Research on new literacies is continuing, but I have spent less time on it lately for two reasons. One is that I am busier with tutoring, and currently see four students every week, some more than once. It is a diverse group, and all are great kids - I enjoy working with them.
The other reason is that I am working on expanding my efforts in professional development opportunities for teachers. While I like the work with individual students, being able to access their teachers would cast a wider influence.
To that end, I am developing some internet courses, which I believe to be a relatively underutilized medium for teacher training. It is difficult for teachers to take professional development days, and limiting workshops to particular after-school times may eliminate participants who run clubs, pick up their own kids after school, etc. The online delivery system allows for maximum flexibility.
My first foray is a course called Literacy for the Conceptual Age - feel free to check the link and register yourself! I hope to have more to offer soon.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
School Research 1
Now to look at some applications for school . . .
One immediate thought is to employ a scaffolded approach where students learn to apply new skills in a low-stakes environment that will encourage them to raise doubts and ask questions. Instead of immediately applying skills to a project which requires a finished (& graded) project, we should let them perform some data evaluation as a discrete skill. An analogy would be a student of tennis who practices a hundred serves a day – she is not applying this skill to win a match (a high-stakes endeavor), so the practice session is a low-stakes opportunity to explore styles and tinker with her mechanics until she finds a comfort level with her ability to make good serves. And just as a coach would work with that tennis player, a teacher could provide the equivalent guidance for a student developing data evaluation skills.
As far as particular skills, a primary one would be the ability to clearly state the goal of their research by defining what they are trying to prove or disprove in specific terms. A goal like, ‘Finding out more about the Civil War’ is too vague and general to provide much guidance for most students. Instead, students should be able to enunciate a series of goals like, ‘Where were the majority of Civil War battles fought’, or ‘What Union generals were most effective’, or ‘What were the hardships people living in the Confederate states faced’, and so forth. Students should engage in a form of backwards design wherein they gain a clear understanding of what their finished product should look like before they begin to gather data.
After clarifying particular research goals and sub-goals, students should then embark on a data-gathering journey. This journey may start by brainstorming potential sources of data, and should be marked by numerous roadmap meetings along the way with peers or teachers, at least until they have gained fluency with the process. When a piece of data is found, its content should be studied in light of the goals of the project. If the data does not contain information relevant to the project goals it can be discarded. If it is relevant to the goals, it becomes part of the data that the student must then evaluate for quality.
To repeat, data should first be examined for relevance – if it passes the relevance test, it then gets evaluated for quality, which will be our next entry.
One immediate thought is to employ a scaffolded approach where students learn to apply new skills in a low-stakes environment that will encourage them to raise doubts and ask questions. Instead of immediately applying skills to a project which requires a finished (& graded) project, we should let them perform some data evaluation as a discrete skill. An analogy would be a student of tennis who practices a hundred serves a day – she is not applying this skill to win a match (a high-stakes endeavor), so the practice session is a low-stakes opportunity to explore styles and tinker with her mechanics until she finds a comfort level with her ability to make good serves. And just as a coach would work with that tennis player, a teacher could provide the equivalent guidance for a student developing data evaluation skills.
As far as particular skills, a primary one would be the ability to clearly state the goal of their research by defining what they are trying to prove or disprove in specific terms. A goal like, ‘Finding out more about the Civil War’ is too vague and general to provide much guidance for most students. Instead, students should be able to enunciate a series of goals like, ‘Where were the majority of Civil War battles fought’, or ‘What Union generals were most effective’, or ‘What were the hardships people living in the Confederate states faced’, and so forth. Students should engage in a form of backwards design wherein they gain a clear understanding of what their finished product should look like before they begin to gather data.
After clarifying particular research goals and sub-goals, students should then embark on a data-gathering journey. This journey may start by brainstorming potential sources of data, and should be marked by numerous roadmap meetings along the way with peers or teachers, at least until they have gained fluency with the process. When a piece of data is found, its content should be studied in light of the goals of the project. If the data does not contain information relevant to the project goals it can be discarded. If it is relevant to the goals, it becomes part of the data that the student must then evaluate for quality.
To repeat, data should first be examined for relevance – if it passes the relevance test, it then gets evaluated for quality, which will be our next entry.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sources with Scientists, Part 4
School thoughts on this topic . . .
The type of research that Katie and Bruce perform is very much about knowledge construction, where they build meaning out of a situation that does not have a predetermined end result. One thing I will be looking to document is whether other fields require this type of research as well.
I contrast the knowledge construction model to many of the research projects I recognize from years of working in schools, primarily at the middle school grades. School research projects often take on the form of a scavenger hunt, where students gather and organize clues from various research sources to complete an assignment that meets an expected set of outcomes.
For example, a research paper on Abraham Lincoln is assessed on how well a student covers and includes certain bits of data, like Lincoln’s early life, his political career, the incidents of the Civil War, his assassination, etc. There are certain expected elements of the finished project.
