Instruction

[Beth Brooks]

Based on reading the NAIS report, do you think our instructional process needs to change or adapt, and if so, in what directions?

 

In considering this question, it may be helpful to see some videos that demonstrate new types of instructional practice...

 

1. Personal Learning Networks (PLN) are the set of connections that help a person learn and communicate with others.  This video describes a student's experience building and using a PLN for a particular project.

2. "Hybrid Learning" is when part of the instruction is online. This video shows several students' opinions on their hybrid learning experience.

 

 

3. Web-based tutorials: Salman Khan's "Khan Academy" is a free online set of hundreds of videos that teach elements of mathematics and other subjects bit by bit. In the video below, Mr. Khan explains how it works...

 

 

So... do you think our instructional process needs to change or adapt?

[Beth Brooks]

Absolutely.  In fact, the American Association of School Librarians has developed national standards for 21st century information literacy instruction.

[Anthony Reppucci]

Hey Beth. What a great document. I have witnessed some schools that used funds to incorporate what was in this document and the results were amazing. One could clearly see that what was happening in the classroom was being carried over to time spent in the library.

[Althea]

This PLN might be something for seniors and faculty to think about as the seniors design their Senior Spring Projects.   For some students it might be a wonderful way to culminate their time at BB&N by exploring in depth and with a supportive faculty advisor/coach subjects for which they have developed a curiosity or a passion. 

 

[Anthony Reppucci]

I think we always need to adapt and as that adaptation continues, overall change is inevitable. When I think of education my thoughts always trace back to the title of the Howard Zinn documentary, "You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train." I know his meaning of the title but I morph it in my mind and think about the danger of education staying the same, while the natural world is forever moving.

Independent schools should be welcoming to constant adaptation within instructional processes and as a result a change in curriculum ( in some aspects). At first attempt this concept can be difficult to digest but the reality is that it's consumption is simple to implement so long as educators share the same frame of mind..which is the difficult part.

Independent schools that are PreK through twelve are at a clear advantage becausr they have the ability to implement instruction (the way students learn) over a long life span and have the freedom to do so. Based on the report, schools should be using the type of instruction that invites 21st century skills without leaving learning standards behind. To be successful, the prek through 12 school should share a similar philosophy about instruction that corresponds to the values of the mission.

The direction instruction should head is one where students have input in their learning and the teacher allows the freedom to make this happen. We should be training students to think this way. This will lead us to a place where students won't always have to be reading the same book as their peers, writing similar responses as their peers, and doing exactly the same projects and activities their peers did in previous years. This is not to say that topics of study change dramatically from year to year. What it does mean is that we need to begin to negotiate with the students about what is being learned and be able to relate what they are doing to the world they live in now.

[Beth Brooks]

My opening comment here was actually cut off, and I was unable to edit it at the time.  So here are a couple more thoughts.  What I find exciting about the curriculum map for 21^st century learning is that it accommodates constantly emerging technology.  It’s not bound to specific media, sites or resources.  We have to teach our students the research and critical thinking skills that they’ll be able to apply in this ever-changing digital world.  At the middle school level, it’s as important for our digital native students to learn how to effectively navigate the vast quantity of information out there as it is for them to actually learn the facts themselves.  All faculty have to collaborate to be successful.  Any thoughts?

[Lynda Dugas]

Since I generally work with younger children but have a soon to be Middle Schooler, the videos gave me some insight about how young adults look at the world of learning in the digital age.  I was struck by how central independence and organizational skills are to be successful in the PLN model.  Puts much more responsibility on the learner with teachers as guides/directors.  I can see how the skills children are taught and learn at an early age will continue to be so important, especially creativity and imagination.

[Lisa Bennett]

I agree, Lynda.  The PLN model was so rich and powerful – a wonderful example of exactly how we want our students to learn to engage in inquiry, evaluation, synthesis and creative application of ideas and knowledge from numerous sources – but which also demonstrates the very complex demands of self-direction, independence, and organization that this type of activity requires.  In short, our students need strong executive function skills more than ever before.  I think this points to our need, from an early age, to make these types of skills an explicit part of our curriculum, where we directly model, practice, assess and reflect on strategies for planning, organizing, and monitoring. Since the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for executive skills, is not fully formed until the mid-twenties, our students need us to teach them the tools they need to effectively engage in this type of learning.

