701 - 11/15 Post11/13/2017 1. Key ideas you noted from the C-Content speakers.
John Seely Brown - A new culture of learning · Change is happening at an exponential rate and is accelerated by hyper-connectivity and closeness to cross-referenced data. · This level of hyper-connectivity and data availability warrants systemic thinking and structures shaped not only by skills; but by mindset Howard Gardner - Five Minds for the Future · Recognition of the non-static nature of learning · Disciplinary, Synthesizing, Creating, Respectful, Ethical · Focus is on the utility of information, i.e., what you do with it and how you manipulate it, all while recognizing situational context, the unknown, and role within society Sir Ken Robinson - Do Schools Kill Creativity? · Teaching and embracing how to be wrong · Intelligence is diverse, dynamic (out of many, one) and distinct (unique) Dan Pink – The Surprising Science of Motivation · Cannot incentive performance with money · Mismatch between science knows and business does · Intrinsic motivation increases autonomy, mastery, and purpose · Move beyond carrots and sticks 2. Then consider the list you created from the context of your classroom and your teaching practice. a. What are your insights from this analysis? Cannot necessarily claim they are insights as I am not generating anything novel. That said, it is hard to argue that our antiquated belief and value attributed to learning’s quantity is being bested by learning’s quality. Human’s value is no longer a story-telling repository, but rather a responsible synthesizer who considers that which a machine cannot, e.g., emotion, social values, ethics, etc. b. Are there common threads in your perceptions? Mindset rules! Although all the rave, growth mindset makes sense as new generations look to either buck the system that stifled their creativity through box checking exercises or the lure of a utopian promise land, or expand an educational experience that mobilized their senses through rich engagement. c. How do your findings fit in with the other topics in this class: 21st century teaching & learning, equity of opportunity for students, the brain, problem-based learning, etc.? It fits perfectly as it recognizes the non-innate potential within all students and our need to engage students in a manner that is genuine and meaningful. 3. As an instructional leader, how might you apply Mobley's 6 insights to help your students (or your colleagues) to think creatively? Outside of it being just pure genius, it is drastically liberating and intriguing to think what schools could be like if such insights were acted upon. The insights that resonate with me most are the self-knowledge and permission to be wrong. I know of no person who appreciates a hypocrite; nor can I think of trait more humbling and noble than the admission of being wrong. 1. asking radically different questions in a non-linear way is the key to creativity 2. becoming creative is an unlearning rather than a learning process 3. we don’t learn to be creative, we must become creative people 4. the fastest way to become creative is to hang around with creative people –regardless of how stupid they make us feel 5. creativity is highly correlated with self-knowledge 6. permission to be wrong
1 Comment
Research Synthesis11/6/2017 Below the driving question task, "Blog on your lit review focusing on what it tells you about your research question," are the research articles most recently included in my IRB.
In terms of what the lit review and all other readings tell me about my research question I obviously look to themes within the research. Were I to decide a single thread that runs through them all it would be the notion that in order for students to access content they must first overcome the internal noncognitive barriers that inhibit learning. Whether celebrating mistake making, ensuring a focus on student thinking over right and wrong answers, eliminating ability grouping, or recognizing that the ability to learn is not an innate characteristic, the backbone of them all is that educators must reflect on the various messages we communicate to students if we hope to make a dent in their achievement. It is somewhat akin to step 1 of AA's 12 steps of recovery, i.e., we must first acknowledge the power mindset has over us if we are to overcome our academic woes. Enough of that. What does it tell me about my research question? Well, sadly, but to the benefit of students, it tells me what is already well known, i.e., that it is a worthwhile venture. So why make it a research question? As iterated to me by Dr. Hawley in her recommendation to read Tinkering Toward Utopia, we, educators, are guilty of muddying the waters of what and what does not work in our schools as we fail to isolate new factors in favor of adding layers upon layers to appease whatever mass is "encouraging" change. It is not something I see changing in k-12, but like was said, it's worthwhile. IRB Articles Whether the byproduct of the widespread search for answers, a genuine test for how one thinks and its effect individual prospects, or an ideological reincarnation or synthesis of previous notions, research abounds about on the topic of mindset. All demonstrate positive outcomes for students, but vary in what aspect they improve, e.g., academic, social-emotional, societal, etc. In Growth mindset, performance avoidance, and academic behaviors in Clark County School District (Snipes & Tran, 2017), researchers discovered that developing growth mindset most benefited minorities, socio-economically disadvantaged (SED) students, and English learners. When reflecting on one of the basic tenets of Growth Mindset, i.e., dissected responses