So we are looking at two types of research projects that are quite different in their approaches. One primarily requires convergent research skills while the other builds in a divergent way; one reports facts while the other constructs a story; one is guided discovery, one is led by self-discovery.
Perhaps an early step in planning research reports in school will be to determine the goals of the project and decide whether those goals are best met through the knowledge construction model or the scavenger hunt model.
More to come . . .
The type of research that Katie and Bruce perform is very much about knowledge construction, where they build meaning out of a situation that does not have a predetermined end result. One thing I will be looking to document is whether other fields require this type of research as well.
I contrast the knowledge construction model to many of the research projects I recognize from years of working in schools, primarily at the middle school grades. School research projects often take on the form of a scavenger hunt, where students gather and organize clues from various research sources to complete an assignment that meets an expected set of outcomes.
For example, a research paper on Abraham Lincoln is assessed on how well a student covers and includes certain bits of data, like Lincoln’s early life, his political career, the incidents of the Civil War, his assassination, etc. There are certain expected elements of the finished project.
So we are looking at two types of research projects that are quite different in their approaches. One primarily requires convergent research skills while the other builds in a divergent way; one reports facts while the other constructs a story; one is guided discovery, one is led by self-discovery.
Perhaps an early step in planning research reports in school will be to determine the goals of the project and decide whether those goals are best met through the knowledge construction model or the scavenger hunt model.
More to come . . .
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Sources with Scientists, Part 3
The previous post on evaluating sources from a scientist’s perspective dealt with the sources themselves . . . now we’ll look at the skills of the scientist.
In order to effectively evaluate the worthiness of data, the scientist must be able to:
• Understand the limits of data
• Clarify the purpose of collecting the data
• Build a framework for understanding what’s needed
• Employ the process of ‘brain-dropping’ (finding and setting aside nuggets of data for later consolidation)
• Create flexible outlines
• Evaluate visual data
• Recognize bias
• Deconstruct sources
Over time, we will examine and process these skills, especially as they relate to the classroom. We will also be looking for consistency of skills in the data gathered from researchers in other fields.
In order to effectively evaluate the worthiness of data, the scientist must be able to:
• Understand the limits of data
• Clarify the purpose of collecting the data
• Build a framework for understanding what’s needed
• Employ the process of ‘brain-dropping’ (finding and setting aside nuggets of data for later consolidation)
• Create flexible outlines
• Evaluate visual data
• Recognize bias
• Deconstruct sources
Over time, we will examine and process these skills, especially as they relate to the classroom. We will also be looking for consistency of skills in the data gathered from researchers in other fields.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sources with Scientists, Part 2
We covered a number of areas in our discussion, one of which was what to consider when assessing data. In other words, what do we want to know about the data before deciding whether it is worth using.
Here are some of the considerations:
Age of the data
• What has changed since data was published?
• Is there newer data on same topic?
What are the qualifications of who supplied the data?
• Background
• Reputation
• Potential bias
• Credibility
How close is data source material to raw data?
• How is source using raw data?
• Is the data research-based and cited?
• Can the data be confirmed?
How clear is the data?
What is the volume and specificity of information?
Is there depth and sophistication to the data?
In a school setting, perhaps a pre-requisite research skill would be to assess data sources before having to use them. Create a rubric that will allow students to ‘grade’ a data source as a way of developing a more critical eye towards the data they collect, rather than assuming that all sources are of equal value.
A further thought is that this evaluative process may be done through a ‘low-stakes’ exercise to encourage kids gain comfort with the process without feeling that asking questions or making mistakes will result in penalties.
Still more to come . . .
Here are some of the considerations:
Age of the data
• What has changed since data was published?
• Is there newer data on same topic?
What are the qualifications of who supplied the data?
• Background
• Reputation
• Potential bias
• Credibility
How close is data source material to raw data?
• How is source using raw data?
• Is the data research-based and cited?
• Can the data be confirmed?
How clear is the data?
What is the volume and specificity of information?
Is there depth and sophistication to the data?
In a school setting, perhaps a pre-requisite research skill would be to assess data sources before having to use them. Create a rubric that will allow students to ‘grade’ a data source as a way of developing a more critical eye towards the data they collect, rather than assuming that all sources are of equal value.
A further thought is that this evaluative process may be done through a ‘low-stakes’ exercise to encourage kids gain comfort with the process without feeling that asking questions or making mistakes will result in penalties.
Still more to come . . .
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sources with Scientists, Part 1
Returning to the project of evaluating data sources, I had a fruitful interview yesterday with two scientists, Katie & Bruce. We discussed the processes involved in their work, as well as applications to school. To reiterate, my objective is to explore how to teach students the process of evaluating data sources, since so much data is available to them.
One of the areas that arose from our discussion is determining the purpose of a data collection exercise. Two emerging thoughts: sometimes data collection is to meet discreet goals, and other times it is to construct understanding.
