Educating the Dragon

I have to begin by saying that listening to Roger Schank inspired me too, I even posted about it at the time. It was one of the first podcasts of Wesley’s I heard and he really challenged my thinking, in fact I wonder if I can track back to hearing that podcast and that being the catalyst for the challenges I have faced in the last 18 months as I began to push back?

School improvement, are we really doing what our society requires?

Our schools are so NOT “fine they need tweaking”, there needs to be a fundamental shift in what the curriculum is addressing and what schools are supporting. We in New Zealand are quite blessed with the new curriculum, it is very new and shiny and very 21^st Century perspective, however I wonder how these are being implemented in schools. It makes me wonder what the key pressures are on schools that truly define how the curriculum looks, it is not simply the National Curriculum.

Steven Wyckoff spends quite a bit of time talking about the analogue of learning to drive and someone made the comment that while you’re growing up you spend a long time watching people drive. I heard it said once that while you are learning to drive, driving instructors spend quite a while telling people where they need to look. “Focus on what is immediately in front, look out around parked cars”, etc. People’s closest sensory experience to driving? It’s sitting in the passenger seat. So a new driver has unlearn the passive ‘watching’, for example looking at someone walking over a footbridge for the whole time it takes for the car to pass under it. Drivers then need to learn to be active observers of the environment around them. There are so many things that students are learning that are wasting time… We DO need to spend more time on learning the skills that they are going to need in life.

So what DOES a curriculum look like?

What are the other pressures and issues we need address in school?

What are the school teacher:student ratio look like in New Zealand. Are there the same issues as in Kansas where the system needs to be adjusted to lower the ratio or is there a genuine issue around ratios?

“In order to do what?” Brings the curriculum into sharp focus. Steven links the need to focus education on ‘economic productivity’ for the future. But I want to consider, is there any value in learning for learnings- sake? Does it not do something for the brain development, regardless of purpose?

My next question: Are there quality apprenticeships or study-to-work programmes available in New Zealand that realistically address the issue applying students for the workforce?

As I was listening I was thinking this idea about applied learning and the links made to Ted McCain and the discussion/ presentations made by Ian Jukes in Napier last year.

I was discussing with a high-school principal the other day around the issues of NCEA level1 not meeting the expectations required for courses in NCEA level 2, let alone NCEA level1 OR 2 meeting expectations for the workforce.

So how are we going to measure success for the 21^st Century, what are the skills required and EQUALLY, what is the core knowledge required for the future?

Have been practising with the tools  for Learnonline from Victoria University. As part of the journal practise I had to share my thoughts about guidelines for online learning. These are my thoughts would love to here from anyone who could add to the list, just carry on the numbers:

There are several guidelines that are essential for online learning:

1.Regular, scheduled time for ‘online learning’

Whether that is morning, lunchtime, after dinner, after the kids have gone to bed or three in the morning when you come off shift. Whatever the time, it has to suit you and it has to be regular; twice or three times a week would be best.

2.Read ahead

Before coming off line, choose the next assignment, or reading or topic discussion; read it through, even print it out so you can go back and refer to it. Even if you have little other time for study, you will have it in your head, you will either consciously or subconsciously dwell upon it and when you come to your next ‘Online time’ you may well discover that you have a clearer picture about that topic or issue than you otherwise would have.

3. Use the email, use the forums

As the course progresses it is good to get your ideas ‘out there’ even if your thoughts or opinions on a given subject are not fully formed. Writing it down, sharing it with fellow students will solidify things in your own mind and they may well share some thoughts and opinions of their own, which could well help you.

4. Be nice

When sharing ideas and opinions in open forum or closed email it is much more productive for everyone if you stay on topic and treat others comments with respect as we are all on a learning journey together, sometimes your ahead and sometimes your behind, but in the end you are only racing yourself.  

An Article in Investigate Magazine entitled “When the wolf is in charge of the sheep” (sorry there is no link to the article yet) written by Amy Brooke caught my attention today. Through her article she quotes Roy Kelley headmaster of King’s College.

She is talking about the use of technology in the classroom, perhaps the type to Online learning experience challenged by Roger Schank? but more likely, I suspect, the general implementation of laptops and computers into classroom teaching.

 She says:

“But they are too conveniently replacing genuine teaching, as is the overuse of setting so-called projects – for students theoretically to teach themselves.”

