from Bold Moves for Schools, ASCD, 2017, H.H. Jacobs and M.H. Alcoc and provides consideration of the areas in which our schools can shift from the traditional factory-model paradigm to a more fluid and contemporary model of education.

Teachers shouldn’t be waiting for leadership to make these changes. The level of complexity that it takes to make this shift is almost prohibitive. Teachers must dream and co-design with school leadership so that this is a thoughtful and collaborative grass-roots effort. Schools can’t restructure without a teamwork and ingenuity.

These shifts are not minor, these are transformational. We are providing structures that empower learners and create real-world applications that act as “training wheels” for dealing with challenges.

I hear Gandhi in my head …

It might take time but with collective and persistent patience, we can create a new future for education.

Redefine: Indicators of “performance” for evidence of learning

I remember a time when the standardized testing craze was contagious. I can recall a day when one of my Kiwi friends was lamenting that New Zealand was embracing the American antidote for education with school grading based upon students’ achievement on the general skill-based tests.  As she was explaining the new direction that the NZ education system was going, her cheeks turned red with emotion. I had to sigh, remembering my own experience and stress of teaching to a test. 

However, many schools get “graded” on student performance. The word performance implies some action or behavior that demonstrates a specific ability.  Learning, on the other hand, is a process, an accumulation of knowledge gained through experience that changes behavior. Although there is a thread that links the two, we often confuse student data as an indicator of learning, when, in fact, it is really the other way around. Learning can only be demonstrated by actions taken by students of the skills they have acquired.  Because of this, learning describes this innate capacity to “bring forth” our intelligence and creativity.

After this COVID crisis dies down and we return to our school, we must broaden our definition of performance that goes beyond knowing the “answers” to knowing the “problems” so that students can predict potential threats to our societies and create proactive solutions that innovate and address these areas of concern. It’s less about demonstrating knowledge and more about awareness.

A colleague of mine recently pointed out that there is not one standard in their national curriculum around discrimination and oppression. This is an example of how we censor reality.

Our national standards are helpful in understanding the cognitive milestones that we expect for numeracy and literacy, but they do not really reflect the “standards” we want for our humanity: kindness, resilience, cooperation, generosity, appreciation, curiosity, and joy. Content knowledge no longer holds the capacity for future success. We need “heart-based” standards and, as educators, model and facilitate the growth of emotional and situational intelligence.

Our students’ performance may not be as measurable and easy to assess when we focus on this area but I believe that we can still observe “learning” when students can manage conflict, articulate concerns, and self-manage their learning, returning home inspired and energized. Instead of knowledge, HOPE can be an indicator of performance standards.

Imagining New Normals

These are the “new normals” that I believe is worth striving for in a post-pandemic era of education: Value-based Goals for Education, Restructuring Systems of Learning, and Creating New “Performance Standards”.

When I consider the root meaning of “education”, I can’t help but contemplate what I wish to “to bring out; to lead forth” as a result of this experience. As difficult as this time is, we must lean on potential and think of the possible good that can come out of this experience.

What do you believe should become “new normals”? What do you hope to dream and scheme about as we reconsider the purpose of education?
Chaos to Clarity: PYP Practitioner Checklist for Synchronized and Asynchronized Learning

Chaos to Clarity: PYP Practitioner Checklist for Synchronized and Asynchronized Learning

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Six months. Half a year. 

That’s been the length of this experience, and, as the Covid-19 numbers are not abating, the “finish line” is not in sight. Shutting ourselves up in our homes and pivoting suddenly has been quite agonizing. When schools all had to suddenly go online, we scrambled to figure out the technology to continue learning.  Very few schools had the systems in place to support a smooth transition and while we trained teachers, we also had to train families and students. But here we are. 

I think about the gifts that are “wrapped up in sandpaper” from this collective experience. The prize chief among this is developing resiliency, in which I can build mental and emotional strength. There is a real possibility for ‘Post-traumatic’ growth. So when I look at that graphic, I can reflect on all the domains and see how I am for the better due to this pandemic.

And, although this has been hell, there has a great opportunity to turn this into a positive experience for us professionally. This is really a powerful moment when we are being confronted with what we truly believe about student learning and the role of the teacher. So we are really grappling with how to figure out how to create self-directed learning and do online learning really, really well. 

So, I feel one of the most important things I can do as a leader is to create clarity out of this confusion, provide structure despite the backdrop of turmoil and ambiguity.  Thus, when our school revised our online learning plan, I really wanted to define how we can do the PYP online because what we would have done over the course of a day now must be condensed into a handful of learning experiences.  I’ve developed an architecture around lesson planning for our teachers in order to support a meaningful and engaging learning experience for our students. For my new-to-the-PYP staff, I really wanted them to be able to name and notice the key areas of learning that we need to be planning for in our online learning program. Here is some of that thinking:

PYP Practitioner Checklist for Synchronized Learning

During this lesson, have I ….?

  • Lead with a Guiding Question so I can start with an inquiry stance
  • Developed a Concept 
  • Provided opportunities to grow one or more Approaches to Learning (Atls)
  • Cultivated the Learner Profile (in the guiding question or as a part of self-reflection)
  • Taught through interaction in order to honor Social Constructivism (dialogue brings new understanding)
  • Embedded Assessment

Structuring our lessons intentionally to “cover” this checklist will eventually lead teachers to develop “muscle memory” with practice. It’s important that teachers can name and notice these aspects of the PYP in daily synchronized lessons, which we conduct through the Zoom platform. We continue to reflect and refine how we teach our live lessons. 

But we also do a fair amount of learning through activities posted on SeeSaw. So, again, I have created another concise structure to delineate the elements that are important to cultivate self-navigating learners:

PYP Practitioner Checklist for Asynchronized Learning
  • Guiding Question (start with an inquiry-stance)
  • Concept Development
  • Success Criteria
  • Timely feedback

Here is an example of what a post looks like:

Although not stated in the checklist, teachers also have to include video, audio (translated into Portuguese), and visual instructions so that they can be successful in their learning. This is also included in our school’s online learning plan. 

As we continue to reflect and review our practices, I think these structures will serve us post-pandemic because it helps to develop teacher efficacy or as it is more commonly known as “competance”. They say that Practice makes progress, so I am hopeful that these structures facilitate the process of progressing from incompetence to competence as a skillful PYP practitioner.

So, in my heart, I want to support my teachers with this clarity and design frameworks for online learning that will help all our teachers, new or experienced into refining their ability to “make the PYP happen” online. Although this is not perfect, I believe it is a step forward in helping teachers and can act as a catalyst for the mindful practice of our pedagogical principles. 

 

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