In the first case, we have an assignment akin to a scavenger hunt where we want students to find particular bits of information to satisfy the completion of a standard set of knowledge goals. An example would be asking students to file a report on the battle of Gettysburg that includes the setting, the duration of the battle, the number of casualties, the immediate results of the battle, and so forth – a fact-driven exercise.
In the case of constructing understanding, the goal is more indefinite and open to interpretation, and there are multiple conclusions that may be reached. The example would be a research report in which a student would have to support or dismiss the concept that Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.
Without a doubt, it is possible, and even common, for school research projects to incorporate both kinds of thinking within a single report. But by recognizing two distinct processes, we can better start to prepare students for two types of data-collection even before we begin the process of evaluating sources.
More to come . . .
One of the areas that arose from our discussion is determining the purpose of a data collection exercise. Two emerging thoughts: sometimes data collection is to meet discreet goals, and other times it is to construct understanding.
In the first case, we have an assignment akin to a scavenger hunt where we want students to find particular bits of information to satisfy the completion of a standard set of knowledge goals. An example would be asking students to file a report on the battle of Gettysburg that includes the setting, the duration of the battle, the number of casualties, the immediate results of the battle, and so forth – a fact-driven exercise.
In the case of constructing understanding, the goal is more indefinite and open to interpretation, and there are multiple conclusions that may be reached. The example would be a research report in which a student would have to support or dismiss the concept that Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.
Without a doubt, it is possible, and even common, for school research projects to incorporate both kinds of thinking within a single report. But by recognizing two distinct processes, we can better start to prepare students for two types of data-collection even before we begin the process of evaluating sources.
More to come . . .
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Law of Unintended Consequences
I’ve been thinking about this term lately so I did a little research. The most succinct explanation of the Law of Unintended Consequences I could find came on a website called Marginal Revolution: “The law of unintended consequences is what happens when a simple system tries to regulate a complex system.”
Examples abound. This one tells how the Americans With Disabilities Act resulted in disabled people actually being hired for jobs less frequently. It wouldn’t take long to think of other examples.
Its application to changes in special education law is the reason I have been thinking about it. Special Education used to work on a discrepancy model, where children would qualify to receive services if there was a significant gap between ability and achievement. The unintended consequence? Many parents received the same explanation – even though your children are struggling, they haven’t fallen far enough behind to receive targeted help. This is like a lifeguard telling the sputtering non-swimmer, Sorry, even though it would be easier and less painful now, I can’t rescue you until you go under for the third time. See you later!
A couple of years ago, a new model was encouraged – response to intervention (RTI). In this model, struggling readers go through several tiers of support at the early stages of struggle. The thinking is that the first tier will address most of the issues, but the ones that need to move on to the second and third tiers of more intensive support would do so.
The RTI model is still new, so the Law of Unintended Consequences has not played itself out yet. But, based on observation (not research), my concern is that tiered approach will be based strictly on programmatic decisions. In other words, schools will purchase a program that will serve children in the first tier. Then the they will have another program for children in the second tier, and yet another for third tier.
If none of the programs have the desired effect, then the child might receive an individualized program, but it may be a year or two after initial concerns were raised. RTI has the potential to become a model that favors ease of placement over individual needs. It is a far simpler process to purchase a ready-made remedial program than it is to plan and deliver one based on the needs of the individual child.
Certainly, the discrepancy model had shortcomings that needed to be addressed. Certainly, many kids will benefit from the interventions that RTI can provide. But that tricky Law of Unintended Consequences just might bite the kids who can least afford to be bitten.
Examples abound. This one tells how the Americans With Disabilities Act resulted in disabled people actually being hired for jobs less frequently. It wouldn’t take long to think of other examples.
Its application to changes in special education law is the reason I have been thinking about it. Special Education used to work on a discrepancy model, where children would qualify to receive services if there was a significant gap between ability and achievement. The unintended consequence? Many parents received the same explanation – even though your children are struggling, they haven’t fallen far enough behind to receive targeted help. This is like a lifeguard telling the sputtering non-swimmer, Sorry, even though it would be easier and less painful now, I can’t rescue you until you go under for the third time. See you later!
A couple of years ago, a new model was encouraged – response to intervention (RTI). In this model, struggling readers go through several tiers of support at the early stages of struggle. The thinking is that the first tier will address most of the issues, but the ones that need to move on to the second and third tiers of more intensive support would do so.
The RTI model is still new, so the Law of Unintended Consequences has not played itself out yet. But, based on observation (not research), my concern is that tiered approach will be based strictly on programmatic decisions. In other words, schools will purchase a program that will serve children in the first tier. Then the they will have another program for children in the second tier, and yet another for third tier.
If none of the programs have the desired effect, then the child might receive an individualized program, but it may be a year or two after initial concerns were raised. RTI has the potential to become a model that favors ease of placement over individual needs. It is a far simpler process to purchase a ready-made remedial program than it is to plan and deliver one based on the needs of the individual child.