I’m not sure if she is reporting from
New Zealand or somewhere else as my experience of technology in the classroom has always been an extra to, not a replacement or an enhancement of, traditional teaching. For which  I have encountered resistance to this approach in the schools I have worked. The picture one paints as you read this section is of a school system on the cutting edge; latest technology, dipping with funding, hardly my experience.

She goes onto to say:

“In the hands of mediocre teachers their over-use is a smoke-and-mirrors practice, avoiding actual direct teaching, and replacing that centuries old practice of a genuinely knowledgeable teacher enthusing an interested class.”

A few points about this statement jumped up and slapped me in the face.

Firstly, she does not mention the potential of technology in the hands of gifted and talented teachers.

Secondly, the avoidance of direct teaching (or “deliberate acts of teaching” as Atol and literacy advisors would say) is impossible in the current climate of my school and no doubt schools around our nation.

Thirdly she assumes that the centuries old practice was a) good in its time and b) relevant for today.

Lastly she talks about ‘genuinely knowledgeable teacher enthusing an interested class’ with no enlightenment as to how a teacher is to achieve that ‘interested class’ because I can say from my own experience that interested classes are no-longer, if they ever were, gifted to us from the gods. It takes care, attention to the individual, thoughtfulness, concern, and a genuine love for the kids and the job in hand before you even think about what knowledge imparting we’re supposed to be doing. The old cliché will be forever true: “Kids don’t care what you know, until they know you care.”

What has that to do with whether or not a new entrant has an IWB in their room or a year three can share their work via blog or a wiki, or if a 16 year old is collaborating on a project with people around the world. Nothing is the answer.

Addressing the ‘technology in the classroom’ question is all about preparing students for the myriad of jobs they will have in their lifetime, some of which we haven’t even thought of yet. No one is saying that Literacy and Numeracy are to take a back seat to the education in computer technology, those things remain important.

What I think is being said is that remembering:

1. Finding the World’s First Dinosaur Skeleton

2.Knowing the kings of England- IN ORDER

3. Telling the legend of how the kiwi lost its wings

Are no longer required as they are only one Google search away.

Here I am on my holidays. A chance, finally to catch up with Wes Fryer’s podcast142 on the speed of creativity website. The one I listened to last night rang true with me as Roger C. Schank spoke about his view of education. All the notes, wikis, blogs, presentation material etc are all available here from on the Speed of Creativity website so I won’t bother re-linking them all to here as they are 2 clicks away.

I wanted instead, to dwell on the concept he was dealing with in terms of creating valuable learning scenarios and not wasting time with the ‘just in case’ teaching that is so prevalent in our education system today.

David Warlick, when he was here for the Learning@schools conference talked about the fact that in New Zealand so much freedom is given over to New Zealand schools and not dictated from the ‘district’ or governmental level that the move towards School2.0, Classroom2.0 and Library2.0 stands a good chance of implementation in NZ schools. I think he was referring to where the purse strings are held. Which is true. However, if I were to share this podcast with staff and colleagues I am sure that there would be much puffing of cheeks and shaking of heads. A fear of unknown sits within our schools…. Even if the principal is progressive and forward thinking there are still those at the senior or middle management level had would vocal in their advocating for status quo.

Roger gave the quote from John Adams “There are two types of education, one will teach how to make a living the other will teach us how to live. “

I happen to agree. What I am most pleased about is that Roger does not leave us high a dry, with the idea that what we are doing is archaic but offers thoughts and suggestions as to how the curriculum for the 21^st Century should look. He stated:

“Writing

Speaking

Reasoning

Getting along with others

Making and executing a plan

Understanding what tools are available to you

Making use of known principles.”

 These are the core competencies. Regardless of whether you are teaching social studies, Science, or electrical engineering, those competencies above are the skills you will need.

So back to the
New Zealand way…. Like John Adams said we need to teach children how to earn a living and how to live, but then it’s very easy to ignore
Adams’ logical approach to education: Him being:

1. So far away
2. American
3. Dead.

But do any of those three reasons make him wrong?

Here is my response to Vicki’s question ‘Why teach technology?’ It’s my first go at uploading to Teachertube. Technology teaching is the equipping of students today for the environment tomorrow. Yes, the future is unclear but if they leave us armed with the tools, shortcuts, and critical thinking skills then they will be prepared for a lifetime of learning and change.

Ps. I wish someone would teach me how to embed vodcast and podcast into my blog. I look like such a newbie, but I just can’t figure it out.