around thinking over the strict notion of right and wrong, it is plain to see why this would be the case. English learners’ educational experiences, particularly those at the lower English attainment level and in secondary settings where content is both more difficult and complex, fall in either understanding what teachers are communicating or not; moving beyond decoding and comprehension to the levels of analysis and synthesis are a stretch, solidifying their fixed mindset. Same holds true for both minorities and SED but as articulated in study, it is most likely a result of previous academic experiences which have led them to believe in the limits and innateness of their potential. Of greatest discovery was that although schools tend to focus intervention on mere academic measures, targeting student beliefs is of equal if not greater benefit. I could not help but think of the value of academic counselors, how they develop these beliefs in students, and what a travesty it is that they are first on the chopping block when budgets fall short and/or work with exhorbitantly high student to counselor ratios. Of additional note is the identification that fixed mindsets evidence themselves greatest in the higher grades, noting greater academic risk taking in lower grade levels. One need only reflect on his/her own middle and high school experience to be reminded the level of scrutiny by peers in novel settings to understand why this would be the case. Like the aforementioned benefit of belief interventions, in Jo Boaler’s Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education (2013) , she notes the immediate performance benefit to students when developing their growth mindset habits, as well as a narrowing of the achievement gap for minorities and genders. Boaler also found greater overall satisfaction within coursework and an end to grade decline. Widely understood themes pervade, e.g., debunking of ability grouping, tasks with ranges of possibilities, mistake making, etc. but of greatest interest from a socio- and anthropological perspective is how value systems contribute to growth mindset habits. Boaler notes Japan’s value in equity over the American value of competition and ranking, with the latter being one that contributes to a fixed mindset. This finding reflects the true enormity of the task her in the US. Lastly, and exclusive to Claree Lee’s, Fixed or Growth - Does It Matter? (2009), she notes the damage done by excessive marking in math classrooms, an aspect she and other researchers extensively detail in Assessment for Learning: Putting it into practice. Also highlighted in developing growth mindset habits is the need for teachers to suppress their desire to help and answer by letting students engage in productive struggle. First and foremost, I sincerely appreciate that DH's essentials for education reside in fields over which we are responsible for and control, i.e., curriculum, instruction, assessment, the learning environment, and professional development, as far- and outward reaching ambitions are invariably thwarted by our gator's reach into the home. Furthermore, her notion of equity truly shifts schools as mere opportunistic enterprises to ones of that assure society of their intended purpose. Unfortunately, schools have become the social whipping post responsible for solving not only the social ills for which they are immediately responsible for, but those over which they have little to no influence. Schools are compelled to institute sweeping changes at the whim of a new superintendent or unfettered public and defy best practice in the name of satiating superiors or the masses. Our Tinkering Towards Utopia has unfortunately left us with a hot mess that can only be remedied through a complete overhaul (which invariably buys time) or extreme public patience coupled with administrative minimalists. In closing, I am somewhat cynical about DH's notion that we can no longer "afford" such failure within our system as bailouts and living on credit pervade the land and disguise the true depth of our woes.
Additional Research for 790 Session 39/25/2017 https://goo.gl/NZ5KcW - Mathematics achievement of Chinese, Japanese, and American children: Ten years later
https://goo.gl/wmfT17 - The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Students’ Mathematics Achievement and Attitude towards Mathematics https://goo.gl/R6SCde - TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics Flat World & Ed Ch. 3-5 Thoughts9/12/2017 CH. 4
"...a reasonable opportunity to achieve those standards..." (pg. 99) Interesting use of the word "opportunity" as we can provide all the opportunities in the world that do little to nothing. As socially, economically, and generationally viable institutions, we must move into the realm of assurances for support and, dare I say it, outcomes, which is far more committal. "At a minimum, states should not force schools to waste scarce resources through ill-conceived requirements." (pg. 102). Can I get an amen? The perceived linear correlation to student achievement through one size fits all curricular, instructional, and assessment practices/requirements has been debunked over and over, yet continues to exist. Spend $ on good teachers. It pays. Pun intended. Preschool and pedagogy as well-funded endeavors that make a difference. Why is preschool not obligatory? CH. 5 Product of and participant in CA education. No apologies. Please know we are working hard. We must find the balance between replication that statistically speaking produces results in student achievement with context and culture that is uniquely Californian. MOOCs 101 (click me) Sugata Mitra: Build a school in the cloud (ditto of ditto)
|