Certainly, the discrepancy model had shortcomings that needed to be addressed. Certainly, many kids will benefit from the interventions that RTI can provide. But that tricky Law of Unintended Consequences just might bite the kids who can least afford to be bitten.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Evaluating Sources
There is a further idea on pursuing study of how to equip students with the new literacy skills necessary for a global world. I will be speaking with people in the working world who regularly have the need to evaluate data sources to study the thought processes they engage.
For example, a journalist receives many bits of data while preparing a story, but must discard some because they don’t meet a professional standard or are not relevant to the story. I’m not worried about the procedures of source evaluation, but the underlying thought processes and the corresponding literacy skills that are engaged.
By interacting with people in a number of diverse fields, I hope to be able to use the backwards design process to develop a program of literacy enrichment for today’s students. I have my first research partner on board, and am working on lining up several more.
More as this develops . . .
For example, a journalist receives many bits of data while preparing a story, but must discard some because they don’t meet a professional standard or are not relevant to the story. I’m not worried about the procedures of source evaluation, but the underlying thought processes and the corresponding literacy skills that are engaged.
By interacting with people in a number of diverse fields, I hope to be able to use the backwards design process to develop a program of literacy enrichment for today’s students. I have my first research partner on board, and am working on lining up several more.
More as this develops . . .
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Literacy for a New Era
This is the starting line as I began a period of independent thought and study.
In past generations, students received most of their information from teachers, school books, and libraries. Once receiving information, students initially had to learn, understand and remember the facts. Higher levels of education called for analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation – all steps on Bloom’s Taxonomy in the cognitive realm.
These skills are still needed in an increasingly global world.
But now that the access to information is virtually unbarred, students must develop an additional, almost pre-requisite skill set. For past generations, data was static – now much of the data students can access is dynamic and ever-evolving.
For example, when I was in the 4th grade, the social studies curriculum was New York state. I could read the textbook, listen to the teacher, watch a filmstrip in class, and pull information from a library book or encyclopedia to learn about the topic. My knowledge base was almost identical to that of my older brothers, and that of my younger brothers – little changed over the decade we spanned.
Today? A basic search on the www would yield more information than I could process in a lifetime. In six months, the same search terms typed into the same search engine might lead me in a dozens of new directions. Not only am I no longer limited to my textbook, teacher, and the library for information, but I have more data than those sources could ever provide for me.
So . . . where does this go? My preliminary thought is that there are initially three literacy skills that jump out at me as being particularly critical. They are:
• Accessing information (can I find the data I want?)
• Evaluating sources (how reputable are my sources?)
• Pre-synthesis (can I pull sources together in such a way that I can begin to understand them?)
This is the starting line . . . where the course leads will continue to evolve.
In past generations, students received most of their information from teachers, school books, and libraries. Once receiving information, students initially had to learn, understand and remember the facts. Higher levels of education called for analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation – all steps on Bloom’s Taxonomy in the cognitive realm.
These skills are still needed in an increasingly global world.
But now that the access to information is virtually unbarred, students must develop an additional, almost pre-requisite skill set. For past generations, data was static – now much of the data students can access is dynamic and ever-evolving.
For example, when I was in the 4th grade, the social studies curriculum was New York state. I could read the textbook, listen to the teacher, watch a filmstrip in class, and pull information from a library book or encyclopedia to learn about the topic. My knowledge base was almost identical to that of my older brothers, and that of my younger brothers – little changed over the decade we spanned.
Today? A basic search on the www would yield more information than I could process in a lifetime. In six months, the same search terms typed into the same search engine might lead me in a dozens of new directions. Not only am I no longer limited to my textbook, teacher, and the library for information, but I have more data than those sources could ever provide for me.
So . . . where does this go? My preliminary thought is that there are initially three literacy skills that jump out at me as being particularly critical. They are:
• Accessing information (can I find the data I want?)
• Evaluating sources (how reputable are my sources?)
• Pre-synthesis (can I pull sources together in such a way that I can begin to understand them?)
This is the starting line . . . where the course leads will continue to evolve.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Literacy & Social Life
Just wanted to share an idea on promoting literacy – organize a book swap.
Yesterday we hosted over two dozen friends and family for a potluck dinner, and asked everybody to bring some books they were done reading to trade. The response was positive and we had a great time with the social interactions, but especially pleasing was the chance to promote literacy.
An obvious benefit was the opportunity to pick up new (to you) books for free, while clearing out shelf space at home. But you also have the advantage of being able to ask about a particular book before selecting it – a more in-depth way of making a judgment than relying on the cover.
Having an event like this makes it clear that you value reading, and want others to share your values. What a great message for kids! Hosting a sleepover? . . . bring books to trade as the ‘cost’ of attending.
Even if you can’t hold an event, it would not take much effort nor space in a workplace or classroom to create a book swap area for all to enjoy. Celebrating and modeling literacy are great promotional tools.
