The recent parent-driven push for a “return to basics” shift in math curriculum in Alberta is not unexpected. Our post-industrial society remains regrettably focused on relaying and assessing content over process. The deeply embedded desire to quantify student thinking for the sake of a neat, uni-dimensional continuum that claims to represent student potential results in the inevitable association of learning with factual and procedural recall. Quite simply, we've designed schools to train and measure our children. We group them by age, divide their days into standardized units and test them at regular intervals in order to compare them to their peers. Memorization is easy to measure in math so we convince ourselves we’re holding kids accountable by measuring their recall. This also allows us to rank and sort students effectively without actually engaging them in conversation, something PISA has effectively mastered. However, making a judgement about the quality of an entire math curriculum based on data snapshots from a moment in time is not only irresponsible it's ridiculous. Advocating that because memorization scores have dropped, an entire curriculum should re-focus on memory work is incredibly shortsighted. We've already been there. It wasn't awesome.
Working with a student teacher these past few months has been an exciting and rewarding experience. From our first meeting, it was evident that Jenna and I shared a similar pedagogical philosophy; with a strong focus on reflection and discipline-based inquiry. Jenna’s early ideas and questions were guided by an honest vulnerability that allowed for a number of frank conversations around assessment, engagement and lesson design in an inquiry based classroom. My understanding of collaboration - developed and deepened through a powerful team-teaching relationship with Amy Park - had led to a familiarity with how professional collaborative relationships might evolve and I was excited to incorporate my prior understanding and experiences.
What follows is not a typical teacher learning plan. All my previous attempts have taken the form of New Year’s Resolution type finite lists with a very fixed outline and implied expectation of “pass or fail”. I reluctantly admit I don’t have a great track record with these types of goals. I have a history of making it through about one month of successfully checking my expectations off a list before I inevitably fall off the band wagon and resign myself to a renewed attempt the following year. This year our administration suggested that learning plans could take on personalized formats. For me, this prompted a fairly serious consideration of what has been ineffective for me in previous years and how I might re-direct my focus this time around.
I think the reason that a permanent check list has never worked is that I am not the same person from month to month. If inquiry based learning has taught me anything, it is that ideas, thoughts, environments, and perspectives are impermanent. As writing is one tool that has allowed me to effectively wonder aloud, I decided a while ago that my 2012-2013 teacher learning plan should take the form of a blog...
I want to be able to competently articulate my evolving understanding of effective educational pedagogy and hold myself accountable for actually practicing what I believe in the classroom. While re-figuring my thinking is likely to remain a permanent state, it is important to me that I am able to express my educational philosophy in order to continue to advocate for more thoughtful and relevant learning in the school environment.
My own education has been guided by a learned push to consume. Twitter, blog rolls and other social media exacerbate this tendency. I feel I have overlooked the value of concentration, focus and memory, so vital to real personal development. I am worried that I am losing the ability to distinguish between what I know based on experience and what I think I know based on distractions, media, and a commercial agenda.
My goal is to cultivate comprehension through composure and mindful attention to everyday experiences and ideas both in and outside of the classroom environment. I have learned that at the heart of inquiry are simple considerations of experiential origin and historical wisdom. Discourse and disagreement are openings through which complexities, ambiguities and uncertainties can broaden understanding.
As I refine my ability to articulate what I am coming to understand, the aim is to learn to be suggestive and open with my language and approach, to open a space for consideration with a simple comment or question. I would like to be able to engage in dialogue that fosters respectful and thoughtful conversation around the assumptions and intentions at the heart of educational discourse. The more I understand about teaching and learning, the more I understand that knowing everything is neither a possibility nor an objective. What I can do is learn to effecitvely describe the work that is undertaken in our classroom and hope that the better that work gets, the more it will shine a light.
And just like that, 30 days have come and gone. Our first PD challenge is complete and
although the process of doing something everyday for 30 days was extremely
beneficial, it’s in the reflection that we are truly able to understand and
appreciate what we have learned along the way. Analyzing and questioning the
events and experiences that have unfolded allows us to decide which things we
plan on keeping, modifying, or getting rid of completely as part of our practice and daily
lives.
Our first school-related challenge involved video recording
our students as they discuss, share, and reflect on their
learning/understanding. This was an
extremely relevant and insightful challenge.
Through these short clips, we were able to gather evidence of learning
in a non-traditional way. This served as
formative assessment for both the students and us, as their teachers. By playing back the clips, we were able to
identify what students were thinking and why.
We also were able to address any misunderstandings that the students may
have had. Based on these conversations we reflected on how we taught or addressed certain topics and made
adjustments as needed. Using an app called Evernote, we were also able to tag (identify) which students were
recorded and the topic they were talking about. Organizing the clips in this fashion, serves as a digital record for us to access at a later date.
Also, we have shared the link to the Evernote files with parents, which
allow them to see a glimpse of their child as a learner in our class.
Because at any given time we have 50 kids in our class, our
next challenge was to keep track of whom we called on during discussions.
There was a time when we felt that we were calling upon the same kids over and
over again. By being more cognizant of
whom we call on, we were able to involve more students in the conversations. Although not always easy to
track, our heightened awareness brought attention to those kids who sometimes
seem to get lost in the shuffle. When more kids participate, the entire class
benefits and the sense of community further expands. As teachers, we want to ensure
that all kids feel safe and comfortable sharing their ideas and thinking. We also wants our students to understand that all
ideas are valued and all voices should have the opportunity to be heard. It is often during these class discussions that our students share their most powerful learning.
