Education's 'Death Valley'

I'm not always the best at coming up with topics to blog about.  Oh, there's plenty to think about during the course of practically any given day but blogging, to me, isn't just about getting my thoughts down on paper... or monitor.  Ideally I can provide just a little bit of direction for myself AND for whomever may have happened to find their way here.  I'm going to try to do that a little more consistently.

Today, I'm going to focus first on a TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson.  I've seen a few of his messages before and I am deeply appreciative of his ability to address some of the complex issues of education with some much needed humour.

For those interested, the nearly 20 minutes is well worth the view.

In this talk, he identifies THREE principles where human life flourishes.

1. Humans are naturally different and diverse.  The simple realization that each of my own children are quite different from one another was a helpful reminder of this concept.
2. If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child, they will learn without any further assistance.  Curiosity is the driver of achievement.
3. Human life is inherently creative.  "We create our own lives."

Here are some other key points worth considering, whether you are an educator, parent, or member of the school community at large.

• There isn't just a problem with those who don't complete school... What about those who become disengaged from the whole process and don't really get anything out of school?
• There are plenty of initiative that try to solve these problems.  They just aren't always able to cope with the prevailing school culture.
• Real education has to give equal weight to STEM, Humanities, Physical Education, the Arts, etc.
• ADHD is not the epidemic we think it is... anyone would get bored and fidget if having to do "low-grade clerical work" all the time.
• Great teachers pass on information, but they also "mentor, stimulate, provoke, and engage."
• Are we really teaching if there isn't any learning going on?
• There is a place for standardized tests but they are not the only means to determine success.
• Too often we emphasize a "culture of compliance."
• High-performing education system individualize teaching and learning together.
• Professional Development isn't a cost.  It's an investment.

It's pretty hard to disagree with most of what was said here.  The observations are certainly sensible enough and there were more than a few times I found myself uttering an agreeing "Hm..." as I watched.  I have a lot of questions about how to deal with the totally apathetic and uncaring, and I wonder about how I can have a role in establishing and maintaining a clear school culture.  I suppose, though, that asking questions is the start of the whole process.  Whether or not it actually turns into something will depend on a great many things from policy and curriculum design, to local leadership, and ultimately, to teachers in the classroom.

The picture at the top of this post is from an event mentioned at the end of Robinson's remarks.  I won't spoil it here but it is an interesting observation.

~Mr.T

Getting More Writing from Students, and A Return to ClassCraft

At the beginning of the school year, I decided to focus on increasing the amount of reading that my students did in class.  While I have to occasionally remind some students that they shouldn't be catching up on other school work, the majority of my students have indeed read more books than they had originally planned on.  I'm still working on incorporating some of the ideas from "The Book Whisperer," mainly on dealing with reporting and accountability, but I've been happy with what I've seen.

Student writing, though... well.  There's still some room for improvement.

About this time every year, thoughts turn to final exams and on whether or not we have been adequately preparing our students for the writing that they will be expected to do.  This has often led to a frantic rush in the final months to practice some of the structured writing required of them.  I'll also do quite a bit of thinking about how I could have been using writing more seamlessly earlier in the year.  And so... here we are again.

I came across an article from Edutopia that I'm curious to try out.  If the headline is to be believed, I can "increase engagement and lessen anxiety" when it comes to writing.

"Fire writing" is simple enough: don't stop to erase and fix the mistakes.  Just keep writing.  Rebecca Alber encourages teachers to provide written prompts that are designed to encourage fluency and stamina.  Where I haven't always followed through is in the act of providing a space for students to share their work with others.  The act of sharing with others and providing feedback helps to provide experience and comfort with the revision process.  I was also intrigued by the idea that I have already implemented with my reading program: just as students can choose what book they're going to read, they should have the same freedom to decide what they're going to write about.  Working with specific structures doesn't always have to be so restrictive.

Alber also introduces (at least to me) a strategy for assessment called GRASPS.  You can read more about it here but the acronym itself represents:

G... What is the real-world GOAL?

R... What is the real-world ROLE?

A... What is the real-world AUDIENCE?

S... What is the real-world SITUATION?

P... What is the real-world PRODUCT or PERFORMANCE?

S... What are the STANDARDS?

It should go without saying that having students help to craft at least some of these statements would be a helpful exercise in helping to increase student relevance and buy-in.

More to come on this one, methinks.

Classcraft Returns

Character or 'Avatar' creation remains popular.

After playing Classcraft for the better part of last year, I decided not to use it this year.  I enjoyed the game, but I had some issues with how seamless the entire thing was with my existing structures and routines.  I even had some students complain that it was taking far too long to deal with some in-game elements and that they would be much more interested in moving forward with what we should be doing.  