Monday, August 11, 2008
West Coast Opinions
Education continues to be regular fodder for the editorial pages. Yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer carried an opinion piece by Walt Gardner, a long-time teacher in the Los Angeles School District. It is validating to hear from others who believe that a one-size-fits-all education does an injustice to our communities and to our students.
Certainly, many kids are well-served by their education, but there are also many who are under-served - gifted children who are bored by scripted, lock-step reading programs as well as artistically talented ones who attend schools where one art teacher or one music teacher serve over 500 students.
It would be wonderful to see a focus on multiple intelligences take its rightful place among educational policies. Nurturing students’ gifts and affinities will provide benefits long after the school year has ended. Instead, we (the collective we) have accepted the existence of an assembly-line model that seeks to turn students out like so many identical widgets. The skills required for success in many schools are not the skills required for post-graduate success – Ready or Not, Here Life Comes is an interesting read on this subject.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Virtual Revolution
Well, it may not yet qualify as a revolution, but virtual learning is an increasing part of the educational landscape.
A Reuters article from last month describes the efforts of an urban middle school in Boston that has implemented a digital curriculum. Students no longer have textbooks, but use electronic materials, maintain blogs, and submit assignments using laptops that are checked out each morning and returned at the end of the day.
There is, naturally, a large start-up cost involved in an endeavor like this. Over time though, it seems like it may be more economical to maintain.
What I find most interesting is that the article provides a glimpse of the possibilities available when we combine digital, online learning with the social and activity-related benefits associated with a bricks-and-mortar school. Critics may say that moving to an online educational model would isolate students, though, in fact, it may be exactly the opposite. By having students work at an appropriately productive pace, they may have more opportunities for collaboration with peers and teachers. Engagement could increase because the pacing would be matched to the needs of each student, and students might feel a greater sense of autonomy and ownership.
There will certainly be bumps in the road, but online learning is a 21st century skill that will become increasingly prevalent. Why not have students begin to acquire this literacy while in school?
A Reuters article from last month describes the efforts of an urban middle school in Boston that has implemented a digital curriculum. Students no longer have textbooks, but use electronic materials, maintain blogs, and submit assignments using laptops that are checked out each morning and returned at the end of the day.
There is, naturally, a large start-up cost involved in an endeavor like this. Over time though, it seems like it may be more economical to maintain.
What I find most interesting is that the article provides a glimpse of the possibilities available when we combine digital, online learning with the social and activity-related benefits associated with a bricks-and-mortar school. Critics may say that moving to an online educational model would isolate students, though, in fact, it may be exactly the opposite. By having students work at an appropriately productive pace, they may have more opportunities for collaboration with peers and teachers. Engagement could increase because the pacing would be matched to the needs of each student, and students might feel a greater sense of autonomy and ownership.
There will certainly be bumps in the road, but online learning is a 21st century skill that will become increasingly prevalent. Why not have students begin to acquire this literacy while in school?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
SAT Left in the Wake?
About a month ago, Wake Forest University announced that it was moving to an SAT-optional admissions process. To date, it is the highest ranked (by US News & World Report) national university to do so.
Among the reasons given for the move was the concern that research shows the SAT favors students from higher socio-economic classes, partly through the practice of expensive SAT-prep courses. No doubt though, Wake will have to face backlash from people who will accuse them of 'dumbing down' to diversify.
To that I say, "Oy vey".
I can't argue about the correlation between SAT and SES because I haven't read the research on it. But I don't have to because it would not change my thinking - the SAT is but one tool of many, and should not be used a s sole determinant of college admission.
In its announcement about the admissions change, Wake indicated that it would base decisions on high school curriculum and grades, essays, extracurriculars, and personal interviews with admissions staff - a far more qualitative process than SAT cutoffs. Students will still have the option to submit their SAT scores as a way to build their admissions resume.
A recent editorial by Dan K. Thomasson, former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service, supported Wake Forest's decision by suggesting that qualities like resilience and motivation, critical to college success, cannot be measured on an assessment device, but should be viewed through a long-range lens on a student's life and academic career.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the list of schools that offer SAT-optional admissions, over 700 of them, according to Fairtest.org. While a good number of schools on the list are specialty schools that focus on areas like art & religion, there are many reputable universities as well. Some quality private colleges in Pennsylvania are there, schools like Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg and Muhlenberg. Somehow these schools have managed to maintain their standards.
As to the charge of 'dumbing down' . . . some folks have a hard time recognizing that changes to the status quo can actually create progress. A generation from now we'll wonder what the hubbub was.
Among the reasons given for the move was the concern that research shows the SAT favors students from higher socio-economic classes, partly through the practice of expensive SAT-prep courses. No doubt though, Wake will have to face backlash from people who will accuse them of 'dumbing down' to diversify.
To that I say, "Oy vey".