Our final two challenges were directly related to our physical health. We are all aware of how important it is to live a balanced life. We have made a consorted effort this year to incorporate active living in our personal lives, as well as to model this for our students. The #3kaday challenge helped us to not only become more physically fit, it also served as an opportunity for us to debrief, reflect, and plan collaboratively while we ran. Our jogs became valued time for us at the end of each day. The #plankaday challenge was an added bonus to our running. To be honest, what motivated us to get through 3 minutes of planking was knowing that the @plankpolice would be after us if we didn't! Planking each day also served as a metaphor for this form of PD, in the sense that although we started small (i.e. less than a minute) we saw tremendous improvement by the end of the month - our perseverance, commitment, and pure determination paid off.
As team-teaching partners, it was incredibly valuable to go through this challenge together. It opened up even more avenues for conversation (and sometimes debate), as well as provided opportunities to reflect on our journey along the way. We intend to continue filming our students (check out our class website to see some of our videos) and being constantly aware of who we engage in classroom discussions. Despite a recent fractured hand suffered by Deirdre, we are continuing to log many kilometres on the running trails near our school. As for planking, well let's put it this way, we have blocked the @plankpolice from our twitter profiles.
As teachers we regularly attend and participate in various professional learning opportunities. Great ideas are presented, teachers feel inspired, and yet more often than not, come Monday, nothing changes. Reasons for this might include lack of support for effective implementation or insufficient documentation providing evidence of how proposed changes will, if at all, impact student learning. One of the most complex and highly debated aspects of teacher professional development lies within the evaluation of its merit.
The historical assumption amongst educators that professional learning directly and positively impacts student performance and learning (Birman, et al., 2000; Darling-Hammond, et al., 2009) has led to the belief that more is better (Guskey & Sparks, 2002). Herein lies the problem. Much of what is assumed to be quality professional development (PD) cannot be explicitly linked back to improvements in the classroom. Teachers may have enjoyed PD opportunities but it is irrelevant, as that enjoyment alone is not indicative of change or improvements to teaching practice or student learning. Matt Cutts' 30 Day Challenge may pose as a solution to this problem.
When Amy first tossed around the idea of incorporating Matt Cutts' TED Talk video into a presentation on the evaluation of PD for her masters' class, we were instantly excited. As we discussed what made the idea appealing and valuable, it became evident that there is a reason the concept has taken off in popular media and culture. It is because it feels possible. Often resistance to change comes from a fear of losing a comfort level associated with the status quo or the confidence gained from repeating or re-doing what we have already done. It is undeniably easier to continue doing what one has always done than it is to change and try something new. The beauty of a 30 day challenge as an impetus for change is that it doesn't ask you to permanently revolutionize your life or to wave goodbye to your previous self. It is easier to try something new if you know it's not forever, whether it be a new diet, hairstyle or classroom practice.
Another exciting possibility for the 30 day challenge is the potential for leaving something behind for 30 days. As classroom teachers, we often feel bombarded by the number of things on our plate. What if we took something off the plate for a month and monitored its effect? What if for 30 days we didn't give a single worksheet? What if we stopped giving homework? Monitoring how students react and observing the changes we see will undoubtedly provide an opportunity to evaluate the pros and cons of change without making a permanent commitment. Through reflection, we can evaluate whether there is value in making smaller changes long term.
Our own 30 Day Challenge brainstorm resulted in an overwhelming list of activities we might adopt, habits we could drop or ideas we could test both professionally and personally for the month of May. It was difficult, but for we've narrowed it down to four. Two are education related and two are focused on personal wellness. We intend to use social media to hold us accountable along the way by blogging and tweeting our progress at the following hashtags:
#kidvid - We will interview one student a day looking for evidence of learning and understanding in both math and science. We will compile the data collected in Evernote and use it to help inform our instructional practices.
#classchat - As we teach 50 kids in an inquiry-based setting, a big part of our learning is through in-class communication, either in large or small groups. For 30 days we hope to document who participates in class discussions, who we call on, etc. which will allow us to ensure we are actively aware of involving and encouraging all students to participate during class discussions.
#plankaday - @theheartyheart is a friend, nutritionist and blogger based in Vancouver and posted about the Plank-a-Day Challenge back in March. We are are using the Plank-a-Day Challenge to try to improve our core strength.
#3Kaday - To improve our cardiovascular endurance, we are going to be running a minimum of 3km a day. Although we often run further than 3K, for those days when life is overwhelming, we are hoping that 3k will get us out the door. While running together, not only are we becoming more fit, we are able to collaborate, brainstorm, and reflect on our day - bonus PD!
A 30 Day Challenge allows teachers to not only personalize their PD by making it relevant to their needs, but to also see immediate changes in their practice. Isn't that really the whole purpose of PD?
Over the next 30 days, we encourage you to join us or follow along with the hashtag #30daychallenge as we document our progress and results. We are excited to hear about your challenges and the potential impact that 30 days of something different might have on you!
Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, C. R., Andree, A., Richardson, N., &
Orpanos, S. (2009). State of the profession: Study measures status of
professional development. National Staff Development
Council, 30(2), 42-50. Retrieved from www.learningforward.org/news/getDocument.cfm?articleID=1844
The process of inquiry can seem "undefinable" at times, however, through the process of documentation, it becomes clearer and more tangible - for students, teachers, and parents. This week, we spent a significant amount of time producing a documentary showing the journey students went on in developing deeper mathematical understanding. Although hours have been spent creating this, the process has deepened our own understanding of teaching and learning. Through reflection and conversation, we as teachers, are able to determine next steps in our practice and how to enrich the learning for all of our students - regardless of ability.
By posting our work to the greater community, we are hopeful that parents will continue the learning at home with their children. We are also hopeful to give evidence of powerful learning and teaching using inquiry, to the education community at large.