When a colleague approached me a few weeks ago and told me that he had discovered this amazing new game called Classcraft, I was able to answer some questions and give my take on a few things.  Soon, though, I started asking questions of my own.  It was becoming clear to me that many aspects of the game had been changed and improved from when I had last played it.  I found my own excitement building again and it wasn't long before I took the plunge and signed up once again.  

Classroom pitches proved to be pretty successful and I very quickly saw kids perk up as I described what would be happening with this game.  We are a little more than a week into things and already kids are coming in and asking about our Daily Events or how they can be using their powers and abilities to help out their teams.

I still have a few kids who aren't sure about the whole process, but I've felt better about the product being offered and how I can use it more effortlessly as a teacher.

I'll report on my progress later.  

~Mr.T

Outcomes Based Assessment, Culture Buzz, and School Craziness

It probably feels like this more than it should...

I take no small amount of pride in belonging to a profession that is continually evolving and changing so that it can become even better.  If teachers are going to instill the value of lifelong learning then we had better darn well be willing to walk the walk ourselves.  Two things that have been occupying a growing amount of PD time have to do with Curriculum Redesign and Outcomes Based Assessment.  In other words, we're changing up pretty much every single course offered in this province AND we are looking at ways to adapt how we measure and report on student performance.

Some quick thoughts on curriculum redesign: I'm generally for it.  Teaching social studies means that I am often talking about a world that is always in flux.  I can't, for example, easily teach a course on Globalization if I'm relying too heavily on a textbook that was first published 10 years ago.  In that time we've seen some pretty crazy stuff happen: the UK voted to leave the EU, the very map of the planet has changed, and I won't even get started with everything happening in the States.  If Alberta Education wants to streamline the number of content-based outcomes that I have to get through in a limited period of time, they're certainly welcome to do so.

For those feeling determined enough, they can look here for more information.

As for Outcomes Based Assessment... well, if I'm being honest I'm probably still a little on the fence with this one.

First, some key thoughts from me:

1. Teachers NEED to understand the courses that they teach.  Period.  It can't just be about 'teaching to the test' or emphasizing rote memorization.
2. Students SHOULD be aware of what is expected of them.  They should have a general understanding of what their teacher is grading them on.
3. Students and Parents deserve accessible and accurate information that reflects genuine progress and growth.

My concern with OBA (yep... I'm being lazy...) isn't that we are considering moving past letter grades and percentages.  I am still waiting, though, for a clear sense of what this is going to look like for students, parents, and teachers.

I think that there are some great questions asked on this page from the Calgary Board of Education, along with some examples of what the so-called report card just might look like.  What I find interesting, though, is the decision (at least then) to maintain more traditional assessments for students in Grades 10 to 12.

I'm not sure what this journey will look like over the next couple of years but I am eager to see what my part in that will be.

Movies

I managed to take advantage of some down time and see a couple of films over the weekend: one with some good friends and another with my family.

With Ghost in the Shell, I went in with no background knowledge whatsoever.  I hadn't read the graphic novel or any other of the films previously done so I was pretty clueless.  In fact, I'm probably still a little clueless about many aspects of the story.

I try to avoid reading reviews before seeing films so that I can form my own opinion but I knew that this one wasn't scoring too well.  However, I left feeling mainly satisfied by an interesting story coupled with some pretty impressive cinematography.  It also raises some interesting questions about the nature of humanity as science fiction often does.

I'll give this 3 out of 5 because I can.

I also got to check out Power Rangers with my wife and our four boys.  Now for some quick context... I think I was in Grade 5 when this show first started airing in Canada on YTV.  I'm not sure why, but I seemed to recall that it wasn't really cool to admit that you watched the show.  Although, I have a feeling that there were a lot of public critics who maintained a pretty steady viewership away from prying eyes.

I quite enjoyed most of the film, especially the focus on the characters and how they ultimately come together as a team.  There was quite a bit of humour and I often realized that I was smiling and laughing while watching.  

Power Rangers gets a solid 4 out of 5.

As an added bonus, I got to see the trailer for Edgar Wright's newest film out this summer called Baby Driver.  I've been a big fan of Wright's work with Hot Fuzz ranking as one of my all-time favourite movies.  This looks to be fun.

 Shenanigans

I'm always grateful when the winter comes to an end and we can get outside a bit more.  Sometimes things get a little crazy... in a good way.  =)

Enjoy what remains of the weekend!

Quick Thoughts on Getting Back...

Once again, I find myself as a lapsed blogger.  Truthfully, there were many times when I really tried to find the will to sit down and reflect but... (insert poor excuse here).  If I'm being honest, though, the biggest inspiration as of late has been my own wife who has really taken a liking to the craft.  While I can take credit for helping to introduce her to the bells and whistles of blogger, and regularly provide valuable tech support, she has an ability with words that I remain envious of.  Feel free to check out her thoughts here.