I can't argue about the correlation between SAT and SES because I haven't read the research on it. But I don't have to because it would not change my thinking - the SAT is but one tool of many, and should not be used a s sole determinant of college admission.
In its announcement about the admissions change, Wake indicated that it would base decisions on high school curriculum and grades, essays, extracurriculars, and personal interviews with admissions staff - a far more qualitative process than SAT cutoffs. Students will still have the option to submit their SAT scores as a way to build their admissions resume.
A recent editorial by Dan K. Thomasson, former editor of the Scripps Howard News Service, supported Wake Forest's decision by suggesting that qualities like resilience and motivation, critical to college success, cannot be measured on an assessment device, but should be viewed through a long-range lens on a student's life and academic career.
Out of curiosity, I looked at the list of schools that offer SAT-optional admissions, over 700 of them, according to Fairtest.org. While a good number of schools on the list are specialty schools that focus on areas like art & religion, there are many reputable universities as well. Some quality private colleges in Pennsylvania are there, schools like Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg and Muhlenberg. Somehow these schools have managed to maintain their standards.
As to the charge of 'dumbing down' . . . some folks have a hard time recognizing that changes to the status quo can actually create progress. A generation from now we'll wonder what the hubbub was.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Feeling About SPD
One of my nieces will be a senior in high school this year and has been looking at colleges that offer programs in Occupational Therapy. I think this is a great field to examine because I suspect that OT services will be in increasing demand as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) becomes a more common diagnosis in schools.
A succinct description:
"Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively." (SPD Foundation website)
There is a growing body of research on SPD, no doubt made more comprehensive by advances in brain imaging. But what brings an issue to the forefront sometimes is not research but the reporting of research.
SPD may be following a similar path. Articles in mainstream sources like Time Magazine and the New York Times have raised awareness in the general public. I tend to think that in ten years, SPD will be seen, as the Time article suggests, as the next Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is good news and bad news. A diagnosis of ADD or ADHD can have positive results for families and children so diagnosed. There are many strategies associated with the field that have been helpful to many people. The problem arises when a term or diagnosis becomes a catch-phrase that is either too broadly applied or used as an excuse.
Attentional issues exist on a continuum - the child who exhibits classic ADHD symptoms during story time may be able to sit with a box of Legos for hours. Internal and external environmental issues greatly influence the appearance, severity and duration of ADHD symptoms.
This may well turn out to be true of SPD, in which case mis-diagnosis may be followed by backlash. In the meantime though, occupational therapy looks to be a career path with very solid prospects.
A succinct description:
"Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively." (SPD Foundation website)
There is a growing body of research on SPD, no doubt made more comprehensive by advances in brain imaging. But what brings an issue to the forefront sometimes is not research but the reporting of research.
SPD may be following a similar path. Articles in mainstream sources like Time Magazine and the New York Times have raised awareness in the general public. I tend to think that in ten years, SPD will be seen, as the Time article suggests, as the next Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is good news and bad news. A diagnosis of ADD or ADHD can have positive results for families and children so diagnosed. There are many strategies associated with the field that have been helpful to many people. The problem arises when a term or diagnosis becomes a catch-phrase that is either too broadly applied or used as an excuse.
Attentional issues exist on a continuum - the child who exhibits classic ADHD symptoms during story time may be able to sit with a box of Legos for hours. Internal and external environmental issues greatly influence the appearance, severity and duration of ADHD symptoms.
This may well turn out to be true of SPD, in which case mis-diagnosis may be followed by backlash. In the meantime though, occupational therapy looks to be a career path with very solid prospects.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Shelfari
Mark Twain is credited with the following quote: "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
We'll excuse Mr. Clemens his gender specificity long enough to ponder his meaning. In a recent graduate course I taught to reading education students, I assigned them the task of interviewing secondary-aged students about, among other things, their attitudes towards literacy. A distressing commonality existed in many of the interviews - even students who were proficient readers tended to place little value on reading.
It was a small sample and I won't draw any sweeping conclusions, but I do worry about today's students who have so many other draws on their attention. And it is certainly true that many people of my own generation do not actively read, yet have turned out to be well-adjusted and productive adults.
But there is quite a world that literature allows us to visit, and anything that promotes reading gets a thumbs up from me.
That is why I'd like to thank a friend for introducing me to Shelfari, a social networking website that revolves around reading. It allows you to keep track of books you've read or want to read, and see the comments of other readers.
I have added my current list of books I plan to read on this blog, and I encourage you to visit the site and join up - it's free. I can see this site being another tool educators can use with students to promote literacy by providing a sense of belonging and connection.
Thanks, Mara!
We'll excuse Mr. Clemens his gender specificity long enough to ponder his meaning. In a recent graduate course I taught to reading education students, I assigned them the task of interviewing secondary-aged students about, among other things, their attitudes towards literacy. A distressing commonality existed in many of the interviews - even students who were proficient readers tended to place little value on reading.