[rj]

Beth's point about everyone being on board and bought in is a valid and important thing to remember. While both the readings and these above videos highlight the positive value (and need) for embracing a 21st Century approach, it is important to remember to do so in a structured and organized manner with guiding principles that the entire school community has invested in. Not only do faculty have to collaborate, but the technology goals need to be intertwined with our pedagogical goals on three different campuses and also in line with the school's mission. The learning curve is steep for everyone on this because it is changing everyday, but the stakes are high and as a school, it would be great if we could begin to formulate a 5 year BBN 21st Century school plan of goals/skills/etc as mentioned in the NAIS report.  Right now, there are many teachers at BBN employed these skills and approaches, but we have yet to formulate a plan with guiding principles (but maybe it exists and I haven't read/seen it?).

[Henri Andre]

Rather than using “ instructional process” that has a limiting role in education, I would rather use “learning or thinking process.” It is crucial that as educators we stay abreast of the latest findings in our fields. This is basic; one must go beyond the facts and the information that are easily accessible by everyone. What really matters is what the teacher & students do with this information. Guiding principles should be established so that the changes & adaptation that take place are for the overall well being of the student and for his preparation to meet the challenges of the future. And, although technology literacy is a must, it is only a tool and not a substitute for thinking. What we teach (content) should also be taught by how we teach (structure). We must know why we are teaching what and how we teach. Rightly so, Wagner’s survival skills also put things into perspective. It is important to know how to make the connection between learning and skill development, helping students to appreciate the difference between what they would like and what they need. Empowering students through getting them involved in relevant and meaningful projects is an essential part of learning. And this is not new. John Dewey was one of the pioneers of “learning by doing,” and engaging students as much as possible. It does not matter what tools or technological device is used as long as the change/adaptation reflects an increased level not merely of information and skills, but also of thinking and reflection.

[woodie haskins]

I support Henri's notion that we think of this transition as a "learning process." 

As Carol Davidson and David Goldberg state in their work, "The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age",  when we consider change in the learning process, "we are making assumptions about the deep structure of learning, about cognition, about the way youth today learn about their world and about a dissonance between the excitement of informal learning and the routinization of learning in formal education."  In simplest terms, they believe that we are not taking advantage of digital and participatory learning available now to our students.  Fundamentally,  I agree that we need to rethink the relationships between students and teachers. Our challenge--can we blend the appropriate content and  adopt a more collective pedagogy to appropriately support the participatory learning methods that students today possess.  Shouldn't we be focusing on "how learning happens today" and rethink methodologies to develop new learning practices?

[Betsy Canaday]

It's important, too, for English teachers to realize that students need to be able to express themselves well digitally.  That means that their critical thinking skills need to extend to their own digital projects.  The more we do this in our curriculum, the better the student work is.  Still, I find the the creation of the right balance between digital expression and traditional writing to be elusive.  We're always wrestling with that issue.

[Rosario Sanchez Gomez]

I think like it is said on page 8 of the NAIS report that we need “educational disruption” in order to change our instruction process or how Christopher Dede puts it: “You can’t just sprinkle 21st century skills on the 20th century doughnut. It requires a fundamental re-conception of what we’re doing.” We are competing with a big world out there and if we want our students to acquire the necessary skills they’ll need in such a competitive world, we have to rise to the challenge. Instead of using technology as a tool, it needs to be integrated into the instruction, the curriculum, and the assessments in the school as a whole. In order to do that, we need to focus on learning rather than testing, a learning process that goes beyond the walls of the classroom and engages the student constantly and actively. We need to keep growing, challenging ourselves, getting out of our comfort zone and thinking outside the box. Ongoing commitment to professional development, experimenting and working as a team has to be a must. This journey will foster discipline, imagination, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, initiative, adaptability and leadership in both teachers and students.