My early offerings might be light until I get back into that blogging groove, but here we go...


Gamer Brain

I recently came across an article on Edutopia that addressed some of the bigger ideas behind gamification and how they can be effectively used within the classroom.  In particular, the author address four main points:

• Leveraging the Gamer Brain... identifying the types of games that students enjoy and crafting learning objectives that can tap into that interest
• Embracing Failure... recognizing that most games provide regular and timely feedback about what is going well and not-so-well; evaluating assessment practices to ensure that students can learn in the same efficient manner
• Celebrating Epic Wins... getting excited over 'Fiero' or the feeling of triumph over adversity; students need to be challenged but they also need to feel the win
• Fostering Voluntary Learning... most of us play games because we want to and not because we have to; teachers need to strive to create an environment that invites wilful participation in spite of being so regularly mandated and structured

There is a tremendous demand in my school for gaming.  I continue to host my school's eSports Club several times a week and the numbers continue to steadily grow.  In addition, a 'Gaming 101' option as FLEX Learning for Middle School received likely the greatest number of interested students.  

The challenge remains to have this be about more than just playing games.  This needs to be about recreating the learning and interaction found in most board and video games.

More to come...

Oooo... A New Toy!!

It's no shock that I've been into gaming for most of my life.  And I'm a sucker when it comes to new experiences that allow me to continue enjoying the pastime in ways I couldn't before.

Despite some initial reservations, I managed to secure a pre-order for the Nintendo Switch.  Of course I have selfish reasons to do so, but I'm also intrigued by the portability aspect and ways that I can share the experience with others, including my classroom.

Less than a month to go...

~Mr. T

Get Blogging, Mr. Thompson!

It would be super easy to just let this whole blogging thing curl up and die.  Like Voldemort in "The Deathly Hallows: Part 2"... only less gross.  I can't help but feel, though, that the insight I can gain from a little bit of reflection far outweighs the extra time I might gain to do something more lazy.  And I really like being lazy sometimes.

Once again, I find myself needing to recommit.  Here are a few quick thoughts...

READING

It didn't take long into the semester to introduce my Grade 8s to my grand plan of reading more books over the course of the year.  I've even had some successes.  Most of the kids appear to enjoy the time that they get to read something that they are interested in.  Some books have become quite popular, possibly necessitating the need to secure additional copies.  Perhaps more telling, though, is the fact that a handful of students who were convinced at the beginning of the year that this just wasn't for them, have found themselves regularly buried in a book... and even liking it.

A bigger challenge has been the regular implementation of the 'Reader's Notebooks'... an idea that seemed simple enough in it's execution.  I would purchase a simple notebook for every student (which I did), and then I would collect them at the end of each week.  I would then read and respond to every single entry shared with me.  This, however, has proven to be more difficult than I had planned on.  The first time I read through them, for example, it took me over 5 hours to do so.  While the feedback from students has been invaluable, I have sometimes struggled with the prospect of occupying so much of my weekends with these notebooks.

Overall, I'm happy with a lot of the things that I have seen so far, but I have to admit, that I can approach reading with a more positive attitude in spite of the day-to-day that can sometimes sap the class and I of our enthusiasm.  I can't just provide the time to read and act with a seeming indifference when it's time to move on.  

There is still work to do.

JOURNEY

I recently took to a little bit of time to play through a game on PS4 called "Journey."  I remember being intrigued by the concept when the game first released on PS3 in 2012.  I just never got around to it.  Well, it was free last month with Sony's monthly subscription program... and I like free things.

This would be what I would call an 'artsy' game: not a genre that I've always enjoyed in the past.  The objective isn't always abundantly clear other than seeing a giant mountain in the background and knowing that's where you need to go.  There's no traditional action or combat... it's just... a journey that you're on.  And I quite liked it.

I'd recommend this one for those who have yet to take the plunge.  It only lasts about the length of an average Hollywood film, but it left me thinking quite a bit about the presentation and, admittedly, the emotions I felt.  I have also found myself playing the soundtrack in the background while doing some work or when I've needed some quiet time.  It has been quite therapeutic.

I'm already telling myself that I need to experience it again... once I take care of those Reader's Notebooks first.

SO MANY MOVIES!!!

It's a very good time to be a fan of geeky movies.  I have a few on my radar, and by that I mean I actually have a countdown on the whiteboard in my classroom.

ONE LAST THING...

It's my intention to start providing some more 'educational' insights and not just make myself some sort of middle man between YouTube and my very limited audience.  I did come across this last gem which I en joy watching with my boys.  My body is too 'big-boned' and I'm too scared to do this for real.  Videos like these will be the closest that I will likely get to thrill seeking for the rest of my life.

More to come...

~Mr.T