It was a small sample and I won't draw any sweeping conclusions, but I do worry about today's students who have so many other draws on their attention. And it is certainly true that many people of my own generation do not actively read, yet have turned out to be well-adjusted and productive adults.
But there is quite a world that literature allows us to visit, and anything that promotes reading gets a thumbs up from me.
That is why I'd like to thank a friend for introducing me to Shelfari, a social networking website that revolves around reading. It allows you to keep track of books you've read or want to read, and see the comments of other readers.
I have added my current list of books I plan to read on this blog, and I encourage you to visit the site and join up - it's free. I can see this site being another tool educators can use with students to promote literacy by providing a sense of belonging and connection.
Thanks, Mara!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Charter Woes
Charter schools have been part of the educational reform landscape for a generation now. As with all things educational, there are many mixed feelings about them.
Locally, the big story is the Philadelphia Academy Charter School and the shenanigans perpetrated by the people who have run it. Simply put, they gamed the system in every way they could think of, as outlined in the story. It leads one to wonder if there wasn’t even more fraud – like identifying kids as special education students, writing an IEP, and demanding the higher per-pupil spending that comes with identified students. Let's hope that angle gets investigated.
Taxpayers have taken a hit from PACS.
But so have other charter schools.
What happened at PACS will be used by critics of the charter school movement to cast aspersions on any charter school. And it would be hard to argue that the same types of things couldn’t be happening at other schools in the city and across the nation. Many charter schools are providing students with great opportunities to be successful, but incidents like this one provide people who wish to paint with a broad brush the tools to do so.
Nice job by the Philadelphia Daily News in their opinion piece today.
Locally, the big story is the Philadelphia Academy Charter School and the shenanigans perpetrated by the people who have run it. Simply put, they gamed the system in every way they could think of, as outlined in the story. It leads one to wonder if there wasn’t even more fraud – like identifying kids as special education students, writing an IEP, and demanding the higher per-pupil spending that comes with identified students. Let's hope that angle gets investigated.
Taxpayers have taken a hit from PACS.
But so have other charter schools.
What happened at PACS will be used by critics of the charter school movement to cast aspersions on any charter school. And it would be hard to argue that the same types of things couldn’t be happening at other schools in the city and across the nation. Many charter schools are providing students with great opportunities to be successful, but incidents like this one provide people who wish to paint with a broad brush the tools to do so.
Nice job by the Philadelphia Daily News in their opinion piece today.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Assessment and Analogies
In the springtime many a school’s fancy turns to assessment. Despite increasingly agreeable weather and spring colors, assessment season becomes a nerve-wracking time for many students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
The high stakes nature of our current assessment process has fostered a sharp competitive climate that does much to hamper the real purpose of education – and that doesn’t need to be the case.
Let’s talk analogies to create some perspective.
Philadelphia Daily News columnist Elmer Smith wrote a piece some years ago about a Philadelphia high school student who received good grades, was a highly competitive chess player, and was by all personal accounts a hard-working and dedicated learner. However, his standardized test scores were fairly low, and as a result he found his choices for higher education were limited. Smith used the metaphor that the test results were a single still shot in the movie of the young man’s life – imagine deciding on an Academy Award based on a still. (While I contacted Smith some years ago and got his permission to use the analogy in a presentation I was doing, I never thought to archive the column – my regrets.)
On April 1, 2008, GE stock closed at $38.43. Should you base your decision on the quality of that company based on that day’s performance? Wouldn’t it be better to also consider that two weeks later it closed at $31.98, and two days ago it closed at $32.81? Looking at ongoing data gives investors a far better chance to make good decisions.
Nobody would be satisfied if their doctor just took their temperature and proclaimed them healthy. We would want to share our symptoms, to use information like blood pressure and heart rate, and maybe have blood drawn before feeling confident in the clean bill of health.
If you served on a jury, a single eyewitness account of a crime would make a verdict far more tenuous than one made with multiple eyewitness accounts, physical evidence like fingerprints, and surveillance video.
While it may be too strong to say we are prosecuting students with only a single form of evidence, the high stakes assessment model has overstepped its limits. Many educators and parents know that an ongoing diagnostic-prescriptive model based on daily observation and ongoing authentic assessments better serve students, yet every year many in the process become as skittish as Pennsylvania deer in late November.
Please refer to http://www.fairtest.org/ for a more cogent case against our current assessment model.
A New Old Model
At a recent workshop on Math, the presenter suggested that it might be worth using a different evaluation model because of the cumulative nature of the subject. Instead of using the standard letter grades, we could ‘certify’ students who demonstrated proficiency in basic math criteria, like number sense, word problems, fractions, etc.
This is nothing new, of course. An educational generation ago, when I was starting my career, Outcomes Based Education (OBE) was the hot topic. Students would show their mastery of specifically chosen, measurable outcomes in order to progress through school.
There was considerable controversy over OBE, which essentially sunk most of the ship though there are some places that practice it. The Coalition of Essential Schools promotes an extensive form of OBE. What has remained alive of the original concept of OBE is standardized testing, minus the other types of authentic assessment.
But given the tense climate of the educational world with swirling controversies over assessment, NCLB, teacher training and burnout, the disconnect between traditional curricula and current global realities, perhaps revisiting a fuller OBE would be a reasonable venture. Could the weaknesses in the old OBE model be addressed and remediated?
The first prerequisite in examining this would have to be crystal clear: determining learning objectives could NOT be mandated at a federal level. That would create more dissatisfaction than the current ‘one size fits all’ nature of NCLB that has so many upset.
Yet this would be a legitimate fear: it seems that educational entities often tend to acquiesce to higher authorities too easily – states to the federal government, districts to the state, schools to districts, and so on. I compare the creation of central standards to franchising, the attempt to create a singular educational experience for all students. Anyone who has spent time in a classroom knows the impossibility of this model, yet . . .
(originally posted 4/26/08)
Dream Schools
In grades, K-5, I would see children taking a core process curriculum with literacy, math, physical education and the arts (music, visual arts), and a core content curriculum for science and civics (including history and citizenship). Cooperative and communication skills would be embedded.
In grades 6-8, students would continue to take literacy, math, and p.e. on a regular basis. Students would formally learn technology, metacognition and study skills on a repeating basis. Students would also cycle through a variety of electives including science, civics, arts, finance, languages, and vo-tech subjects.
In grades 9-10, students would continue to take literacy and math regularly, but begin to focus on some sort of disciplinary track, like college prep, vo-tech, health, technology, international studies, or arts. They would still take at least one course per semester in a different discipline track. By grades 11-12, students would focus mainly on their chosen track, with some elective opportunities. In this way, a high school would actually be a conglomeration of a number of departments.
Instead of homework, students would have independent follow-up work, and the school day might be extended to allow students time to complete it. The focus would be on research and extending one's understanding in the field. There should also be resource centers that would give students a place to receive help and find information.
Allowing students the opportunity to pursue areas of interest while providing a foundation of skills might cut down on a very basic problem in schools - many students are disengaged from what they are learning. By fostering their natural affinities, students would have greater internal motivation and would be better prepared for the post-secondary world, whether that means college, technical or vocational school, or the work force.
(originally posted 4/12/08)
Developing New Minds
I must give credit to Pat Bassett, the president of the National Association of Independent Schools. A recent workshop he gave on effecting change for the 21st century provided a framework for me to clarify some of my thinking.
Over a year ago, I read the book A Whole New Mind – Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. While intended mainly to provide a business perspective on our changing economy, Pink’s assertion that the information age is giving way to a conceptual age has definite implications for how we (should) educate students to give them the best chance for success.
What follows is the beginning of a synthesis of the workshop, the book, and my own perspective. While perhaps being guilty of some ivory-tower idealism, it would be nice to see schools ride the crest of the changing world rather than trying to catch up to the wave in the next generation.
The digital age has broken through the barriers that used to limit access to information. Students no longer need to find information in a book or hear it from a teacher, which means they no longer have to be in class or have the right book handy or have to wait until the library opens. Search engines provide almost instant access to more data than generations of students could have imagined.
But – not all data is created equal. A single search can yield a spectrum of data that ranges from highly regarded science to sheer quackery. Educated students need a more strongly developed ability to evaluate and synthesize what they read, skills that are high on Bloom’s taxonomy in the cognitive domain. Basic factual comprehension and understanding inferences are no longer enough.
Along with the consequences of unlimited access to data, there are the economic realities that Pink lays out in his book. Traditional information age jobs can be automated or outsourced. The abundance our culture provides does not limit our purchasing choices to what we need, but rather what we want, meaning that aesthetics can play a larger role in our commerce than utilitarianism.
New Start
While transferring blog posts from another hosting site, it seems like a good time to update my information.
The old: I'm a reading specialist, teacher, school administrator, professional development facilitator and adjunct professor in Pennsylvania. You can check LinkedIn for particulars.
The new: After 17 years, I'm leaving the Center School at the end of August. For at least the foreseeable future, I will continue my adjunct teaching for Cabrini College and facilitation work for the All Kinds of Minds Institute. In addition, I will be working privately with schools, families and students on subjects of literacy and learning. I also hope to do research and development on the changing and emerging literacies of the 21st century.
The old: I'm a reading specialist, teacher, school administrator, professional development facilitator and adjunct professor in Pennsylvania. You can check LinkedIn for particulars.
The new: After 17 years, I'm leaving the Center School at the end of August. For at least the foreseeable future, I will continue my adjunct teaching for Cabrini College and facilitation work for the All Kinds of Minds Institute. In addition, I will be working privately with schools, families and students on subjects of literacy and learning. I also hope to do research and development on the changing and emerging literacies of the 21st century.
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